Complaints and Appeals Policy

International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies (IJCSS) considers substantiated concerns fairly, confidentially and without retaliation.

Types of request

  • Appeal against an editorial decision: a reasoned request to reconsider a decision because of a material error in process or interpretation.
  • Complaint about editorial conduct: a concern about fairness, delay, communication or behaviour.
  • Complaint about a reviewer: a concern regarding conduct, confidentiality, bias or review quality.
  • Complaint about a published article: a documented concern about accuracy or the scholarly record.
  • Ethics or misconduct complaint: a concern involving plagiarism, fabrication, authorship, undisclosed interests or another integrity issue.

Submission

Authors, reviewers, readers and affected parties may submit a complaint through the journal’s Contact page. The submission should identify the manuscript or article, decision or conduct concerned, relevant dates, the requested outcome and supporting evidence. Appeals should normally be filed within 30 calendar days of the decision.

Procedure

Receipt is normally acknowledged within seven working days. The Editor-in-Chief, or an independent editor without a conflict, determines scope, obtains relevant records and invites responses where fairness requires. A reasoned outcome is normally provided within 30 days where practicable; complex cases or external investigations may take longer, and the complainant will be informed.

If the concern involves the Editor-in-Chief, it is referred to an independent senior editor or appropriate publisher representative. If it concerns the publisher, it is handled by an independent person or body not implicated in the complaint.

Outcome and records

Possible outcomes include confirmation of the original decision, reconsideration by a new editor, process correction, correction of the publication record or referral to an institution. One further review may be considered only where material new evidence or a procedural error is identified. Decisions and reasons are documented, access is limited to those who need it, and good-faith complainants will not be disadvantaged.

Effective date: 22 July 2026
Last updated: 22 July 2026