Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Economics and Business Issues (IJEBI) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, and transparency in scholarly publishing. The journal takes all reasonable measures to prevent publication misconduct and ensure that all parties involved in the publication process adhere to internationally recognised ethical standards.

The journal follows the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal also refers to COPE's Core Practices and relevant guidance in handling ethical issues and publication misconduct.

Unethical behaviour, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and other forms of academic misconduct, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

By submitting a manuscript to IJEBI, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been previously published in whole or in part in any language, and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal. All editors, authors, and reviewers are expected to uphold the principles of confidentiality, fairness, transparency, and professional responsibility throughout the publication process.

    A. Publication and Authorship

1. All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their suitability, relevance, and compliance with the journal's submission requirements.
2. Manuscripts considered suitable for review are evaluated through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process by independent reviewers with relevant expertise.
3. The peer-review process evaluates the manuscript's relevance, originality, methodological soundness, significance, academic contribution, clarity, readability, and language.
4. Editorial decisions may include acceptance, acceptance subject to minor or major revisions, or rejection.
5. Authors invited to revise and resubmit their manuscripts should understand that resubmission does not guarantee acceptance.
6. Manuscripts that have been rejected will not normally be reconsidered unless the Editor-in-Chief determines that exceptional circumstances justify reconsideration.
7. Manuscripts must comply with applicable legal and ethical requirements, including those relating to copyright, intellectual property, plagiarism, defamation, and research ethics.
8. Research findings must not be published in multiple journals or publications without appropriate justification and disclosure.
9. The journal reserves the right to use appropriate plagiarism-screening tools and take action when similarities or potential ethical violations are identified.
10. All published articles must comply with the journal's copyright, licensing, and publication policies.
    
    B. Authors' Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to IJEBI are expected to fulfil the following responsibilities:

1. Originality: Authors must ensure that their manuscripts represent original work and have not been published previously, either wholly or partially, in any language.
2. Exclusive submission: Authors must confirm that their manuscripts are not simultaneously under consideration by another journal or publisher.
3. Authorship: All individuals listed as authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research, participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version, and agreed to be accountable for the work.
4. Accuracy and integrity: Authors must ensure that all research data, results, and findings are accurate, authentic, and honestly reported. Fabrication, falsification, and manipulation of data are strictly prohibited.
5. Research ethics: Authors must ensure that their research complies with relevant ethical standards and obtain appropriate ethical approval or consent where required.
6. Acknowledgement of sources: Authors must properly acknowledge and cite all sources, publications, data, and contributions used in preparing their manuscripts.
7. Conflict of interest: Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could potentially influence their research or its interpretation.
8. Funding disclosure: Authors must clearly identify all sources of financial support or research funding associated with their work.
9. Participation in peer review: Authors are expected to respond constructively to reviewers' comments and editorial recommendations within the specified timeframe.
10. Corrections and retractions: Authors must promptly notify the editorial team if they discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work and cooperate in issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.
11. Duplicate publication: Authors must not submit or publish substantially similar research in multiple publications without appropriate disclosure and justification.
12. Permissions: Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, images, and other third-party content, where necessary.
    
    C. Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the academic quality and integrity of IJEBI. Reviewers are expected to observe the following responsibilities:

1. Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and related information as confidential documents and must not disclose or use unpublished information for personal advantage.
2. Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.
3. Clarity: Reviewers should provide clear, evidence-based, and constructive feedback to support editorial decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts.
4. Timeliness: Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed timeframe or promptly inform the editorial team if they are unable to do so.
5. Relevant literature: Reviewers should identify important published research that has not been appropriately cited by the authors.
6. Research integrity: Reviewers should notify the Editor-in-Chief of any suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or substantial similarity with other published work.
7. Conflicts of interest: Reviewers must declare any financial, professional, personal, competitive, collaborative, or institutional relationships that could compromise their impartiality.
8. Withdrawal from review: Reviewers should decline an invitation or withdraw from the review process when an actual or potential conflict of interest exists or when they lack the necessary expertise.
9. Use of unpublished materials: Reviewers must not use information, arguments, or findings obtained through peer review for their own research or professional benefit without the authors' permission.
10. Ethical responsibility: Reviewers must uphold professional standards and contribute to the fairness, confidentiality, and integrity of the peer-review process.
    
    D. Editors' Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, and editorial board members are responsible for ensuring the quality, fairness, transparency, and integrity of the journal's editorial and publication processes.

