Appeals, Complaints & Post-Publication Updates
Appeals
Authors have the right to appeal an editorial rejection decision. An appeal is considered an extension of the editorial evaluation and peer review process; therefore, the same ethical standards apply. Appeals must not be submitted if the manuscript is currently under consideration by another journal.
Eligibility and scope of appeals
Appeals will be considered only if they:
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address the specific reasons for rejection, and
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provide substantial scientific justification, new information, or evidence-based clarification in response to the Editors’ and reviewers’ comments.
Appeals will not be considered if they:
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do not address reviewer or editorial concerns,
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dismiss reviewers’ comments without scientific argumentation, or
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contain offensive or inappropriate language.
How to submit an appeal
To initiate an appeal, the corresponding author should submit an appeal letter to the Managing Editor:
Paulina Piątkowska (paulina.piatkowska@umw.edu.pl)
The appeal letter must include:
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a clear explanation of why the authors disagree with the decision,
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a point-by-point response to the key reviewer/editor criticisms (if provided),
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any new data or information relevant to the manuscript evaluation,
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supporting evidence of any potential factual/technical errors in the review process,
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evidence of any suspected reviewer conflict of interest (if applicable).
Editorial handling of appeals
Eligible appeals are reviewed by a member of the Editorial Board. The Editors may:
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uphold the original rejection decision,
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invite a revised submission, and/or
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request additional peer review and/or statistical review.
If an appeal is accepted, the manuscript may re-enter peer review and may be considered for publication following revisions deemed necessary by the Editors and reviewers.
Authors should not submit a revised version of the manuscript until the appeal process has been completed.
Finality and timelines
The journal will consider one appeal per manuscript. All decisions on appeals are final. The timely processing of new submissions takes precedence over appeals.
Appeals must be submitted within 4 weeks of the original decision. Appeals received after this period will not be considered.
Complaints
The Editorial Office of Polymers in Medicine considers complaints, appeals, and allegations of misconduct in accordance with guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This policy applies to issues raised both before and after publication. Complaints may be submitted by authors, readers, reviewers, or institutions.
How complaints are handled
All complaints should be submitted to the Managing Editor:
Paulina Piątkowska (paulina.piatkowska@umw.edu.pl)
The Editorial Office will:
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acknowledge receipt of the complaint (typically within 5 days),
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assess the complaint and determine whether a formal investigation is required,
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follow COPE guidance and relevant editorial procedures,
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where necessary, refer the matter to the appropriate institution(s) for further investigation.
Outcomes and updates to the scholarly record
Where an investigation confirms that changes to the published record are required, the journal will issue an appropriate post-publication notice, such as:
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Correction,
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Retraction, or
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Removal (only in exceptional cases and where clearly justified in the public interest).
Post-publication notices will be permanently linked to the original article in order to maintain transparency and integrity of the scholarly record. The notice and the article will include stable identifiers (DOI/URL), with cross-linking between:
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the notice, and
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the full article (PDF and HTML, where applicable).
Contact and communication
Complainants should include a clear description of the concern and any supporting documentation. Please note that, due to confidentiality requirements, the complainant will not necessarily receive updates during the investigation and will be formally notified when the case is resolved or escalated.
Escalation
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, the case may be escalated to COPE or another appropriate body.
In complex cases, the Editors may consult COPE directly for guidance on the most appropriate course of action.
Corrections, Retractions and Removals
When post-publication changes are necessary, Polymers in Medicine issues appropriate notices to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record, in accordance with COPE guidance. Any Correction, Retraction, or Removal will be accompanied by a formal notice describing the reason for the action and the scope of changes.
All notices are permanently linked to the original article and include stable identifiers (DOI/URL) to maintain transparency.
Corrections
Initiation of corrections
Corrections may be initiated by:
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the Author(s), or
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the Editorial Office.
Authors should inform the Editorial Office as soon as possible if they identify an error in a published article, particularly if the error may affect:
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data interpretation,
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the reliability of the results, or
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conclusions.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors agree with the requested correction prior to submission of the request.
Preparation and approval of correction notices
Whenever possible, Correction notices should be prepared and approved by all authors of the original article. In rare cases where the correction relates to a production/publishing error, the journal may issue a Correction without direct author input; however, the Editorial Office will make best efforts to notify the authors.
Requests for corrections may be subject to editorial evaluation and, where necessary, further verification. Authors may be asked to provide supporting documentation or clarification before a correction is approved.
Scope of corrections
Correction notices are intended to address limited and specific issues, including:
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errors in wording that affect meaning,
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minor data errors,
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incorrect citations,
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changes to article metadata.
The Correction notice will clearly describe all changes made. The original article will remain available, with a permanent link between the article and the notice.
