JMCHS welcomes feedback and treats complaints seriously. Complaints may relate to delays, the conduct of editors, reviewers or staff, the peer review process, publication ethics or the publisher’s services.

1.    Email editor@corvusmedpress.com with your name, the manuscript or article number (if any), and a clear description of the complaint and the outcome you seek.

2.    We acknowledge receipt within 5 working days.

3.    The complaint is assigned to a person not involved in the matter: the Editor-in-Chief, the Publication Ethics Officer, or — for complaints about the Editor-in-Chief — the Publisher.

4.    We aim to send a full response within 30 days, or explain why more time is needed.

5.    If you are dissatisfied with the response, you may ask for the complaint to be reviewed by the Publisher, whose decision is final.

Complaints are handled confidentially and do not affect the handling of current or future submissions. Complaints about editorial decisions are handled under the Appeals Process.

Appeals Process

•     Authors may appeal a rejection once by emailing jmchs@corvusmedpress.com within 30 days of the decision, with the subject ‘Appeal – manuscript number’.

•     The appeal must explain, point by point, why the decision should be reconsidered — for example, a factual error by a reviewer or evidence that a reviewer had a conflict of interest. Disagreement alone is not a basis for appeal.

•     The appeal is considered by the Editor-in-Chief or, if the Editor-in-Chief made the decision, by a senior editor not previously involved, who may seek advice from the original reviewers, new reviewers or board members.

•     A decision is sent within 30 days. The possible outcomes are: rejection upheld; invitation to submit a revised manuscript for further review; or, rarely, the original decision reversed.

•     The decision on appeal is final. The manuscript must not be submitted elsewhere while the appeal is under consideration.