The Journal of Cost Management (J. Cost Manag.) is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, and accountable editorial and publication process. The journal welcomes legitimate complaints and appeals from authors, reviewers, readers, and other members of the scholarly community and aims to address them promptly, objectively, and confidentially.

1. Complaints

Complaints may relate to matters such as:

• Editorial or peer-review procedures
• Delays in manuscript processing
• Editorial decisions or communication
• Reviewer conduct
• Authorship or contributorship concerns
• Conflicts of interest
• Publication ethics or research misconduct
• Copyright or licensing matters
• Errors in published content
• Other concerns relating to the journal's editorial or publishing activities

Complaints should be submitted with sufficient details and supporting information to enable the Editorial Office to assess the matter appropriately.

2. Submitting a Complaint

Complaints should be directed to the Editorial Office:

Journal of Cost Management (J. Cost Manag.)
Email: editor@jcostm.com

The complainant should clearly explain the nature of the concern and, where applicable, provide the relevant manuscript title, article details, correspondence, or supporting documentation.

3. Handling of Complaints

The Editorial Office will review legitimate complaints objectively and confidentially. Complaints will normally be assessed by an appropriate member of the Editorial Team who is independent of the matter concerned.

Where a complaint involves a particular editor, reviewer, or Editorial Board member, the individual concerned will not be responsible for investigating or deciding the complaint.

4. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that:

• A significant factual or procedural error affected the decision
• Relevant information was overlooked
• The decision was based on a demonstrable misunderstanding of the manuscript
• There is evidence of a serious conflict of interest or procedural irregularity

An appeal should provide clear and substantive reasons supported by relevant evidence. Simply disagreeing with a reviewer's academic opinion or requesting reconsideration without new information may not constitute sufficient grounds for an appeal.

5. Appeal Procedure

Appeals should be submitted to the Editorial Office within a reasonable period following the decision. The appeal will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or another appropriately qualified editor who was not directly responsible for the original decision, where feasible.

The journal may seek additional expert opinion when necessary to assess an appeal fairly.

6. Finality of Decisions

Following appropriate consideration, the journal may uphold the original decision, request further review, or revise the editorial decision where justified.

The decision following an appeal will generally be considered final. The journal will not normally consider repeated appeals based on the same grounds unless significant new evidence is presented.

7. Confidentiality and Protection

Complaints and appeals will be handled with appropriate confidentiality. Information will be shared only with individuals who have a legitimate role in resolving the matter.

The journal does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who submit legitimate complaints or raise good-faith concerns regarding publication ethics or editorial procedures.

8. Publication Ethics

The Journal of Cost Management handles complaints and appeals in accordance with recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal is committed to resolving concerns fairly while protecting editorial independence, academic integrity, and the reliability of the scholarly record.

9. Commitment to Fairness

The Journal of Cost Management aims to ensure that all complaints and appeals are considered respectfully, consistently, and without discrimination. The journal will take appropriate corrective or procedural action where a legitimate concern is substantiated.