Publication Ethics

Our commitment to ethical research and publication standards following COPE guidelines

Ethical Standards

The International Journal of Business Society is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. We follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adhere to international best practices for scholarly communication.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship Criteria

  • Substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, or analysis
  • Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  • Final approval of the version to be published
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Prohibited Practices

  • Ghost authorship (unacknowledged writers)
  • Guest authorship (honorary authorship without contribution)
  • Misrepresentation of authorship contributions

Research Integrity and Data

Data Standards

  • • Research data must be accurately reported
  • • Authors should preserve data for reasonable requests
  • • Statistical analyses must be transparent
  • • Methods should be reproducible

Research Misconduct

  • • Fabrication: Making up data or results
  • • Falsification: Manipulating materials or data
  • • Plagiarism: Using others' work without attribution
  • • Selective reporting: Cherry-picking results

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence their research or its interpretation.

Types of Conflicts

  • • Financial interests in the research topic
  • • Employment or consultancy relationships
  • • Personal relationships with research subjects
  • • Institutional or political affiliations

Disclosure Process

  • • Complete disclosure at submission
  • • Transparent publication of conflicts
  • • Independent editorial decisions
  • • Regular updates if conflicts change

Peer Review Process

Review Standards

  • • Double-blind peer review process
  • • Expert reviewers selected by expertise
  • • Constructive and timely feedback
  • • Fair and impartial evaluation

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • • Maintain strict confidentiality
  • • Disclose conflicts of interest
  • • Provide objective assessments
  • • Respect intellectual property

Editorial Responsibilities

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit and relevance to the journal's scope, independent of commercial, political, or personal considerations.

  • • Merit-based publication decisions
  • • Protection of reviewer identities
  • • Handling of complaints and appeals
  • • Correction and retraction policies

Duties of the Publisher

Editorial Independence

The publisher ensures that the editorial decisions are independent and free from commercial influence.

Ethical Oversight

The publisher works closely with the editorial board to maintain academic integrity and to ensure that cases of misconduct are handled following COPE guidelines.

Corrections and Retractions

The publisher is committed to publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

In cases of suspected misconduct such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices, International Journal of Business Society follows COPE's flowcharts and procedures. All allegations will be investigated thoroughly, and appropriate corrective actions — including article retraction or author sanctions — will be taken if misconduct is confirmed.

Statement on Plagiarism Screening

All submissions to International Journal of Business Society undergo plagiarism screening using reliable similarity-detection software before being sent for peer review. Articles with excessive similarity or suspected unethical practices will be rejected immediately.

Complaints and Appeals

We take all ethical concerns seriously and have established procedures for handling complaints about research or publication ethics.

How to Report

  • • Contact the editorial office
  • • Provide detailed information
  • • Maintain confidentiality
  • • Expect thorough investigation

Resolution Process

  • • Initial assessment by editors
  • • Investigation following COPE guidelines
  • • Appropriate corrective actions
  • • Transparent communication

Contact: For ethical concerns, contact our editorial office ateditor@ijo-bs.com