Appeals & Complaints

The Journal of Intelligent Computing and Connected Systems (JICCS) is committed to handling appeals, complaints, and concerns related to the journal's editorial and publication processes in a fair, transparent, and professional manner.

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other relevant parties may raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication processes, or ethical matters.

1. Purpose

The appeals and complaints procedure provides a formal mechanism for addressing concerns related to:

• Editorial decisions.
• Peer-review procedures.
• Publication processes.
• Authorship issues.
• Publication ethics.
• Conflicts of interest.
• Corrections or retractions.
• Other significant concerns relating to the journal.

2. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision when they believe that:

• A significant factual or technical issue was overlooked.
• There was a substantial misunderstanding of the manuscript.
• Relevant information was not considered during the evaluation.
• There is evidence of a procedural problem that may have affected the decision.

An appeal should provide clear and specific reasons supporting the request.

Simply disagreeing with an editorial decision without providing substantive grounds may not be sufficient for reconsideration.

3. Submitting an Appeal

An appeal should normally be submitted through the journal's designated communication channel.

The appeal should include:

• Manuscript title.
• Manuscript identification or submission number, where available.
• Corresponding author information.
• The original editorial decision.
• Clear reasons for requesting reconsideration.
• Relevant evidence or supporting information.

Authors should avoid submitting a substantially revised version of the manuscript as an appeal unless specifically requested by the editorial team.

4. Review of Appeals

Appeals will be considered by the editorial team.

Where appropriate, the editor may:

• Review the original manuscript and decision.
• Examine reviewer comments.
• Request additional information from the authors.
• Seek an additional editorial or expert assessment.
• Consider whether a procedural issue occurred.

The outcome of an appeal will be communicated to the relevant author.

5. Complaints

Complaints may concern matters such as:

• Delays in editorial processing.
• Peer-review conduct.
• Editorial procedures.
• Communication with the journal.
• Publication charges.
• Authorship issues.
• Publication ethics.
• Corrections or retractions.
• Other matters related to journal operations.

Complaints should provide sufficient information for the editorial team to understand and investigate the concern.

6. Complaints About Reviewers

If an author believes that reviewer conduct was inappropriate, biased, offensive, or otherwise inconsistent with the journal's reviewer policies, the concern may be reported to the editorial team.

The journal may review the matter and take appropriate action where necessary.

Reviewer identities will remain confidential where the journal's review model requires confidentiality.

7. Complaints About Editors

Concerns regarding editorial conduct should be communicated to the appropriate editorial authority through the journal's official communication channel.

The journal will consider the concern objectively and may involve another appropriate editorial representative where necessary to avoid conflicts of interest.

8. Publication Ethics Complaints

Concerns involving potential plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, or other ethical matters should be reported with supporting information where available.

Such concerns may be assessed according to the journal's Publication Ethics policies.

9. Corrections and Retractions

Requests or concerns regarding corrections or retractions should provide specific information about the article and the issue identified.

The editorial team will assess the available evidence and determine whether a correction, retraction, clarification, or other action is appropriate.

Further information is provided in the Corrections & Retractions policy.

10. Professional Communication

All appeals and complaints should be communicated respectfully and professionally.

Correspondence should focus on relevant facts, evidence, and specific concerns.

The journal may request additional information where necessary to assess a matter properly.

11. Confidentiality

Appeals and complaints will be handled with appropriate confidentiality.

Information will generally be shared only with individuals who need it to assess or resolve the matter.

Confidential information received during an investigation should not be disclosed unnecessarily.

12. Conflicts of Interest

Individuals involved in reviewing an appeal or complaint should disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

Where a conflict could affect impartiality, another appropriate individual may be asked to handle the matter.

13. Final Decisions

After an appeal or complaint has been reviewed, the journal will communicate the outcome to the relevant party where appropriate.

Depending on the circumstances, the outcome may include:

• Confirmation of the original decision.
• Reconsideration of an editorial decision.
• Further review.
• Correction of an administrative or procedural issue.
• Referral of an ethical matter for further investigation.
• Other appropriate action.

The journal may consider an appeal closed once the relevant review process has been completed.

14. Protection Against Retaliation

JICCS expects legitimate concerns to be raised in good faith.

Authors, reviewers, and other individuals should not be disadvantaged merely for raising a genuine concern or participating appropriately in an editorial investigation.

15. Contact

Appeals and complaints should be submitted through the official contact information provided on the JICCS website.

When contacting the journal, please include sufficient information to allow the editorial team to identify the relevant manuscript, article, or matter.

16. Commitment to Fairness

JICCS is committed to handling appeals and complaints fairly, transparently, and professionally while protecting the integrity of the journal's editorial and publication processes.

The journal may update this procedure when necessary to improve the management of appeals, complaints, and publication-ethics matters.