1. Ethical Principles

The Transdisciplinary Journal of Economics and Business (TJEB) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, and transparency. TJEB follows internationally recognised standards of ethical publishing and adheres to the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All participants in the publication process are expected to act with honesty, integrity, objectivity, and accountability. This document sets out the ethical framework governing the conduct of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• submitted work is original and appropriately cites all sources;
• data and results are presented accurately and without fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting;
• authorship reflects genuine contributions to the research and manuscript;
• the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere and does not constitute duplicate or redundant publication;
• references are relevant and free from inappropriate citation practices;
• all applicable ethical standards for research are observed;
• any potential conflicts of interest are disclosed.

Authors must comply with the journal’s detailed policies on:

• Authorship and Contributorship Policy [8]
• Research Ethics / Ethical Oversight Policy [10]
• Competing Interests / Conflict of Interest Policy [9]
• Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy [17]
• AI Use Policy for Authors, Reviewers and Editors [18].

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

• provide objective, constructive, and unbiased evaluations;
• maintain strict confidentiality of manuscripts and review materials;
• not use or disclose unpublished content for personal or professional advantage;
• declare any conflicts of interest and decline review where necessary;
• conduct reviews in a timely and professional manner.

Reviewer responsibilities relate to ethical conduct only. Operational procedures and evaluation methods are defined in the Reviewer Guidelines [16].

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) and Editorial Board members, are responsible for:

• making decisions based on academic merit, originality, and relevance;
  
• ensuring a fair, unbiased, and transparent editorial process;
  
• maintaining confidentiality of submissions and reviewer identities;
  
• avoiding handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist;
  
• ensuring that ethical standards are upheld throughout the review and publication process.
  

Editorial procedures are defined in the Peer Review Policy [6] and the Editor Guidelines / Editorial Procedures Manual [21].

5. Misconduct and Unethical Practices

The following constitute unacceptable practices:

• plagiarism in any form;
  
• data fabrication or falsification;
  
• duplicate or redundant publication;
  
• citation manipulation;
  
• image or data manipulation;
  
• inappropriate authorship practices (e.g., guest, honorary, or ghost authorship);
  
• undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  

Any behaviour that compromises the integrity of the scholarly record may be considered misconduct.

6. Handling of Allegations and Investigations

TJEB takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and follows a fair and structured process.

• Allegations may be raised by authors, editors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other third parties.
  
• The editorial team conducts an initial assessment.
  
• Authors may be contacted for clarification or explanation.
  
• Cases are evaluated in accordance with internationally recognised ethical guidelines and best practices, including guidance provided by COPE (https://publicationethics.org/guidance) 
  
• Where necessary, additional evidence or expert input may be sought.
  

All investigations are conducted confidentially, impartially, and in a timely manner.

7. Outcomes and Actions

Where misconduct or serious ethical concerns are confirmed, TJEB may take appropriate action, including:

• rejection of the manuscript;
  
• request for correction or revision;
  
• publication of corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions;
  
• notification of relevant institutions or organisations;
  
• restriction on future submissions.
  

Actions are proportionate to the severity of the issue.

8. Post-Publication Integrity

TJEB is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published record.

Errors or ethical concerns identified after publication will be addressed through appropriate measures, including correction, retraction, withdrawal, or expression of concern, in accordance with the Corrections, Retractions, Withdrawals, and Expressions of Concern Policy [11].

9. Compliance with Journal Policies

All participants in the publication process must comply with TJEB’s full set of policies, including but not limited to:

• Peer Review Policy [6]
  
• Copyright, Licensing, and Author Rights Policy [4]
  
• Authorship and Contributorship Policy [8]
  
• Competing Interests / Conflict of Interest Policy [9]
  
• Research Ethics / Ethical Oversight Policy [10]
  
• Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy [17]
  
• AI Use Policy for Authors, Reviewers and Editors [18]