1. Introduction

The International Journal of Business, Marketing and Communication (IJBMC) is fully committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. This document has been developed in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, ensuring that all stakeholders including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher observe internationally recognized standards of academic integrity.

The journal strives to maintain transparency, accountability, and good publication practices throughout the editorial and review process. Ethical misconduct will not be tolerated, and appropriate action will be taken in accordance with COPE guidelines.

2. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors play a fundamental role in safeguarding the quality, credibility and integrity of the journal.

2.1 Academic Decision-Making

The Editor-in-Chief holds the final decision on whether a submitted manuscript is accepted, revised, or rejected. Decisions are based strictly on the academic content, originality, clarity, contribution to the field, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editorial decisions will never be influenced by commercial, political, or personal interests.

2.2 Confidentiality

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submissions. Manuscript details may only be disclosed to those directly involved in the editorial process (e.g., reviewers, editorial staff). Editors must not use unpublished materials for their own research without written permission from the authors.

2.3 Ethical Oversight

Editors must be proactive in identifying research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, authorship disputes, or ethical breaches. All cases will be handled using established COPE flowcharts, ensuring fairness and thorough investigation.

2.4 Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist due to personal, academic, or professional relationships.

2.5 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are independent from the publisher and free from commercial influence.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a crucial part in maintaining scholarly integrity and ensuring that published content meets the highest academic standards.

3.1 Contribution to the Editorial Process

Reviewers assist editors in making informed publishing decisions and help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts.

3.2 Confidentiality

Manuscripts assigned for review must be treated as confidential documents. Under no circumstances may reviewers discuss or share the content with others without editor approval.

3.3 Objectivity

Reviews should be objective and constructive. Reviewers should not engage in personal criticism. Reports must be based on academic merit and supported by clear arguments.

3.4 Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers must identify uncited relevant work and inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap with other published materials.

3.5 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must decline invitations when conflicts of interest exist based on competition, collaboration, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships.

3.6 Detection of Misconduct

Any suspicion of ethical violations (e.g., plagiarism, falsification, duplicate submission) should be immediately reported to the editor.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the integrity of their research and compliance with global ethical publishing standards.

4.1 Originality and Plagiarism

Manuscripts must be original and free from plagiarism. Proper citations must be used when incorporating the work, ideas, or words of others. All detected plagiarism will result in immediate rejection or retraction.

4.2 Authorship Criteria

Authorship is limited to individuals who made substantial contributions to:

• Research conception or design
• Data collection, analysis, or interpretation
• Drafting or revising the manuscript critically

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria must be acknowledged appropriately.

4.3 Research Data Transparency

Authors may be requested to provide raw data for editorial review and must retain such data for at least five (5) years after publication.

4.4 Multiple or Redundant Submission

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time is unethical and unacceptable.

4.5 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all financial, institutional, and personal relationships that may influence the research results.

4.6 Ethical Approvals

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must be accompanied by appropriate ethical approval documentation.

4.7 Fundamental Errors

Authors must promptly notify the editor if a significant error is discovered in their published work.

5. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher of IJBMC is responsible for ensuring:

• the journal’s academic integrity is preserved,
• misconduct investigations follow COPE standards,
• appropriate corrections and retractions are issued,
• long-term digital archiving and preservation of published content.

6. Copyright & Licensing Policy (CC BY)

All articles in IJBMC are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

6.1 Copyright

Authors retain full copyright of their manuscripts. Upon publication, authors grant IJBMC the non-exclusive right to publish, distribute and archive their work in all formats.

6.2 Licensing Terms

Under the CC BY license, users are permitted to:

• copy and redistribute the material in any medium,
• adapt, remix, transform and build upon the work,
• even for commercial purposes,

as long as appropriate credit is given to the original authors.

6.3 Author Rights

Authors may:

• archive the article in repositories,
• reuse the content in future works,
• distribute copies for academic purposes.

7. Peer Review Policy (Double-Blind)

IJBMC uses a double-blind peer review system, ensuring unbiased and transparent evaluation.

7.1 Process Overview

• Authors’ identities are concealed from reviewers.
• Reviewers’ identities are concealed from authors.
• Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two qualified reviewers.

7.2 Evaluation Standards

Reviewers assess:

• originality and contribution
• methodology and analysis
• literature grounding
• clarity and organization
• ethical compliance
• relevance to the journal scope

7.3 Review Timeline

The typical review period is 4–8 weeks, depending on reviewer availability and manuscript complexity.

8. Retraction, Correction & Withdrawal Policy (COPE-Compliant)

IJBMC adheres strictly to COPE Retraction Guidelines (2019).

8.1 Grounds for Retraction

A published article may be retracted if:

• data fabrication or falsification is evident,
• plagiarism or duplicate publication is confirmed,
• serious ethical breaches occurred,
• findings are unreliable or invalid.

