International Journal of Management

The International Journal of Management (IJM) is committed to promoting the highest standards of research integrity and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff to comply with internationally accepted principles of research ethics throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes.

IJM follows the ethical principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). These guidelines form the foundation of the journal's policies for ensuring honesty, transparency, accountability, and integrity in academic publishing.

Ethical Conduct of Research

Authors must ensure that all research submitted to the journal has been conducted ethically and responsibly. Research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or sensitive information must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards. Where required, appropriate ethical approval must be obtained before the commencement of the study.

Institutional Ethics Approval

Studies involving human participants or animals must include a statement confirming approval by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent institutional body. The manuscript should identify the approving authority and, where applicable, include the approval number and date.

Informed Consent

For research involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the study. Where identifiable information, photographs, or personal data are published, explicit consent for publication must also be obtained.

Integrity of Research

Authors are expected to present their research accurately, honestly, and transparently. Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, image manipulation, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, or any other form of research misconduct is strictly prohibited.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

• Conducting research in accordance with accepted ethical standards.
• Ensuring the originality and authenticity of their work.
• Accurately reporting research methods and findings.
• Disclosing conflicts of interest and funding sources.
• Providing ethical approval documentation where applicable.
• Cooperating with the Editorial Office during investigations of ethical concerns.

Editorial Responsibility

Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly, confidentially, and solely on their academic merit and ethical compliance. Editors follow COPE guidance when handling allegations of research misconduct, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and other ethical concerns.

Right to Reject Unethical Research

The International Journal of Management (IJM) reserves the right to reject any manuscript at any stage of the editorial or peer review process if there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of unethical conduct. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism or excessive similarity.
• Fabricated or falsified data.
• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Unethical research involving humans or animals.
• Lack of required ethical approval.
• Failure to obtain informed consent where applicable.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Authorship manipulation or disputes.
• Citation manipulation or other forms of publication misconduct.

Where ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Investigating Ethical Concerns

All allegations of unethical conduct are treated seriously and investigated fairly, confidentially, and objectively. The journal follows the COPE Flowcharts and internationally recognized procedures when investigating suspected research or publication misconduct. Authors may be asked to provide supporting documentation, original data, ethical approval letters, or additional explanations during the investigation.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The International Journal of Management (IJM) is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record by promoting responsible research practices, transparent editorial procedures, and ethical publication standards. The journal continuously reviews and updates its policies in accordance with the recommendations of COPE, ICMJE, and internationally recognized best practices to ensure the highest standards of academic publishing.