Complaints and Appeals

VIVENDUM: Vision of Islamic Values Dynamics Journal is committed to a fair, transparent, and accountable editorial process. This policy explains how the journal handles appeals against editorial decisions and complaints regarding the conduct of editors, reviewers, or authors, in line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors who believe that a rejection decision resulted from a procedural error, reviewer bias, an undisclosed conflict of interest, or a misunderstanding of a technical aspect of their manuscript may submit a formal appeal. An appeal is not intended for cases where the author simply disagrees with the reviewers' or editor's academic judgment.

To submit an appeal, the corresponding author should send a written request to the Editor-in-Chief within 14 days of receiving the decision, clearly stating the grounds for the appeal and providing supporting evidence or a point-by-point rebuttal of the reviewers' comments. The Editor-in-Chief will evaluate the appeal, which may involve consulting an editorial board member or an independent reviewer who was not involved in the original decision. The outcome of the appeal, and the reasoning behind it, will be communicated to the author in writing. The decision reached following an appeal is final.

Complaints Regarding Publication Ethics or Misconduct

Readers, authors, reviewers, or other parties who suspect misconduct — including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate or redundant publication, authorship disputes, or undisclosed conflicts of interest — are encouraged to submit a written complaint to the editorial team, accompanied by relevant evidence.

All complaints are treated confidentially and investigated by the editorial team following COPE's guidelines and flowcharts. Where necessary, the editors may consult the authors' institution or other relevant bodies as part of the investigation. Depending on the outcome, actions may include requesting a correction, issuing an expression of concern, retracting the article, or concluding that no further action is required. Complainants will be informed in writing of the outcome once the investigation is concluded.

How to Submit an Appeal or Complaint

Appeals and complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial contact listed on the journal's Contact page. The editorial team will acknowledge receipt within 5 working days and aim to resolve the matter within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the complexity of the case.