Conflict of Interest

The Advances in Business Research International Journal (ABRIJ) adheres to the highest ethical standards in academic publishing and follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for declaring and managing conflicts of interest. All participants in the publication process, authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members, must disclose any relationships or circumstances that could influence the objectivity, integrity, or perception of a manuscript.

Authors

Authors must declare all actual or potential COIs, including:

  • Financial interests: e.g., research funding, employment, consultancy, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents.
  • Non-financial interests: e.g., personal relationships, academic competition, strong intellectual beliefs.
  • Funding disclosures: including the sponsor’s role in study design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation.

All disclosures must be included at the time of submission under a “Conflict of Interest” section in the manuscript.

Editors

Editors must:

  • Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a COI exists with authors, institutions, or funders.
  • Avoid decisions influenced by personal or financial gain.
  • Maintain an objective and unbiased review process.
    Any potential COIs must be disclosed to the publisher and appropriately managed.

Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • Declare any COIs that could compromise impartiality.
  • Decline to review manuscripts where a COI exists.
  • Maintain confidentiality and avoid using unpublished material for personal benefit.
  •  If a potential COI is discovered during review, notify the editor immediately.

Editorial Board Members

Board members must:

  • Disclose any COIs that could affect impartial judgment.
  • Refrain from participating in decisions involving manuscripts where they have a personal or professional interest.

 Undisclosed Conflicts

If a COI is discovered after publication, ABRIJ will investigate in accordance with COPE guidelines. Depending on the findings, the journal may issue:

  • A correction.
  • An expression of concern.
  • A retraction.