Complaints and Appeals
LEX POLICY: Journal of Law, Public Policy and Justice is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, confidentially, impartially, and without undue delay. Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may raise concerns regarding the journal's editorial process, publication ethics, editorial conduct, peer review, published content, or other matters related to the journal's policies and publication practices.
This policy distinguishes between complaints, which concern the conduct, administration, ethics, or operation of the journal and its publication process, and appeals, which concern requests for reconsideration of an editorial decision.
Complaints
Complaints may relate to matters including, but not limited to:
- the handling of manuscripts or the editorial process;
- unreasonable delays in editorial or peer-review procedures;
- the conduct of Editors, reviewers, or other parties involved in the publication process;
- concerns regarding publication ethics, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, editorial independence, or editorial integrity;
- concerns regarding peer-review procedures or reviewer conduct;
- published content or post-publication editorial actions;
- the implementation of the journal's policies; and
- other matters concerning the journal's publication practices.
Complaints should clearly describe the issue concerned and, where possible, include relevant supporting information, correspondence, documentation, or other evidence that may assist the journal in reviewing the matter.
Complaints may be submitted through the journal's official Contact channel.
The journal will review the complaint and may seek clarification or additional information where necessary. Whenever reasonably possible, the complaint will be handled by an Editor or other responsible party who is not directly involved in the matter concerned.
If a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter may be referred to another appropriate member of the Editorial Board or to the publisher, the Center for Public Policy and Energy Law Studies, Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia, to support an impartial review.
Appeals Against Editorial Decisions
Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant factual error, misunderstanding, procedural irregularity, misinterpretation, or relevant scholarly consideration materially affected the decision on their manuscript.
An appeal should provide a clear, specific, and reasoned explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and should address the editorial or reviewer comments relevant to the disputed decision.
An appeal should not consist solely of disagreement with the outcome of peer review or dissatisfaction with an editorial decision. Authors are expected to identify the specific issues they believe warrant reconsideration and, where appropriate, provide supporting scholarly or procedural justification.
The submission of an appeal does not guarantee that the original editorial decision will be changed. The journal may consult the handling Editor, members of the Editorial Board, the original reviewers, or additional independent experts where appropriate.
Where an appeal is considered to have sufficient grounds, the manuscript or editorial decision may be reassessed. The resulting decision will be communicated to the author together with an appropriate explanation.
Independence and Conflicts of Interest
Individuals with a direct or significant conflict of interest in the matter should not be responsible for determining the outcome of a complaint or appeal.
Where necessary, responsibility for reviewing the matter may be transferred to another Editor, an independent member of the Editorial Board, an appropriate external expert, or the publisher.
Decisions concerning complaints and appeals should be based on available evidence, applicable journal policies, publication ethics principles, and relevant scholarly considerations rather than personal, institutional, financial, political, or other inappropriate external interests.
Confidentiality and Fair Treatment
Complaints and appeals will be handled with appropriate confidentiality. Information will only be shared with individuals or institutions whose involvement is reasonably necessary to investigate, evaluate, and resolve the matter.
The journal will seek to protect confidential manuscript information, personal data, reviewer identities, editorial correspondence, and other sensitive information in accordance with applicable editorial and ethical requirements.
LEX POLICY will seek to ensure that individuals who raise complaints or appeals in good faith are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged solely because they have raised a legitimate concern.
Complaints Involving Publication Ethics
Where a complaint involves possible plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, manipulation of the peer-review process, inappropriate use of artificial intelligence, research ethics concerns, or other forms of research or publication misconduct, the journal may handle the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics policy.
The journal may request supporting evidence, explanations, original data, ethical approval documentation, authorship confirmation, conflict-of-interest disclosures, or other relevant information where necessary.
Where appropriate, the journal may also communicate with affiliated institutions, research ethics committees, funding organizations, other journals, publishers, or other relevant parties in order to clarify the matter and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
Post-Publication Complaints
Complaints concerning published articles will be evaluated according to the nature and seriousness of the issue raised.
Where a complaint identifies a material error, ethical concern, or potential threat to the integrity of the scholarly record, the journal may conduct further editorial review and take appropriate post-publication action.
Such action may include clarification, correction, an expression of concern, retraction, or another appropriate editorial notice, depending on the circumstances and available evidence.
Outcome
The journal will communicate the outcome of a complaint or appeal after the matter has been sufficiently reviewed.
Where an error, procedural problem, ethical concern, or other issue is substantiated, LEX POLICY will take appropriate corrective action consistent with its editorial policies, publication ethics principles, and responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where the available evidence does not support the complaint or appeal, the journal may uphold the original editorial action or decision and communicate the reasons for doing so.
