Publication Ethics

1. Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The Journal of Principles Management and Business (JPMB) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal considers ethical publishing practices essential to ensuring the credibility, transparency, and reliability of scholarly communication.

All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, are expected to uphold principles of honesty, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and respect for intellectual property.

The journal's publication ethics policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to and articles published in JPMB.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

2.1. Publication Decisions

The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be accepted for publication. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript's scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, methodological quality, significance, reviewer evaluations, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editors may consult reviewers, editorial board members, or other qualified advisers when making decisions. Acceptance or rejection must not be determined by the authors' personal characteristics, institutional affiliations, nationality, religious beliefs, political views, or other irrelevant considerations.

2.2. Fair Evaluation

Editors must evaluate manuscripts fairly and objectively, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation. Manuscripts should be assessed according to their academic quality and suitability for the journal.

2.3. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Manuscript information may be shared only with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher, as necessary for the editorial process.

Unpublished materials contained in submitted manuscripts must not be used in an editor's own research without the author's explicit written permission.

2.4. Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and must not participate in editorial decisions when personal, professional, financial, institutional, or collaborative relationships could compromise their impartiality.

When a conflict exists, the manuscript should be assigned to an independent editor or handled through another appropriate arrangement that safeguards editorial independence.

2.5. Handling Ethical Concerns

Editors must respond appropriately to allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and other forms of publication misconduct. Concerns must be assessed fairly, based on available evidence, and handled confidentially where appropriate.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

3.1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers assist editors in evaluating the scholarly quality, originality, validity, and relevance of manuscripts. Their assessments should help editors make informed decisions and help authors improve their work.

3.2. Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only when they have sufficient expertise to evaluate the manuscript. If a reviewer is unable to complete a review within the required period or considers themselves unqualified, they should notify the editor promptly and decline the assignment when appropriate.

3.3. Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, distribute, or discuss manuscript content with unauthorized persons. Unpublished information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal or professional advantage.

3.4. Objectivity and Professional Conduct

Reviews must be objective, constructive, and supported by clear scholarly reasoning. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should identify strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations that help the editor assess the manuscript fairly.

3.5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. They should also alert the editor to substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and other published or submitted works of which they are aware.

3.6. Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any personal, professional, financial, institutional, or collaborative relationships that could affect their impartiality. Reviewers should decline assignments when such conflicts may compromise the integrity of the evaluation.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

4.1. Reporting Standards

Authors must present an accurate account of their research, including the methods used, data collected or analyzed, and findings obtained. Manuscripts should contain sufficient information to support the interpretation of results and, where appropriate, allow other researchers to understand or reproduce the research process.

Fabricated, falsified, misleading, or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unacceptable research conduct.

4.2. Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must submit original work and appropriately acknowledge the ideas, words, data, and findings of others through proper citation and quotation. Plagiarism, including unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, and substantial unattributed reuse of previously published material, is unacceptable.

All manuscripts are subject to the journal's plagiarism screening procedures. Similarity reports are evaluated in context and are not, by themselves, conclusive evidence of plagiarism.

4.3. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Manuscripts must not reproduce substantially the same research as previously published work without appropriate disclosure and justification.

Authors must inform the editor of related manuscripts, previous publications, or overlapping research outputs when these may affect the originality or interpretation of the submission.

4.4. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception or design of the research, data collection, analysis or interpretation, or the development of the manuscript.

All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. Authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work and must ensure that the author list accurately reflects eligible contributions.

Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately. Any proposed change to the author list after submission must be explained to the editor and agreed to by all affected authors.

4.5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must acknowledge all relevant sources and cite publications that have contributed significantly to the development of their research. Citations must be accurate, relevant, and consistent with the journal's Author Guidelines.

4.6. Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their research or its interpretation.

All relevant sources of financial support must be disclosed in the manuscript. Authors should clearly distinguish the role of funders, where applicable, in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and preparation of the manuscript.

4.7. Research Ethics

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with applicable ethical standards and relevant institutional or legal requirements. Where research involves human participants, personal data, or other ethically sensitive materials, authors must provide appropriate information about ethical approval, informed consent, and safeguards, where applicable.

Authors must not misrepresent ethical approval or consent procedures.

4.8. Errors in Published Work

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article, they must promptly notify the editorial office and cooperate in evaluating the issue. Depending on the nature and significance of the error, the journal may publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or retract the article.

5. Allegations of Research Misconduct

JPMB takes allegations of research misconduct seriously. Such allegations may include plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, manipulated research findings, or other serious violations of research integrity.

When an allegation is received, the editor will assess the information and evidence provided. The journal may request an explanation or supporting documentation from the authors and, where necessary, consult reviewers, editorial advisers, relevant institutions, or other appropriate parties.

The journal will evaluate the available evidence fairly and confidentially, where appropriate. The response will depend on the nature and seriousness of the alleged misconduct and may include requesting clarification, requiring revisions, rejecting a manuscript, issuing a correction, publishing an expression of concern, or retracting an article.

6. Post-Publication Discussion

JPMB welcomes evidence-based comments, questions, and concerns about articles published in the journal. Readers, researchers, and other interested parties may contact the editorial office to report potential errors, methodological concerns, or possible breaches of publication ethics.

The editor will assess the concern and may invite the authors to respond. Where appropriate, substantive comments and responses may be considered for publication following editorial assessment and any necessary review.

If a concern raises questions about the reliability or integrity of a published article, the journal will investigate the matter in accordance with its publication ethics procedures and may take further action when justified by the evidence.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JPMB is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

7.1. Corrections

A correction may be issued when a published article contains an error that affects the accuracy or clarity of the publication but does not invalidate its principal findings or conclusions.

A correction notice should identify the affected article, explain the error, and state the correction. The notice should be linked to the original article.

7.2. Retractions

Retraction may be considered when substantial evidence indicates that a published article is unreliable or seriously compromises the integrity of the scholarly record. Possible grounds include serious data fabrication or falsification, substantial plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious research ethics violations, or errors that invalidate the principal findings.

The editor will assess the available evidence and seek clarification from the authors when appropriate. The journal may consult relevant institutions or independent experts when necessary.

A retraction notice should identify the article and explain the reasons for the decision. The original article should remain identifiable in the journal's archive and be clearly marked as retracted, except where removal is required by law or exceptional circumstances.

7.3. Expressions of Concern

An expression of concern may be issued when credible concerns have been raised about a published article but the available evidence is insufficient for a final decision or an investigation remains ongoing.

The notice should identify the relevant article and explain the nature of the concern to the extent possible. Further action may be taken when additional evidence becomes available.

8. Publisher's Responsibilities

Scimadly Publishing, as the publisher of JPMB, supports the editorial team in maintaining ethical publishing practices and preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

The publisher should cooperate with the editorial team in addressing credible allegations of publication misconduct and implementing appropriate corrections or retractions when necessary. Editorial decisions should remain based on scholarly and ethical considerations rather than commercial interests.

9. Commitment to Publication Integrity

JPMB is committed to fair editorial evaluation, responsible authorship, confidential peer review, transparency in the handling of ethical concerns, and the correction of the scholarly record when necessary.

All parties involved in the publication process are expected to comply with this policy and the journal's related policies, including its Author Guidelines, Plagiarism Policy, Peer Review Policy, and Copyright and Licensing terms.