Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship (JIBE) adheres to the highest ethical standards in academic publishing and complies with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on the declaration and management of conflicts of interest (COI). All participants in the publication process including authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members are required to disclose any relationships that may influence the objectivity or integrity of a manuscript.

1.  Authors

Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest, including:

  • Financial relationships such as research funding, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, or patent applications.
  • Non-financial interests such as personal relationships, academic competition, or strong intellectual beliefs that could bias the work.
  • Funding disclosures, including the role of the sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.

Disclosures must be included at the time of submission under the “Conflict of Interest” section of the manuscript.

2.  Editors

Editors must:

  • Recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where a conflict of interest exists with the authors, institutions, or funding bodies.
  • Avoid editorial decisions that could be influenced by personal or financial gain.
  • Ensure the peer review process remains objective and unbiased.

Any potential conflicts must be disclosed to the publisher and managed appropriately.

3.  Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Declare any conflicts of interest that could impair their impartiality.
  • Decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage.

Reviewers who discover a potential COI during the review process must inform the editor immediately.

4.  Editorial Board Members

Editorial board members must:

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

5.  Undisclosed Conflicts

If a conflict of interest is identified after publication, JIBE will initiate an investigation in line with COPE’s recommended procedures. Depending on the outcome, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction.