PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Peer-review  Plagiarism  Authorship  Human Research  Animal Research  AI Policy  Gender Equity  Territories  Conflicts of Interest  Corrections

Economics and Finance journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice, in accordance with the COPE Core Practices. This document outlines the policies and duties for all parties involved in the publication process.

DUTIES OF EDITORS

DECISION ON THE PUBLICATION OF ARTICLES

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The decision may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and is subject to legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

REVIEW OF MANUSCRIPTS

Peer Review Methodology: The journal uses external experts to evaluate articles and assist the editors in making a decision. Articles are initially checked; those out of scope or unsuitable are rejected immediately. Original research articles are sent for review.

Reviewer Selection: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, from the Editorial Board or elsewhere. Authors may request the exclusion of a particular reviewer for valid reasons (e.g., a competing laboratory), but the editors' judgement is final.

Review Process: Invitations are sent to reviewers, and articles are only sent upon agreement. Reviewers are typically given 5-7 days to return their review. The journal endeavours to manage the process speedily but cannot guarantee a decision time due to potential delays.

Editorial Decision: After receiving at least two reviews, the Editor-in-Chief will make a decision: (1) accept, (2) minor revision, (3) major revision, or (4) reject. The reasons are communicated to the authors. Unsatisfactory revisions may lead to rejection.

ETHICAL PEER REVIEW – GUIDELINE FOR REVIEWERS

The publisher complies with the Committee on Publication Ethics Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. The journal operates a single-blind peer review method (authors' names are disclosed to reviewers; reviewer names are not disclosed to authors). Authors may request their names be blinded from reviewers upon submission.

DISCLOSURE AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

A Conflict of Interest (COI) is defined as a situation where personal, business, or financial influences could affect judgement.

Authors must declare any COI that may have affected their research or decision to submit.

Reviewers must declare any COI that may affect their judgement of an article.

Editors are excluded from any publishing decision in which they have a COI.

FAIR PLAY

Manuscripts shall be evaluated solely on their intellectual merit without regard to authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The Editor-in-Chief, editors, and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.

DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

PROMPTNESS

If a reviewer cannot complete the review within the stipulated time, this must be communicated to the editor immediately.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Information regarding submitted manuscripts must be kept confidential and treated as privileged information.

STANDARDS OF OBJECTIVITY

Reviews should be conducted objectively. There shall be no personal criticism of the author. Views should be expressed clearly with supporting arguments.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SOURCES

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement previously reported elsewhere should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers must alert the Editor-in-Chief to any substantial similarity or overlap with any other published paper known to them.

DUTIES OF AUTHORS

REPORTING STANDARDS

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data must be represented accurately. The paper must contain sufficient detail and references to permit replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour.

DATA ACCESS AND RETENTION

Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access if practicable. Data must be retained for a reasonable time after publication.

ORIGINALITY AND PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. This includes copying text, ideas, images, or data from another source without giving credit. Authors must ensure their work is original; the work and/or words of others must be appropriately cited or quoted. Reused text must be between quotation marks with citation. All submissions are checked for plagiarism using iThenticate. Plagiarism may lead to rejection or retraction. Data must be original and not inappropriately selected, manipulated, enhanced, or fabricated.

MULTIPLE PUBLICATIONS

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour. Generally, an author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal.

CITATION POLICY

• Sources must be clearly cited, and permission obtained where appropriate.
• Authors should not engage in excessive self-citation.
• Authors must not copy references from other publications without having read the cited work.
• Authors should not preferentially cite their own or their friends', peers', or institution's publications.
• Authors should not cite advertisements or advertorial material.
• Direct quotations from other researchers (including one's own work) must appear in quotation marks with appropriate citations.

AUTHORSHIP POLICY

The journal adheres to international standards per COPE Core Practices to ensure transparency and accountability in authorship.

AUTHORSHIP CRITERIA

All authors must meet all four ICMJE criteria:

1. Substantial contribution to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation.
2. Drafting or critically revising the work for intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Those not meeting all criteria should be acknowledged.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The corresponding author must:

• Ensure all co-authors have reviewed, approved, and agreed to submit the manuscript.
• Manage all communication with the journal.
• Confirm all authors meet the authorship criteria.
• Declare all conflicts of interest on behalf of all authors.
• Confirm that all co-authors have read and agreed to the journal's policies upon submission.

CHANGES IN AUTHORSHIP

Any change post-submission requires:

• A formal, justified request to the Editor-in-Chief.
• Written confirmation from all authors (including those being added or removed).

Changes without unanimous consent will not be made.

CONTRIBUTORSHIP AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Individuals who contributed but do not qualify as authors (e.g., technical support, data collection) must be listed in the Acknowledgments with their role described. Written permission to be named is required.

UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICES

Ghost authorship (omitting contributors) and gift/guest authorship (including non-contributors) are strictly prohibited and constitute misconduct.

AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION (ORCID)

Providing an ORCID iD is recommended for all authors to ensure proper attribution.

COMPLIANCE & CONSEQUENCES

Misrepresentation of authorship is a serious ethical breach. The journal will follow COPE guidelines in investigations. Consequences include rejection, retraction, submission bans, and notification of authors' institutions.

ETHICS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN PARTICIPANTS

The journal requires all research involving human participants to adhere to the highest international ethical standards.

ETHICAL APPROVAL

Manuscripts must include a statement confirming approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee, including the committee name, approval ID/number, and date.

INFORMED CONSENT

Voluntary informed consent must be obtained from all participants (or their legal representatives). Documentation must be available upon editorial request. Explicit written consent for publication is required for any potentially identifiable information.

ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Authors must protect participant anonymity by removing all personally identifiable information (PII). Exceptions require explicit disclosure and consent.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Clinical trials must be registered in a public primary registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) before participant enrolment, and the registration number must be provided.

