The International Journal of Peace and Conflict Research (IJPCR) is committed to handling complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, independently, and without unreasonable delay. This policy applies to concerns about editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, journal processes, editorial conduct, publication ethics, and other matters within the journal’s responsibility.
IJPCR follows recognised principles of good editorial practice, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a significant factual error, procedural irregularity, material misunderstanding, or other substantive issue affected the decision.
An appeal should not simply restate disagreement with the academic judgement of reviewers or editors. It should identify the specific issue being challenged and provide a clear, evidence-based explanation of why reconsideration is warranted.
Appeals should normally include:
Appeals should be submitted to support@ijpcr.uk.
An appeal will be considered on its merits. Where practicable, it will be reviewed by an editor who was not directly responsible for the original decision or by another suitably independent member of the editorial team.
The journal may seek additional editorial or specialist advice where this is necessary to evaluate the appeal fairly.
An appeal may result in the original decision being upheld, reconsidered, or returned for further editorial or peer-review assessment. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that the original decision will be changed.
The journal will communicate the outcome of the appeal to the corresponding author once the review has been completed.
Complaints may concern matters such as:
Complaints should be submitted to support@ijpcr.uk and should describe the concern clearly, identify the relevant manuscript, article, decision, communication, or journal process where applicable, and include supporting documentation where available.
Concerns about plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, fabrication or falsification, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, research ethics, or other possible misconduct will be considered under the journal’s Publication Ethics policy.
Where a complaint concerns a published article and may require a correction, retraction, withdrawal, or other post-publication action, the matter will also be handled in accordance with the journal’s Corrections & Retractions policy.
Complaints and appeals should be handled by individuals who do not have a relevant conflict of interest in the matter under consideration.
If a complaint concerns an editor or member of the Editorial Board, that person will not take part in assessing or deciding the complaint. The matter will be referred to another appropriate and sufficiently independent person within the journal or publisher structure.
IJPCR will consider complaints and appeals fairly and in good faith. Information will be shared only with those who reasonably need access in order to assess or resolve the matter, subject to legal, ethical, and scholarly-record requirements.
Complainants should provide accurate information and communicate in a professional manner. The journal may request clarification or additional documentation where a submission is vague, incomplete, or unsupported.
Anonymous complaints may be considered where they contain sufficiently specific and credible information to permit meaningful assessment.
Legitimate complaints will not be dismissed solely because the complainant has previously raised concerns. However, the journal is not required to repeatedly reconsider a matter where no material new information has been provided.
IJPCR can address only matters that fall within its editorial, publishing, ethical, or administrative responsibility.
The journal may decline to investigate disputes that are primarily personal, institutional, employment-related, legal, or otherwise outside its authority, while explaining where possible why the matter cannot be resolved through the journal’s procedures.
Complaints and appeals will be acknowledged and assessed as promptly as reasonably practicable. The time required for resolution will depend on the complexity of the matter, the need to obtain information from relevant parties, and whether independent advice or further investigation is required.
Where appropriate, the journal will provide the complainant or appellant with a reasoned outcome. If an error in the journal’s process or published record is identified, appropriate corrective action will be taken.
Where a complaint cannot be resolved through the journal’s normal process, the matter may be referred to an appropriate independent person, publisher representative, institution, or other relevant body, depending on the nature of the concern.
Where applicable, IJPCR may consult relevant COPE guidance when considering complex publication-ethics matters.
Submissions are open for Vol. 2 No. 1 (2027). We welcome original research articles, review articles, and short communications in peace studies, conflict resolution, international relations, and related areas of social science.
Next publication date: 31 January 2027.
