Publication Ethics

Journal of Maritime Business Management (JMBM) is committed to maintaining high standards of research and publication ethics throughout the scholarly publishing process. The journal expects authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in publication to uphold principles of integrity, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and responsible academic conduct. The journal's publication ethics practices are informed by recognized standards of scholarly publishing, including the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. General Principles

All manuscripts submitted to JMBM are expected to meet appropriate standards of academic integrity and responsible research conduct. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, manipulation of the publication process, or other forms of research and publication misconduct. Where ethical concerns are identified, the journal may conduct an appropriate investigation and take corrective action, including rejection, withdrawal, correction, or retraction of an article where necessary.

2. Editors' Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for managing manuscripts fairly, objectively, and confidentially. Editorial decisions should be based primarily on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and contribution to the field, without discrimination or personal bias.

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and should disclose and appropriately manage any conflict of interest. They may consult reviewers or other qualified editorial personnel when necessary to reach an informed decision. Editors must also take appropriate action when credible concerns regarding research or publication ethics are brought to their attention.

3. Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, constructively, and confidentially. Their assessment should focus on the scholarly content, methodological quality, originality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript rather than on personal characteristics or relationships with the authors.

Reviewers should promptly inform the editor if they identify potential plagiarism, ethical concerns, substantial similarities with other publications, or other issues that may affect the integrity of the manuscript. Reviewers who are not sufficiently qualified to evaluate a manuscript, have a conflict of interest, or cannot complete the review within the required timeframe should decline the invitation or notify the editor as soon as possible.

4. Authors' Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts present research accurately and honestly. Research methods, data, analysis, and findings must be reported transparently and must not be fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or deliberately misrepresented. Authors should provide sufficient methodological information to allow the research to be properly evaluated and, where appropriate, reproduced by other researchers.

Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original, properly acknowledges the contributions of other researchers, and cites all relevant sources appropriately. All individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be appropriately recognized as authors, while individuals who do not meet authorship criteria should not be listed as authors.

All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission to JMBM. Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal and should avoid duplicate or redundant publication.

5. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

JMBM considers plagiarism, including substantial unattributed use of another person's ideas, words, data, or work, to be a serious violation of publication ethics. Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity detection tools as part of the journal's editorial assessment.

Similarity results are evaluated by the editorial team in context and do not, by themselves, determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Where evidence of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, or other serious misconduct is identified, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its editorial and publication ethics policies.

6. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality

Authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that may affect their objectivity or decision-making. Confidential information obtained during manuscript evaluation must not be disclosed to unauthorized parties or used for personal or professional advantage. Manuscripts and associated materials should only be accessed by individuals directly involved in the editorial and review process.

7. Post-Publication Ethical Issues

Authors are expected to notify the journal promptly if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work. They should cooperate with the editorial board in assessing the issue and, where necessary, correcting the published record.

When credible evidence of serious ethical or publication misconduct is identified after publication, JMBM may investigate the matter and take appropriate action, including issuing a correction, publishing an editorial notice, or retracting the article when warranted.

Journal of Maritime Business Management (JMBM) is committed to fostering a responsible and trustworthy scholarly publishing environment. Through these ethical standards, the journal seeks to protect the integrity of research, ensure fairness throughout the editorial process, and maintain the reliability of the published scholarly record.