Publication Ethical Policy

The Journal of Personnel Management (JPM), published by SMARCONS (Society of Management Research and Consultancy), is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, fairness, and scholarly accountability.

JPM follows recognized ethical publishing practices and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

This policy provides ethical guidance for authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and readers. It applies throughout the publication process, including:

  • Submission

  • Initial editorial screening

  • Similarity screening

  • Peer review

  • Editorial decision-making

  • Revision

  • Acceptance

  • Production

  • Publication

  • Correction

  • Retraction

  • Other post-publication matters

Research and Publishing Ethics

All manuscripts submitted to JPM must represent original, ethical, accurate, and good-faith scholarly work.

A manuscript must not:

  • Be simultaneously under consideration by another journal

  • Contain plagiarized material

  • Contain fabricated or falsified data

  • Misrepresent research findings

  • Contain defamatory or unlawful material

  • Include deliberately misleading information

  • Manipulate citations or peer review

  • Violate applicable ethical or legal requirements

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with relevant:

  • Ethical standards

  • Legal requirements

  • Institutional requirements

  • Professional standards

  • Disciplinary requirements

Where applicable, authors must obtain appropriate permissions, ethical approval, informed consent, and other necessary authorizations before submission.

JPM does not permit:

  • Ghost authorship

  • Guest authorship

  • Honorary authorship

  • Plagiarism

  • Inappropriate text recycling

  • Duplicate publication

  • Redundant publication

  • Simultaneous submission

  • Citation manipulation

  • Peer review manipulation

  • Data fabrication

  • Data falsification

  • Misleading image manipulation

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

  • Fabrication of ethical approvals or research documentation

If ethical concerns are identified before or after publication, JPM may investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

Depending on the circumstances, actions may include:

  • Requesting clarification

  • Returning a manuscript for correction

  • Rejecting a manuscript

  • Publishing a correction

  • Publishing an Expression of Concern

  • Retracting an article

  • Notifying an appropriate institution or authority

  • Taking other proportionate action in accordance with JPM policies

Editorial Endogeny

JPM seeks to minimize excessive publication of articles authored or co-authored by individuals directly associated with the journal.

As an internal editorial standard, in each of the journal’s latest two issues, articles authored or co-authored by:

  • Editors

  • Editorial board members

  • Listed reviewers

should not ordinarily exceed 25% of the published research content.

Manuscripts submitted by editors, board members, or reviewers must be handled independently and must undergo the same editorial and peer review standards as other submissions.

An editor or board member who is an author of a submitted manuscript must not participate in reviewer selection, peer review management, or the editorial decision relating to that manuscript.

Authorship and Contributorship

All listed authors must have made a meaningful scholarly contribution to the work.

Authorship should be based on substantial participation in one or more relevant aspects of the research, including:

  • Conception or design of the study

  • Data collection

  • Data analysis

  • Data interpretation

  • Drafting the manuscript

  • Critically revising the manuscript

  • Approval of the final version

  • Accountability for the integrity and accuracy of the work

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

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

  • All eligible authors are appropriately listed

  • Individuals who do not qualify for authorship are not included as authors

  • All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version

  • All authors are informed of major revisions and editorial decisions

  • Appropriate contributorship information is provided

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

JPM considers the following unethical:

  • Ghost authorship: Failure to identify an individual who made a substantial contribution

  • Guest authorship: Adding an individual who made little or no meaningful contribution

  • Honorary authorship: Assigning authorship primarily because of status, position, seniority, or relationship

  • Excluding eligible contributors

  • Misrepresenting individual contributions

Authorship disputes may require clarification from all authors and, where necessary, involvement of the relevant institution.

AI Tools and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, large language models, chatbots, and similar technologies cannot be listed as authors.

Such systems cannot take responsibility for:

  • Accuracy

  • Originality

  • Research integrity

  • Ethical compliance

  • Conflicts of interest

  • Authorship accountability

Human authors remain fully responsible for all material included in a manuscript.

Use of Generative AI and Language Tools

Authors must use artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools responsibly and transparently.

AI tools must not be used to:

  • Fabricate data

  • Fabricate references

  • Invent sources

  • Falsify research findings

  • Manipulate results

  • Misrepresent analyses

  • Create deceptive evidence

  • Replace appropriate scholarly judgment or accountability

Language-editing, grammar-checking, spelling, formatting, and similar tools may be used to improve presentation.

Where AI tools have been used substantially in:

  • Manuscript preparation

  • Content development

  • Coding

  • Data analysis

  • Statistical assistance

  • Image generation

  • Figure generation

  • Other substantive research activities

authors should provide an appropriate disclosure explaining the nature and purpose of the use.

Authors remain responsible for verifying the accuracy, validity, originality, legality, and ethical acceptability of AI-assisted content.

AI-Generated Images and Visual Material

AI-generated images, figures, or other visual materials should not be included unless their use is:

  • Scholarly justified

  • Legally permissible

  • Ethically appropriate

  • Transparently disclosed

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that such material does not:

  • Misrepresent research evidence

  • Fabricate findings

  • Violate copyright

  • Breach privacy or confidentiality

  • Mislead readers

AI and Peer Review

JPM's peer review process is confidential.

Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, unpublished data, figures, tables, review reports, supplementary material, or confidential editorial information into AI systems or third-party services where confidentiality, storage, reuse, or data protection cannot be assured.

Reviewers are personally responsible for their evaluations.

AI-generated assessments must not replace the reviewer’s own:

  • Expertise

  • Critical analysis

  • Professional judgment

  • Ethical responsibility

Any inappropriate use of AI that compromises peer review confidentiality or integrity may be treated as peer review misconduct.

Attribution and Citation Ethics

Authors must appropriately acknowledge all sources used in their work.

This includes, where relevant:

  • Journal articles

  • Books

  • Preprints

  • Conference papers

  • Theses and dissertations

  • Reports

  • Presentations

  • Datasets

  • Software

  • Online resources

  • Other scholarly materials

References must be:

  • Accurate

  • Complete

  • Relevant

  • Retrievable where possible

  • Appropriately formatted according to JPM requirements

Citation Manipulation

Citation manipulation is prohibited.

This may include:

  • Excessive or inappropriate self-citation

  • Coercive citation

  • Irrelevant citation

  • Citation pushing

  • Citation cartels

  • Requesting citations primarily to increase author, reviewer, editor, journal, institutional, or other citation metrics

Editors and reviewers must not require authors to add irrelevant citations for personal, journal, institutional, or metric-related benefit.

Suggestions for additional references should be based on legitimate scholarly relevance.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence:

  • Submission

  • Peer review

  • Editorial decision-making

  • Interpretation of findings

  • Publication

  • Post-publication assessment

Conflicts may include:

  • Financial relationships

  • Institutional relationships

  • Funding arrangements

  • Consultancy roles

  • Employment

  • Personal relationships

  • Family relationships

  • Academic competition

  • Previous or current collaboration

  • Supervisory relationships

  • Editorial involvement

  • Professional disputes

  • Other circumstances affecting impartiality

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict may result in:

  • Reassignment of editorial responsibility

  • Reviewer replacement

  • Manuscript rejection

  • Investigation

  • Correction

  • Expression of Concern

  • Retraction

  • Other appropriate action

Defamation, Privacy, and Legal Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts do not contain:

  • Defamatory statements

  • Unlawful material

  • Unsupported allegations

  • Misleading claims

  • Unauthorized confidential information

  • Material that improperly infringes privacy

Where manuscripts include identifiable individuals, organizations, cases, quotations, photographs, personal information, or confidential organizational data, appropriate authorization or consent must be obtained where required.

If defamatory, unlawful, privacy-violating, or confidential material is identified after publication, JPM may take appropriate action, including:

  • Correction

  • Removal of specific affected material where legally necessary

  • Expression of Concern

  • Retraction

  • Exceptional article removal where required by law or serious privacy or safety considerations

Research Involving Human Participants, Animals, or Sensitive Data

Research involving:

  • Human participants

  • Animals

  • Clinical information

  • Personal data

  • Sensitive information

  • Confidential organizational data

must comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where ethical approval is required, manuscripts should include an appropriate ethics statement.

