Publication Ethics
Publication ethics and publication malpractice statement of Economic Research Guardian (EcRG) follow the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2011) elaborated by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Editors
Editor-in-Chief and assigned Associate Editor are fully responsible regarding the publishing acceptance decision of a paper submitted to the journal. Their evaluation is based on the paper's relevance for the journal, contribution to the literature in the field, originality, novelty and results validity. In the editorial evaluation will not be taken into account any authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Any information about the submitted manuscript not will be disclosed to anyone, except the corresponding author, reviewers and/or associate editors. The manuscripts which have not been published cannot be use by editor, associate editors and/or reviewers for any current and/or further researches.
The editor's final decision for publishing is made by Editor-in-Chief and conditioned by assessments of the associate editor and reviewers.
Reviewers
Based on the peer-reviewing process, at least two reviewers will assist the editor and/or associate editors for editorial decision and/or for improving the paper, through the reviewer report. All manuscripts should be treated as confidential material.
The reviewers who feel unqualified or unable to evaluate the paper should notify the editors as soon as possible in order to be replace with another reviewer. All reviewers' comments should be very clear and must have solid scientific support. The reviewers also must to notify the associate editor for any case of similarity or overlap between the manuscript and any other published paper. Reviewers should avoid conflicts of interest.
Authors
The submitted manuscript must be an original work. Any other invoked works should be citied or quoted. Concomitant submission of the same manuscript to different journals is an unethical behaviour and is prohibited.
The submission of previously published papers as copyrighted material is also prohibited. The authors of the paper should be the persons who have a significant contribution to the manuscript, while corresponding author should verify that all co-authors agreed with the final version and submission of paper.
If after publication there are any errors or inaccuracies, the authors should notify the editor as soon as possible in order to retract or correct the paper through an erratum.
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1. Conflicts of Interest
For Authors:
All authors submitting to Economic Research Guardian are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may be perceived to influence the outcomes or interpretation of their research. These include, but are not limited to:
Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in retraction of the published article and may impact future submissions.
For Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief must avoid any editorial decision-making for manuscripts in which a conflict of interest exists, including:
For Associate Editors
Associate editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have:
For Reviewers
Given the journal’s double-blind peer review process, reviewers must:
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2. Plagiarism
As part of its commitment to academic integrity and the promotion of high ethical standards in research, Economic Research Guardian upholds the following principles concerning plagiarism:
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using another author's ideas, data, language, or work without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to, verbatim copying, paraphrasing without citation, presenting others' research findings as one's own, and self-plagiarism (reusing one's own previously published work without appropriate citation or editorial permission).
Zero Tolerance Policy
Economic Research Guardian maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content - whether from published or unpublished sources - will be rejected outright. In cases where plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the article will be retracted with a formal notice and the author's institution may be informed.
Originality Requirement
Submissions must be the original work of the authors and must not have been published elsewhere or be under consideration by another journal. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are free from plagiarism and that all sources are properly cited.
Screening for Plagiarism
All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using reliable software tools. Any manuscript that fails to meet acceptable originality standards will be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright.
Citation and Attribution
Proper citation of all sources, including data sets, figures, and theoretical frameworks, is mandatory. Authors must clearly indicate when they are quoting or closely paraphrasing the work of others and provide appropriate references.
Author Responsibilities
All listed authors share responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscript. Each author is expected to ensure the integrity of the work and the accurate representation of sources.
Publisher Responsibilities
The editorial board and reviewers are committed to identifying potential ethical breaches and upholding the highest standards in scholarly publishing. Allegations of plagiarism will be thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Consequences of Misconduct
If plagiarism is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to:
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in the research or manuscript preparation process. Acceptable uses may include language editing, statistical analysis support, or data visualization, provided they are transparent and do not compromise the integrity of the research.
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4. Participation of human subjects
To uphold the highest ethical standards in research involving human subjects, authors submitting to this journal are required to adhere to the following guidelines:
Informed Consent
5. Publishing malpractices
Economic Research Guardian is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All stakeholders - authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers - are expected to adhere to the following guidelines to prevent and address any form of publishing malpractice.
