North South Business Review (NSBR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity in the publishing process. The journal adheres to well-established ethical principles and guidelines, in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other relevant bodies. The following policies and procedures apply to all manuscripts submitted to NSBR.

1. Authorship

North South Business Review (NSBR) strictly adheres to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines for determining authorship. According to these guidelines, authorship is granted to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. Only those who meet these criteria should be credited as authors.

Ghost, guest, or gift authorship is strictly prohibited. A ghost author is someone who qualifies for authorship but is omitted from the author list, while a guest or gift author is someone who is included as an author despite not meeting the criteria for authorship. Both practices undermine the integrity of the scholarly record and are considered unethical.

Contributors are expected to clearly delineate their respective contributions to the manuscript and ensure proper attribution to all authors. Any contributions that do not meet the threshold for authorship should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section.

2. Conflicts of Interest (COI)

NSBR requires authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest (COI) that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their research. This includes, but is not limited to, any financial, personal, or professional relationships, such as financial support, funding sources, consultancies, stock ownership, employment, patents, or other affiliations that may affect the integrity of the research. Authors must also disclose any personal or professional relationships that could lead to bias, or that may be perceived as leading to bias. These disclosures must be made at the time of manuscript submission and will be considered during the editorial process. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript. For further guidance, authors should refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) COI Disclosure Guidelines.

By submitting the manuscript, authors confirm that all relevant disclosures have been made in accordance with these requirements. Additionally, any article sent for review will not be used by editorial members for their own research purposes without the author’s explicit written consent. Reviewers are required to promptly notify the editor if there is any conflict of interest regarding the article, topic, research agenda, or any other issues concerning the assigned article.

3. Intellectual Property

The author(s) warrant that the manuscript is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere. Authors assign full copyright of the manuscript to NSBR but retain intellectual property rights to the models, theories, and conclusions included in the work. Reuse of the exact manuscript or any portion of it requires written permission from NSBR.

The author(s) confirm that all images, tables, and other materials do not infringe upon third-party copyrights and have appropriate permissions. The manuscript will be provided for professional recognition, with no royalties paid. The author(s) indemnify NSBR against any claims related to proprietary rights or libel. The publisher has the right to edit the manuscript and distribute it in various formats.

4. Data Integrity

NSBR emphasizes the importance of accurate and reliable data in all published works. Authors are expected to provide data that can be verified and ensure that results are presented honestly and transparently. In addition, authors may be asked to provide raw data upon request to verify reproducibility and ensure the integrity of the research. Any manipulation, fabrication, or falsification of data is considered a serious ethical violation and will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript. Authors are also expected to disclose the sources of data and any methodological limitations that may affect the validity of the research findings.

5. Ethical Guidelines for Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with ethical standards. Authors must confirm that appropriate approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee was obtained, as required by applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants when necessary. The ethical treatment of human participants is essential to the credibility of the research and the integrity of the journal. For human research, authors should ensure compliance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

6. Plagiarism and Ethical Misconduct

At North South Business Review (NSBR), we are dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards in research and publication. Any form of misconduct, including plagiarism (self-plagiarism), data fabrication, and falsification, will lead to the immediate rejection of the manuscript. If misconduct is suspected, the journal will follow the appropriate steps as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines to address the issue and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

7. Complaints and Appeals

NSBR has established a formal process for addressing any complaints related to the editorial process or ethical concerns. If an author or reviewer believes that their concerns are not adequately addressed, they may submit an appeal in writing to the editorial office. All appeals will be handled fairly and transparently, following a defined procedure in line with COPE guidelines for handling ethical complaints.

a. Process of Handling Research Misconduct 

North South Business Review (NSBR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing. In accordance with the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), NSBR has established a structured and fair process to address all allegations of misconduct in research and publication.

Misconduct may include, but is not limited to: plagiarism or self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, improper authorship attribution, duplicate submission or redundant publication, manipulation of the peer review process, unethical experimentation or research practices, and failure to disclose conflicts of interest. All concerns, whether raised by editors, reviewers, readers, or third parties, will be treated seriously, fairly, and with full confidentiality.

Upon receipt of a credible allegation, the Editor-in-Chief will conduct an initial assessment to determine the validity and scope of the claim. Where appropriate, the corresponding author will be contacted for clarification or rebuttal. Depending on the nature of the concern, the case may be referred to the author’s institution, funding body, or an independent ethics committee for further investigation.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using professional similarity detection software to verify originality and identify potential content overlap. This process supports the journal's commitment to publication integrity without endorsing any specific detection tool.

Should the investigation confirm misconduct, NSBR will take editorial action in line with the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Outcomes may include the issuance of a correction, retraction, or an expression of concern. In serious or repeated cases, authors may be temporarily or permanently barred from submitting to NSBR.

The journal is committed to due process and protecting the rights of all parties involved during investigations. Reports of suspected misconduct should be submitted in writing to the editorial office and must include relevant documentation and a clear description of the concern.

For guidance on handling publication misconduct, please refer to:https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts 

8. Corrections, Retractions, and Article Integrity

North South Business Review (NSBR) is committed to maintaining the accuracy and trustworthiness of the scholarly record. If a published article is found to contain significant errors, ethical violations, or data integrity issues, the journal will take appropriate action, which may include issuing a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or in rare cases, removal.

a. Corrections will be issued when honest errors are identified that do not affect the overall findings of the research. These may be initiated by the authors or the editorial team and will be clearly linked to the original article.

b. Retractions will be issued when an article is found to contain fraudulent data, plagiarism, serious methodological flaws, or ethical breaches. A retraction notice will clearly state the reason for retraction and who initiated it. The original article will remain available with a clear watermark and link to the retraction notice for transparency. For details on the journal’s retraction policy, please refer to: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines   

c. Expressions of Concern may be published when there is inconclusive evidence of misconduct or if an ongoing investigation is likely to take significant time. This helps inform the scholarly community while the issue is being reviewed.

d. Withdrawal of articles prior to publication may occur if an accepted article is found to be a duplicate, submitted in error, or affected by a production issue.

Article removal will only be considered in exceptional cases where the content is found to be defamatory, legally infringing, or poses serious health risks. In these rare instances, retraction will not suffice, and a notice explaining the reason for the removal will be published in place of the article.

These actions will be taken in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines, and NSBR will ensure transparency in all decisions affecting the published record.

Generative AI (GenAI) Use Policy

In line with global best practices, this journal maintains a strict policy on the use of Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude). Authors must disclose any use of GenAI tools in manuscript preparation. These tools may only be used for grammar and language refinement. GenAI must not be used to generate data, conduct analyses, interpret results, or replace authorial contributions.

GenAI tools cannot be credited as authors. All authors remain fully accountable for the integrity, originality, and accuracy of the submitted work. Failure to disclose GenAI use may lead to desk rejection or retraction.

This journal follows the COPE position on AI use in scholarly publishing. For details, see: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/authorship-and-ai-tools 

 

 

Contact Information for Ethical Concerns:

If you wish to report any ethical concerns or misconduct related to a manuscript, please contact the NSBR editorial office directly at:

Email: mahmud.shareef@northsouth.edu

All reports will be treated confidentially, and the matter will be investigated thoroughly in accordance with the ethical guidelines outlined above.