The statement should normally identify:

  • Name of the ethics committee, institutional review board, or approving authority

  • Approval or reference number, where applicable

  • Confirmation of informed consent, where applicable

  • Relevant ethical standards followed

  • An explanation where formal approval or consent was not required

Research must comply with applicable local, national, institutional, professional, and international ethical requirements.

Manuscripts lacking necessary ethical approval, consent information, or a satisfactory explanation may be:

  • Returned for clarification

  • Rejected

  • Investigated

  • Subject to post-publication action if concerns arise after publication

Fabricated, falsified, or misleading ethical approval information may constitute serious research misconduct.

Informed Consent

Where informed consent is required, authors must ensure that participants have been appropriately informed about their participation and the relevant use of their information.

Consent procedures should comply with the applicable research protocol and ethical requirements.

Where participants cannot provide consent themselves, appropriate consent must be obtained from a legally authorized representative where required.

Consent to Publish

Consent to participate in research and consent to publish identifiable information are not necessarily the same.

Authors must obtain appropriate consent to publish where manuscripts contain information that could identify an individual or entity, including:

  • Personal information

  • Photographs

  • Case details

  • Direct quotations

  • Identifiable organizational information

  • Other potentially identifying content

Where applicable, consent should make clear that the relevant information may be published and made publicly accessible through an open-access journal.

Data Integrity, Fabrication, and Falsification

JPM does not permit:

  • Fabrication of data

  • Falsification of data

  • Manipulation of results

  • Selective alteration of research evidence

  • Misrepresentation of findings

  • Deliberately misleading reporting

Authors are responsible for ensuring that reported data accurately represent the research conducted.

Where concerns arise, authors may be asked to provide supporting information, where ethically and legally permissible.

This may include:

  • Raw or underlying data

  • Analysis files

  • Original figures

  • Original images

  • Coding records

  • Ethics documentation

  • Consent documentation

  • Other relevant research materials

Confirmed fabrication or falsification may result in:

  • Rejection

  • Correction

  • Expression of Concern

  • Retraction

  • Institutional notification

  • Other appropriate action

Image Manipulation

Images may be adjusted only where the adjustment does not distort, conceal, fabricate, or misrepresent the underlying research information.

Unacceptable image manipulation may include:

  • Selective deletion of relevant features

  • Addition of features not present in the original data

  • Misleading enhancement

  • Inappropriate duplication

  • Undisclosed alteration that changes interpretation

Where appropriate, editors may request original image files or supporting documentation.

Third-Party Materials and Datasets

Authors are responsible for ensuring the lawful and ethical use of third-party materials.

These may include:

  • Images

  • Tables

  • Figures

  • Questionnaires

  • Measurement scales

  • Datasets

  • Software

  • Copyrighted text

  • Illustrations

  • Other protected material

Where permission is required, authors must obtain appropriate authorization before publication.

Proper citation does not substitute for copyright permission where permission is legally required.

Third-Party Datasets

Where external datasets are used, authors should ensure that the data are:

  • Publicly and lawfully available; or

  • Properly licensed; or

  • Used with appropriate authorization

Sensitive, confidential, or personal data must be handled in accordance with applicable ethical, legal, and data-protection requirements.

Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

JPM screens submitted manuscripts for potential plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, duplicate publication, and related concerns using plagiarism and similarity-detection tools such as iThenticate and/or Turnitin.

As established in JPM's Plagiarism Screening Policy, the journal normally expects:

  • Overall similarity below 18%

  • Similarity from any single source not exceeding 5%

These percentages are editorial screening indicators rather than automatic determinations of plagiarism.

