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Form letter A1: To author

Form letter A1: To author regarding a published article

Form letters are examples of appropriate letters for various situations. Please find below the text of Form letter A1: To author regarding a published article. You can copy this text and adjust it to your needs. The template is also available in Word opens in new tab/window or PDF opens in new tab/window format.

This form letter is used in the following decision trees:

  1. Authorship complaints

  2. Plagiarism complaints

  3. Multiple, duplicate, concurrent publication/simultaneous submission

  4. Research results misappropriation

  5. Allegations of research errors and fraud

  6. Research standards violations

  7. Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Form letter A1: To author regarding a published article

[date]

[title of article, date of publication]

Dear [author],

Concern has been raised about the publication of the article listed above, for which you are the corresponding author. As the editor of the journal, I must take seriously any allegation raised that if true would violate the journal's policies (set out in our ethical statements, instructions to the author, and the like).

[The substance of the complaint is that {description}, which if true, would violate our publishing policies.]

OR

[Attached you will find a copy of the communication which raises the concern noted.]

Please provide me a prompt and full response within 30 days, which I will also [discuss/share] with the party raising this concern.

Depending on the nature of your response, I should also inform you that I [may OR also] consider it necessary to inform and involve the research institution at which the underlying research took place [or is alleged to have taken place], and [possibly] the funding agency that supported the research [or that allegedly supported the research].

Please note that if we do not have an adequate and timely response, we may be forced to conclude that the allegations are truthful.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

[editor name]

[editor-in-chief]