Appeals and Complaints

          1. Peer review appeals and complaints from authors

The International Journal of Care Scholars (IJCS) adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding appeals concerning editorial decisions and complaints regarding the editorial management of the peer-review process.

          2. Editor Decisions

The International Journal of Care Scholars (IJCS) welcome any genuine appeals to editorial decisions. Despite that, you must provide compelling evidence or new data/information addressing the editor’s and reviewers’ comments. This is crucial because the majority of IJCS scholarly articles are reviews and original research that depend on accurate scientific data.

An appeal is less likely to overturn an editor's decision for scholarly opinion articles. These include viewpoints and opinion pieces where editorial judgment about readability and relevance is paramount. Nevertheless, all opinion-led articles should be evidence-based and fully referenced. When submitting opinion-led articles, you should always present your evidence and explain how it shaped your opinion.

The editors do not expect frequent appeals and rarely reverse their original decisions. Therefore, if your manuscript is rejected, it is strongly advised to submit it to another journal. The decision to reject a manuscript often involves the editor’s judgment of its priority or importance, which authors typically cannot address through an appeal. However, if you believe there is a valid case for an appeal, please follow the instructions below.

          3. I Want To Appeal an Editorial Decision

If you wish to appeal a journal editor’s decision, please submit an appeal letter to our online editorial office via email at ijcs@iium.edu.my. Address the letter to the editor and clearly explain the basis for your appeal. You should:

  • Detail why you disagree with the decision, providing specific responses to any of the editor’s and/or reviewers' comments that contributed to the rejection.
  • Provide any new information or data that you would like the journal to consider.
  • Provide evidence if you believe a reviewer has made technical errors in their assessment of your manuscript.
  • Include evidence if you believe a reviewer may have a conflict of interest.

Editors may involve associate editors who handled the peer review of the original submission after receiving the appeal. Editors may confirm their decision to reject the manuscript, invite a revised manuscript, or seek additional peer or statistical review of the original manuscript. Editors will consider one appeal per article, and all decisions on appeals are final and absolute. The timely review and decision-making process for new submissions will take precedence over appeals.

          4. I Want To Comment On the Editorial Management of A Journal

If you, as an author, have comments regarding the editorial management of the International Journal of Care Scholars (IJCS), please send an email to the IJCS editorial office at ijcs@iium.edu.my. Please be aware that IJCS cannot address appeals regarding ongoing legal proceedings. Additionally, we retain the right to refuse, suspend, or terminate an appeal submitted under this policy if legal proceedings are initiated concerning the same subject matter as the appeal.