Ethics and Policies

Sustainable Business Research (SBR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing. The journal follows internationally recognised best practices and adheres to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

These policies apply to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

1. Publication Ethics and Integrity

The journal is dedicated to ensuring that all published research is:

  • Original and methodologically sound

  • Ethically conducted and transparently reported

  • Free from plagiarism, data manipulation, or undisclosed conflicts of interest

Any form of unethical behaviour is taken seriously and addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

2.1 Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to:

  • The conception or design of the work; or

  • Data collection, analysis, or interpretation; and

  • Drafting or critically revising the manuscript; and

  • Approving the final version for publication.

All authors must agree to the submission and publication of the manuscript.

2.2 Unacceptable Practices

The journal does not permit:

  • Ghost authorship

  • Gift or honorary authorship

  • Changes to authorship after submission without clear justification and written consent from all authors

3. Plagiarism and Originality

All submissions must be original and not under review elsewhere.

The journal may use plagiarism detection software to screen manuscripts.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbatim copying without citation

  • Self-plagiarism or redundant publication

  • Inadequate paraphrasing

Manuscripts found to violate originality standards will be rejected or retracted.

4. Data Integrity and Research Transparency

Authors are expected to:

  • Accurately report data, methods, and findings

  • Avoid fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting

  • Retain research data for verification if required

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to include data availability statements and ensure reproducibility.

5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The use of AI tools (e.g., for language editing, data analysis, or coding assistance) must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript.

AI tools:

  • May assist but must not replace scholarly judgment

  • Cannot be listed as authors

  • Must not generate fabricated data, citations, or results

Failure to disclose AI use may result in rejection.

6. Ethical Approval and Human Subjects

Research involving human participants must:

  • Comply with institutional and national ethical standards

  • Obtain prior ethical approval where required

  • Ensure informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity

Authors must clearly state ethical approval details or justify exemptions.

7. Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research or review process.

Examples include:

  • Funding relationships

  • Employment or consultancy roles

  • Personal or professional relationships

Declared conflicts will be assessed by the editors to ensure transparency.

8. Peer Review Policy

SBR operates a double-blind peer review system.

Review Process

  • Manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent experts

  • Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise

  • Review reports are confidential

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback

  • Maintain confidentiality

  • Declare conflicts of interest

  • Report ethical concerns to the editor

9. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for:

  • Making impartial and independent decisions

  • Ensuring confidentiality of submissions

  • Managing conflicts of interest

  • Upholding academic and ethical standards

Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and relevance.

10. Open Access Policy

Sustainable Business Research is a fully open-access journal.

  • All content is freely available upon publication

  • No fees/APC will be charged for articles, and no surcharges will apply for the length of an article, for illustrations and figures (including color figures), and for supplementary data unless noted otherwise.  

  • No submission fees are levied

11. Copyright and Licensing Policy

  • Authors retain copyright of their work

  • Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence

  • Readers may share and adapt the work with proper attribution

12. Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

The journal will issue:

  • Corrections for minor errors

  • Retractions for serious ethical breaches

  • Expressions of Concern when investigations are ongoing

All actions follow COPE guidelines and are transparently documented.

13. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned request to the Editor-in-Chief.

Complaints regarding ethical issues, editorial conduct, or peer review will be handled confidentially and impartially.

14. Archiving and Preservation Policy

To ensure long-term accessibility:

  • The journal participates in the PKP Preservation Network

  • Articles remain accessible even if publication ceases

15. Advertising and Sponsorship Policy

SBR does not accept advertising that compromises editorial independence.

Any sponsorship arrangements will not influence editorial decisions.

16. Compliance with International Standards

SBR aligns with:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

  • DOAJ Principles of Transparency

  • Best practices in scholarly publishing