Srusti Management Review (SMR) is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, academic quality, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal seeks to ensure that all published research is produced and disseminated in accordance with recognised principles of responsible research and publication.
The ethical policies of the journal are guided by internationally accepted principles of publication ethics, particularly the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process are expected to comply with the ethical standards stated below.
1. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors
The Editor-in-Chief and members of the editorial team are responsible for maintaining the academic integrity and quality of the journal.
Editorial decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts are based on the academic merit, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, clarity, and contribution of the manuscript to the scope of the journal.
Editors shall:
evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, political belief, or other personal characteristics of the authors;
maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and associated information;
ensure that manuscripts undergo the journal's prescribed peer-review process;
avoid using unpublished information contained in submitted manuscripts for personal research or advantage;
disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest and withdraw from handling a manuscript where such a conflict exists;
take reasonable action whenever ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct are raised; and
ensure that editorial decisions remain independent and are not influenced by commercial, institutional, personal, or other inappropriate considerations.
The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for safeguarding the integrity of the journal's editorial process.
2. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to Srusti Management Review must ensure that their work complies with accepted standards of research and publication ethics.
Authors are expected to:
submit original work that has not been published previously and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
present research findings accurately and honestly;
provide appropriate acknowledgement and citation of all sources used;
avoid plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or misrepresentation of data and results;
disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest;
identify all sources of research funding, where applicable;
obtain necessary ethical approval and informed consent for research involving human participants, confidential information, or other ethically sensitive data, where applicable;
retain research data and provide reasonable supporting information when requested by the journal;
ensure that all persons listed as authors satisfy the journal's authorship requirements; and
promptly inform the Editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in a submitted or published article.
Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have approved the manuscript and agree to its submission to Srusti Management Review.
3. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship should be restricted to individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the research.
All listed authors should:
have made a meaningful contribution to the work;
have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript; and
accept responsibility and accountability for the content of the work.
Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not satisfy the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.
Gift authorship, honorary authorship, guest authorship, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.
Any dispute concerning authorship or changes in authorship after submission will be examined by the editorial team. The journal may request written agreement from all concerned authors before approving changes to the authorship of a manuscript.
4. Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the quality and integrity of Srusti Management Review.
Reviewers are expected to:
provide objective, constructive, scholarly, and timely assessments;
maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts received for review;
refrain from sharing, distributing, copying, or using unpublished manuscript material for personal purposes;
identify relevant published work that may not have been appropriately acknowledged;
inform the Editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, or other ethical concerns;
declare any actual or potential conflict of interest; and
decline the review when they lack the necessary expertise or cannot complete it within the required period.
Personal criticism of authors and discriminatory or offensive comments are unacceptable.
5. Peer-Review Process
Srusti Management Review follows a double-blind peer-review process, under which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other during the review process.
Submitted manuscripts are initially screened by the editorial team for suitability, relevance to the journal's scope, adherence to submission requirements, originality, and basic academic quality. Manuscripts considered suitable are forwarded to qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.
Editorial decisions are made after considering reviewers' reports and the academic merit of the manuscript. Authors may be requested to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewer and editorial comments.
The journal is committed to ensuring that peer review is conducted fairly, objectively, confidentially, and without inappropriate influence.
6. Plagiarism and Originality
Srusti Management Review considers plagiarism a serious violation of publication ethics.
Authors must appropriately acknowledge ideas, words, data, figures, tables, and other materials derived from the work of others. Direct quotations must be clearly identified and appropriately referenced.
Manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism/similarity-detection software as part of the editorial process.
The journal does not tolerate:
plagiarism;
self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling;
unattributed copying;
fabrication or falsification of information;
inappropriate manipulation of data;
citation manipulation; or
deliberate misrepresentation of research findings.
Where significant plagiarism or other forms of misconduct are detected, the manuscript may be rejected or, if already published, appropriate post-publication action may be taken.
7. Duplicate, Redundant and Simultaneous Publication
Authors must not submit substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
A manuscript submitted to Srusti Management Review should not have been previously published in substantially the same form, except where appropriate disclosure has been made and the circumstances are consistent with accepted scholarly publishing practices.
Redundant publication, duplicate publication, and inappropriate fragmentation of a single study into multiple publications are discouraged and may constitute grounds for rejection or other editorial action.
8. Research Misconduct
Srusti Management Review takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether they arise before or after publication.
Misconduct may include, but is not limited to:
plagiarism;
fabrication or falsification of data;
manipulation or misrepresentation of research results;
inappropriate image or data manipulation;
duplicate or redundant publication;
undisclosed conflicts of interest;
inappropriate authorship;
peer-review manipulation;
citation manipulation; and
unethical research practices.
When an allegation is received, the journal will conduct an appropriate preliminary assessment. Authors or other relevant parties may be requested to provide an explanation, original data, documentation, ethical approvals, or other supporting information.
Where necessary, the journal may communicate with the authors' institution, funding organisation, or other appropriate authority.
