Publication Ethics Policy

(Compliant with COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics)

The Abuja Journal of Business and Economics (ABJE) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. All parties involved in the publishing process; editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers adhere religiously to the ethical principles aligned with the COPE Core Practices, to ensure that the scholarly record is transparent, honest, and reliable.

1. General Ethical Principles

  • Violations of Publication Ethics: Any misconduct such as plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data, duplicate publication, or other unethical behaviors will be thoroughly investigated and may result in rejection, retraction, or formal reporting to appropriate institutions. All processes and decisions align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and Guidelines.

2. Duties of Authors - Originality and Plagiarism

  • Authors must submit original work and properly cite all sources. Use of plagiarism detection software is standard, and manuscripts found to contain unethical similarities will be rejected.

Data Accuracy and Availability

  • Authors must ensure that data is honestly gathered, accurately reported, and transparent.

  • Authors are encouraged to make all underlying data publicly available through reputable repositories, referenced clearly within the manuscript.

  • Authors must retain the original data for a reasonable period post-publication for possible verification or reanalysis.

Transparency and Disclosure

  • Any conflicts of interest, financial support, or previous dissemination (e.g., conference presentations or preprints) must be disclosed.

  • Proper acknowledgment must be given to all sources, and permissions obtained for use of copyrighted material.

Multiple and Redundant Publications

  • Submitting the same manuscript or substantially similar content to more than one journal simultaneously is prohibited.

  • Duplicate or redundant publication is unethical and may lead to manuscript rejection or article retraction.

Accuracy and Limitations

  • Manuscripts must present findings honestly and accurately.

  • Any limitations of the study should be transparently acknowledged.

  • Authors must promptly correct errors discovered after publication, issuing errata or retractions as needed.

Ethical Research with Human or Animal Subjects

  • Studies involving humans or animals must have approval from appropriate ethics committees.

  • Informed consent must be obtained, and participant privacy and confidentiality must be strictly maintained.

3. Duties of Editors - Editorial Independence and Decision-Making

  • Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance.

  • Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where impartiality is compromised.

Confidentiality

  • All manuscripts and correspondence are treated with strict confidentiality, accessible only to editorial staff, reviewers, and the publisher.

Ethical Oversight

  • Editors are responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct and initiating corrections or retractions when necessary.

  • Editors ensure a transparent, fair, and timely peer-review process.

4. Duties of Reviewers - Confidentiality and Objectivity

  • Review materials are confidential and must not be shared or discussed outside the peer review process.

  • Reviews must be objective, constructive, and free of personal bias.

Timeliness and Conflict of Interest

  • Reviewers should notify the editorial office if unable to complete a review on time.

  • Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review if such conflicts exist.

5. Handling of Misconduct

  • Allegations of unethical behavior, including data fabrication, plagiarism, or unethical treatment of research subjects, are taken seriously.

  • Investigations are carried out following COPE guidelines, and may result in retractions, corrections, or institutional notification.

6. Retraction and Correction Policy

  • Retractions are issued for articles found to contain serious errors, plagiarism, or ethical breaches that invalidate the findings.

  • All retractions are accompanied by a clear notice to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

  • Corrections are published where minor errors do not invalidate the research but require public clarification.

7. Copyright and Licensing

  • All articles are published under open-access licenses (e.g., CC BY 4.0), allowing free use, distribution, and reproduction with proper attribution to the original source.