Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Econvergence: Journal of Economics, Management, and Business Strategy is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all reasonable measures to prevent publication malpractice. The journal strictly adheres to the ethical principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical conduct is mandatory for all parties involved in the publishing process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

1. Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts are eligible for publication. Editorial decisions are based on the manuscript’s academic merit, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, reviewers’ recommendations, and compliance with legal and ethical requirements, including issues of libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

Fair Play and Objectivity

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of intellectual content, without discrimination regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about a manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the explicit written consent of the author. Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

2. Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making informed editorial decisions and provides authors with constructive feedback to improve the quality and clarity of their manuscripts.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Objectivity and Professional Conduct

Reviews should be conducted objectively and professionally. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should provide clear, reasoned, and evidence-based comments.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and notify the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published works.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must not use privileged information obtained through peer review for personal advantage. Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or affiliated institutions.

3. Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors must present an accurate and objective account of the research performed and its significance. Manuscripts should include sufficient detail and references to enable replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be requested to provide raw data for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to data where appropriate, in accordance with ethical and legal considerations.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Any use of others’ work or words must be appropriately cited. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin or compatible plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references and properly cited quotations) will be automatically rejected.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously or publish substantially similar research in multiple journals.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All contributors meeting these criteria should be listed as co-authors.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.

4. Handling of Unethical Behavior

Identification and Investigation

Suspected misconduct or unethical behavior may be reported to the editor or publisher at any time. All allegations will be handled seriously and investigated by the Editorial Board in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Minor Breaches

Minor ethical issues may be resolved directly with the author(s), who will be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Serious Breaches

Serious misconduct may result in notification of the authors’ affiliated institutions. Decisions will be made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the publisher and, where necessary, external experts.

Sanctions

Depending on the severity of the misconduct, sanctions may include: