Complaints, Appeals, Corrections and Retractions Policy

General Principles

Eurasian Journal of History is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in editorial decision-making and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Complaints, appeals against editorial decisions, corrections, and retractions are handled objectively, confidentially, and with due consideration of potential conflicts of interest. When handling such matters, the Editorial Office follows generally recognized principles of publication ethics and relevant guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Complaints

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other interested parties may submit a substantiated complaint concerning the editorial process, published content, the conduct of editorial staff, or a suspected breach of publication ethics. Complaints must be submitted in writing to the journal’s official email address and should include:

- the complainant’s name and contact details;

- a clear description of the complaint;

- a reference to the relevant article, manuscript, or editorial decision;

- supporting evidence and documentation.

The Editorial Office will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and assign it to an editor or Editorial Board member who has no conflict of interest in the matter. Complaints concerning the Editor-in-Chief will be handled by an independent member of the Editorial Board or an authorized representative of the publisher. Anonymous complaints may be considered when supported by sufficient and verifiable evidence.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal a rejection or another editorial decision if they believe that the decision was based on a significant scientific or procedural error. An appeal must be submitted within 30 calendar days of receiving the editorial decision and should include:

- the reasons for the appeal;

- the editorial or reviewer comments being challenged;

- specific arguments and evidence supporting reconsideration.

Disagreement with an editorial decision alone is not sufficient grounds for an appeal. The appeal will be reviewed by an editor who was not directly involved in the original decision. Where necessary, the manuscript may be referred for an additional independent expert assessment. The decision made following the appeal is final. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee acceptance of the manuscript and does not constitute grounds for lowering the journal’s academic or editorial standards.

Corrections

When an error is identified in a published article but does not invalidate the overall reliability of its findings and conclusions, the journal may publish a formal correction. A correction may be issued when:

- an author’s name or affiliation has been stated incorrectly;

- an error is found in a table, figure, reference, or bibliographic record;

- a technical or factual error does not materially affect the conclusions;

- relevant information has been unintentionally omitted.

A correction will be published as a separate item with a permanent web address and will be linked to the original article. The original article page will display a clear notice indicating that a correction has been published. No silent or unexplained changes will be made to the published version of record.

Expressions of Concern

Where serious concerns arise regarding a published article, but an investigation has not yet been completed or the available evidence is insufficient for a final decision, the journal may publish an expression of concern. The notice will inform readers that the article is under investigation. Once the investigation has been completed, the journal may publish:

- a correction;

- a retraction notice;

- or a statement indicating that the concerns have been resolved.

Retractions

An article may be retracted when:

- its findings are shown to be unreliable;

- fabrication or falsification of data has been confirmed;

- plagiarism or substantial unauthorized copying has been identified;

- the article has previously been published elsewhere without appropriate disclosure;

- copyright or third-party rights have been infringed;

- a serious breach of research or publication ethics has occurred;

- an undisclosed conflict of interest has materially affected the publication;

- serious authorship misconduct has been confirmed;

- manipulation of or improper interference with the peer-review process has been established.

A retracted article will not be completely removed from the journal website. Its full text will remain accessible, but each page will be clearly marked as retracted. The retraction notice will identify:

- the title of the article;

- the names of the authors;

- the article DOI;

- the reason for retraction;

- the party responsible for the decision.

The retraction notice will be linked to the original article and made freely accessible. Where necessary, the journal will update DOI metadata and information supplied to indexing services.

Withdrawal Before Publication

An author may withdraw a manuscript during the editorial process by submitting a written and reasoned request to the Editorial Office. Once an article has been formally published, it cannot be removed solely at the author’s request. The procedures for correction or retraction will apply instead.

Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest

The journal will maintain confidentiality when handling complaints, appeals, and post-publication matters. Editors and experts involved in reviewing a case must disclose any potential conflict of interest and, where necessary, withdraw from the process.

Notification of the Decision

The outcome of a complaint or appeal will be communicated to the complainant in writing. The Editorial Office will explain the principal reasons for its decision without disclosing reviewer identities or confidential editorial information.