Plagiarism
Submissions must be the original work of the authors and properly cite all sources and data. Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism or verbatim copying without citation, is strictly prohibited. All manuscripts are subject to plagiarism detection software.
Data Fabrication and Falsification
Submitting a manuscript that has already been published or contains substantial overlap with previously published work without proper citation is considered unethical.
Improper Authorship
Authors must not manipulate citations to increase the citation count of a particular author, institution, or journal. Irrelevant or excessive citations not contributing to the scholarly content are not allowed.
Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors or misconduct are discovered after publication, Economic Research Guardian will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, as appropriate. Authors are obligated to notify the journal of any errors discovered post-publication.
Accountability
The editorial team will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred. The editors will investigate all allegations of misconduct and act accordingly based on COPE guidelines.
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6. Retractions and corrections
Economic Research Guardian is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity. As part of this commitment, we emphasize the importance of transparency, accuracy, and the correction of errors in the scientific record. The publication of research is a dynamic process that may require adjustments, including corrections or retractions, in the event of significant errors, omissions, or ethical breaches.
Corrections
Scope of Corrections: the journal will issue corrections when errors are identified in published articles that do not significantly alter the conclusions of the research but may affect clarity, accuracy, or presentation. This may include typographical errors, minor data errors, or miscalculations that do not alter the main findings of the study.
Procedure for Corrections: if an author identifies a significant error post-publication, they are expected to promptly inform the journal. Upon verification of the error, the journal will publish a formal correction ("errata") alongside the original article. Corrections will be clearly marked and referenced.
Responsibility: the responsibility for initiating the correction lies with the authors. Authors are required to alert the editorial team to any errors as soon as they become aware of them.
Retractions
Criteria for Retraction: articles will be retracted when a serious error or ethical issue is identified that undermines the validity of the research. This includes, but is not limited to
Retracted Articles: retractions will be noted in the article's online version, and the article will remain available with a clear indication of its retracted status. A retraction notice will link to the original article, explaining the reason for retraction.
Editors
Editor-in-Chief and assigned Associate Editor are fully responsible regarding the publishing acceptance decision of a paper submitted to the journal. Their evaluation is based on the paper's relevance for the journal, contribution to the literature in the field, originality, novelty and results validity. In the editorial evaluation will not be taken into account any authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Any information about the submitted manuscript not will be disclosed to anyone, except the corresponding author, reviewers and/or associate editors. The manuscripts which have not been published cannot be use by editor, associate editors and/or reviewers for any current and/or further researches.
The editor's final decision for publishing is made by Editor-in-Chief and conditioned by assessments of the associate editor and reviewers.
Reviewers
Based on the peer-reviewing process, at least two reviewers will assist the editor and/or associate editors for editorial decision and/or for improving the paper, through the reviewer report. All manuscripts should be treated as confidential material.
The reviewers who feel unqualified or unable to evaluate the paper should notify the editors as soon as possible in order to be replace with another reviewer. All reviewers' comments should be very clear and must have solid scientific support. The reviewers also must to notify the associate editor for any case of similarity or overlap between the manuscript and any other published paper. Reviewers should avoid conflicts of interest.
Authors
The submitted manuscript must be an original work. Any other invoked works should be citied or quoted. Concomitant submission of the same manuscript to different journals is an unethical behaviour and is prohibited.
The submission of previously published papers as copyrighted material is also prohibited. The authors of the paper should be the persons who have a significant contribution to the manuscript, while corresponding author should verify that all co-authors agreed with the final version and submission of paper.
If after publication there are any errors or inaccuracies, the authors should notify the editor as soon as possible in order to retract or correct the paper through an erratum.
