Complaints and Appeals

The Journal of Mathematics welcomes feedback and treats every complaint as an opportunity to improve. This page explains how to appeal an editorial decision and how to raise a concern about the conduct of the journal.

Appealing a decision

Authors who believe a decision was based on a misunderstanding of the work, on a factual error in a referee report, or on a process that was not followed correctly may appeal. Appeals should be sent to editor@recentresearch.org within thirty days of the decision and should set out the specific points at issue with supporting evidence. Disagreement with a referee's scholarly opinion is not by itself a ground for appeal, and appeals are not a route to a second opinion on a paper that was rejected on merit.

The Editor-in-Chief reviews the appeal with an editor who was not involved in the original decision. Where the appeal is upheld, the manuscript is returned to review with fresh referees. The outcome is communicated in writing, usually within four weeks, and the decision at that point is final.

Complaints about process or conduct

Complaints may concern delays, the standard of communication, the behaviour of an editor or referee, breaches of confidentiality, or the accuracy of published content. They should be sent to the editorial office with a clear description of what happened and when.

  1. Acknowledgement within five working days.
  2. Investigation by the Editor-in-Chief, or by an independent editor where the Editor-in-Chief is the subject of the complaint.
  3. A written response setting out the findings and any action taken, normally within thirty days.

If you remain dissatisfied

Complainants who are not satisfied with the outcome may ask for the matter to be reviewed by the publisher, Recent Research. Unresolved concerns about publication ethics may also be referred to the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Confidentiality

Complaints are handled confidentially and are shared only with those who need to be involved. The journal does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith.