Publication Ethics Statement

Paraskevi Journal of Economics and Management Sciences (PJEMS) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing.

The journal expects all authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to uphold ethical standards throughout the submission, peer-review, publication, and post-publication processes.

PJEMS does not tolerate practices that compromise the integrity, reliability, or credibility of the scholarly record.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to PJEMS are expected to:

  • Submit original scholarly work.
  • Ensure that the manuscript has not been previously published.
  • Ensure that the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
  • Properly acknowledge all sources and contributions.
  • Present research findings honestly and accurately.
  • Avoid fabrication and falsification of data.
  • Avoid plagiarism and inappropriate text reuse.
  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest.
  • Disclose sources of research funding where applicable.
  • Obtain appropriate ethical approval for research involving human participants or other ethically sensitive activities where required.
  • Obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material where necessary.
  • Ensure that all listed authors have made appropriate scholarly contributions.
  • Obtain approval from all authors before submitting the final manuscript.
  • Correct significant errors discovered after publication by promptly informing the editorial office.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submitted work.

2. Originality and Duplicate Publication

Manuscripts submitted to PJEMS must be original.

Authors must not submit substantially the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

The following practices are considered unacceptable:

  • Duplicate publication;
  • Redundant publication;
  • Republishing substantially the same research without appropriate disclosure;
  • Submitting substantially overlapping manuscripts to multiple journals;
  • Reusing previously published material without appropriate acknowledgement.

Where legitimate reuse of previously published material is necessary, authors must clearly identify and appropriately reference the earlier publication.

3. Plagiarism

PJEMS considers plagiarism a serious violation of academic integrity.

Plagiarism includes presenting another person's:

  • Words;
  • Ideas;
  • Data;
  • Results;
  • Images;
  • Tables;
  • Research findings; or
  • Other intellectual contributions

as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement.

Manuscripts may be subjected to similarity or originality screening during the editorial process.

A similarity score by itself does not establish plagiarism. The editorial team may examine the nature, source, extent, and context of identified similarities before taking action.

Suspected plagiarism may result in manuscript rejection or further investigation.

4. Fabrication and Falsification

PJEMS does not accept fabrication or falsification of research.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the invention of data, results, participants, experiments, observations, or other research information that did not actually occur.

Falsification

Falsification includes manipulating research materials, procedures, data, images, analyses, or results in a manner that misrepresents the research.

Where credible evidence of fabrication or falsification arises, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

5. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript.

Individuals who qualify for authorship should be appropriately included, while individuals who have not made sufficient contributions should not be listed as authors.

PJEMS does not support:

  • Guest authorship;
  • Gift or honorary authorship;
  • Ghost authorship;
  • Unjustified exclusion of contributors;
  • Manipulation of authorship order for inappropriate purposes.

All authors should approve the submitted manuscript and its final version before publication.

Where an authorship dispute arises, the journal may request clarification from the authors or relevant institution. The journal may defer to the appropriate institution where institutional investigation is required.

6. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of PJEMS are expected to:

  • Evaluate manuscripts fairly and objectively.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Apply the journal's policies consistently.
  • Select appropriate independent reviewers.
  • Manage conflicts of interest.
  • Protect the integrity of the peer-review process.
  • Base editorial decisions on scholarly and ethical considerations.
  • Avoid discrimination based on personal or institutional characteristics.
  • Investigate credible allegations of publication misconduct.
  • Correct the scholarly record where necessary.
  • Maintain editorial independence from commercial or financial considerations.

Editors should not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for personal or professional advantage.

7. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of PJEMS.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective and constructive assessments.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit.
  • Identify significant methodological or interpretive problems.
  • Identify relevant published work that may have been overlooked where appropriate.
  • Disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.
  • Notify the editor of suspected plagiarism or research misconduct.
  • Avoid using unpublished information for personal or professional benefit.

Reviewers should not make personal, discriminatory, offensive, or inappropriate comments about authors.

8. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the research, review, or editorial decision.

Potential conflicts may include:

  • Financial interests;
  • Employment;
  • Consultancy;
  • Research funding;
  • Institutional relationships;
  • Personal relationships;
  • Recent collaboration;
  • Professional competition;
  • Patents or commercial interests.

Where appropriate, the journal will take steps to manage disclosed conflicts while preserving the integrity of the editorial process.

9. Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, personal data, confidential information, or other ethically sensitive materials must comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where required, authors should obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review body before conducting the research.

Manuscripts should provide relevant information regarding:

  • Ethical approval;
  • Informed consent;
  • Participant confidentiality;
  • Data protection;
  • Protection of vulnerable participants.

Authors must not disclose personally identifiable information without appropriate consent or authorization.

10. Data and Research Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that research data are accurately collected, analyzed, interpreted, and reported.

Where appropriate, authors should retain underlying research data and supporting documentation for a reasonable period.

Authors should provide sufficient methodological information to enable readers to understand and, where appropriate, reproduce the research.

Data should not be manipulated selectively to produce a desired conclusion.

11. Citation and Reference Integrity

Authors must ensure that references accurately represent the sources used in the research.

PJEMS does not support:

  • Fabricated references;
  • Manipulation of citations;
  • Excessive self-citation intended to artificially increase citation counts;
  • Coercive citation;
  • Citation of sources that have not actually been consulted.

Reviewers and editors should not require authors to add citations merely to increase the citation metrics of themselves, the journal, or particular publications.

12. Generative Artificial Intelligence

PJEMS recognizes the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence in academic research and scholarly publishing.

AI tools may assist with appropriate activities such as language improvement, translation, coding, formatting, or other legitimate research-support functions.

However:

  • AI systems cannot be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain responsible for all content submitted.
  • AI-generated information must be independently verified.
  • Authors must not submit fabricated references or unsupported claims generated by AI.
  • Substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation should be disclosed in accordance with the journal's Generative AI Policy.

Reviewers must protect the confidentiality of manuscripts and should not upload confidential manuscript material into public AI systems where this could compromise confidentiality.

13. Misconduct and Investigation

PJEMS may investigate credible allegations of publication or research misconduct.

Potential misconduct includes:

  • Plagiarism;
  • Fabrication;
  • Falsification;
  • Duplicate publication;
  • Redundant publication;
  • Data manipulation;
  • Image manipulation;
  • Citation manipulation;
  • Authorship misconduct;
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • Fraudulent peer review;
  • Forged ethical approval;
  • Misrepresentation of research;
  • Other practices that compromise research integrity.

The journal may request explanations, supporting documentation, or clarification from authors.

Where appropriate, the journal may communicate with the relevant institution or research organization.

14. Possible Editorial Actions

Depending on the nature and seriousness of a concern, PJEMS may:

  • Request clarification from the authors;
  • Request correction of the manuscript;
  • Reject a submitted manuscript;
  • Require additional peer review;
  • Publish a correction or corrigendum;
  • Publish an Expression of Concern;
  • Retract a published article;
  • Notify an appropriate institution or authority.

Editorial action will be proportionate to the circumstances and based on the available evidence.

15. Corrections and Retractions

PJEMS is committed to maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record.

Where significant errors or integrity concerns are identified after publication, the journal may issue:

  • An Erratum;
  • A Corrigendum;
  • A Correction;
  • An Expression of Concern; or
  • A Retraction.

Corrections and retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the affected article where technically possible.

Further details are provided in the journal's Corrections and Retractions Policy.

16. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may raise legitimate concerns regarding the journal's editorial or publication practices.

PJEMS provides procedures for:

  • Appeals against editorial decisions;
  • Complaints concerning peer review;
  • Allegations of research misconduct;
  • Authorship disputes;
  • Publication-ethics concerns;
  • Complaints concerning editorial conduct.

All complaints and appeals will be handled as fairly and confidentially as reasonably possible.

Further information is provided in the journal's Complaints and Appeals Policy.

17. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions at PJEMS are based on academic, scholarly, and ethical considerations.

Payment of an Article Processing Charge does not guarantee acceptance or publication and does not influence the peer-review outcome.

Editors and reviewers are expected to maintain independence from commercial, financial, personal, or other interests that could compromise the integrity of editorial decisions.

18. Commitment to Ethical Publishing

PJEMS is committed to continually improving its publication practices and maintaining a reliable scholarly record.

The journal expects everyone involved in the publication process to act with:

Integrity • Transparency • Accountability • Confidentiality • Fairness • Academic Independence

The journal may update this policy periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, and responsible publication practices.