Authors who wish to appeal the revision or rejection decision for their manuscript may submit a formal appeal. Appeal requests must be made in writing to the journal with the word “Appeal” and the manuscript reference number in the subject line. Appeals will only be considered for manuscripts that have been peer-reviewed and not for those rejected outright by the journal editorial team. The appeal must be submitted by the corresponding author of the manuscript within 1 month of the date on which the authors receive the editorial decision and all authors must agree to the submission of the appeal. The appeal request will be considered by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief or their designated representative.

Should the journal agree to reconsider the manuscript, acceptance is not guaranteed, and the reconsideration process may involve re-review by previous or new reviewers and/or Editors, and substantive revision. Only one appeal per submission will be considered and the appeal decision will be final. The journal is unable to consider appeals in which the subject matter is part of a legal dispute and reserves the right to suspend or discontinue an ongoing appeal in such cases.