Academia - How does one appeal an account suspension?

When a user is suspended, they receive a message (a "mod message") in their Stack Exchange inbox giving the reason for the suspension. They can then write a response to that message. If they believe that the suspension is in error ("Did you mean to suspend the user ff523, not ff524?") this is a quick way to clear up the misunderstanding. Note that you can't keep sending multiple responses, one after the other; you get one response per mod message, so use it wisely.

All mod messages and the responses to them are copied to all the diamond moderators on the site. So if there's a rogue mod acting up ("You voted to close my post? See how you like a ten year suspension!"), other mods will see and intervene.

Finally, if the moderator team on Academia.SE is not willing to lift your suspension that you believe is unwarranted, you can use the "contact us" link in the footer of every SE site to ask the SE team to look into the matter.

It is described at the end of this meta.se post:

How do I escalate my individual suspension/conflict with a moderator?

There are, I think, three options:

• Reply to the moderator message directly. This both preserves privacy and notifies other moderators and a community manager. It's also the best way to show you are a reasonable/misunderstood/repentant user. Note you can only reply once, so make it count.

• Use the "contact us" link. If you used up your reply or feel the need to elevate your concern, the contact form is a direct line to a community manager. We take complaints against moderators seriously. See also, the advice in the previous item.

• Post a question on meta. (Not recommended.) Obviously, you can't do this during your suspension. (Though some folks come here to Meta Stack Exchange instead.) This is a master-level move that requires discipline. Be aware that most communities appreciate the hard work of their volunteer moderators so they tend to get the benefit of the doubt. You really need to go the extra mile to show yourself reasonable.