Editorial Grievance Policy and Procedures
Approved by AOS Council 18 January 2022
Editorial Grievance Policy and Procedures for Authors and Editors of Ornithology and Ornithological Applications Concerning the Editorial Management Process
Scope of Grievance Review Under This Policy
The Editorial Grievance Policy (“Policy”) establishes a process for complaints or grievances (“Editorial Management Complaints”) about the editorial management process of the journals of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Editorial Management Complaints may be raised by or about any of the participants in the editorial and publication process (“Participants”) including authors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Boards. Importantly, complaints related to the editorial manuscript decision process (“Editorial Manuscript Complaints”) are handled by the journal Editorial Boards, as further explained below.
This Policy is specifically intended for complaints that may benefit from review by the Professional Ethics Committee (Ethics Committee). Examples of Editorial Management Complaints that fit within the scope of this process include, but are not limited to, situations involving alleged conflicts‐of-interest; alleged breaches of confidentiality of the editorial process; alleged unprofessional language, communications, or conduct during the review or editorial process; communications or actions that are alleged to be disruptive of the editorial process; and similarly significant concerns. Acts of discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other prohibited conduct in the context of editorial management of the journals is a violation of the AOS Code of Conduct and Ethics and should be reported.
Editorial decisions for content of our journals not implicating the conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph rests solely with their Editorial Boards, with the final arbiter of all editorial decisions being the Editor‐in‐Chief of each journal. The Editorial Management Complaints grievance process may therefore not be used to address Editorial Manuscript Complaints, which raise issues or concerns related solely to particular editorial decisions or outcomes; for example, it cannot be used to challenge purely editorial decisions about whether or not a manuscript is sent out for peer review, manuscript acceptance/rejection decisions, recommended wording or content changes, etc.
Filing a Complaint
Participants engaged in the editorial and publications process who become aware of or experience a potential breach of this Editorial Grievance Policy may file a written Complaint to the Ethics Committee at this email: [email protected]. Victims of, witnesses to, as well as individuals made aware of an alleged violation, may bring a Complaint. The Ethics Committee is dedicated to treating every incident with respect, sensitivity, and dignity.
For complete information on the procedures for filing a Complaint, the Evaluation and Investigation Process, and procedures for Disciplinary Action (including and restorative practice and other community-building options) and Appeals, please refer to the AOS Code of Conduct and Ethics.
This policy conforms with the standards outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE, https://publicationethics.org). The AOS and its publishing partner, Oxford University Press, are organizational members of COPE. The availability of this policy and procedures is made at the discretion of the AOS.
Note: This policy is posted on the AOS journal pages hosted by our publisher, Oxford University Press
