Ethics Statement

The Journal of Finance Issues (JFI) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. Our ethical guidelines ensure fairness, transparency, and integrity in every aspect of the publication process. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved: authors, peer reviewers, and editors.

For Authors:

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their submitted work is entirely original and that any words or ideas of others are appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical academic and publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
  • Data Accuracy and Access: Authors must present their research findings accurately and ensure that the data used is reliable. They may be asked to provide raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and must be prepared to provide public access to such data or detailed instructions and codes to access licensed or publicly available data.
    • If the data contain personal or confidential information that would preclude providing public access, authors must inform the JFI at the time of submission and must provide details of the restrictions that prohibit sharing of the data.
    • If the data are proprietary to a third party, authors must provide the JFI with an affidavit stating that permission has been obtained to use the data prior to publication.
  • Authorship: Authorship must be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.
  • Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication: Authors must not submit a manuscript to the JFI that is under consideration at another journal or submit a manuscript that is under consideration at the JFI to another journal. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, the author has an obligation to notify the journal editor or publisher promptly and to cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

For Peer Reviewers:

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not show them to or discuss them with others except as authorized by the editor.
  • Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  • Promptness: A selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript, knows that a prompt review will be impossible, or determines that a prompt review will be impossible after the review process has begun, should notify the editor as soon as possible and should excuse themselves from the review process.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have real or perceived conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the paper.

For Editors:

  • Fair Play and Editorial Independence: Editors will evaluate manuscripts solely on their academic merit (importance, originality, validity, clarity, relevance to the journal's scope) without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. Editorial decisions are not influenced by advertising or other commercial considerations.
  • Confidentiality: Editors and any editorial staff will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have real or perceived conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the paper.
  • Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations: Editors will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred. In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the editor will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and amend or retract the article in question.

By adhering to these ethical principles, the Journal of Finance Issues aims to maintain the integrity of the scientific record and foster a trustworthy and responsible publication environment.