8.2 Retraction Notice

A formal retraction notice will:

• be linked to the original article,
• explain the reason for retraction,
• be freely accessible,
• not remove the article but watermark it as “Retracted”.

8.3 Corrections (Errata / Corrigenda)

Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not invalidate the research.

8.4 Expression of Concern

Used when:

• investigations are ongoing,
• unreliable evidence is suspected but not confirmed.

8.5 Article Withdrawal

Manuscripts may be withdrawn prior to publication with valid justification.
Published articles will not be withdrawn except under legal or exceptional circumstances.

9. Policy Review

All policies are reviewed annually to ensure alignment with COPE Core Practices and international publishing standards.

10. Open Access Policy

IJBMC is fully committed to open-access publishing and ensures that all published content is freely accessible without subscription, registration, or access fees. The journal operates under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are properly credited.

Open access provides:

• Immediate and unlimited availability of published content
• Greater visibility and citation impact
• Compliance with international research funders’ open-access mandates

There are no access barriers, and all articles remain permanently online.

11. Ethical Oversight Policy

Ethical oversight includes (but is not limited to) the following areas:

• Research involving human participants
• Research involving animals
• Use of confidential, proprietary or sensitive data
• Consent to publish personal or identifiable information
• Ethical concerns requiring IRB / Ethics Committee approval

Authors must ensure:

• Ethical approval documents are available upon request
• Informed consent has been obtained where appropriate
• Participant anonymity is protected
• Data is handled according to international privacy standards

IJBMC may request evidence of ethical approval before acceptance.

12. Research Misconduct Policy

IJBMC does not tolerate research misconduct in any form, including:

12.1 Types of Misconduct

• Plagiarism
• Fabrication (inventing data)
• Falsification (manipulating data)
• Image manipulation
• Duplicate/Redundant publication
• Ghost authorship or Gift authorship
• Manipulation of peer review
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest

12.2 Handling Procedure

When misconduct is suspected:

1. A preliminary investigation is conducted by the Editor-in-Chief.
2. Authors are contacted for explanation.
3. Evidence is reviewed according to COPE flowcharts.
4. Appropriate action is taken, including:
   • Rejection
   • Retraction
   • Correction
   • Notification to the author’s institution / funding agency

The journal maintains strict confidentiality during investigations.

13. Archiving & Preservation Policy

IJBMC ensures long-term digital preservation of all published articles through multiple systems:

13.1 Internal Archiving

All articles are archived in the journal’s secure server repository with daily backups.

13.2 External Archiving

The journal encourages archiving using:

• National Libraries / Digital Preservation Systems

Authors are encouraged to deposit their articles in:

• University repositories
• ResearchGate / Academia.edu (publisher version allowed under CC BY)
• Any discipline-specific repository

The goal is to preserve access permanently and independently of the journal website.

14. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

IJBMC follows global standards (COPE 2023, Elsevier 2024) regarding AI use in research and writing.

14.1 Acceptable Use

Authors may use AI tools for:

• Grammar checking
• Language polishing
• Statistical assistance
• Data visualization
• Coding (with verification)

14.2 Prohibited Use

AI tools must NOT be used to:

• Generate full manuscripts
• Fabricate references
• Create false data
• Produce analytical arguments without human verification

14.3 Disclosure

If AI tools were used in any part of the preparation, authors must include a statement such as:

“Artificial intelligence tools were used solely for language editing and do not replace author responsibility for the content.”

AI cannot be credited as an author.

15. Data Availability Policy

To ensure transparency and reproducibility, authors must state the availability of their data in one of the following forms:

• Data publicly available (e.g., repository link)
• Data available upon request (with reason)
• Data not available (confidentiality, licensing restrictions, etc.)

A “Data Availability Statement” must be included at the end of the manuscript.

16. Article Processing Charges (APC) & Transparency Policy

IJBMC is committed to fee transparency. Authors must be informed upfront of:

• Article processing charges (APC)
• Publication fees (if any)

The journal does not collect fees during peer review.
Any updates to fees must be published publicly.

17. Advertising & Sponsorship Policy

To maintain editorial independence:

• The journal does NOT allow advertising that influences editorial decisions.
• Sponsored content is clearly marked as such.
• Advertisers have no access to editorial operations or peer review.
• Sponsorship cannot influence acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

18. Author Appeal Policy

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written justification.
Appeals will:

• Be reviewed by another editor (not the original decision-maker)
• Not guarantee acceptance
• Follow COPE appeal guidelines

The decision after appeal is final.

19. Anti-Harassment & Professional Conduct Policy

IJBMC maintains a respectful and safe environment for all contributors.

The journal prohibits:

• Harassment
• Discrimination
• Abuse or intimidation
• Unprofessional communication

Any misconduct will result in removal from the review board or rejection of submissions.