The Entrepreneurship Journal for Finance and Business (EJFB) is highly sensitive to research misconduct and is committed to using all available means to prevent the publication of fraudulent or unethical research.
While there is no single standard definition of research misconduct, EJFB aligns its policies with the ethical frameworks established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Council of Science Editors. We deal with allegations of misconduct strictly in accordance with COPE flowcharts and guidelines.
To ensure the integrity of the academic record, EJFB has established stringent assurance policies focusing heavily on two primary categories of misconduct:
1. Falsification and Fabrication of Data
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Fabrication is defined as making up data or results without actually executing the research or collecting real scientific data.
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Falsification is defined as the manipulation of research materials, equipment, or processes, or the changing or omitting of data in order to reach a favorable or predetermined result. This also includes the misuse of citations (e.g., referencing a citation that does not actually support the stated argument).
Fabrication and falsification can occur at any stage of the research process, from fieldwork up to the publication of a manuscript. EJFB actively seeks to identify any form of fabrication or falsification at all levels of manuscript processing—from initial editorial screening to the comprehensive double-blind peer review, and even after a manuscript has been published.
Reporting suspected fabrication or falsification is the ethical duty of our authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. In any proven event of falsification or fabrication, EJFB exercises its right to formally retract or withdraw the affected article. All investigations into these matters strictly follow COPE guidelines.
2. Piracy, Plagiarism, and Self-Plagiarism
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Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving them appropriate credit and citation.
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Self-Plagiarism (Redundant Publication) occurs when an author republishes their own previously published ideas, data, or text in different journals when no academic necessity for such duplication exists.
EJFB utilizes advanced plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. As a standard of quality assurance, any manuscript returning a similarity index of more than 20% will be immediately returned to the author. The author must address these similarities, properly paraphrase, and appropriately cite the original sources to reduce the chance of plagiarism before the manuscript can proceed to peer review.
If intentional plagiarism or severe self-plagiarism is detected during the review process or after publication, EJFB strictly follows COPE flowcharts to manage the misconduct, which may result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript, retraction of the published article, and notification of the author's affiliated institution.