Publication Ethics
PUBLICATION ETHICS, INTEGRITY AND COMPLIANCE POLICY
1. Preamble
The Journal of Commerce & Business Studies (JCBS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, accountability, and scholarly excellence. The Journal seeks to ensure that all published research contributes meaningfully to academic knowledge while adhering to recognized ethical standards.
JCBS follows internationally accepted principles of ethical publishing and is guided by the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and all participants in the publication process are expected to uphold these principles and maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
The Journal does not tolerate research misconduct, publication malpractice, unethical behaviour, or any activity that compromises academic integrity.
2. Research Ethics Policy
2.1 Originality and Authenticity
Authors must submit only original and unpublished work. Manuscripts submitted to JCBS must not have been published previously, nor be under consideration by any other journal, conference proceedings, edited volume, or publication outlet.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that:
• The manuscript is their original scholarly work.
• All sources have been properly cited and acknowledged.
• Data, findings, and interpretations are reported honestly and accurately.
• Appropriate permissions have been obtained for copyrighted materials.
• The work does not infringe intellectual property rights.
2.2 Research Integrity
Authors shall ensure that research is conducted and reported responsibly.
The following practices are strictly prohibited:
• Data fabrication.
• Data falsification.
• Manipulation of empirical findings.
• Selective reporting of results.
• Misrepresentation of research methods.
• Citation manipulation.
• Suppression of contradictory evidence.
• Deliberate misinterpretation of findings.
2.3 Human Participants and Ethical Approval
Research involving human participants, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, or personal data should comply with applicable ethical standards.
Authors must disclose:
• Ethical approvals obtained.
• Institutional Review Board approvals, where applicable.
• Informed consent procedures.
• Data protection measures.
The Journal may request supporting documentation during the review process.
2.4 Data Availability and Reproducibility
Authors should maintain accurate research records and preserve supporting datasets wherever feasible.
The Journal encourages transparency and reproducibility by requesting authors to:
• Retain original research data.
• Make supporting materials available upon reasonable request.
• Clearly explain data sources and methodologies.
• Disclose any limitations affecting reproducibility.
3. Authorship and Contributorship Policy
Authorship should be restricted to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work.
Authors must have contributed significantly to one or more of the following:
• Research conception and design.
• Data collection.
• Data analysis and interpretation.
• Drafting of the manuscript.
• Critical revision of intellectual content.
• Approval of the final version.
All authors must approve the manuscript before submission.
The following are unacceptable:
• Gift authorship.
• Honorary authorship.
• Guest authorship.
• Ghost authorship.
Requests for authorship changes after submission shall require written consent from all authors and approval of the Editor-in-Chief.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure Policy
4.1 Responsible Use of AI
JCBS recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may assist researchers in language editing, coding support, data organization, and related scholarly activities.
Transparency regarding such use is mandatory.
Authors must disclose any significant use of:
• Generative AI tools.
• Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Machine-learning systems.
• Automated content-generation technologies.
4.2 Mandatory Disclosure
Authors shall disclose:
• Name of the AI tool.
• Purpose of use.
• Extent of use.
• Sections affected.
Such disclosure should be included in a dedicated "AI Disclosure Statement" within the manuscript.
4.3 AI Cannot Be an Author
Artificial Intelligence systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot:
• Take responsibility for published content.
• Assume accountability.
• Manage conflicts of interest.
• Hold copyright.
Human authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content.
4.4 Prohibited Uses of AI
The following are strictly prohibited:
• Fabrication of research data.
• Creation of fictitious references.
• Manipulation of results.
• Generation of misleading tables or figures.
• Concealment of AI-generated content.
• Undisclosed AI-assisted writing.
Failure to disclose significant AI use may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or other editorial action.
5. Plagiarism Policy
5.1 Plagiarism Screening
All submissions undergo plagiarism screening prior to peer review.
The Journal uses recognized plagiarism-detection software and editorial scrutiny to assess originality.
5.2 Forms of Plagiarism
The Journal considers the following unethical:
• Direct plagiarism.
• Mosaic plagiarism.
• Self-plagiarism.
• Duplicate publication.
• Translation plagiarism.
• Data plagiarism.
• Figure and image plagiarism.
5.3 Similarity Assessment
Similarity reports are evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively.
As a general guideline:
• Up to 10% similarity – acceptable subject to editorial review.
• 10%–30% similarity – revision may be required.
• Above 30% similarity – may result in rejection.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to assess the nature and significance of overlapping material rather than relying solely on similarity percentages.
5.4 Post-Publication Discovery
Where plagiarism is identified after publication, the Journal may issue:
• Corrections.
• Expressions of Concern.
• Retractions.
• Editorial Notices.
depending upon the severity of the violation.
6. Community Standards and Scholarly Conduct
JCBS promotes a scholarly environment founded on:
• Respect.
• Integrity.
• Academic freedom.
• Diversity of viewpoints.
• Responsible debate.
• Professional conduct.
The Journal expects all participants to engage respectfully and constructively.
The following conduct is unacceptable:
• Harassment.
• Discrimination.
• Personal attacks.
• Intimidation.
• Defamatory statements.
• Academic bullying.
• Manipulation of editorial processes.
The Journal is committed to fair treatment regardless of nationality, gender, religion, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, age, disability, or academic background.
7. Conflict of Interest Policy
7.1 Author Disclosure
Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that may influence their research.
Examples include:
• Research grants.
• Consultancy engagements.
• Employment relationships.
• Equity ownership.
• Advisory positions.
• Sponsored research.
7.2 Reviewer Disclosure
Reviewers shall decline review assignments where conflicts may compromise objectivity.
Potential conflicts include:
• Personal relationships.
• Collaborative relationships.
• Institutional affiliations.
• Financial interests.
• Academic competition.
7.3 Editorial Disclosure
Editors shall recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where actual or perceived conflicts of interest exist.
Alternative editorial oversight may be assigned where necessary.
8. Peer Review Integrity
JCBS follows a blind peer-review process.
Reviewers are expected to:
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Provide objective evaluations.
• Avoid personal criticism.
• Identify relevant literature.
• Declare conflicts of interest.
• Report ethical concerns.
Reviewers shall not use unpublished information for personal advantage.
9. Complaints and Appeals
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written explanation supported by evidence.
Appeals shall be reviewed independently by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editorial authority.
The Journal will ensure impartial and fair consideration of all appeals.
10. Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Issues
Where significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the Journal may publish:
• Corrections.
• Corrigenda.
• Expressions of Concern.
• Retractions.
• Editorial Statements.
The objective is to preserve the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.
11. Allegations of Misconduct
The Journal will investigate allegations relating to:
• Plagiarism.
• Data fabrication.
• Data falsification.
• Authorship disputes.
• Citation manipulation.
• Peer-review manipulation.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Investigations shall be conducted confidentially, fairly, and objectively.
Where necessary, institutions, employers, funding agencies, or other relevant bodies may be informed.
12. Intellectual Property and Copyright
Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for copyrighted materials.
Submission of a manuscript implies that authors possess the necessary rights to publish all included content.
Authors remain responsible for any copyright violations discovered before or after publication.
13. Policy Review
This policy shall be reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with evolving publication ethics standards, technological developments, regulatory requirements, and the latest guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
The Journal reserves the right to update, revise, or modify these policies whenever necessary to maintain the highest standards of academic publishing.