Modern Care Journal provides mechanisms for authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders to raise complaints concerning editorial decisions, journal procedures, publication practices, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, or the publisher.
Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a substantive scientific or procedural error, misunderstanding, factual problem, or significant irregularity affected the decision. Appeals should normally be submitted within 30 calendar days of the decision and should clearly explain the grounds for appeal and provide relevant supporting information. Normally, one substantive appeal will be considered for each editorial decision.
Appeals are reviewed independently of the original decision where reasonably possible. An editor who has a conflict of interest in the matter will not determine the complaint or appeal. Complaints concerning the Editor-in-Chief will be handled without the Editor-in-Chief's involvement by the Director-in-Charge/Chairman or another independent senior authority designated by the journal's publisher.
An appeal does not automatically result in re-review or reversal of the original decision.
Complaints Concerning Publication Ethics
Complaints involving plagiarism, data integrity, authorship, conflicts of interest, ethics approval, peer-review manipulation, or other research-integrity concerns will be handled under the relevant MCJ ethics policy and applicable COPE guidance.
Confidentiality
Information relating to complaints and appeals will be shared only with individuals who reasonably require access for assessment, investigation, or resolution, subject to applicable legal and institutional requirements.
Good-faith complainants will not be disadvantaged because they raised a legitimate concern.
How to Submit a Complaint or Appeal
Complaints and appeals should be submitted through the journal's official Contact Us system or to the Editorial Office using the contact information published on the MCJ website.
The subject line should clearly indicate "Complaint" or "Editorial Appeal" and include the manuscript or article identifier where applicable.
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