Publication Ethics and Editorial Policy

The journal Smart Economy, Entrepreneurship and Security adheres to high standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, editorial independence, and transparency in scholarly publishing. The editorial policy is aligned with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and internationally recognized best practices, ensuring the reliability, objectivity, and quality of scientific communication.

General Principles

The journal’s editorial activities are based on the principles of academic integrity, fairness and impartiality in editorial decision-making, transparency of submission, peer review, and publication procedures, protection of confidentiality, prevention of conflicts of interest, and shared responsibility of all participants in the publication process. Any forms of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification are strictly prohibited.

Editorial Independence

Decisions regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts are made solely on the basis of their scientific quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and alignment with the journal’s scope. Editorial decisions are free from any commercial, institutional, political, or personal influence.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are required to submit only original research, properly acknowledge all sources, and avoid submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously. Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the research. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and reliability of their results, must disclose sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest, and are obliged to inform the Editorial Board of any significant errors discovered after submission or publication.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and well-reasoned evaluations, maintain confidentiality, and disclose any conflicts of interest. They must not use unpublished materials for personal advantage and should inform the Editorial Board of any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism or duplicate publication.

Editor Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and unbiased editorial process, organizing independent peer review, maintaining confidentiality, and avoiding conflicts of interest. The Editorial Board addresses complaints, appeals, and allegations of misconduct in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Plagiarism Screening and Misconduct

All manuscripts may be screened for text similarity using specialized tools such as iThenticate. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence or appear to influence the objectivity of the editorial process. Where a conflict of interest exists, the individual concerned is excluded from the review or decision-making process, and an independent editor or reviewer is assigned.

Submissions by Editors and Editorial Board Members

Manuscripts submitted by editors or members of the Editorial Board are handled through a separate process ensuring full independence. Such individuals are excluded from any involvement in the editorial process related to their own submissions, which are evaluated by independent editors and reviewers.

Post-Publication Updates

In cases where errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may issue corrections, editorial notices, expressions of concern, or retractions. These actions are taken in accordance with COPE recommendations to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Complaints and Appeals

Complaints and appeals concerning editorial decisions or ethical issues are handled in a fair, confidential, and transparent manner. All cases are documented and resolved in accordance with international standards of publication ethics.

Non-Discrimination

The journal ensures equal treatment of all participants in the publication process regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, political beliefs, health status, disability, social status, institutional affiliation, or academic position.

Responsibility

Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their publications. The Editorial Board and the publisher are responsible for ensuring the proper organization of the editorial process in accordance with publication ethics standards and international recommendations.