The editorial team evaluates:

  • The nature of matching text

  • The source of the similarity

  • Whether appropriate citation has been provided

  • Whether direct quotations are properly identified

  • Whether the overlap involves legitimate technical terminology

  • Whether inappropriate text recycling or copying has occurred

A manuscript below the numerical threshold may still contain plagiarism, while legitimate properly attributed material may contribute to a higher similarity percentage.

Similarity reports are therefore reviewed by editors rather than interpreted solely through numerical scores.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • Copying text without appropriate acknowledgement

  • Using another person's ideas without attribution

  • Reproducing data without acknowledgement

  • Reproducing figures or images without attribution or permission where required

  • Inadequately attributed paraphrasing

  • Translation of another person's work without attribution

  • Presenting another person's scholarly contribution as one's own

Manuscripts containing confirmed serious plagiarism may be rejected.

Where plagiarism is identified after publication, JPM may take action under its Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions Policy.

Text Recycling, Self-Plagiarism, and Redundant Publication

Inappropriate text recycling, duplicate publication, redundant publication, and simultaneous submission are not permitted.

Authors must disclose relevant prior dissemination of substantially related work, where applicable, including:

  • Preprints

  • Conference papers

  • Reports

  • Theses

  • Dissertations

  • Working papers

  • Previously published articles

  • Other overlapping publications

Reuse of an author's own previously published material must be appropriately cited and must not misleadingly present previously published material as entirely new.

Where substantial overlap exists, authors should explain how the submitted manuscript differs from and extends prior work.

Serious or undisclosed redundant publication or inappropriate self-plagiarism may result in:

  • Rejection

  • Correction

  • Expression of Concern

  • Retraction

  • Other appropriate editorial action

Peer Review Integrity

JPM uses a double-blind peer review process.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not attempt to manipulate or compromise the integrity of peer review.

Prohibited conduct includes:

  • Fabricated reviewer identities

  • False reviewer contact information

  • Reviewer impersonation

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

  • Attempts to influence reviewers improperly

  • Manipulated review reports

  • Breaches of confidentiality

  • Coercive citation practices

  • Unauthorized disclosure of manuscripts

  • Attempts to interfere improperly with editorial decisions

Suspected peer review manipulation may result in investigation, reviewer replacement, rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate action.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of research, publication, editorial, or peer review misconduct will be handled fairly, confidentially, objectively, and without bias.

Concerns may be raised by:

  • Editors

  • Reviewers

  • Authors

  • Readers

  • Institutions

  • Funders

  • Ethics committees

  • Other relevant individuals or organizations

The Editor-in-Chief will normally oversee the initial assessment.

Where appropriate, the journal may consult:

  • Editorial board members

  • Independent experts

  • Relevant institutions

  • Funding organizations

  • Ethics committees

  • Research-integrity offices

  • Other appropriate authorities

The person or persons against whom an allegation is made will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final determination is reached.

Whistleblowers and Good-Faith Reports

Individuals who report credible ethical concerns in good faith should not be disadvantaged merely because they raised a concern.

JPM will seek to protect the confidentiality of complainants and whistleblowers as far as reasonably possible.

Anonymous concerns may be assessed where sufficient evidence is provided.

A concern will not be considered malicious merely because it is ultimately unsubstantiated.

However, knowingly false, fabricated, malicious, or deliberately misleading allegations may themselves constitute misconduct.

Detailed procedures are provided in JPM's Research Misconduct & Whistleblower Policy.

Complaints, Appeals, and Grievance Procedure

Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe it resulted from:

  • A significant factual error

  • A procedural error

  • An unmanaged conflict of interest

  • A material misunderstanding of the manuscript

  • Another substantial problem affecting the fairness of the decision

Appeals must be submitted in writing and should include clear reasons and relevant supporting evidence.

Disagreement with an editorial decision alone is not sufficient grounds for an appeal.

Complaints may concern:

  • Editorial processes

  • Peer review

  • Publication ethics

  • Editorial conduct

  • Conflicts of interest

  • Journal procedures

  • Post-publication matters

JPM will review complaints and appeals fairly and without unnecessary delay.

