Policy on Appealing an Editorial Decision

The Jinnah Business Review (JBR) is committed to a fair, rigorous, and transparent editorial process. While the vast majority of decisions are final, we recognize that there may be exceptional circumstances where an author believes a significant error has occurred during the review. This policy outlines the formal process for appealing an editorial decision.

1. Grounds for an Appeal

An appeal is not a mechanism for a general rebuttal or a simple disagreement with the outcome. Appeals will only be considered on the following specific grounds:

a) Procedural Error: Provide evidence that the journal's published peer-review process was not followed, potentially affecting the decision (e.g., a reviewer based their assessment on a factual inaccuracy, a clear conflict of interest was overlooked).

b) Factual Error in Review: A reviewer made a significant factual error in their assessment of your manuscript (e.g., incorrectly stating that a key theory or methodology does not exist, misrepresenting your data or conclusions).

c) New Information: You have substantial new data or analysis that became available after the final decision was made, which addresses the core reasons for rejection.

2. Grounds That Are Not Considered for Appeal

The following are not considered valid grounds for an appeal and will be dismissed:

• Disagreement with the reviewers' or editors' judgment on the novelty, importance, or potential impact of the work.

• Disagreement with the decision without providing evidence of a procedural or factual error.

• Claims of bias without specific, substantiated evidence.

• Disagreement based on the time taken to reach a decision.

3. The Appeal Process

To ensure a fair and objective re-examination, authors must adhere to the following process:

3.1 Step 1: Formal Appeal Submission

A formal appeal must be initiated by the corresponding author via email within 30 days of the original decision date. The appeal must be sent to the dedicated appeals contact:

Dr. S. M. M. Raza Naqvi

Role: Chair, JBR Editorial Ethics and Appeals Committee

Email: jbr@cust.edu.pk

The appeal email must have the subject line: "Appeal - Manuscript ID [Insert Your Manuscript ID]" and include the following as a single PDF attachment:

a) A detailed cover letter that clearly states the ground for the appeal (as defined in Section 1.0).

b) A point-by-point response to the specific factual or procedural issues identified in the reviewers' and editor's comments.

c) The original decision letter.

d) For appeals based on new information: A summary of the new data/analysis and an explanation of why it could not have been included in the original submission.

3.2 Step 2: Acknowledgment and Initial Assessment

a) You will receive an acknowledgment of your appeal within 5 business days.

b) Mrs. Sara Nawaz will conduct an initial assessment to determine if the appeal meets the formal grounds and contains the required information. Appeals that do not meet the criteria will be dismissed at this stage.

3.3 Step 3: Re-examination

a) If the appeal proceeds, it will be handled by the JBR Editorial Ethics and Appeals Committee, which includes the Editor-in-Chief and senior Associate Editors not involved in the original decision.

b) The committee will review the original manuscript, all review reports, the decision letter, and the author's appeal document.

c) The committee may, at its discretion, seek additional advice from new independent reviewers or members of the editorial board.

3.4 Step 4: Appeal Outcome

The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and will be communicated to the corresponding author within 8-10 weeks of the appeal being accepted for review. Possible outcomes are:

a) Appeal Upheld: The original decision is overturned, and the manuscript is re-entered into the peer-review process. Please note: This does not guarantee acceptance, but a fresh review.

b) Appeal Rejected: The original decision stands, and no further correspondence on the matter will be entered into.

4. Important Notes

a) Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that the decision will be reversed.

b) The journal will not tolerate abusive or unprofessional correspondence. Such behavior will result in the immediate termination of the appeal process and may lead to a ban on future submissions.

c) Only one appeal per manuscript will be considered.

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This appeals process is designed in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure fairness and integrity in scholarly publishing.