Appeals & Complaints Policy
Author Appeals
Authors may formally appeal a rejection decision by submitting a written rebuttal to the editorial office, explaining the specific grounds for appeal.
Appeals are considered by the handling editor, typically in consultation with another editor not involved in the original decision, or an additional independent reviewer.
A journal will normally consider one appeal per manuscript; the outcome of an appeal is final within the journal's internal process.
General Complaints
Complaints regarding editorial conduct, reviewer conduct, publication ethics breaches, or service issues may be submitted in writing to the relevant journal's editorial office or to Research Pillars Publishing directly.
Complaints are acknowledged promptly and investigated by a party not directly implicated in the complaint.
Complainants are informed of the outcome and any resulting action, to the extent consistent with confidentiality obligations to other parties.
Unresolved complaints regarding publication ethics may be escalated to COPE for independent guidance.
Non-Retaliation
Research Pillars Publishing prohibits retaliation against any individual who raises a good-faith complaint or concern about ethical conduct, whether that individual is an author, reviewer, editor, or third party.