To ensure transparency and fairness in handling appeals and complaints, Eye Science has established the following detailed procedures:

1. Submitting an Appeal or Complaint: Authors should submit appeals or complaints via email to the editorial office at es@gzzoc.com. The email should clearly explain the reasons for the appeal or complaint and include any relevant evidence or supporting materials.

2. Clear and Substantial Grounds: Appeals should clearly demonstrate why the journal’s decision was evidently wrong. Valid reasons might include misunderstandings of the review comments, neglect of critical evidence, or procedural errors during the review process.

3. Processing Appeals or Complaints: All appeals and complaints will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief unless there is a conflict of interest. In such cases, a Deputy Editor will handle the matter.

4. Editor-in-Chief's Authority: The Editor-in-Chief holds the final decision-making authority for all complaints and appeals. We understand that authors may be dissatisfied with a manuscript rejection, particularly those rejected before peer review. However, such decisions are typically based on the manuscript not fitting the journal's scope or not meeting our quality standards. Unless new evidence is provided or there is a substantial reason to challenge the initial review, these decisions are unlikely to change during the appeals process.

5. Peer Review Process: For manuscripts that have undergone peer review, the Editor-in-Chief will typically not overturn the review outcome unless the appeal highlights clear errors or bias in the review process.

Eye Science is committed to giving all appeals and complaints fair and thorough consideration to uphold the best interests of both the authors and the journal. We encourage authors to carefully review our guidelines and policies before submitting an appeal and to provide detailed information and arguments to support their case.