Publication ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Bank and Policy Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and academic responsibility. The journal follows the recommendations and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies internationally recognized principles of ethical scholarly publishing throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

The journal expects all participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—to adhere to the principles of honesty, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and scientific integrity. This statement defines the ethical responsibilities and professional standards that govern the submission, review, publication, and post-publication stages of all manuscripts.

General Ethical Principles for Authors

Originality and Authenticity

All submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is strictly prohibited.
Any overlap with previously published work, including text recycling or redundant publication, must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission.

Verification of Originality

All submissions may be screened for textual similarity using recognized plagiarism detection software, including iThenticate (Crossref Similarity Check) or equivalent services.
Manuscripts containing plagiarism, excessive similarity, fabricated content, or other forms of academic misconduct will be rejected.

Accuracy of Author Information

Authors must provide accurate and complete information regarding their names, affiliations, academic positions, and contact details.
False or misleading statements concerning institutional affiliation, academic qualifications, or authorship constitute academic misconduct.
Ghost authorship, guest authorship, and undisclosed contributors are not permitted.

ORCID Identification

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide their ORCID iD to ensure accurate author identification, improve research visibility, and support transparency in scholarly communication.

ORCID Identification

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide their ORCID iD to ensure accurate author identification, improve research visibility, and support transparency in scholarly communication.

Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure by Authors

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the interpretation or publication of their research.
All potential conflicts of interest must be declared at the time of manuscript submission.

Disclosure by Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest and withdraw from the evaluation of manuscripts whenever impartiality could be compromised. Such manuscripts will be reassigned to another qualified editor or reviewer.

Language, Conduct, and Academic Integrity

Acceptable Language

Manuscripts must be written in professional academic language and must not contain defamatory, discriminatory, offensive, or unlawful statements, nor any content that violates internationally accepted ethical standards.

Academic Integrity

The journal strictly prohibits:

Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
Data fabrication or falsification
Image manipulation intended to mislead readers
Misrepresentation or selective reporting of research findings
Unauthorized use of confidential or proprietary information
Citation manipulation or inappropriate citation practices

Error Reporting and Post-Publication Corrections

Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to notify the Editorial Office immediately if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in a submitted, accepted, or published article.

Editorial Actions

Where appropriate, the journal may publish:

Erratum
Corrigendum
Expression of Concern
Retraction

All editorial actions are undertaken in accordance with the recommendations and guidance provided by COPE.

Sanctions for Research Misconduct

Where research or publication misconduct has been confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Reject the manuscript
Retract the published article when necessary
Suspend consideration of future submissions for an appropriate period
Inform the relevant institution or funding organization when justified
Take any additional action considered appropriate under internationally accepted publication ethics standards

Editorial Responsibilities

Fairness and Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on the scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions are made without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality

Editors shall treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents and shall not disclose, distribute, or use unpublished material except as required during the editorial and peer-review process.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

Whenever a conflict of interest is identified, editorial responsibility will be transferred to an independent editor to ensure an objective and impartial evaluation.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations
Maintain strict confidentiality throughout the review process
Report suspected plagiarism, ethical concerns, or scientific misconduct
Disclose conflicts of interest and decline assignments where impartiality cannot be ensured
Submit reviews within the agreed review period

Reviewer identities remain confidential unless the journal formally adopts an open peer-review model.

Copyright, Licensing, and Permissions

Copyright Ownership

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Author Reuse Rights

Authors may reuse, archive, or distribute their published work provided that appropriate acknowledgement of the original publication in the Bank and Policy Journal is given.

Third-Party Material

Authors are solely responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures, tables, illustrations, or any other third-party material included in their manuscripts.

Reference and Citation Policy

Authors are expected to:

Provide complete and accurate bibliographic references.
Prepare citations and references in accordance with the APA 7th Edition style.
Cite relevant literature appropriately without excessive self-citation or citation manipulation.
Ensure that all references accurately support the statements made within the manuscript.

Any concerns regarding citation manipulation or other unethical citation practices will be evaluated in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

International Ethical Resources

The editorial policies of the Bank and Policy Journal are developed in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics standards. Authors, reviewers, and editors are encouraged to consult the following official resources:

Commitment to Research Integrity and Human Rights

The journal supports internationally recognized principles of human dignity, academic freedom, equality, and responsible research. Research involving human participants, personal data, or confidential information must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical requirements.

The journal also supports the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly those related to academic freedom, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and equal access to scientific knowledge.

Conclusion

The Bank and Policy Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, editorial independence, research integrity, transparency, and open-access scholarly communication. The journal continually develops its editorial policies in accordance with internationally recognized best practices to ensure the quality, credibility, and long-term preservation of the scholarly record.

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