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1. Conflicts of Interest
For Authors:
All authors submitting to Economic Research Guardian are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may be perceived to influence the outcomes or interpretation of their research. These include, but are not limited to:
- financial relationships (e.g., funding, employment, stock ownership, paid consultancies, patents, or royalties) with organizations or entities that may be affected by the research findings;
- personal relationships, academic competition, or intellectual beliefs that could be perceived to interfere with objectivity;
- institutional affiliations that could result in a potential conflict.
Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in retraction of the published article and may impact future submissions.
For Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief must avoid any editorial decision-making for manuscripts in which a conflict of interest exists, including:
- submissions from current or former students, colleagues, or co-authors (within the past five years);
- submissions from institutions with which the Editor-in-Chief is affiliated.
For Associate Editors
Associate editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have:
- personal, financial, or professional connections with the authors;
- competitive or collaborative relationships that could compromise impartiality;
- a stake in the outcome of the research or its broader implications.
For Reviewers
Given the journal’s double-blind peer review process, reviewers must:
- decline to review any manuscript where they recognize the authors and perceive a conflict of interest (e.g., recent collaboration, institutional affiliation, or personal relationship);
- notify the editorial office immediately upon recognizing a potential conflict;
- refrain from using confidential information from the review process for personal or professional advantage.
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2. Plagiarism
As part of its commitment to academic integrity and the promotion of high ethical standards in research, Economic Research Guardian upholds the following principles concerning plagiarism:
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using another author's ideas, data, language, or work without proper acknowledgment. This includes, but is not limited to, verbatim copying, paraphrasing without citation, presenting others' research findings as one's own, and self-plagiarism (reusing one's own previously published work without appropriate citation or editorial permission).
Zero Tolerance Policy
Economic Research Guardian maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content - whether from published or unpublished sources - will be rejected outright. In cases where plagiarism is discovered post-publication, the article will be retracted with a formal notice and the author's institution may be informed.
Originality Requirement
Submissions must be the original work of the authors and must not have been published elsewhere or be under consideration by another journal. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are free from plagiarism and that all sources are properly cited.
Screening for Plagiarism
All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using reliable software tools. Any manuscript that fails to meet acceptable originality standards will be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright.
Citation and Attribution
Proper citation of all sources, including data sets, figures, and theoretical frameworks, is mandatory. Authors must clearly indicate when they are quoting or closely paraphrasing the work of others and provide appropriate references.
Author Responsibilities
All listed authors share responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscript. Each author is expected to ensure the integrity of the work and the accurate representation of sources.
Publisher Responsibilities
The editorial board and reviewers are committed to identifying potential ethical breaches and upholding the highest standards in scholarly publishing. Allegations of plagiarism will be thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Consequences of Misconduct
If plagiarism is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to:
- reject or retract the manuscript;
- ban the author(s) from submitting to the journal in the future;
- inform the authors’ institutions or relevant authorities of the ethical violation.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in the research or manuscript preparation process. Acceptable uses may include language editing, statistical analysis support, or data visualization, provided they are transparent and do not compromise the integrity of the research.
- authorship: AI tools cannot be listed as co-authors.
- disclosure: Any use of AI for writing assistance, data analysis, or other contributions must be clearly stated in the "Acknowledgments" or a dedicated section of the paper.
- accountability: Authors are fully responsible for the content produced or edited with the help of AI and must verify its accuracy and originality.
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4. Participation of human subjects
To uphold the highest ethical standards in research involving human subjects, authors submitting to this journal are required to adhere to the following guidelines:
Informed Consent
- researchers must obtain explicit, voluntary, and informed consent from all human participants prior to their participation in the study;
- consent forms must clearly explain the purpose of the research, procedures involved, potential risks and benefits, the voluntary nature of participation, and the participant’s right to withdraw at any time without penalty;
- when data are collected for publication purposes (e.g., interviews, surveys, behavioral experiments), separate informed consent for publication must be obtained, especially if personal data or direct quotations are included.
- participant identities must be protected through anonymization or pseudonymization, unless explicit consent has been obtained for disclosure;
- identifiable information (e.g., names, addresses, contact details, audio/video recordings) must be securely stored and kept confidential;
- data should be reported in such a way that individuals cannot be re-identified, even indirectly.
