Manuscript Appeal Policy

Manuscript Appeal Policy

Dharmaputra Medical Law Journal (DMLJ)

Jurnal Dharmaputra Hukum Kesehatan

P-ISSN: 3124-1964 | E-ISSN: 3124-1840

Overview

The Dharmaputra Medical Law Journal (DMLJ) recognizes that authors may, on limited grounds, contest a rejection decision. This policy sets out who may submit an appeal, the valid grounds for doing so, the submission procedure, the review timeline, and the possible outcomes. Appeals are considered a formal mechanism of last resort; they are not an opportunity to re-argue the scientific or legal merits of a manuscript against reviewer opinion.

Who May Submit an Appeal

Only the corresponding author of a manuscript that has received a formal rejection decision from the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) is eligible to submit an appeal. Appeals must be submitted:

  • Within 30 calendar days of the date on which the rejection notification was sent.
  • By the corresponding author listed at the time of original submission.
  • In written form via email to the editorial office (see contact details below).

Valid Grounds for Appeal

An appeal will be considered only if it is based on one or more of the following grounds:

1. Procedural Error

A material failure to follow DMLJ's own stated editorial procedures — for example, failure to send the manuscript out for peer review when the submission met scope and formatting requirements, or a conflict of interest on the part of a handling editor that was not disclosed or managed appropriately.

2. Demonstrable Reviewer Bias

Evidence that a reviewer had a personal, professional, or institutional conflict of interest with the authors or their institution that was not managed, and that the reviewer's comments indicate prejudice rather than objective scholarly assessment.

3. Factual Error in the Review

A significant, verifiable factual misrepresentation of the manuscript's content or methods in the reviewer report — for example, attribution of a methodology to the manuscript that it clearly does not employ — and where the author can demonstrate that the rejection decision was materially influenced by that factual error.

What Does NOT Qualify as Valid Grounds

The following are explicitly not accepted as grounds for appeal:

  • Disagreement with the scientific, legal, or methodological judgment of the reviewer(s) or EiC.
  • The belief that reviewers failed to appreciate the significance or novelty of the work.
  • New data, revised analyses, or updated references not present in the originally submitted manuscript.
  • Disagreement with the journal's scope assessment.
  • Appeals submitted after the 30-day window has elapsed.

How to Submit an Appeal

Appeals must be submitted by email to udiana.krisna@gmail.com with the subject line: APPEAL — [Manuscript ID] — [Short Title].

The appeal letter must include all of the following:

  • Full manuscript title and DMLJ manuscript ID number.
  • Date of the rejection notification.
  • A clear, concise statement of the specific ground(s) being invoked (procedural error, reviewer bias, or factual error).
  • Detailed evidence or argument supporting each stated ground, referenced directly to the rejection letter or reviewer comments where applicable.
  • Contact details of the corresponding author (full name, institutional affiliation, email address, phone number).

Note: Incomplete appeal submissions that do not address a valid ground, or that do not include the information listed above, will be declined without further review.

Appeal Process and Timeline

1

Acknowledgment (within 5 business days)

The editorial office will acknowledge receipt of the appeal in writing within 5 business days of receiving it.

2

Eligibility Screening

The EiC will assess whether the appeal was submitted within the 30-day window, by the correct party, and on a recognized ground. Appeals failing eligibility criteria will be dismissed at this stage.

3

Substantive Review (within 30 calendar days)

For eligible appeals, the EiC — where appropriate in consultation with a senior editorial board member who was not involved in the original decision — will conduct a full review of the appeal and issue a final decision within 30 calendar days of the acknowledgment date.

4

Outcome Notification

The corresponding author will be notified of the outcome by email. The EiC's decision on the appeal is final and is not subject to further appeal.

Possible Outcomes

Rejection Upheld

The EiC finds that the stated ground is not established, or that the original decision was fair and procedurally sound. The rejection stands and is final. The manuscript may not be resubmitted unless the authors receive an explicit written invitation from the EiC.

Manuscript Sent for New Review

Where the EiC finds that the appeal establishes a valid ground (e.g., a genuine procedural failure or verified bias), the manuscript will be sent to one or more independent reviewers. The outcome of the new review will follow the standard editorial process and is not guaranteed to result in acceptance.

Prohibition on Unsolicited Resubmission: Authors whose manuscript has been rejected — and whose appeal has been dismissed or rejected — may not resubmit the same or substantially similar manuscript to DMLJ without a formal written invitation from the EiC. Unsolicited resubmissions of rejected work will be returned without review.

Principal Contact: Gede Krisna Udiana, S.K.M., M.H.Kes.  |  +62 812-3898-787  |  udiana.krisna@gmail.com

https://dmedlaw.org