Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation
Appeals, Complaints & Withdrawal Policies
Appeals
- Authors whose manuscripts are rejected have the right to appeal.
- Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision, with detailed justification.
- Appeals are reviewed by a senior editorial board member not involved in the original decision.
- The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the author in writing within a reasonable timeframe.
- The decision after review is final.
- Manuscripts that have been formally rejected will not be reconsidered as new submissions unless substantially revised and invited by the Editor.
Complaints
- Complaints may relate to editorial handling, peer review, publication ethics, or suspected misconduct.
- Complaints must be submitted in writing to the editorial office ([email protected]).
- Complaints are reviewed by a designated senior editor who was not part of the original decision.
- PJR follows COPE flowcharts for handling complaints fairly, transparently, and consistently.
- Authors and complainants will receive a written response outlining the outcome.
Withdrawal of Manuscripts
- Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript prior to acceptance, with a written explanation.
- Once a manuscript is accepted or published, withdrawal is not permitted except under extraordinary circumstances such as:
- Proven errors that invalidate the work.
- Ethical violations (e.g., authorship disputes, duplicate submission, research misconduct).
- Requests for withdrawal after acceptance are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and must be supported by all co-authors.
- Unjustified or repeated withdrawal requests may lead to sanctions, including temporary or permanent refusal of future submissions.
- Withdrawal or retraction of published articles will follow COPE Retraction Guidelines, and retraction notices will remain permanently accessible.