Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship (JIBE) adheres to recognised standards of publication ethics, editorial integrity, transparency and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal seeks to support ethical publishing practices and the integrity, originality and credibility of published scholarly work.

JIBE adheres to the principles and practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. Where the journal’s internal policies do not provide specific guidance, COPE recommendations, guidelines and flowcharts may be referred to in addressing publication ethics matters and editorial decision-making.

The journal adheres to relevant international ethical guidelines where applicable, including:

This statement applies to editors, editorial board members, reviewers, authors and the publisher involved in the publication process.

1. Editorial Responsibilities

The editors of JIBE are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly, consistently and transparently.

Editors shall:

  • evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit, originality, significance, methodological quality and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
  • maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related communications;
  • ensure that manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process;
  • avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making;
  • take reasonable steps to identify potential publication misconduct;
  • publish corrections, retractions, clarifications or expressions of concern where appropriate;
  • avoid discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political beliefs or institutional affiliation.

Editors shall not use unpublished materials disclosed in submitted manuscripts for personal research purposes without the written consent of the author(s).

2. Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers contribute to the editorial evaluation process and the improvement of manuscript quality.

Reviewers shall:

  • provide objective, constructive and professional comments;
  • maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts under review;
  • disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their review;
  • identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors;
  • notify the editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication or other ethical concerns;
  • complete reviews within the agreed review period where possible.

Reviewers shall not use unpublished information obtained through the peer review process for personal advantage.

3. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to JIBE are expected to comply with accepted ethical and scholarly standards.

Authors shall:

  • submit original work that has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere;
  • present research methods, data and findings accurately;
  • appropriately acknowledge the work and contributions of others through proper citation and referencing;
  • avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification and inappropriate image manipulation;
  • disclose all sources of funding, sponsorship, financial support and potential conflicts of interest related to the submitted work;
  • ensure that all listed authors have made meaningful scholarly contributions to the manuscript;
  • obtain permission for copyrighted materials where necessary;
  • notify the editor if significant errors are identified after publication.

Authors may be requested to retain and provide research data for editorial review or verification purposes where appropriate.

4. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis or interpretation of the study.

All co-authors should approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Guest authorship, honorary authorship and ghost authorship are regarded as unethical practices.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and large language models shall not be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of submitted content including content generated or assisted by AI tools.

Additional guidance is available in the journal’s Use of Generative AI policy.

5. Research Integrity and Ethical Oversight

JIBE expects authors to conduct and report research ethically, responsibly and in accordance with applicable professional, institutional and legal standards.

Where applicable, research involving human participants or animals should comply with relevant institutional, national and international ethical requirements. Authors may be required to provide evidence of ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee, institutional review board or equivalent body.

Research involving human participants should include informed consent procedures where relevant and should comply with recognised ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable.

Authors should protect participant privacy and confidentiality and should not disclose personally identifiable information without appropriate consent.

5.1 Research Data and Transparency

Authors should retain research data, records and supporting materials for a reasonable period following publication.

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to make research data available through recognised repositories, supplementary files or reasonable request, subject to legal, ethical and confidentiality considerations.

Authors should provide sufficient methodological detail and supporting information to enable scholarly evaluation, verification and, where appropriate, replication of the reported research findings.

6. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

JIBE does not tolerate publication misconduct and investigates credible concerns in accordance with journal procedures and relevant ethical guidance.

Misconduct may include but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • self-plagiarism;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • data fabrication or falsification;
  • citation manipulation;
  • authorship manipulation;
  • unethical research practices;
  • peer review manipulation.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review and prior to publication.

Suspected misconduct may be reviewed in accordance with COPE guidelines, flowcharts and the journal’s editorial procedures. Depending on the nature and severity of the case, actions may include manuscript rejection, correction, retraction or notification to relevant institutions where appropriate.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers and editors should disclose any financial, professional, institutional or personal relationships that may influence or appear to influence the publication process.

Sources of funding and sponsorship should be acknowledged in the manuscript where applicable.

Editors and reviewers should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

8. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

JIBE seeks to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish:

  • corrections or errata;
  • retractions;
  • clarifications;
  • expressions of concern.

Such actions may follow COPE recommendations and accepted scholarly publishing practices.

9. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit appeals regarding editorial decisions or complaints related to editorial processes, peer review or publication ethics.

Complaints and appeals should be handled fairly, confidentially and within a reasonable timeframe. Where feasible, appeals may be reviewed by editorial members not involved in the original decision.

The Editor-in-Chief may make the final decision on editorial and publication ethics matters.

Where a complaint, appeal or ethics concern involves the Editor-in-Chief, another appropriate member of the editorial board or the publisher may conduct an independent review and make a recommendation or decision as appropriate.

10. Confidentiality

Editors, reviewers and editorial staff should maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related correspondence.

Information obtained through the editorial and peer review process should not be disclosed or used for personal advantage.

11. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher supports the editorial process and promotes editorial independence, ethical publishing practices and responsible scholarly communication. The publisher works with the editorial team to maintain publication standards, research integrity and transparency throughout the publication process.

The publisher respects the editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial team and does not normally interfere with editorial decisions. The Editor-in-Chief and editors make editorial decisions based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, methodological quality and publication ethics considerations. Commercial, institutional or personal interests do not determine editorial decisions.

Policy Integration

This statement forms part of the journal's publication ethics framework and should be read together with the following policies:

  • Copyright and License Policy
  • Peer Review Policy
  • Plagiarism Policy
  • Retraction, Correction and Withdrawal Policy
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Use of Generative AI Policy

 

Policy Version: 2.0
Last Updated: 2026