The Employee Relations Law Journal (Empl. Relat. Law J.) is committed to handling complaints and appeals in a fair, transparent, confidential, and timely manner. The journal welcomes legitimate concerns regarding editorial decisions, peer review, publication procedures, research and publication ethics, authorship, conflicts of interest, or other aspects of the journal's publishing activities.

The journal follows relevant principles and guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other recognized standards of responsible scholarly publishing.

Complaints

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may submit a complaint regarding a matter related to the journal's editorial or publishing activities.

Complaints may concern, but are not limited to:

• Editorial decisions or procedures
• Peer-review conduct or procedures
• Delays in manuscript processing
• Authorship or contributorship concerns
• Conflicts of interest
• Plagiarism or suspected research misconduct
• Ethical approval or informed consent concerns
• Copyright or licensing matters
• Publication errors or post-publication concerns
• Advertising or commercial influence
• Conduct of Editors, reviewers, or editorial staff

Submitting a Complaint

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office at:

Email: editor@erljournalonline.com

The complainant should provide sufficient information to allow the journal to understand and investigate the matter. Where possible, complaints should include the relevant manuscript or article title, details of the concern, supporting evidence, and any relevant correspondence.

Handling of Complaints

The Editorial Office will review complaints objectively and confidentially. Complaints will be assessed by an appropriate member of the editorial team who is not directly involved in the matter wherever reasonably possible.

Where necessary, the journal may request additional information from the complainant, authors, reviewers, Editors, institutions, or other relevant parties.

The journal aims to resolve complaints as promptly as reasonably possible while ensuring that appropriate consideration is given to the circumstances and available evidence.

Confidentiality

Complaints and related correspondence will be treated confidentially and shared only with individuals who have a legitimate role in assessing or resolving the matter.

The journal may disclose information to relevant institutions, professional bodies, ethics committees, or other appropriate authorities where necessary to investigate serious ethical or research-integrity concerns.

Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that the decision was based on a significant factual misunderstanding, procedural error, inappropriate review, or other substantial issue that may have materially affected the outcome.

An appeal should provide a clear and reasoned explanation of the grounds for the appeal and should include relevant supporting information.

Appeal Procedure

Appeals should be submitted to the Editorial Office at editor@erljournalonline.com.

The Editor will review the grounds of the appeal and may seek additional information from the reviewers, Editorial Board members, or other qualified experts where appropriate.

Where the Editor has a conflict of interest or was directly involved in the original decision, the appeal may be assigned to another qualified Editor or appropriate member of the Editorial Board.

Review of Appeals

Appeals are considered independently and objectively. The journal may uphold the original decision, reconsider the manuscript, request additional peer review, or take another appropriate action based on the circumstances.

An appeal does not guarantee that the original editorial decision will be reversed.

Limitations on Appeals

Appeals should address substantive concerns about the editorial or peer-review process. Repeated appeals based solely on disagreement with an editorial decision, without new information or evidence of procedural error, may not be considered.

The journal's decision following a properly reviewed appeal will normally be considered final.

Ethical Complaints

Complaints involving suspected plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship misconduct, peer-review manipulation, unethical research, or other serious publication-ethics concerns will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and relevant COPE guidance.

Where appropriate, the journal may contact the relevant institution, ethics committee, or other responsible authority.

Protection Against Retaliation

The journal expects complaints and appeals to be submitted in good faith. Individuals who raise legitimate concerns should not be subject to unfair treatment or retaliation as a result of making a bona fide complaint or appeal.

Commitment to Fairness and Transparency

The Employee Relations Law Journal is committed to providing a fair and accessible mechanism for addressing complaints and appeals while protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the editorial process.

The journal may update this policy when necessary to reflect developments in publication ethics, editorial practices, and recognized scholarly publishing standards.