Publication Ethics
Silk Road Journal of Management operates on a double-blind peer-review system and follows the highest ethical standards in publishing. The journal takes all necessary measures to prevent publication misconduct. All parties involved in the publishing process, including the publisher, editorial staff, peer reviewers, and authors, are required to adhere to our guidelines and standards in order to ensure the highest quality of research.
We strictly follow the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines).
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
All authors of manuscripts submitted to Silk Road Journal of Management are required to declare any competing interests that may be relevant to their research. These may include financial, commercial, legal, or professional connections with other organizations or individuals that could influence the research or the interpretation of its findings. A Conflict-of-Interest form must be completed by all authors. When the article is published, the competing interests will be disclosed in the "Disclosure" section positioned before the reference list.
Funding
Silk Road Journal of Management requires authors to report any funding sources, including financial support received for their research. Authors are expected to describe the role of any sponsors, if applicable, throughout the research process, from study design to manuscript submission for publication.
Informed consent
It is critical to obtain necessary consents and permissions from the participants in a study in order to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidelines. This consent is required in order to obtain and use personal information about the participants. For individuals unable to provide informed consent independently—such as children, adolescents, or vulnerable populations —written consent must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian. However, signed consent forms should not be submitted to the journal. Instead, authors must include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Confidentiality
Protecting the confidentiality of research data is essential, and such information should never be used without explicit permission. Researchers should take all necessary measures to protect participants’ privacy and prevent any potential risks. Any identifying details related to participants should be removed from manuscripts. If companies or individuals explicitly agree to be identified, authors must obtain and retain written consent and, where applicable, confirm that appropriate institutional ethical approval has been secured; such documentation should be made available to the editors upon request.
Plagiarism and malpractice
Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate or multiple publications, fabrication, copyright infringement, fraud, and other unethical practices are prohibited for authors.
Authors should ensure that their submitted manuscripts are original works that comply with ethical standards and applicable laws.
All submissions undergo screening via iThenticate to prevent plagiarism in any form. Plagiarism is unacceptable and constitutes unethical behavior in publishing.
Multiple Submissions
The Silk Road Journal of Management adheres to the principle of single submission policy, allowing manuscripts to be submitted to only one journal at a time. Resubmissions to other journals are prohibited until a written rejection notice is received. Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals is not allowed.
Data sharing and reproducibility
Articles should include information about whether study data will be accessible to readers, including details about the availability of study procedures and other relevant information will be made available. It should also clarify the timeframe, duration, and under what conditions the data will be accessible. Mendeley Data can be used to share and provide related information.
Complaints and appeals
When selecting articles for publication and handling editorial procedures, editors have significant discretion. Their final selections are based on various factors, such as the significance of the research question, the quality of the presentation, and diversity. If authors have any complaints or appeals regarding the editorial process or decisions, they can direct them to info@australasiapublisher.com providing details of the issue and supporting documents. These will be reviewed in accordance with relevant COPE policies and procedures.
Ethical oversight
All individuals and organisations involved in the publishing process, including editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers, must adhere to strict ethical guidelines and act in accordance with the following COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) statement: "Ethical oversight should include policies on consent to publication, ethical research on vulnerable populations and animals, ethical research involving human subjects, confidential data handling, and ethical marketing practices."
Intellectual property
Authors should avoid using copyrighted materials in their submitted manuscripts. If such materials are necessary, authors must obtain explicit permission from the copyright holder in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. This permission should be secured under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Post-publication corrections and retractions
Silk Road Journal of Management strives to ensure that all published articles adhere to the Recommendations for Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publishing of Scholarly Work by the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
When such errors are identified, regardless of their cause or origin, they are corrected by posting a notice explaining the changes made to the original publication. Significant errors that undermine the findings and conclusions of the study may result in article retraction. The journal has the right to retract an article if it is found to have serious misconduct, such as plagiarism. In these circumstances, the journal will take appropriate actions in accordance with the ethical standards and COPE guidelines.
We aim to maintain the integrity of our academic record and ensure that any inaccurate, misleading, or distorted reports are promptly corrected and prominently acknowledged. In cases where an article is found to be fraudulent, it will be retracted and clearly marked for readers and indexing systems.
Corrections
Errors in published papers may be corrected in the form of a correction or erratum, when the Editor-in-Chief deems it appropriate to notify the journal's readers about a previous mistake and makes a change to the error in the published article. The correction or erratum will be published as a separate article in the journal and will clearly reference the original publication.
Retractions
Retractions are implemented when there are significant errors in an article that invalidates the conclusions. They also occur in cases of publication misconduct, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research.
Silk Road Journal of Management follows best industry practices and COPE guidelines to implement the following procedure if a retraction is confirmed:
1. A retraction notice titled "Retraction: [Article title]" signed by the authors and/or editor is published in a subsequent issue of the journal and included in the table of contents.
2. In the electronic version, there is a link to the original article.
3. The online article is preceded by a screen with a retraction note. This is where the link takes the reader; they can then proceed to the actual article.
4. The original article remains unchanged, except for a watermark in the PDF that indicates on each page that it has been retracted.
Editorial expressions of concern
In cases where significant concerns arise regarding the honesty or integrity of a submitted or published article, the journal's editors may consider issuing a statement of concern. These statements should only be considered if an investigation into the issues related to the article has been inconclusive, and if there is substantial evidence that the concerns raised are valid. In some rare cases, an expression of concern may be issued during an ongoing investigation, even if no final decision has been made.
The statement of concern will be directly linked to the published article in question.
Use of Generative AI in Manuscript Preparation
Authors may use generative AI tools to support aspects of manuscript preparation (e.g., language editing or structuring), provided such use is responsible and subject to appropriate human oversight. AI tools must not be used as a substitute for the authors’ own critical thinking, analysis, or scholarly judgment.
Authors remain fully responsible and accountable for the content of their manuscripts, including the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all material, regardless of whether AI tools were used. Empirical findings must be based on original, verifiable data; the use of synthetic or AI-generated data in place of real data is not permitted unless explicitly justified and disclosed.
This includes verifying any AI-generated content and ensuring that sources are accurate and properly cited.
Where generative AI tools have made a substantive contribution to the preparation of the manuscript, authors are encouraged to provide a brief disclosure. Basic tools used for grammar, spelling, or reference formatting do not require disclosure.
Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.
To protect confidentiality and intellectual property, authors should ensure that any use of AI tools complies with applicable data protection standards and the terms of the tools employed.
The journal does not permit the use of generative AI tools by reviewers or editors in the peer review process.
Manuscripts with undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may be rejected or retracted.