Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy

At VJES, we uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and professionalism in all aspects of scholarly publishing. We are fully committed to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and expect all stakeholders— authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers—to act in accordance with globally recognized best practices in academic publishing.

1. Ethical Principles for Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

• Manuscripts must represent original work and must not plagiarize any part of previously published or unpublished materials.
• All external sources, data, ideas, and verbatim text must be properly acknowledged through APA 7th-style citations.
• Submissions must include a plagiarism report from reliable software (e.g., Turnitin, Urkund) with a similarity index not exceeding 10%.

Data Accuracy and Authenticity

• Authors must present accurate and verifiable data.
• The fabrication, manipulation, or falsification of data, findings, or sources is strictly prohibited.

Proper Attribution and Acknowledgement

• All contributors to the research must be credited appropriately.
• Use of data, models, or concepts from prior studies must be transparently cited and contextualized.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

• Authors must declare any financial, institutional, or personal interests that may influence—or appear to influence—their research.
• Conflicts must be disclosed in a dedicated Conflict of Interest section within the manuscript.

Responsible Authorship

• All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research.
• Ghost, gift, and paid authorship are unethical and strictly prohibited.

2. Editorial and Peer Review Ethics

• All manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review to ensure impartial and objective evaluation.
• Editors must maintain confidentiality, ensure fairness, and avoid conflicts of interest in decision-making.
• Reviewers are expected to:
  • Provide constructive, timely, and unbiased feedback
  • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript
  • Refrain from using the manuscript content for personal gain

3. Consequences of Ethical Violations

Violations of publication ethics may result in:

• Immediate rejection of the manuscript
• Permanent blacklisting of the authors involved
• Notification to institutional authorities or funding bodies
• Retraction of the article (if discovered post-publication)
• Public issuance of errata, corrections, or expressions of concern

4. Ethical Sharing and Post-Publication Promotion

Publishing in VJES marks the beginning of your research’s scholarly journey. Authors are encouraged to ethically promote their work through legitimate platforms such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Zenodo, SSRN, Academia.edu, institutional repositories, departmental newsletters, and professional networking sites (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter/X).

Authors should share only the final published version of their article in accordance with VJES’s open-access and copyright policy.

5. Commitment to a Fair and Inclusive Academic Environment

VJES evaluates manuscripts solely on scholarly merit, without bias related to the author’s race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political perspective. We aim to cultivate an inclusive research community committed to academic freedom, mutual respect, and rigorous ethical standards.

Final Declaration (Mandatory for Submission)

“We affirm that this manuscript is original, free of plagiarism, and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. All authors meet the authorship criteria, have approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to abide by the ethical policies of The Vertex Journal of Economic Sciences.”