Journal Policies

Journal Policies

1. Open Access Policy

The International Journal of Business and Technology Studies and Research (IJBTSR) is a fully open access journal.

All published articles are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication without subscription fees, registration requirements, or access restrictions.

Users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to, and use the full texts of articles for lawful purposes, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors and source.

The journal supports the principles of open science and the unrestricted dissemination of scholarly knowledge.

2. Copyright and Licensing Policy

Authors retain copyright of their published work.

All articles published in IJBTSR are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, adaptation, and commercial reuse in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

By submitting a manuscript, authors grant the journal the right of first publication.

3. Peer Review Policy

IJBTSR operates a rigorous double-blind peer review process.

Review Procedure

  1. Initial Editorial Screening
    • The Editorial Board evaluates submissions for relevance, originality, academic quality, and compliance with the journal's scope and guidelines.
  2. Double-Blind Peer Review
    • Manuscripts passing the initial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers.
    • The identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process.
  3. Editorial Decision
    • Based on reviewers’ recommendations, the Editor may decide:
      • Accept
      • Accept with minor revisions
      • Accept with major revisions
      • Reject
  4. Revision Process
    • Authors are required to address reviewers' comments before final acceptance.

The journal strives to provide timely decisions while maintaining high standards of scholarly evaluation.

4. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

IJBTSR is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and follows internationally recognized best practices, including principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must:

  • Submit original and unpublished work.
  • Ensure that manuscripts are not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Properly acknowledge all sources.
  • Avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, and data falsification.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • Accurately represent research findings.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must:

  • Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit.
  • Maintain confidentiality throughout the review process.
  • Avoid conflicts of interest.
  • Ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency in editorial decisions.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective and constructive evaluations.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest.

Any allegation of research misconduct will be investigated thoroughly and handled according to established ethical standards.

5. Conflict of Interest Policy

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

Potential conflicts of interest must be declared as early as possible during the submission, review, or editorial process.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to take appropriate measures to ensure the integrity and objectivity of the publication process.

6. Corrections and Retractions Policy

IJBTSR is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

When necessary, the journal may publish:

  • Corrections (Errata)
  • Expressions of Concern
  • Retractions

Retractions may be issued in cases involving:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate publication
  • Unethical research practices
  • Significant errors affecting the reliability of published findings

Any correction or retraction will remain permanently linked to the original article.

7. Archiving, Indexing, and Digital Preservation

IJBTSR is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, and integrity of its scholarly content.

Digital Preservation Strategy

To guarantee permanent access to its publications, the journal employs multiple preservation mechanisms:

  • All published articles are permanently archived in Zenodo, ensuring long-term preservation, persistent accessibility, and DOI assignment.
  • The journal website and published content are independently preserved through the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine).

Archived journal snapshot:

https://web.archive.org/web/20260411022029/https://ijbtsr.org/index.php/IJBTSR

  • Regular backups of the journal platform, database, and published content are maintained.

This multi-layer preservation strategy protects against data loss and ensures continued access to the scholarly record.

Indexing and Metadata

The journal supports metadata harvesting through the OAI-PMH protocol and follows international metadata standards to facilitate discoverability and indexing in scholarly databases and search engines.

8. Repository and Self-Archiving Policy

Authors are encouraged to disseminate their research widely.

Authors may deposit:

  • Preprint versions
  • Accepted manuscripts
  • Published versions of record

in institutional repositories, subject repositories, personal websites, or academic social networks, provided appropriate citation to the original publication in IJBTSR is included.

No embargo period is imposed.

9. Data Availability Policy

Authors are encouraged to make the research data supporting their findings openly available whenever possible.

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where the data can be accessed or explaining any restrictions on availability.

10. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation must be disclosed by authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

AI tools:

  • Cannot be listed as authors.
  • Must not be used to fabricate, manipulate, or falsify research data.
  • Must not replace human responsibility for scholarly work.

Any use of AI should be transparently described within the manuscript when relevant.

11. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently and exclusively on the basis of scholarly merit.

Editorial decisions are not influenced by:

  • Commercial interests
  • Financial considerations
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Nationality, gender, religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs of authors

The journal is committed to fairness, impartiality, and academic integrity.

12. Complaints and Appeals

IJBTSR provides a transparent procedure for handling complaints and appeals concerning:

  • Editorial decisions
  • Peer review processes
  • Publication ethics issues
  • Allegations of misconduct

Complaints and appeals should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.

All cases are reviewed fairly, confidentially, and independently by the Editorial Board.

13. Fees and Publication Charges

Submission Fees

IJBTSR does not charge any submission fees.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

A publication fee of 60 Eur is charged only after a manuscript has successfully completed the peer review process and has been formally accepted for publication.

The APC contributes to covering costs associated with:

  • Editorial management
  • Peer review administration
  • Copyediting and production
  • Website maintenance
  • Digital preservation and archiving

Fee Waivers

The journal may grant full or partial fee waivers in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

Editorial Independence Regarding Fees

Payment of publication fees has absolutely no influence on editorial decisions.

All manuscripts are evaluated exclusively on the basis of scientific quality, originality, and relevance.

Transparency Commitment

All fees are clearly disclosed on the journal website.

No hidden charges are applied at any stage of the publication process.