Limitations
Corrections cannot be used to implement substantial changes affecting the paper as a whole. If concerns undermine the validity or integrity of the work, the journal may issue a Retraction instead.
The journal does not permit replacing an article with a revised version or publishing an amended full-text article as a Correction. Correction notices are published as a description of changes and/or corrected passages only. This policy prevents multiple versions of the same article from circulating simultaneously.
Retractions
Retractions are issued when an article contains major errors or ethical concerns that invalidate the reliability of the work and cannot be adequately addressed through a Correction. Retraction is a mechanism to correct the scholarly record and to alert readers to publications whose findings or conclusions should not be relied upon.
Retractions may be initiated by the Editors, authors, readers, institutions, or other relevant parties. Unreliable findings may result from honest error, methodological mistakes, or research misconduct.
The primary purpose of retraction is to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, not to punish authors.
Grounds for retraction (COPE guidance)
In line with the COPE Retraction Guidelines, the Editors may consider retracting an article if:
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there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to significant error (e.g., miscalculation, experimental error) or due to fabrication or falsification (including image manipulation);
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the work constitutes plagiarism;
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the work involves redundant/duplicate publication or substantial overlap without proper disclosure, attribution, or permission;
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the article contains material/data published without authorization;
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copyright has been infringed or other serious legal issues arise (e.g., privacy, defamation);
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the work reports unethical research;
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the article was published following a compromised or manipulated peer review process;
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a significant conflict of interest was not disclosed and, in the Editors’ judgement, it may have influenced interpretation, editorial decisions, or reviewer recommendations.
Retraction notice and transparency
When a retraction is made, a formal Retraction notice will be published. The notice will:
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be permanently linked to the original article (DOI/URL),
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clearly state the reason(s) for retraction and which content is unreliable,
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identify who is retracting the article (Editors and/or author(s)),
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describe how the issue was identified where appropriate (claimants will be named only with permission).
The Editors will, whenever possible, communicate with the authors to agree on wording that is accurate and informative. However, retraction will not be unreasonably delayed by prolonged negotiations. Retractions may be issued even if author agreement cannot be obtained.
Availability of the retracted article
The original article will remain accessible on the journal website and in indexing databases (including PubMed, where applicable), but will be clearly marked as Retracted. Retaining the original publication ensures transparency of the scientific record, particularly when earlier versions may have been accessed and cited prior to retraction.
Author responsibility
If retraction results from the actions of some, but not all, authors, this may be stated in the notice where appropriate. However, authorship implies shared responsibility for the integrity of the work; therefore, author names are not removed from the publication even if individual authors were not directly responsible for the issue that led to retraction.
Removals
Removal of an article is considered only in exceptional circumstances. In general, the journal aims to maintain the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record; therefore, removal is used only where leaving the article accessible would create serious legal or ethical risks.
Grounds for removal
An article may be removed only when:
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the content could pose a severe risk of harm if acted upon,
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the content violates a study participant’s privacy rights (e.g., identifiable personal data),
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the content is defamatory or infringes other legal rights, or
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removal is required by a court order.
Procedure and notice
When an article is removed:
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the full text will no longer be available on the journal website and will not be downloadable,
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where applicable, the content will also be removed from external platforms and databases (including PubMed).
A formal Removal notice will be published, similar to a Retraction notice. The notice will:
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clearly state the reason(s) for removal,
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replace the removed article on the journal website (and in relevant databases where applicable),
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remain permanently linked to the original article’s metadata (DOI/URL), ensuring transparency of the publication record.
Expressions of Concern
In certain cases, the Editors of Polymers in Medicine may publish an Expression of Concern if serious concerns have been raised about a published article (e.g., potential research or publication misconduct), but the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive or the investigation cannot be completed within a reasonable timeframe. This may occur, for example, when an institutional investigation is ongoing or when circumstances outside the journal’s control delay resolution.
An Expression of Concern is issued to alert readers to potentially significant problems while an investigation is still ongoing.
When an Expression of Concern may be issued
Expressions of Concern may be considered when:
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there is inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct, but the seriousness of the concern warrants notifying readers;
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there are well-founded concerns that findings may be unreliable, but there is limited cooperation from the authors and/or their institution(s);
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the investigation into alleged misconduct is not expected to be fair, impartial, or conclusive;
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an investigation is underway but will not be completed for a considerable time, and readers should be informed of the concern.
Outcomes
Once the investigation is completed, the Expression of Concern may be followed by a:
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Correction, or
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Retraction,
as appropriate.
All notices will remain part of the permanent scholarly record.
Linking and transparency
The Expression of Concern will be permanently linked to the original article (DOI/URL) and will clearly identify the publication to which it relates.