Publication Ethics

    • At Southern Cross Academic Press, we adhere strictly to the best practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Our commitment is to uphold integrity, transparency, and ethical standards throughout the publication process.

      We welcome suggestions from authors, reviewers, and editorial board members to continuously enhance the quality of our journal, EPH–International Journal of Business & Management Science.

      To ensure fairness and objectivity, we follow a double-blind peer review process for all submitted manuscripts. Reviews are assigned to qualified and experienced members of our editorial board or associated reviewers.

      Our editorial team is committed to maintaining high standards of accuracy and clarity, and where necessary, technical editing support is provided to improve manuscript quality.

      Misconduct Handling

      We take academic and research misconduct seriously. The following are considered forms of misconduct:

      • Redundant Publication: Submitting the same or substantially similar work to multiple journals.

      • Plagiarism: Copying or misrepresenting the work of others without proper citation.

      • Data Fabrication or Falsification: Manipulating or inventing research data.

      Process for Handling Misconduct:

      1. If a reviewer, editor, or reader raises concerns of misconduct, an internal investigation will be initiated to gather relevant evidence.

      2. If sufficient evidence is found, the corresponding author will be contacted and asked to provide a clarification or response.

      3. If the author acknowledges the misconduct, the appropriate correction will be issued, including citing original sources and notifying readers.

      4. If the author denies the allegation and fails to provide sufficient evidence to support their work, the manuscript may be rejected or, if already published, retracted from the journal.

      5. If the author does not respond, the matter will be escalated to the author’s affiliated institution for further review and action.

      Authorship Changes

      Requests to modify authorship details are handled with strict scrutiny and transparency. Authorship changes are applicable in the following situations:

      • Addition or removal of an author before publication.

      • Addition or removal of an author after publication.

      Procedure:

      1. The submitting party must provide a valid and written justification for the proposed change in authorship.

      2. A signed agreement from all listed authors must be submitted, confirming the proposed changes.

      3. If there is a disagreement among authors:

        • The manuscript will be put on hold until all authors reach a consensus.

        • If the paper has already been published, the matter will be referred to the authors’ institution(s) for resolution if necessary.

      We reserve the right to take appropriate action to ensure the integrity and transparency of the publication process.