Where appropriate, a matter may be referred to:

  • The Editor-in-Chief

  • Another independent editor

  • The editorial board

  • An independent adviser

  • An ethics committee

  • An institutional authority

  • Another appropriate body

The journal will normally seek to provide an initial substantive response to formal complaints or appeals within a reasonable period.

Ethics Oversight

JPM maintains ethics oversight through the Editor-in-Chief, editorial board, and other independent advisers or authorities where appropriate.

Ethical oversight may include matters relating to:

  • Authorship

  • Contributorship

  • Conflicts of interest

  • Research ethics

  • Plagiarism

  • Similarity screening

  • Data integrity

  • Peer review

  • Editorial conduct

  • Complaints and appeals

  • Corrections

  • Expressions of Concern

  • Retractions

  • Research misconduct

Complex or unresolved matters may be referred to an appropriate:

  • Independent adviser

  • Ethics committee

  • Research institution

  • Funding organization

  • Research-integrity office

  • Other competent authority

Where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest concerning an ethical matter, responsibility for handling the matter will be assigned to another appropriately qualified and independent person.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JPM is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record.

Where errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may publish:

  • A Correction

  • An Expression of Concern

  • A Retraction

  • Another appropriate editorial notice

Corrections

Corrections are normally used where an error requires formal amendment but the principal findings remain reliable.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued where serious concerns exist but:

  • An investigation is ongoing

  • Evidence remains incomplete

  • The outcome is uncertain

  • Readers should be alerted while the matter is investigated

Retractions

Retraction may be appropriate where published findings are substantially unreliable as a result of:

  • Serious error

  • Fabrication

  • Falsification

  • Plagiarism

  • Duplicate publication

  • Unethical research

  • Serious peer review manipulation

  • Other major research or publication misconduct

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retraction Notices will be linked to the affected publication where applicable.

The detailed procedures are set out in JPM's Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions Policy.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining a:

  • Fair

  • Independent

  • Confidential

  • Transparent

  • Consistent

  • Unbiased

editorial process.

Editorial decisions should be based on:

  • Scholarly merit

  • Originality

  • Relevance to JPM's aims and scope

  • Methodological quality

  • Ethical compliance

  • Reviewer assessments

  • Overall integrity of the manuscript

Decisions must not be influenced by irrelevant personal characteristics, financial considerations, or an author's ability to pay.

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and must not handle manuscripts where their impartiality could reasonably be compromised.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are responsible for providing:

  • Objective

  • Confidential

  • Constructive

  • Evidence-based

  • Professional

  • Timely

evaluations.

Reviewers must:

  • Declare conflicts of interest

  • Protect manuscript confidentiality

  • Avoid using unpublished material for personal advantage

  • Avoid personal criticism of authors

  • Report suspected ethical problems to the editor

  • Avoid citation manipulation

  • Base recommendations on scholarly considerations

Reviewer responsibilities are described in greater detail in JPM's Peer Review Policy.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • The originality of submitted work

  • Accuracy of data and findings

  • Appropriate authorship

  • Proper attribution and citation

  • Ethical approval where required

  • Informed consent where required

  • Disclosure of conflicts of interest

  • Disclosure of relevant funding

  • Lawful use of third-party material

  • Accuracy of references

  • Responding appropriately to editorial and reviewer queries

  • Correcting significant errors when identified

Authors must cooperate with legitimate journal investigations relating to the integrity of their work.

Our Commitment

The Journal of Personnel Management (JPM) is committed to addressing ethical matters with fairness, professionalism, confidentiality, transparency, due process, and respect for the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal seeks to protect the legitimate rights and responsibilities of:

  • Authors

  • Reviewers

  • Editors

  • Readers

  • Research participants

  • Institutions

  • Other stakeholders involved in scholarly communication

JPM will periodically review its publication-ethics practices and update its policies where necessary to maintain transparent and responsible scholarly publishing standards.

Contact

Editorial Office
Journal of Personnel Management (JPM)
Email: jpm@smarcons.cm