Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

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Apollo Journals is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, editorial independence, and transparency in scholarly publishing.

All journals published by Apollo Journals follow the principles and recommendations of the [Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)] Core Practices and seek to promote responsible research and publication across all disciplines, including business, management, economics, finance, accounting, engineering, technology, and related fields.

Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and publishers are expected to adhere to the ethical responsibilities outlined in this statement.

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work and must not contain fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or misleading data.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

- Research findings are reported accurately and honestly;

- Data, methods, and results are presented transparently;

- Conclusions are supported by evidence;

- Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is appropriately disclosed where applicable.

The journal reserves the right to request supporting data, materials, or documentation when necessary.

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are entirely original.

The following practices are considered unethical and unacceptable:

- Plagiarism;

- Self-plagiarism without proper citation;

- Duplicate publication;

- Redundant publication;

- Unauthorized use of copyrighted materials.

All submissions may be screened using plagiarism-detection software. Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism or unethical overlap may be rejected immediately.

 Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal, conference, publisher, or publication venue.

Authors must disclose any closely related manuscripts that have been published, accepted, or are under review elsewhere.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to:

- The conception or design of the work;

- Data collection, analysis, or interpretation;

- Drafting or critically revising the manuscript;

- Approval of the final version.

All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its submission.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of authorship information.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript.

Potential conflicts of interest should be declared at the time of submission or review.

When conflicts cannot be appropriately managed, participation in the editorial or review process may be restricted.

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Authors are encouraged to retain and, where appropriate, share research data supporting published findings.

Where discipline-specific norms permit, authors should provide information regarding:

- Data availability;

- Software and code accessibility;

- Methodological transparency;

- Research materials used in the study.

Editors may request access to supporting data during the review process.

All manuscripts undergo editorial assessment and peer review before publication.

The journal is committed to:

- Fair and unbiased review;

- Confidential handling of submissions;

- Timely editorial decisions;

- Protection against conflicts of interest.

Reviewers are expected to:

- Maintain confidentiality;

- Provide objective and constructive feedback;

- Declare conflicts of interest;

- Refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage.

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Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based solely on:

- Scholarly merit;

- Originality;

- Methodological quality;

- Relevance to the journal's scope.

Editors shall not discriminate on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or personal characteristics.

Editorial decisions must remain independent from commercial or financial considerations.

Where research involves human participants, personal data, surveys, interviews, case studies, or other ethically sensitive activities, authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical requirements.

Authors should disclose relevant ethical approvals, permissions, or informed consent procedures where applicable.

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Authors should cite sources appropriately and accurately.

The journal does not tolerate:

- Citation manipulation;

- Excessive self-citation;

- Coercive citation practices;

- Citation cartels intended to artificially influence citation metrics.

Authors may use AI-assisted tools for language editing, coding assistance, or research support where permitted.

However:

- AI systems cannot be listed as authors;

- Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscript;

- Significant use of AI tools must be disclosed in the manuscript.

The journal may establish additional AI-related policies as technologies evolve.

 The journal takes allegations of publication misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

- Plagiarism;

- Data fabrication or falsification;

- Authorship disputes;

- Undisclosed conflicts of interest;

- Peer-review manipulation;

- Citation manipulation;

- Ethical approval misrepresentation.

Investigations will be conducted fairly and confidentially in accordance with recognized publication ethics principles and relevant COPE guidance.

When significant errors, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified after publication, the journal may issue:

- Corrections (Errata or Corrigenda);

- Expressions of Concern;

- Retractions;

- Editorial Notes.

The scholarly record will be maintained transparently and responsibly.

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Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or submit complaints regarding editorial processes, peer review, or publication ethics.

All appeals and complaints will be reviewed impartially by the editorial office and, where appropriate, by independent editors or advisors.

Apollo Journals is committed to:

- Editorial independence;

- Ethical publishing practices;

- Transparency in journal operations;

- Protection of the integrity of the scholarly record.

Commercial interests shall not influence editorial decisions.

The publisher supports editors in addressing ethical concerns and handling allegations of misconduct in accordance with internationally recognized best practices.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement may be updated periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, publication ethics, and international best practices.

- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/

- COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

- COPE Guidance and Flowcharts: https://publicationethics.org/guidance