Business & IT

Publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal is a building block in the development of a coherent and respected body of knowledge, and a direct reflection of the quality of the authors' work and of the institutions that support them. Business & IT is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and to preventing malpractice. This statement is based on the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies to everyone involved in publishing in the journal: authors, editors, reviewers and the publisher.

Duties of editors

• Decision to publish. The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles are published, on the basis of academic merit and relevance to the journal's scope, and free from commercial or political influence.
• Fairness. Manuscripts are evaluated for intellectual content without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship or political philosophy.
• Confidentiality. The editor and editorial staff do not disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
• Conflicts of interest. Unpublished material disclosed in a submission is not used by the editor in their own research without the author's written consent. Editors recuse themselves from manuscripts in which they have a competing interest.
• Integrity. The editor, with the publisher, takes responsive measures when ethical complaints are raised, including, where warranted, publishing corrections, expressions of concern or retractions.

Duties of reviewers

• Contribution to decisions. Peer review assists the editor in making decisions and helps authors improve their work.
• Promptness. A reviewer who cannot review a manuscript, or cannot do so promptly, should notify the editor and decline.
• Confidentiality. Manuscripts received for review are confidential and must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorised by the editor.
• Objectivity. Reviews are conducted objectively; personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers express their views clearly, with supporting arguments.
• Acknowledgement of sources. Reviewers identify relevant published work not cited by the authors and alert the editor to any substantial similarity between the manuscript and other published material.
• Conflicts of interest. Reviewers do not consider manuscripts in which they have competing interests and do not use privileged information for personal advantage.

Duties of authors

• Reporting standards. Authors report their work accurately, with an objective discussion of its significance and sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate it. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unacceptable.
• Originality and plagiarism. Authors submit only original work, and appropriately cite or quote the work and words of others. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable.
• Multiple or concurrent publication. Authors do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at a time, nor publish essentially the same research in more than one journal.
• Acknowledgement of sources. Proper acknowledgement of the work of others is always given.
• Authorship. Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution. All co-authors approve the final version and agree to its submission. See the authorship policy.
• Disclosure and conflicts of interest. Authors disclose any financial or other conflict of interest and all sources of financial support.
• Fundamental errors. An author who discovers a significant error in their published work promptly notifies the editor and cooperates to correct or retract the paper.

Duties of the publisher

• The publisher supports the editors in maintaining editorial independence and ethical oversight, and has no role in decisions on individual manuscripts.
• In cases of alleged or proven misconduct, the publisher works with the editors to clarify the situation and to amend the article as required — including, where necessary, prompt publication of a correction, clarification, retraction or apology.
• The publisher ensures the long-term availability and preservation of published content.

Handling allegations of misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct — including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, redundant publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest and authorship disputes — are taken seriously and investigated in line with the relevant COPE flowcharts. The journal follows due process, gives the parties an opportunity to respond, and applies outcomes proportionately, from correction to retraction. See also corrections and retractions and complaints and appeals.

Full ethics statement (PDF)   Ethics guidance for authors (PDF)