Publication Ethics Statement

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
The UrNammu Journal of Business, Accounting and Technology Management (UJBATM) adheres to the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process—publishers, editors, reviewers, and authors—are expected to follow these ethical guidelines. Our policies promote integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the research and publication cycle. For detailed COPE practices, visit: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices.

This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities and standards expected of all participants in the publication process, and includes the following sections:

1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Publisher
• UJBATM ensures that editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and are not influenced by commercial interests.
• The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic and research record.
• Ethical compliance is monitored across all contributors, including the Editor-in-Chief, editors, board members, reviewers, authors, and readers.
• Plagiarism and data manipulation are actively screened using software such as Turnitin.
• UJBATM is prepared to issue corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary to uphold the scholarly record.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
• Editors have full authority over acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.
• Editors must ensure confidentiality of submissions under review.
• Decisions are made collaboratively with peer reviewers and other editorial members.
• The anonymity of reviewers is strictly preserved.
• Editors must avoid conflicts of interest and act with integrity and objectivity.
• Editorial actions are limited to the intellectual content of manuscripts.
• Editors must not disclose information to anyone outside the peer review circle.
• Unpublished materials must not be used for personal research without explicit written consent from the authors.

3. Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers
• Reviewers assist editors in making publication decisions and must provide objective, timely, and constructive evaluations.
• Manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents.
• Reviewers must avoid using any part of the manuscript for personal advantage.
• Technical and professional feedback is required.
• Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves if needed.

4. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors
• Manuscripts must be original and submitted in English using accurate grammar and terminology.
• Submissions must not be under consideration elsewhere or previously published.
• The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining approval from all co-authors and affiliated institutions.
• Authors should be prepared to participate in the peer-review process for other submissions.
• Authors must disclose all funding sources and the role of sponsors, if applicable.
• Any significant error discovered post-publication must be promptly reported to the editorial team for correction or retraction.
• All submissions are subject to plagiarism screening using appropriate software.
• Authors must complete a submission checklist prior to final submission.

5. Conflict of Interest
Conflicts of interest arise when professional judgment may be influenced by financial, personal, or institutional relationships.
• Editors must not use unpublished information for personal benefit and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.
• Reviewers must disclose any conflict before accepting review invitations and decline if impartiality is compromised.
• Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest at submission, including funding, employment, consultancy, stock ownership, or intellectual property.

6. Principles of Transparency
• Peer Review: UJBATM follows a double-blind peer review process.
• Governing Body: The editorial board consists of recognized experts whose names and affiliations are listed on the journal’s website.
• Contact Information: Editorial contact details are clearly provided online.
• Access and Fees: UJBATM is open access, with a publication fee of 75 USD.
• Research Misconduct: The Editor-in-Chief actively works to prevent and address misconduct such as plagiarism and data manipulation.
• Website: The journal website maintains high ethical and professional standards.
• Journal Name: The journal title is distinct and not easily confused with other publications.
• Publishing Schedule: UJBATM publishes semi-annual, as stated on its website.
• Archiving: Electronic backup and long-term preservation strategies are in place.

7. Violations of Publication Ethics
Examples of unethical practices include:
• Plagiarism: Reusing someone else’s work without proper attribution.
• Data Fabrication and Falsification: Inventing or manipulating research data or results.
• Simultaneous Submissions: Submitting a manuscript under review elsewhere.
• Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing the same content in multiple venues.
• Improper Authorship: Excluding contributors or including undeserving authors.
• Citation Manipulation: Including irrelevant citations to boost impact.
Sanctions may include:
• Immediate rejection of the offending manuscript and others by the same authors.
• A publication ban of at least 36 months.
• Prohibition from editorial or reviewer roles at UJBATM.
• Institutional notification in serious cases.

8. Handling Cases of Misconduct
Upon confirmation of misconduct, UJBATM will proceed as follows:
a. The Editor-in-Chief will contact the author(s) with supporting evidence and request an explanation.
b. If misconduct is confirmed, the matter will be referred to the Publication Committee.
c. Minor infractions may result in a warning or correction; serious cases may result in bans or retractions.
d. In extreme cases, UJBATM may notify the author’s institution and impose a five-year submission ban.
e. Retracted articles will be clearly marked online and accompanied by a formal retraction notice.

This statement is designed to uphold the credibility and ethical standards of UJBATM. We are fully committed to maintaining excellence and integrity in academic publishing. For more information on publication ethics, please refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).