Peer review appeals and complaints from authors
Red Flower Publications journals follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on appeals to journal editor decisions and complaints about a journal's editorial management of the peer review process.
Editor decisions
We welcome genuine appeals to the editors' decisions. However, you need to provide strong evidence or new data/information in response to comments from editors and reviewers. This is important because most of the scholarly articles in Red Flower Publications are reviews and original research based on accurate scientific data.
In the case of scholarly articles with an opinion, appeals are less likely to overturn an editor's decision. These can include viewpoints and views in which the editorial judgment on readability and relevance is most important. In any case, all opinions-led articles should be evidence-based and fully referred to. In the case of articles based on opinions, you should always present the evidence and explain how it has led to your opinion.
Editors do not expect frequent appeals and rarely reverse their original decision. It is therefore strongly suggested that if the decision to reject the manuscript is made, it be submitted to another journal. The decision to reject the manuscript for publication often involves the editor's assessment of priority/importance. These are generally the things that authors cannot address through appeal. However, if you believe that there is a genuine case to be brought, please follow the instructions below.
I want to appeal an editorial decision
If you want to appeal the editor's decision, you can send a letter of appeal to the online editorial office at info@rfppl.co.in. Please address this to the editor and clearly explain the reasons for the appeal. You should:
Please explain why you disagree with the decision. Please provide specific answers to any comments made by editors and/or reviewers’ that contributed to the rejection decision.
- Provide new information or data that you would like the journal to consider.
- If you believe that the editor made technical errors in the assessment of the manuscript, the evidence must be provided.
- If you believe that the reviewer may have conflicts of interest, include evidence.
After receiving the appeal, the editor may include any associate editor who handles peer review of the original submission and/or Red Flower Publications, depending on the nature of the appeal. The editor may confirm their decision to reject the manuscript, ask for a revised manuscript, or seek additional peer or statistical review of the original manuscript.
The editor considers one appeal per article and all decisions on appeal are final. The timely review and decision-making process for new applications will be regarded as prior to appeals.
I would like to comment on the editorial management of a journal
If you, as an author, would like to comment on the editorial management of the journal, please send an email to the author@rfppl.co.in.
It should be noted that Red Flower Publications cannot consider appeals if the issue is the focus of ongoing legal proceedings. Similarly, we reserve the right to reject, suspend or terminate the appeals under this policy when the legal proceedings begin and the claim is related to the same subject matter as the appeal.
