Appeal Policy

Purpose

The Indian Journal of Psychological Science (IJPS) is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, objective, and unbiased editorial process. Authors who believe that an editorial decision regarding their manuscript was based on a misunderstanding, procedural error, incomplete evaluation, or other legitimate concern may submit an appeal requesting reconsideration of the decision.

Grounds for Appeal

Authors may submit an appeal under one or more of the following circumstances:

• Suspected procedural irregularity during peer review.
• Significant misunderstanding or factual error in the editorial or reviewer evaluation.
• Evidence that reviewer comments were inappropriate, biased, unprofessional, or unrelated to the manuscript content.
• Concerns regarding ethical handling of the manuscript.
• New substantial information relevant to the editorial assessment that was unavailable during the original review process.

Appeal Submission Procedure

Authors wishing to appeal an editorial decision should follow the procedure outlined below:

1. Appeals must be submitted through the journal's official communication channel or registered editorial email address.
2. The corresponding author must provide:
   • Manuscript title;
   • Manuscript ID or reference number;
   • A detailed explanation of the grounds for appeal;
   • A point-by-point response addressing reviewer and/or editorial concerns;
   • Any supporting evidence, documents, or clarifications relevant to the appeal.
3. Appeals should normally be submitted within 15–30 days from the date of the editorial decision unless exceptional circumstances justify a later submission.

Editorial Review of Appeals

Upon receipt of a valid appeal, the following review process shall apply:

1. The editorial office shall acknowledge receipt of the appeal.
2. The appeal will be reviewed independently by:
   • The Editor-in-Chief;
   • An independent handling editor; or
   • A member of the journal's ethics or editorial committee who was not involved in the original decision.
3. Following evaluation, the journal may:
   • Uphold the original editorial decision;
   • Request revisions and reconsider the manuscript;
   • Seek additional independent peer review;
   • Reopen editorial evaluation if warranted by the evidence presented.
4. The decision reached after completion of the appeal review process shall be considered final.

Possible Outcomes of an Appeal

Ethical and Professional Conduct

Authors are expected to maintain professional, respectful, and constructive communication throughout the appeal process.

Confidentiality

All communications, reviewer reports, editorial discussions, appeal documents, supporting materials, and related records shall remain confidential and will be handled in accordance with the journal's publication ethics, privacy, and editorial policies.

Policy Integrity

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal or modification of the original editorial decision. Each appeal is assessed independently on its merits and supporting evidence.

The journal reserves the right to decline repetitive, unsupported, frivolous, vexatious, or bad-faith appeals that do not raise substantive concerns regarding the editorial process or decision.