DATA INTEGRITY

Data fabrication or falsification constitutes serious misconduct and will result in manuscript rejection and further sanctions per COPE guidelines.

COMPLIANCE

Non-compliance will lead to rejection. Suspected ethical misconduct will be investigated using COPE Flowcharts, potentially resulting in retraction, institutional notification, and submission bans. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors comply.

RESEARCH INVOLVING THE USE OF ANIMALS

The journal requires all research involving animals to be conducted in accordance with strict international ethical standards.

ETHICAL APPROVAL

A statement confirming approval by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent must be included, naming the committee and providing the protocol number and date of approval.

THE 3RS PRINCIPLE (REPLACEMENT, REDUCTION, REFINEMENT)

Authors must apply the 3Rs principle:

• Replacement: Use non-animal alternatives where possible.
• Reduction: Use the minimum number of animals required for robust results.
• Refinement: Implement methods to minimise suffering and improve welfare.

COMPLIANCE AND REPORTING

Research must comply with all applicable guidelines. The manuscript must detail species, strain, sex, age, number, housing conditions, measures to minimise suffering, and justification for sample size and euthanasia. Following the ARRIVE Guidelines 2.0 is strongly recommended.

CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE

Manuscripts without an ethical approval statement will be rejected. Suspected breaches will be investigated per COPE guidelines. The corresponding author must ensure the accuracy of the ethical statement.

POLICY ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS

The journal requires the transparent and ethical use of AI tools by all parties involved in the publication process.

AUTHORSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

AI cannot be an author. Authors are fully responsible for the entire content of their manuscript, including any AI-generated output, and must ensure its accuracy, originality, and validity.

MANDATORY DISCLOSURE

If an AI tool is used, authors must disclose its use in the Methods or Acknowledgements section, including:

• Name and version of the AI tool.
• Specific purpose of its use.
• Confirmation that all AI-generated content was critically reviewed and validated.

PROHIBITED USES (MISCONDUCT)

Prohibited uses leading to rejection/retraction include:

• Using AI to generate fraudulent data or results.
• Using AI to paraphrase plagiarised content to evade detection.
• Using AI to create or alter images/figures to misrepresent findings.

GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWERS AND EDITORS

• Confidentiality is paramount. Uploading manuscripts or data into generative AI tools is strictly prohibited, as this breaches confidentiality.
• Reviews must be original. If AI assists, this must be explicitly disclosed. The final judgement must be the reviewer's own.

COMPLIANCE

Failure to disclose AI use or violation of this policy constitutes a serious ethical breach. Consequences include rejection, retraction, and notification of authors' institutions.

POLICY ON SEX AND GENDER EQUITY IN RESEARCH

The journal is committed to promoting high ethical standards and requires authors to adhere to the SAGER guidelines.

AUTHOR REQUIREMENTS

• Distinction: Clearly distinguish between 'sex' (biological attribute) and 'gender' (socio-cultural construct).
• Inclusion and Justification: Where relevant, include participants of all sexes and genders with scientific justification.
• Data Analysis: Data must be disaggregated by sex and analysed separately.
• Reporting: Results must be presented for all sexes included.
• Cell and Animal Studies: The sex of cells, tissues, and animals must be specified and reported.

COMPLIANCE

Authors must complete the SAGER checklist and submit it with their manuscript. Failure to adequately address sex and gender considerations may result in the manuscript being returned for revision or rejection.

POLICY ON BORDERS AND TERRITORIES

The journal is an international publication committed to impartial scholarship and maintains neutrality on political or territorial disputes.

• The views expressed in published articles belong solely to the authors, who are responsible for their accuracy and neutrality.
• Authors must disclose potential disputes related to borders or territories.
• Terminology and cartographic representations require academic justification. All maps must be from reputable sources with proper permissions.
• Peer review assesses academic justification and neutrality. Editors may add neutral disclaimers to sensitive articles.
• Affiliation details are for identification only. The journal follows COPE core practices on editorial independence.
• Authors should use discipline-standard terminology consistently. Final publication decisions rest with the editorial board, prioritising scholarly integrity.

POLICY ON DISCLOSURE OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The journal requires full transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest (COI).

• Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional interests that could influence their research (e.g., grants, consultancies, stock ownership, patents, personal relationships).
• All authors must complete a COI declaration during submission.
• Reviewers must decline assignments where conflicts exist. Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with potential conflicts.
• Disclosed information is published in a dedicated statement within articles. The journal evaluates conflicts case-by-case.
• Failure to disclose constitutes an ethical breach, leading to rejection, retraction, or submission bans. The journal follows COPE guidelines for investigations.
• The corresponding author ensures all co-authors approve the disclosure. When in doubt, authors should disclose.

POLICY ON CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS, AND UPDATES

The journal is committed to maintaining the scholarly record's integrity per COPE guidelines.

CORRECTIONS (ERRATA/CORRIGENDA)

Issued for errors that do not invalidate the article's conclusions. Corrections are bi-directionally linked to the original article.

RETRACTIONS

Issued when the article's integrity is fundamentally undermined (e.g., misconduct, major errors, unethical research). The retraction notice is clearly labelled, states the reason factually, identifies who is retracting, and is bi-directionally linked. The original article is watermarked as "Retracted" but remains accessible.

AUTHOR NAME CHANGES

The published record is confidentially updated upon author request without requiring proof or issuing a notice, to protect the author's privacy.

EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN

A temporary notice to alert readers to serious, but not yet conclusively proven, concerns about an article's integrity while an investigation is ongoing.

COMMENTS AND REPLIES

Peer-reviewed critiques (Comments) and author responses (Replies) are published together and linked to the original article.

COMPLIANCE

All decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief, following COPE Flowcharts and potentially in consultation with relevant institutions.