Complaints and Appeals Policy

Jurnal Moderasi: The Journal of Ushuluddin, Islamic Thought, and Muslim Societies
Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta

1. Purpose

Jurnal Moderasi is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and impartially. This policy provides a clear procedure for authors, reviewers, readers, and other parties to raise concerns regarding editorial processes, peer review, publication ethics, or published content.

All complaints and appeals will be handled confidentially, proportionately, and on the basis of available evidence. Editorial decisions will not be influenced by personal pressure, institutional interests, abusive communication, or unsupported allegations.

2. Complaints

Complaints may concern editorial delays, reviewer conduct, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, factual errors, research ethics, website information, or the handling of published articles. Complaints should be submitted in good faith, clearly describe the issue, and include relevant supporting evidence where available.

Complaints involving abusive, discriminatory, threatening, or defamatory communication may be addressed appropriately. However, the journal will assess the substance of each complaint objectively, particularly when it raises a credible concern regarding editorial fairness, publication ethics, or the integrity of the scholarly record.

3. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they believe that a significant procedural error, factual misunderstanding, conflict of interest, or serious misinterpretation of the manuscript materially affected the decision. Appeals must explain the grounds for reconsideration and, where relevant, refer to the manuscript, reviewer comments, or editorial correspondence.

An appeal does not guarantee that the original decision will be overturned. The journal will not normally reconsider decisions when an appeal merely expresses disagreement with academic judgment, requests a different reviewer without a substantiated reason, or repeats arguments already considered during the review process.

4. How to Submit a Complaint or Appeal

Complaints and appeals should be submitted by email to jurnalmoderasi@uin-suka.ac.id. Submissions should include:

  • The sender’s name and contact information.

  • The manuscript or article title, where applicable.

  • A clear description of the complaint or grounds for appeal.

  • Relevant supporting evidence, dates, and correspondence, where available.

Anonymous complaints may be considered when they provide sufficient credible information for the journal to assess the concern responsibly. The editorial office may request additional information when necessary.

5. Handling Procedure

The editorial office will acknowledge receipt of a complaint or appeal and assess whether the matter falls within the journal’s responsibility. Depending on its nature, the case may be referred to the editor-in-chief, a handling editor, another senior editorial board member, or the publisher’s representative.

If a complaint concerns the editor-in-chief, it will be handled by an independent senior editorial board member or the publisher’s representative to avoid conflicts of interest. Individuals directly involved in a complaint will not determine its outcome where their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

When necessary, the journal may consult relevant editorial board members, the publisher, authors, reviewers, research institutions, or appropriate external experts before reaching a decision.

6. Possible Outcomes

Depending on the findings, possible outcomes include an explanation, correction of a procedural error, a request for additional information, further editorial assessment, reconsideration of an editorial decision, publication of a correction, an expression of concern, retraction, or closure of the case without further action.

The journal will communicate the outcome to the relevant parties as appropriate, while respecting confidentiality and applicable ethical obligations. All actions will be proportionate to the nature of the concern and guided by the principles of editorial independence, fairness, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Jurnal Moderasi reserves the right to take further appropriate action when new evidence emerges or when necessary to protect the integrity of the publication process.