COMPLAINT POLICY

Annals of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital &Karachi Medical and Dental College’s complaints policy outlines the steps that complainants can take if they have any concerns or issues with the publication process. Our complaints policy also covers a range of issues regarding scientific contents and publication ethics, such as allegations of research misconduct, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or other ethical concerns.

Complaint making process:

  • Complaints should be directly e- mailed to annalskmdc2013@gmail.com
  • It is important to note that complaints should be made in a timely and professional manner, Complaints should be specific to their concerns and provide any relevant evidence or documentation to support their claims.
  • An acknowledgement will be sent to the complainant within 5 working days.

The following are some common steps that ought to be taken to address a complaint in Annals of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital&KMDC:

Complaints about the processes: Our editorial team members will investigate all the complaints related to failure of processes e.g., a long delay in reviewing the scientific content or rude responses from our editorial staff.  Feedback will be provided to the complainant in a transparent and timely manner within 15 working days.

 Complaints about publication ethics(e.g. author’s or reviewer’s conduct)  or scientific contents: Our journal will follow guidelines published by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and HEC policy on Research Ethics.

  1. Initial Inquiry: When a complaint is received, the journal's Editor, managing Editor and associate Editor will conduct an initial inquiry to determine whether the complaint warrants further investigation.
  2. Investigation: If the complaint is deemed credible, the journal may launch a formal investigation into the matter. This may involve contacting the relevant parties, such as authors, reviewers,statistician, or institutions, and requesting additional information or evidence. Final investigatory report & recommendations shell be forwarded by the Editor to Editor in Chief, whose decision is final.
  3. Review and Decision:After the investigation is complete, the journal will review the evidence and decide about the appropriate course of action. This may include retracting an article, issuing a correction,a letter of apology from the offender, or taking other disciplinary measures as suggested by COPE guidelines or HEC Plagiarism policy.  If possible, a definitive response will be given within one month of complaint otherwise an interim response will be provided until the issue is finally resolved.
  4. Appeal: If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision, they may have the right to appeal the decision to the journal's editorial board.