Complaints and Appeals Policy

The Electronic Journal of Medical Research (EJMR) provides a clear mechanism for authors, reviewers, or readers to lodge complaints or appeal decisions.

Complaints may concern editorial decisions, publication ethics, reviewer conduct, or publishing delays. They should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief via the official email.

Appeals regarding the rejection of manuscripts must be submitted with a detailed justification. Appeals are reviewed by an independent editorial committee, and their decision is final.

We follow COPE guidelines for handling complaints and appeals.

How to Raise a Concern

(Distinct from the Peer Review Appeals process — this page covers concerns about the journal itself, its editorial conduct, or suspected misconduct in a published article.)

Purpose

The EJMR is committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial integrity, transparency, and accountability. This page explains how authors, reviewers, readers, or any other member of the scholarly community can raise a concern about the journal's editorial process, the conduct of its editors or reviewers, or the integrity of published content.

What can be reported here?

  • Suspected research or publication misconduct in an article published by EJMR (e.g., data fabrication, plagiarism, undisclosed conflicts of interest, image manipulation, authorship disputes)
  • Concerns about the conduct of an editor, reviewer, or member of the editorial team
  • Concerns about the fairness, transparency, or integrity of the editorial or peer review process
  • Concerns unrelated to a specific manuscript decision (manuscript-specific appeals should instead follow the Peer Review Policy appeals process)

How to submit a concern

Concerns should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office at editor.respublishers@gmail.com, with the subject line "Editorial Concern." Please include:

  1. Your name and affiliation (anonymous concerns will be considered but may limit our ability to investigate fully)
  2. The article title, DOI, or issue/volume number, if applicable
  3. A clear, factual description of the concern
  4. Any supporting evidence or documentation

How EJMR handles concerns

  1. Acknowledgment: All concerns are acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt.
  2. Initial assessment: The Editor-in-Chief or a designated senior editor not involved in the matter under review assesses whether the concern warrants formal investigation.
  3. Investigation: Where warranted, the concern is investigated in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This may involve consulting the relevant authors, reviewers, or editors, and, where appropriate, the authors' institution(s).
  4. Confidentiality: All concerns are treated confidentially throughout the investigation, to the extent possible given the nature of the concern.
  5. Outcome: Depending on the findings, outcomes may include no further action, a correction, an expression of concern, a retraction, or other editorial or administrative action, consistent with EJMR's Article Corrections, Retractions, and Withdrawal Policy.
  6. Communication — The person who raised the concern is informed of the outcome once the matter is resolved, subject to confidentiality constraints.

Conflicts of interest in handling concerns

Any editor or staff member with a conflict of interest relating to a submitted concern (e.g., a co-author, close collaborator, or institutional colleague of those involved) will be recused from the assessment and investigation of that concern.

Escalation

If a concern involves the Editor-in-Chief directly, or if the reporting party is not satisfied that their concern has been handled appropriately, it may be escalated to the Publisher (RES Publishers) at editor@respublishers.com for independent review.