Complaints & Appeals

DAFS treats appeals and complaints as an essential part of fair and accountable publishing, and handles them promptly, impartially and in confidence, following COPE guidance.

Appeals against editorial decisions

An author who believes that a decision rested on a factual error or a material misunderstanding may appeal. An appeal should be sent to the Editorial Office at dafs@scholarpublishing.org within 30 days of the decision, marked “Appeal — [manuscript ID]”, setting out the grounds clearly and responding point by point to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments. The appeal is considered by the Editor-in-Chief or a senior editor not party to the original decision, and further expert advice may be sought. The journal considers one appeal per manuscript, and the decision on an appeal is final; lodging an appeal does not guarantee a changed outcome.

Complaints

A complaint may concern the editorial process, publication ethics, the conduct of staff or editors, or the journal’s policies. Complaints should be sent to dafs@scholarpublishing.org with enough detail to allow investigation. The journal aims to acknowledge a complaint within five working days and to provide a substantive response within four weeks, or to explain any delay. Complaints are considered in the first instance by the Editor-in-Chief; where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it is referred to the publisher.

Unresolved complaints

Where a complainant remains dissatisfied after the journal’s procedures have been exhausted, and the matter concerns a potential breach of publication ethics, it may be referred to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).