Post-Publication Discussion Policy

Justicia Journal recognizes that scholarly communication does not end when an article is published. The journal welcomes constructive, evidence-based, and respectful post-publication discussion from readers, researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties.

This policy provides a transparent mechanism for readers to raise scholarly questions, offer alternative interpretations, identify errors, submit comments, and report concerns regarding articles published in Justicia Journal.

Post-publication discussions are handled fairly, objectively, and in accordance with recognized publication ethics principles, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Purpose

The purpose of post-publication discussion is to support the continuous improvement of published legal scholarship, promote transparency, and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Post-publication discussion allows readers to:

Raise scholarly questions concerning the arguments, methodology, interpretation, or conclusions of a published article.
Provide constructive criticism or alternative legal perspectives.
Identify factual, typographical, citation, or data-related errors.
Submit additional evidence or relevant legal developments.
Report concerns regarding research integrity or publication ethics.

2. Forms of Post-Publication Discussion

Justicia Journal accepts the following forms of post-publication discussion:

Letter to the Editor

A Letter to the Editor is a short scholarly communication submitted by a reader, researcher, practitioner, or other interested party to comment on or discuss a previously published article.

A Letter to the Editor may raise questions, offer constructive criticism, present additional evidence, or propose an alternative interpretation of the published article.

Reply to the Letter to the Editor

A Reply to the Letter to the Editor is a response submitted by the author or authors of the original article to address the issues raised in the Letter to the Editor.

The original authors will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before the Letter to the Editor and the Reply are published, where appropriate.

Correction Request

A Correction Request is a formal communication requesting correction of a factual, typographical, citation, data, figure, or table error in a published article.

Correction requests may be submitted by the original authors, readers, reviewers, or other concerned parties.

Integrity Concern

An Integrity Concern is a confidential report regarding possible research misconduct, serious error, ethical violation, or issue affecting the reliability of a published article.

Integrity concerns will be handled in accordance with the Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy of Justicia Journal.

3. Eligible Submissions

A post-publication discussion must relate directly to an article published in Justicia Journal and provide a substantive scholarly contribution.

Submissions must not be used to:

Appeal editorial decisions concerning unpublished manuscripts.
Submit general complaints about journal operations.
Pursue personal, institutional, or professional disputes.
Make defamatory, discriminatory, abusive, or unsupported statements.
Request unnecessary citations to particular journals, authors, or articles.
Publish substantial new research that should be submitted as a separate manuscript.
Promote commercial products, services, or political interests.

4. Submission Requirements

Individuals wishing to submit a Letter to the Editor, Correction Request, or Integrity Concern must provide the following information:

The full title of the published article.
The DOI, volume, issue, and publication year of the article.
The name and affiliation of the submitter, unless the submission is an anonymous integrity concern.
A clear and specific description of the issue or concern.
Supporting evidence, references, data, or documents, where applicable.
A statement confirming that the submission is original and has not been published elsewhere.
A declaration of any relevant conflict of interest.

For Correction Requests, the submitter should identify the exact location of the error, such as the page, paragraph, line, table, figure, or reference, and provide the proposed correction where possible.

5. Editorial Assessment

All post-publication submissions will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor.

The editorial assessment will consider:

The relevance of the submission to the published article.
The scholarly value and accuracy of the argument or evidence presented.
The significance of the alleged error or concern.
The potential impact on the findings, conclusions, or reliability of the article.
The presence of any conflict of interest.
Whether the submission complies with the journal’s publication ethics policies.

The Editorial Board may consult the original authors, peer reviewers, independent experts, or the authors’ institutions where necessary.

6. Peer Review of Post-Publication Comments

Letters to the Editor and scholarly responses may undergo editorial screening and, where necessary, peer review before publication.

The Editorial Board will determine whether a submission requires external review based on its complexity, significance, and potential impact on the published article.

Submissions that do not meet the journal’s scholarly or ethical standards may be declined without publication.

7. Publication of Discussion

Accepted Letters to the Editor and Replies will be published on the official Justicia Journal website and linked to the original article where possible.

The publication of a Letter to the Editor does not necessarily imply that the Editorial Board endorses the views expressed by the commenter.

The original authors will be informed of the publication of a Letter to the Editor and may be invited to submit a Reply within a reasonable period.

8. Corrections and Post-Publication Notices

Where an error is identified in a published article, the Editorial Board will determine the appropriate form of post-publication notice.

The journal may issue the following notices:

Correction or erratum: issued where a minor error or omission requires correction without affecting the overall reliability of the findings.
Corrigendum: issued where the original authors correct an error in their own published article.
Expression of Concern: issued where there are serious unresolved concerns regarding the integrity or reliability of an article.
Retraction: issued where the findings are unreliable due to major error, misconduct, or serious ethical violations.

All post-publication notices will be clearly linked to the original article and will remain permanently accessible to readers.

9. Retraction

A retraction will be considered where there is clear evidence that the findings of a published article are unreliable due to major error, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other serious misconduct.

Retraction decisions will follow the journal’s Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy and relevant COPE guidance.

Retracted articles will remain accessible but will be clearly marked as retracted. The retraction notice will state the reason for retraction, identify the party responsible for the decision, and provide a link to the original article.

10. Confidentiality and Fairness

All post-publication concerns will be handled confidentially, fairly, and impartially.

The identity of a complainant will not be disclosed without consent, unless disclosure is legally required or necessary for a fair investigation.

All parties involved will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns raised before an editorial decision is made.

11. Appeals

Individuals involved in a post-publication discussion may submit a written appeal if they believe that the journal has not followed its stated procedures, that an undisclosed conflict of interest affected the process, or that relevant evidence has not been appropriately considered.

Appeals must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief with supporting evidence. The Editorial Board will review the appeal objectively and communicate its final decision in writing.

12. Policy Review

This Post-Publication Discussion Policy will be reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board of Justicia Journal to ensure alignment with developments in scholarly communication, publication ethics, and COPE guidance.