Ethics & Confidentiality.
Our commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards in the peer review process.
Ethical Pillar
JBL follows the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines for peer reviewers.
Peer reviewers play a vital role in ensuring the integrity of the scholarly record. The Journal of Business and Law expects all reviewers to adhere to these ethical principles to maintain public and academic trust.
1. Data Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat manuscripts and the information they contain as strictly confidential. This includes:
- Manuscripts should not be shared with anybody else without prior permission from the Editor.
- Information or ideas obtained through peer review must not be used for personal advantage.
- Unpublished materials disclosed in a manuscript must not be used in a reviewer's own research.
2. Objectivity & Fair Play
Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal bias or background should not influence the evaluation:
Professional Tone
Constructive feedback is mandatory. Hostile, inflammatory, or derogatory comments are strictly prohibited.
Evidentiary Basis
All criticisms and recommendations must be supported by evidence and references to the text.
3. Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Editor. You should recuse yourself from the review if:
- You have a recent or current collaboration with any of the authors.
- You stand to benefit financially from the publication or rejection of the manuscript.
- You have a personal or professional relationship that could bias your judgment.
4. Research Integrity
Reviewers should be alert to potential ethical issues in the manuscript and bring them to the attention of the Editor:
Mandatory Alerts:
- Suspected plagiarism or duplicate publication.
- Potential data fabrication or falsification.
- Unethical research practices or lack of informed consent.
- Overlap with published work without proper attribution.