Ethical standards upheld by Economic Forum journal are based on principles of integrity, scholarly responsibility, and internationally recognised norms of academic communication. All editorial processes are designed to ensure quality, protect authors’ rights, and comply with the requirements of leading professional organisations worldwide, including
COPE and the ethical guidelines of
Elsevier PERK.
1. Principles of responsible editorial conduct
The Editorial Board guarantees fair and respectful treatment of all authors, supports professional dialogue, and ensures that no material is published without rigorous assessment. All publication decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific value of the work, not on the personal or political views of the authors.
Editors undertake to:
- maintain strict confidentiality and avoid disclosing any manuscript-related information;
- refrain from making changes to the text without the author’s approval;
- prevent the publication of plagiarised, duplicated or scientifically questionable material.
The Editorial Board operates under a double-blind peer-review system and engages qualified, independent experts.
2. Principles of fair academic peer review
Reviewers contribute directly to maintaining the scientific quality of the journal, and therefore must:
- provide an impartial and professional assessment;
- adhere to the review deadlines set by the editorial office;
- refrain from sharing the manuscript with third parties;
- avoid using any results obtained from the manuscript;
- inform the editorial office if the manuscript falls outside their area of expertise or if they detect potential ethical issues.
If a conflict of interest is identified, the reviewer must immediately notify the editorial office and decline to review the manuscript.
3. Authorial responsibility
Authors are responsible for the scholarly integrity of their submissions. They must:
- present research that is original, reliable, and novel;
- cite all sources appropriately;
- avoid any form of plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
- refrain from submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously;
- notify the editorial office of any significant errors discovered after publication.
Authors agree that once accepted, their article may be included in electronic databases with full attribution.
4. Ethical standards for research involving human participants
Research involving surveys, interviews, or experiments with human participants must comply with international ethical guidelines and be approved by an appropriate ethics committee or IRB. Authors must confirm:
- voluntary participation of respondents;
- written informed consent;
- adherence to confidentiality, anonymity, and safety standards.
If ethical approval is not required, authors must provide a legal or institutional justification.
5. Handling conflicts and ethical concerns
The editorial office has the authority to investigate:
- violations of copyright;
- unethical research practices;
- disputes concerning data or methodology;
- complaints from readers, reviewers, or other parties.
If serious misconduct is confirmed, the editorial office may correct, retract, or otherwise amend the publication and notify readers where appropriate.
6. Authorship policy
All co-authors must confirm that they:
- contributed to the development of the concept, data collection, or analysis;
- took part in writing or substantial revision of the manuscript;
- approved the final version;
- accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.
Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the authorship criteria must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section.
7. Submission principles
Submission of a manuscript confirms that:
- it has not been published previously;
- it is not under consideration by another journal;
- all authors have approved the submission;
- it will not be published elsewhere in the same form if accepted.
8. Data transparency policy
The journal supports openness of scientific results while protecting authors’ rights. Primary data may be provided upon request through the editorial office and only with the author’s consent. Confidential, legally restricted, or sensitive data may not be made available.
All requests must be submitted via the journal’s official email address.
9. Post-publication discussion
The journal encourages open academic dialogue and supports discussion of its publications on
PubPeer. All articles are assigned a DOI, enabling independent commentary. Any substantiated concerns raised on the platform are reviewed in accordance with the journal’s ethical procedures.
10. Advertising policy
The journal does not accept advertising, thereby ensuring complete editorial independence and freedom from commercial influence.
11. Funding disclosure
Authors must clearly state all sources of research funding, including:
- grant programmes,
- governmental and non-governmental organisations,
- commercial entities,
- institutional or internal funding.
If there was no financial support, authors must indicate “This research received no funding” in the relevant section of the article.
12. Privacy policy
Economic Forum journal ensures full confidentiality of all materials submitted by authors. Manuscripts, data, and the identities of authors and reviewers are treated as private information and are not disclosed to third parties, except those directly involved in the editorial process. Unpublished materials are not used by the editorial team or reviewers in their own research. All electronic files and communications are securely stored and transmitted through protected channels to safeguard personal data and intellectual property
