Procedures for Dealing with Complaints and Appeals

Investigation
The investigation procedure is as follows:

• The editor-in-chief will consult the editorial board on decisions regarding the initiation of an investigation.
• During an investigation, any evidence should be treated as strictly confidential and only made available to those completely involved in investigating.
• The accused will always be given the chance to respond to any charges made against them.
• If misconduct is found, it will be classified as minor or serious.

Minor Misconduct
Minor misconduct will be dealt with directly with those involved without involving any other parties, e.g.:

• I am responsible for communicating with authors/reviewers whenever a minor issue involving a misunderstanding or misapplication of academic standards has occurred.
• An author or reviewer receives a warning letter for relatively minor misconduct.

Major Misconduct
The editor-in-chief, in consultation with the editorial board and, when appropriate, further consultation with a small group of experts, should make any decision regarding the course of action to be taken using the evidence available. The possible outcomes are as follows (these can be used separately or jointly):

• A formal announcement or editorial detailing the misconduct is published.
• Informing the author's (or reviewer's) head of department or employer of any misconduct using a formal letter is crucial.
• The journal announces the formal retraction of publications following the Retraction Policy.
• An individual's submissions are prohibited for a specific duration.
• You can refer a case to a professional organization or legal authority for further investigation and action.

When dealing with complaints and appeals, the Editorial Team will rely on the guidelines and recommendations provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Flowcharts.