Manuscript Appeal Policy

For Authors

Manuscript Appeal Policy

 

How to challenge an editorial decision, and how the journal handles that challenge.

Peer review is careful but not infallible. Radiology Research Journal (RRJ) accepts that a reviewer can misread a method, overlook a stated limitation, or apply a standard that does not fit the study design. Authors have a right to say so, and the journal has an obligation to look again.

Appeals are handled under the COPE guidance on handling appeals and complaints. Submitting an appeal carries no penalty and has no bearing on how the journal treats any future submission from the same authors.

Appeal or Complaint?
An Appeal Concerns the Decision
You believe the rejection or the requested revision rests on a factual error, a misunderstanding of the method, or an assessment the evidence does not support. This page applies.
A Complaint Concerns the Conduct
You believe the process was not followed, the delay was unreasonable, the treatment was discourteous, or an editor had an undeclared conflict. That is handled under Editorial and Publisher Responsibilities.
Grounds for Appeal
The Journal Will Consider
A reviewer made a demonstrable factual or technical error, which you can identify precisely.
A reviewer misunderstood a method or an analysis that the manuscript in fact described.
A reviewer applied a standard inappropriate to the study design.
A reviewer appears to have held an undisclosed competing interest.
Substantial new data or analysis has become available that answers the objection raised.
The decision letter cited a policy that does not apply to this manuscript.
The Journal Will Not Consider
Disagreement with the decision expressed without specific reasons.
An argument that the work is important, urgent, or needed for a career step.
An appeal against a rejection for falling outside the journal's scope.
An appeal against a rejection on ethical grounds, such as absent ethics approval or consent.
A repeat appeal on grounds already decided.
Any communication containing personal criticism of an editor or reviewer.

A decision is not overturned because the authors are dissatisfied with it. It is overturned when the appeal shows that the reasoning behind it was wrong.

How to Submit an Appeal

Send a single email to adminradres@gmail.com with the subject line APPEAL — [Manuscript ID], within 30 days of the decision. The appeal must come from the corresponding author on behalf of all authors, and must contain:

The manuscript identification number and title.
The date of the decision being appealed.
A point-by-point response to each comment you are contesting, quoting the comment and answering it with evidence.
Where you accept a criticism, a statement saying so — a selective appeal is weaker than an honest one.
Any new data, analysis, or literature supporting your position.
Written confirmation that all co-authors agree to the appeal.
Do not resubmit the manuscript as a new submission while an appeal is pending. A duplicate submission is closed without review and delays the appeal. Equally, do not submit the manuscript to another journal until the appeal is resolved or withdrawn, since a manuscript may be under consideration at only one journal at a time.
How an Appeal Is Handled
STEP 1 · 7 DAYS
The editorial office acknowledges the appeal and records it in the manuscript file.
STEP 2
The Editor-in-Chief assesses whether the appeal states admissible grounds. If it does not, the authors are told why, and the original decision stands.
STEP 3
An admissible appeal is reviewed by an editor not involved in the original decision, who re-reads the manuscript, the reports, and the appeal together.
STEP 4
Where the dispute is technical, the original reviewers may be asked to respond, or an independent third reviewer invited.
STEP 5 · WITHIN 45 DAYS
The Editor-in-Chief issues a written decision setting out the reasoning. This decision is final.
STEP 6
The appeal and its outcome are retained in the manuscript record so the process can be audited later.
Possible Outcomes
Appeal Upheld
The decision is reversed and the manuscript returns to the review process, usually with new reviewers.
Partly Upheld
Some points are accepted. The authors are invited to submit a revised manuscript addressing what remains.
Appeal Declined
The original decision stands, with reasons given. The authors are free to submit the work elsewhere immediately.
What to Expect Realistically

Across scholarly publishing, most appeals do not succeed, because most decisions are sound. An appeal is worth making when you can point to something specific that was got wrong; it is rarely worth making as a general protest. Weigh the delay too: an appeal takes up to 45 days, during which the manuscript cannot go elsewhere. For many rejected papers, revising in light of the reviews and submitting to a better-matched journal is the faster and more productive route.

The journal handles one appeal per manuscript. A second appeal on the same grounds is not accepted. If you remain dissatisfied after a final decision, you may refer the matter to COPE, which reviews journal conduct against its Core Practices.

Appealing Costs You Nothing but Time

There is no fee to appeal, and no author has ever been disadvantaged at this journal for making one. Editors are expected to treat a well-argued appeal as useful information about the quality of their own process. If a reviewer got something wrong, the editors would rather know.

Radiology Research Journal (RRJ) · Manuscript Appeal Policy · Version 1.0, [MONTH YEAR]