ACM Appeals Committee

The ACM Appeals Committee (herein referred to as the Committee) is chartered to make decisions on appeals filed by persons who have been sanctioned for violations of the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (herein referred to as the Code of Ethics), Publications Policies, or the Policy Against Harassment at ACM Activities.

Those who have been found to have violated one or more of these policies can appeal both the finding and the sanction. To do so, the person must submit an appeal to the ACM Appeals Committee ([email protected]) within thirty (30) days of being notified of their sanction The appeal must include new material that was not already evaluated in the original investigation, or substantive information that might lead the ACM Appeals Committee to issue a different decision than the one initially made. The appeal will be decided based on their consideration of the applicable record as a whole.

In the case of a Code of Ethics or Policy Against Harassment appeal, the Chair of the Appeals Committee will communicate the Committee's decision on the appeal in writing to the CEO, the Chair of COPE, and the Respondent. In the case of a Publication Policy appeal, the Appeals Committee Chair will communicate the Committee's decision on the appeal in writing to the CEO, the Chair of the Ethics & Plagiarism Committee, the Director of Publications, and the Respondent.

Further, if the appeal results in a change in determination or sanction in the case of Code of Ethics or Policy Against Harassment appeals, the Chair will additionally report the outcome of the decision along with justification for the change to the Complainant and members of the COPE Committee involved in the investigation or on the decision subcommittee. For Publication Policy appeals that result in a change in determination or sanction, the Chair will additionally report the outcome of the decision, along with justification for the change, to the Complainant, the Chair of the Ethics & Plagiarism Committee, and the Director of Publications.

The ACM Appeals Committee’s decision o n an appeal is final. The Committee will endeavor to resolve appeals within sixty (60) days of the day the appeal is made.