Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship (JIBE) enforces a strict policy against plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation and other forms of unethical research conduct. All submissions are subject to rigorous screening to ensure originality, integrity and compliance with international scholarly publishing standards. JIBE is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research ethics. All authors, reviewers and editors are expected to fully comply with this policy. Violations are investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines, ensuring transparency, fairness and consistency.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

1. Screening Tool

  • All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin, iThenticate or equivalent similarity detection software prior to peer review.
  • The editorial office independently verifies all similarity reports to ensure accuracy and fairness.

2. Similarity Thresholds

  • Overall similarity index: ≤ 20%
  • Single-source similarity: ≤ 5%
  • Exclusions: References, quotations, and commonly used methodological phrases

However, similarity reports are interpreted contextually by the editorial office and manuscripts exceeding these thresholds may still be rejected if overlapping content is found in core arguments, data or findings.

3. Types of Misconduct Covered

JIBE recognizes the following as serious ethical violations:

  • Direct Plagiarism: Copying previously published content without proper attribution.
  • Self-Plagiarism: Republishing one’s own previously published work without justification or citation.
  • Redundant or Duplicate Publication: Publishing substantially similar content in multiple outlets.
  • Salami Slicing: Segmenting a single study into multiple publications to artificially inflate output.
  • Improper Paraphrasing: Using ideas or text from others without adequate citation.

4. Editorial Actions

  • Minor Cases: Manuscripts may be returned to authors for proper citation or correction.
  • Serious Misconduct: Manuscripts are rejected outright.
  • All confirmed cases are handled in accordance with COPE Core Practices, ensuring fairness, transparency and consistency.

5. Post-Publication Actions

If plagiarism or overlap is discovered after publication, JIBE reserves the right to take corrective measures, including:

  • Corrections: For minor or unintentional overlaps.
  • Retractions: For substantial breaches of originality or integrity.
  • Expressions of Concern: If an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive.

All post-publication actions are documented and linked to the original article online to maintain the scholarly record and research integrity.

6. Fabricated Data and Results

JIBE considers data fabrication, falsification or selective omission a serious form of academic misconduct.

  • Authors may be required to provide raw datasets or supporting materials for verification.
  • Failure to comply, or confirmed manipulation, will result in manuscript rejection, retraction and institutional reporting.

7.  Image Manipulation

  • Images must be presented honestly and with minimal digital alteration. Acceptable adjustments include uniform brightness, contrast or cropping.
  • Alterations intended to obscure, enhance or distort findings are prohibited.
  • Editors may request original image files for verification. Deliberate manipulation will result in rejection, retraction and notification to the author’s institution.

8. Institutional Reporting and Author Sanctions

In cases of confirmed serious ethical violations, JIBE may:

  • Notify the author’s department, research office, dean or vice-chancellor;
  • Disable the author’s submission account;
  • Publicly list sanctioned authors and affiliations on the journal website;
  • Notify indexing databases and third-party repositories (e.g., DOAJ, Google Scholar) about the retracted article.

These measures uphold academic integrity and protect the scholarly record.