The journal will seek to handle allegations fairly, confidentially, objectively, and in accordance with recognised publication-ethics practices.
9. Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relationships or circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their professional judgement.
Conflicts may be financial or non-financial and may include:
employment relationships;
consultancy arrangements;
financial interests;
research funding;
personal or professional relationships;
institutional affiliations; or
academic or intellectual competition.
Authors must disclose relevant competing interests at the time of submission.
Reviewers and editors should decline involvement in the evaluation of a manuscript where a significant conflict of interest may compromise, or appear to compromise, impartiality.
10. Data Integrity, Availability and Reproducibility
Authors are responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the data presented in their manuscripts.
Research data should not be fabricated, falsified, selectively manipulated, or misleadingly presented.
Where appropriate and subject to ethical, legal, confidentiality, proprietary, or privacy restrictions, authors are encouraged to retain and make available the data necessary to support the findings reported in their articles.
The journal may request underlying data or other supporting documentation when questions concerning the validity, reproducibility, or integrity of a study arise.
11. Ethical Oversight
Research involving human participants, personal information, confidential data, vulnerable populations, or other ethically sensitive matters must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical requirements.
Where applicable, authors should:
obtain approval from an appropriate institutional ethics committee or review board;
obtain informed consent from research participants;
protect participant privacy and confidentiality; and
state relevant ethical approval and consent information in the manuscript.
If ethical approval was not required for a particular study, authors may be requested to provide an appropriate explanation.
The journal reserves the right to request documentation relating to ethical approval or informed consent.
12. Confidentiality
Editors and reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information concerning a manuscript to unauthorised persons.
Unpublished information, arguments, interpretations, data, or ideas contained in a submitted manuscript must not be used for personal benefit or incorporated into another person's work without appropriate permission.
Authors are likewise responsible for protecting confidential information obtained during their research.
13. Copyright and Intellectual Property
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions do not infringe the copyright, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or other legal rights of third parties.
Authors must obtain appropriate permission to reproduce copyrighted tables, figures, images, instruments, extensive quotations, or other protected material where permission is required.
The journal's applicable copyright and licensing conditions shall be clearly communicated to authors and readers through its website and publication policies.
14. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Srusti Management Review is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where a significant error is identified in a published article, the journal may issue an appropriate correction or corrigendum.
A published article may be considered for retraction where there is reliable evidence of serious problems such as:
fabrication or falsification of data;
substantial plagiarism;
duplicate publication;
unethical research;
seriously unreliable findings; or
other major violations of publication ethics.
Where an investigation is incomplete but there are substantial concerns regarding the reliability or integrity of an article, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern, where appropriate.
Retractions and corrections will be clearly identified and linked to the original article wherever technically possible.
15. Complaints and Appeals
Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may raise legitimate complaints concerning the journal's editorial procedures, publication decisions, ethical practices, or published content.
Complaints should be submitted to the journal through its official contact channel with sufficient information and supporting evidence.
Authors may also appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a material error has occurred in the review or decision-making process. Appeals should provide a clear academic justification and should not merely express disagreement with the decision.
Complaints and appeals will be considered objectively and, where appropriate, independently of individuals directly involved in the matter.
16. Post-Publication Discussion
Srusti Management Review recognises the importance of scholarly discussion after publication.
Readers and researchers may communicate legitimate concerns regarding published articles to the editorial office. Substantive concerns regarding errors, research integrity, ethical violations, or reliability of findings will be examined by the journal.
Where warranted, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
17. Publication Decisions and Editorial Independence
Decisions concerning manuscripts are based on scholarly considerations and the journal's editorial policies.
The editorial process and decisions shall remain independent of inappropriate commercial, financial, institutional, political, or personal influence.
The publisher supports the principle of editorial independence and the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief for maintaining the academic integrity of the journal.
18. Generative Artificial Intelligence
The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies must comply with the journal's Generative AI Policy.
AI systems or AI-assisted tools cannot be recognised as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, citations, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts, including any content developed with the assistance of AI tools.
Where required by the journal's Generative AI Policy, authors must transparently disclose relevant use of such technologies.
Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and must not use AI tools in a manner that compromises manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, or the integrity of the peer-review process.
19. Handling Ethical Violations
When a possible ethical violation is identified, Srusti Management Review will assess the matter based on the nature and seriousness of the allegation.
Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:
seek clarification from the author, reviewer, or editor concerned;
request original data or supporting documentation;
conduct further editorial investigation;
reject or withdraw a manuscript;
publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction;
notify relevant authors or other affected parties; and
where appropriate, communicate with the relevant institution, employer, funding organisation, or other competent authority.
The journal will seek to follow recognised publication-ethics guidance when investigating and resolving allegations of misconduct.
20. Commitment to Publication Ethics
Srusti Management Review is committed to continuously reviewing and strengthening its editorial and publication practices to maintain the credibility, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.
All authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals participating in the journal's publication process are expected to uphold these principles.
The journal's policies on publication ethics are intended to protect authors, reviewers, readers, research participants, the journal, and the wider academic community and to promote responsible scholarly publishing.