Complaints and Appeals Policy

Complaints and Appeals Policy

The editorial board of Socialization and Human Development is committed to maintaining academic integrity, transparency, and fairness when handling complaints related to violations of ethical standards in the preparation, review, and publication of scholarly manuscripts.

All complaints are considered in accordance with international publication ethics standards, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Grounds for Submitting a Complaint

A complaint may be submitted in cases involving suspected or confirmed:

  • plagiarism or self-plagiarism;

  • fabrication or falsification of research results;

  • violation of copyright;

  • failure to comply with ethical publishing standards;

  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;

  • biased or inappropriate peer review;

  • breach of confidentiality in the editorial process.

Complaint Submission Procedure

Complaints should be submitted to the editorial office in written form (via email or through the journal’s editorial system).

The complaint should include:

  • the name and contact information of the complainant;

  • a description of the alleged violation;

  • supporting documents or evidence where available.

Anonymous complaints may be considered only if sufficient evidence is provided.

Complaint Review Procedure

The complaint review process consists of several stages:

  1. Initial assessment
    The editorial office conducts a preliminary evaluation of the complaint.

  2. Request for explanations
    The editorial board may request explanations from authors, reviewers, or other involved parties.

  3. Evaluation of materials
    The editorial board reviews all available documentation and evidence.

  4. Decision-making
    An editorial decision is made based on the results of the investigation.

Possible Decisions

Depending on the outcome of the review, the editorial board may take the following actions:

  • rejection of the manuscript;

  • request for corrections;

  • additional peer review;

  • publication of corrections;

  • article retraction;

  • notification of the author’s institution or other relevant organizations.

Appeals

Authors or other concerned parties may submit an appeal against an editorial decision.

The appeal must include justified arguments and any additional materials that may influence reconsideration of the decision.

The final decision on the appeal is made by the editorial board of the journal.