Research Misconduct

The Journal of Business and Behavioural Entrepreneurship (JOBBE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. The journal follows the principles of transparency, accountability, fairness, and responsible scholarly publishing, with reference to the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to JOBBE and all articles published in the journal. It covers authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process. Allegations of research misconduct are assessed based on available evidence, and all parties are given a fair opportunity to respond. The journal seeks to protect the integrity of the scholarly record and ensure that any corrective action is proportionate to the nature and severity of the misconduct.

1. Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following practices:

Fabrication: Inventing data, research participants, interviews, observations, references, or research results and presenting them as genuine findings.

Falsification: Manipulating research materials, data, analytical procedures, images, or results, or selectively omitting information in a way that misrepresents the research findings.

Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, words, data, figures, or research findings without appropriate acknowledgement. This includes direct copying, improper paraphrasing, translation plagiarism, and the unauthorized use of unpublished work.

Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Republishing substantially similar research without appropriate disclosure or justification, or submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Authorship Misconduct: Including individuals who have not made a qualifying scholarly contribution, omitting eligible contributors, using ghost authorship, or changing authorship without the agreement of all affected authors.

Citation Manipulation: Inappropriately adding citations to artificially increase citation counts, including excessive self-citation, citation stacking, or coercive citation practices.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could improperly influence the research, peer review, or editorial decision-making process.

Research Ethics Violations: Conducting research without required ethical approval or informed consent, misusing confidential information, or failing to protect research participants and their data.

Peer Review and Editorial Misconduct: Manipulating the peer-review process, suggesting fictitious reviewers, reviewing one's own work under a false identity, disclosing confidential manuscripts, or misusing unpublished information.

Misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Using AI tools to fabricate data, results, interviews, or references; listing AI tools as authors; or failing to disclose substantive AI use when disclosure is required by the journal. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

2. Prevention and Detection

JOBBE takes reasonable measures to prevent and identify research misconduct throughout the submission, peer-review, and publication processes. These measures may include plagiarism and similarity screening, editorial assessment of data and references, verification of authorship declarations, and examination of potential overlap with previously published work.

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original, have not been published previously in substantially similar form, and are not under consideration by another journal. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. Authors must also disclose relevant funding sources, conflicts of interest, research ethics approvals, and the use of AI tools, where applicable.

Editors and reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, declare competing interests, and report reasonable suspicions of misconduct to the Editor-in-Chief. When necessary, JOBBE may request supporting research materials, original data, research instruments, ethical approval documents, or other relevant evidence.

3. Reporting Research Misconduct

Research misconduct may be reported by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, research institutions, or other parties with relevant information.

Reports should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official contact channels. The report should include the manuscript title or article DOI, a clear description of the alleged misconduct, and supporting evidence where available. Anonymous reports may be considered if they contain sufficiently specific and verifiable information.

JOBBE handles reports confidentially and protects individuals who raise concerns in good faith, to the extent possible. Allegations are not treated as established misconduct until they have been appropriately assessed. Individuals involved in the case are given a fair opportunity to provide explanations and relevant evidence.

4. Procedures for Handling Allegations

When an allegation of research misconduct is received, JOBBE follows a fair and documented procedure.

Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief or an appointed editor assesses whether the allegation is specific, credible, relevant to the journal, and supported by sufficient preliminary evidence.

Evidence Review: Relevant documents, similarity reports, research materials, correspondence, and other evidence are examined. Independent experts or editorial board members may be consulted when necessary.

Communication with the Parties: The corresponding author or other relevant parties are contacted and given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns. Confidentiality is maintained throughout the process.

Evaluation and Decision: The journal evaluates the available evidence and explanations before determining the appropriate action. Honest errors, methodological disagreements, and limitations of research are distinguished from deliberate or serious ethical violations.

Referral to Institutions: Where the matter requires formal investigation beyond the journal's authority, JOBBE may refer the case to the relevant author's institution, research integrity office, funder, or other appropriate body.

Documentation: The journal maintains confidential records of the allegation, evidence, correspondence, evaluation, and final decision.

For manuscripts under review, the editorial process may be suspended while the allegation is assessed. For published articles, JOBBE may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, depending on the findings and their implications for the reliability of the scholarly record.

5. Possible Outcomes and Sanctions

Depending on the severity, intent, and recurrence of the misconduct, JOBBE may take one or more of the following actions:

Close the case if the allegation is unsubstantiated.
Provide guidance or request clarification from the authors.
Require revisions or additional supporting evidence.
Reject the manuscript before publication.
Issue a correction or retraction for a published article.
Publish an expression of concern when significant issues remain unresolved.
Notify the relevant institution, research integrity office, or funding agency.
Restrict future submissions for serious or repeated misconduct, in accordance with journal policy.
Remove a reviewer or editor from the journal's reviewer database or editorial team when misconduct is established.
Notify other journals or publishers when necessary to protect publication integrity.

All actions are taken in accordance with the available evidence, applicable publication ethics standards, and the need to maintain an accurate scholarly record.

6. Research Misconduct in Published Articles

If credible concerns arise after an article has been published, JOBBE will assess the allegation and seek clarification or supporting evidence from the authors as appropriate.

If the concerns involve honest errors that affect the accuracy of the article, a correction may be issued. If substantial concerns undermine confidence in the findings but cannot yet be resolved, the journal may publish an expression of concern. If serious misconduct or unreliable findings are established, the journal may retract the article.

Correction and retraction notices will clearly identify the affected article and explain the reason for the action. The original publication record will be maintained where appropriate, with clear links between the article and its notice, to preserve transparency and the integrity of the scholarly record.

7. Appeals and Confidentiality

Authors and other affected parties may appeal a decision by submitting a written explanation and relevant new evidence to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official contact channels. Appeals will be reviewed by an editor who was not directly involved in the original decision, where feasible.

All parties must respect the confidentiality of investigations and avoid public accusations while a case is being reviewed. Information will be shared only with individuals who need it to assess or resolve the matter, subject to applicable legal and institutional obligations.

JOBBE is committed to handling all allegations impartially, protecting individuals who report concerns in good faith, and ensuring that decisions are based on evidence rather than personal relationships, institutional status, or other irrelevant considerations.

8. Policy Review

JOBBE may periodically review and update this policy to reflect developments in research integrity, publication ethics, and guidance from COPE. Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers are expected to comply with the applicable version of the policy.