Their responsibilities include:

1. Editorial independence: Editors must make publication decisions independently and without undue influence from the publisher, commercial interests, sponsors, or other external parties.
2. Editorial decisions: Editors have the authority and responsibility to accept, reject, or request revisions to manuscripts based on their academic quality, originality, methodological rigour, significance, clarity, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
3. Fair evaluation: Manuscripts must be assessed objectively, without discrimination based on authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, or other personal characteristics.
4. Confidentiality: Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and preserve the anonymity of reviewers in accordance with the journal's double-blind peer-review policy.
5. Publication quality: Editors are responsible for maintaining the academic quality of published articles and protecting the integrity of the scholarly record.
6. Conflict of interest: Editors must disclose and appropriately manage any actual or potential conflicts of interest. They must not handle manuscripts where personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships could compromise their impartiality.
7. Ethical compliance: Editors must ensure that published research complies with relevant research ethics standards, including requirements for informed consent, ethical approval, and responsible data management where applicable.
8. Research misconduct: Editors must investigate suspected cases of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and other forms of publication misconduct in accordance with relevant COPE guidance.
9. Evidence-based action: Editors must not make allegations of misconduct or reject manuscripts solely on the basis of unsubstantiated suspicions. Appropriate evidence and a fair investigation must support editorial action.
10. Corrections and retractions: Editors must publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction notices when necessary to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record.
11. Consistency: Editors should not overturn previous editorial decisions without valid and justifiable reasons.
12. Research funding: Editors should ensure that relevant funding information and declarations of interest are appropriately disclosed.
13. Continuous improvement: Editors should regularly review editorial policies and publishing practices to ensure alignment with internationally recognised standards of scholarly publishing.
    
    E. Conflicts of Interest

IJEBI recognises that conflicts of interest may arise when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships influence, or appear to influence, scholarly judgement.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest relevant to a submitted manuscript. The editorial team will take appropriate measures to manage such conflicts, including assigning an independent editor or reviewer when necessary.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in editorial action, including manuscript rejection or post-publication correction.

      F. Plagiarism and Publication Misconduct

IJEBI maintains a zero-tolerance approach to plagiarism and other forms of publication misconduct. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate plagiarism-detection software.

Publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
• Data fabrication and falsification.
• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Unethical manipulation of research findings or images.
• Inappropriate authorship attribution.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Citation manipulation.
• Unauthorised use of copyrighted materials.

When potential misconduct is identified, the editorial team will investigate the matter fairly and confidentially, following relevant COPE recommendations. Depending on the seriousness of the violation, possible actions include requesting clarification, rejecting the manuscript, contacting the relevant institution, issuing a correction, publishing an expression of concern, or retracting an article.

     G. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Discussions

IJEBI is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the published scholarly record.

If significant errors are identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter and take appropriate action. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction.

Authors, readers, and other stakeholders are encouraged to notify the editorial team of potential errors or concerns regarding published articles. All such concerns will be considered fairly and investigated in accordance with relevant publication ethics guidance.

     H. Research Ethics and Data Transparency

Authors must ensure that their research has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical principles and institutional requirements.

Research involving human participants, animals, personal information, or sensitive data must comply with relevant ethical standards. Where applicable, authors must provide details of ethical approval, informed consent, and measures taken to protect participants' confidentiality.

Authors are also encouraged to provide appropriate data availability statements and ensure transparency in research methods, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

     I. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity

IJ-EBI supports diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity in scholarly publishing. The journal welcomes contributions from researchers across different countries, institutions, disciplines, and academic backgrounds.

Editorial and peer-review decisions are based on scholarly merit and the quality of submitted research. The journal seeks to provide a fair and respectful publishing environment for all contributors.

   J. Publisher and Editorial Accountability

The publisher and editorial team share responsibility for ensuring that the journal operates transparently and ethically. The journal is committed to providing accurate information about its ownership, management, editorial team, aims and scope, peer-review procedures, copyright and licensing arrangements, open-access policies, and applicable publication charges.

Commercial considerations must not compromise editorial independence or influence decisions concerning the academic quality of manuscripts.

The journal will periodically review its policies and procedures to ensure continued alignment with internationally recognised standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

The International Journal of Economics and Business Issues (IJEBI) is committed to promoting responsible research, ethical editorial practices, transparent peer review, and the integrity of the academic record. All authors, reviewers, editors, and publishing partners are expected to uphold these principles and contribute to a trustworthy and inclusive scholarly publishing environment.

Ethical Guidelines and References

The journal draws upon the following internationally recognised resources:

1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices and Ethical Guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
2. COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, & WAME. (2019). Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12