- all studies involving human subjects must have prior approval from a ethics committee;
- a statement confirming ethics approval (including the name of the board, approval number if applicable, and date of approval) must be included in the manuscript.
- extra care must be taken when the study involves vulnerable populations (e.g., minors, economically disadvantaged individuals, persons with limited capacity to consent);
- researchers must demonstrate additional safeguards and justify the necessity of including such populations in their study.
- any financial or material incentives offered to participants must be disclosed and justified;
- incentives should not be so large as to be coercive or unduly influence participation.
- data involving human subjects must be shared in anonymized form only, and in compliance with the participants’ consent and institutional data policies;
- any reuse of previously collected human subject data must be clearly stated and must conform to the original consent agreement.
- if participant information is published in any identifiable form (e.g., case studies, narratives, photographs), explicit written consent for publication must be obtained from the individual(s) concerned;
- the Ethics Statement in the manuscript should affirm that such consent has been secured.
- it is the responsibility of the authors to ensure all ethical standards are met and properly documented;
- manuscripts found to have violated these guidelines may be rejected or retracted.
5. Publishing malpractices
Economic Research Guardian is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. All stakeholders - authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers - are expected to adhere to the following guidelines to prevent and address any form of publishing malpractice.
Plagiarism
Submissions must be the original work of the authors and properly cite all sources and data. Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism or verbatim copying without citation, is strictly prohibited. All manuscripts are subject to plagiarism detection software.
Data Fabrication and Falsification
- authors must not fabricate, manipulate, or falsify data or result;
- all empirical data should be accurately presented with appropriate statistical and methodological transparency;
- authors may be asked to provide raw data for verification.
- manuscripts submitted to Economic Research Guardian must not be under review or published elsewhere;
- simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.
Submitting a manuscript that has already been published or contains substantial overlap with previously published work without proper citation is considered unethical.
Improper Authorship
- only individuals who have significantly contributed to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study should be listed as authors;
- all listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission;
- guest, honorary, or ghost authorship is strictly prohibited.
Authors must not manipulate citations to increase the citation count of a particular author, institution, or journal. Irrelevant or excessive citations not contributing to the scholarly content are not allowed.
Corrections and Retractions
If significant errors or misconduct are discovered after publication, Economic Research Guardian will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, as appropriate. Authors are obligated to notify the journal of any errors discovered post-publication.
Accountability
The editorial team will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred. The editors will investigate all allegations of misconduct and act accordingly based on COPE guidelines.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Retractions and corrections
Economic Research Guardian is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity. As part of this commitment, we emphasize the importance of transparency, accuracy, and the correction of errors in the scientific record. The publication of research is a dynamic process that may require adjustments, including corrections or retractions, in the event of significant errors, omissions, or ethical breaches.
Corrections
Scope of Corrections: the journal will issue corrections when errors are identified in published articles that do not significantly alter the conclusions of the research but may affect clarity, accuracy, or presentation. This may include typographical errors, minor data errors, or miscalculations that do not alter the main findings of the study.
Procedure for Corrections: if an author identifies a significant error post-publication, they are expected to promptly inform the journal. Upon verification of the error, the journal will publish a formal correction ("errata") alongside the original article. Corrections will be clearly marked and referenced.
Responsibility: the responsibility for initiating the correction lies with the authors. Authors are required to alert the editorial team to any errors as soon as they become aware of them.
Retractions
Criteria for Retraction: articles will be retracted when a serious error or ethical issue is identified that undermines the validity of the research. This includes, but is not limited to
- fabrication or falsification of data;
- plagiarism;
- duplicate publication or self-plagiarism that was not previously disclosed;
- serious methodological flaws that invalidate the conclusions;
- ethical violations, such as failure to obtain proper research ethics approval.
Retracted Articles: retractions will be noted in the article's online version, and the article will remain available with a clear indication of its retracted status. A retraction notice will link to the original article, explaining the reason for retraction.
