January 15, 2024
The editors of ASL journals have wide discretion about general concerns such as the basic expository level of the submission and its intelligibility to our audience, the appropriateness of the subject matter for our journal and the quality or importance of the results presented. Such decisions can be made by the editors with or without the advice of outside experts or referees. Their decisions about such matters are not subject to appeal.
Appeals can be considered only if they involve specific factual assertions by the editor or referee which played a crucial role in the decision or claims of bias or conflict of interest based on specific personal or institutional relations. Claims of bias or conflicts based on maters of opinion about the subject matter of a submission or its presentation are not grounds for appeal.
Well-grounded appeals should be submitted to the managing or coordinating editor of the journal. If that person is also the handling editor for the submission, the appeal should be sent to the chair of the ASL Publications Advisory Committee. In either case, the person handling the appeal can at their own discretion appoint one or two editors of the journal (other than the handling or managing editor) to assist in adjudicating the appeal. This person may also access and investigate the entire record of the submission to decide whether to uphold the original decision or make some recommendation for revising the decision or for reconsideration. In any case, no further appeals of their decision are available.