Disagreement Resolution
There are times that the authors may have major concerns on how their paper is reviewed and processed. The following steps can be used to address such concerns. Please note that if a paper has received negative comments from multiple reviewers, there is no ground to take such steps. It will not change the outcome other than increasing the workload of the editorial board. Therefore, the following actions shall be taken carefully:
- The paper is still in the review process: If you have some fundamental disagreements or concerns with one of the reviewer’s comments and you are not comfortable to share your concerns with the reviewer, you can explain your concerns in the cover letter which is accessible to editor and EIC only. If you decide to provide such confidential comments, indicate in your regular response file that you have additional comments to the editor in the cover letter. You may color this statement so that the editor can identify it easily. This step is used when you submit a revised version.
- The paper has been rejected (Administrative errors): If you believe mistakes are made in the review or decision process, you can email to EIC to request an examination of the decision. In your email, explain your concerns concisely. After examining the review records and discussing with corresponding editor if needed, the EIC will provide explanations to authors and, if applicable, suggest further actions. This option is normally used to deal with administrative errors.
- The paper has been rejected (Appeal): If your concerns are related to technical disagreement or the quality of review, you can appeal the decision formally by submitting a document explaining your concerns with support evidences. The document must be concise and to the point so that the EIC and others can understand easily. Depending on the nature of the disagreement, the EIC may request the editor to address the concern or may ask independent reviewers to examine the case. Final decision will be made by EIC based on the information received.
- The paper has been rejected (Feedback to reviewers): If you just want to respond to reviewers’ comments without appealing the decision, you can document what you want to say in one PDF file and email to EIC with the paper number. EIC will then forward the response to the reviewers and editor. It is essential that the response is written in a professional manner focusing on technical discussions. Materials contain inappropriate information (such as personal attacks) will not be forwarded to the reviewers. The purpose of this option is to help the reviewers. Some reviewers need to get such a feedback to improve their review work for future papers.
When you send your disagreement or concern to EIC, it typically takes one to two weeks for EIC to acknowledge your email. So please don’t write repetitive emails within two weeks. In the acknowledgement email, EIC will provide information such as what approach may be taken to resolve the disagreement and how long it may take to get a response from editor or reviewers.