Complaints and Appeals

Jurnal Venus, published by Politeknik Ilmu Pelayaran Makassar, Indonesia, is committed to an ethical, fair, accessible, and transparent process for addressing complaints and appeals. This policy sets out how authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, and other stakeholders may raise concerns regarding the journal, its editorial staff, editorial board, publisher, editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, or published articles. The journal aims to handle concerns objectively and without retaliation, consistent with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. Reference to COPE guidance does not imply that Jurnal Venus is a COPE member.

Complaints may include, but are not limited to:

• Allegations of plagiarism, duplicate publication, falsification, fabrication, or other research and publication misconduct.
• Concerns about the integrity, accuracy, or ethical standing of a published article.
• Unfair treatment, discrimination, bias, or inappropriate conduct involving an editor, reviewer, editorial staff member, or publisher.
• Procedural irregularities, confidentiality breaches, excessive delays, or conflicts of interest in peer review and editorial handling.
• Concerns relating to authorship, copyright, licensing, or the unauthorized use of scholarly material.
• Disputes concerning editorial communication, journal policies, or requests for corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Jurnal Venus Editorial Office. The complainant is encouraged to use the email subject line “Complaint – Jurnal Venus – [Manuscript ID/Article DOI]” and include:

1. Full name and contact information (unless reporting anonymously), and relationship to the matter.
2. The manuscript ID, article title, DOI, or other identifying information, where relevant.
3. A clear explanation of the concern, including relevant events and dates.
4. Supporting materials, such as correspondence, documents, or links to evidence.
5. The action or remedy requested, where appropriate.

The journal handles complaints confidentially and limits access to personal information and case materials to individuals who need them for assessment or resolution. Confidentiality will be maintained to the greatest extent reasonably possible, while permitting a fair investigation and meeting applicable legal, institutional, and ethical obligations.

Anonymous complaints may be considered where sufficiently specific and supported by credible evidence. However, anonymity can limit the journal’s ability to request clarification, investigate effectively, or communicate an outcome. The journal does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

After receiving a complaint, the Editorial Office will acknowledge an identifiable submission as promptly as practicable and make an initial assessment of its relevance, completeness, urgency, and seriousness. Additional information may be requested. If the matter falls outside the journal’s authority, the complainant will be informed and, when appropriate, directed to a more suitable body or institution.

Where a complaint falls within the scope of this policy and merits further examination, an editor or other appropriately appointed person without a relevant conflict of interest will review the evidence. The review may involve correspondence, submission records, editorial and peer-review documentation held in OJS, published materials, and statements from relevant parties.

Individuals whose actions are the subject of a complaint will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond. Matters relating to possible research misconduct may require consultation with a research institution, ethics committee, or other competent authority; the journal does not claim to replace an institutional investigation.

A person who is directly involved in the issue or has a competing interest must not assess or decide that complaint. Where a complaint concerns a handling editor, another unconflicted editor or senior member of the editorial board should take responsibility. Where the Editor-in-Chief is implicated, the complaint should be referred to the publisher or another independent person designated for that case.

If the publisher is implicated, an unconflicted editorial representative or suitably independent adviser should be appointed where feasible. These arrangements are case-specific; this policy does not imply that a permanent independent appeals committee has already been established.

Following an appropriate assessment, the journal will communicate the outcome and a reasoned explanation to the complainant, insofar as confidentiality and applicable obligations permit. Depending on the circumstances, the outcome may include clarification, an apology, a change in editorial procedure, reconsideration of a decision, additional independent assessment, referral to an institution, or post-publication action under the journal’s Corrections and Retractions Policy.

The journal will seek to resolve matters without unnecessary delay. Complex cases may require more time, particularly where independent advice or institutional findings are necessary. The journal will provide a status update when practicable if an investigation is substantially delayed.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they can provide specific grounds for reconsideration, such as a material factual error, a significant misunderstanding of the manuscript, an apparent procedural irregularity, an undisclosed conflict of interest, or material new evidence. Mere disagreement with a reviewer’s opinion or an unfavorable outcome does not, by itself, justify an appeal.

The corresponding author should submit the appeal on behalf of the author group to the Editorial Office, using the subject line “Appeal – Jurnal Venus – [Manuscript ID]”. The appeal must identify the decision being challenged, provide a concise point-by-point explanation, and attach relevant evidence. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that a decision will change or that a rejected manuscript will be accepted.

An appeal will be assessed by an editor or qualified adviser who was not responsible for the original decision and has no relevant conflict of interest, where feasible. The assessment may include a review of the manuscript history, editorial correspondence, reviewer reports, the author’s response, and any material new information. Additional expert advice or an independent review may be requested when necessary.

The outcome will be recommended to the appropriate unconflicted editorial authority. If the Editor-in-Chief is not conflicted, the Editor-in-Chief ordinarily retains responsibility for the final editorial decision; otherwise, an unconflicted authority designated for the case should decide.

The journal will communicate the appeal outcome in writing, with a concise explanation of the grounds for the decision. The decision after completion of the internal appeal process will ordinarily be final within the journal’s editorial procedure. The journal may reconsider a matter if significant new evidence or a previously unrecognized procedural failure subsequently comes to light. Applicable external institutional or legal channels remain unaffected.

Jurnal Venus should maintain a restricted internal record of complaints and appeals, including the subject of the concern, key actions taken, correspondence, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and outcomes, in accordance with applicable privacy and record-retention requirements.

The journal may publish anonymized or aggregated information about recurring issues and improvements where doing so is appropriate and does not expose confidential information, manuscript identities, personal data, or sensitive investigations. This policy does not require disclosure of individual case files.

The Jurnal Venus editorial board will review this policy periodically, taking account of experience handling cases, relevant institutional requirements, applicable laws, and developments in scholarly publishing ethics. Substantive updates should be published on the journal website and communicated as appropriate.