Publication Ethics

Purpose

The International Public Management Review (IPMR) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly quality, editorial independence, research integrity, and publication ethics.

The journal seeks to promote rigorous and transparent research in public management, public administration, governance, public policy, and related fields.

IPMR aligns its editorial and publication practices with internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing and research integrity.

Editorial Independence

All editorial decisions are made exclusively on the basis of scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal’s scope, and contribution to knowledge.

Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by:

  • nationality
  • institutional affiliation
  • political beliefs
  • gender
  • race or ethnicity
  • religion
  • personal relationships
  • financial interests.

The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for editorial decisions.

Peer Review

IPMR employs a double-anonymous peer review process.

Editors shall:

  • select reviewers with relevant expertise
  • protect reviewer confidentiality
  • ensure fair and unbiased assessment
  • monitor the quality and integrity of reviews.

Reviewers shall:

  • treat manuscripts as confidential documents
  • provide objective and constructive assessments
  • disclose any conflicts of interest
  • refrain from using unpublished information for personal benefit.

Any attempt to manipulate the peer-review process is prohibited.

Examples include:

  • fabricated reviewer identities
  • fraudulent reviewer reports
  • review rings
  • coercive citation practices.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to IPMR must:

  • submit original work
  • accurately report research findings
  • appropriately acknowledge sources
  • disclose conflicts of interest
  • cooperate with editorial inquiries
  • comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Authors are responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their work.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship shall be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions.

All authors must:

  • have contributed significantly to the research
  • have participated in drafting or revising the manuscript
  • have approved the final version
  • accept responsibility for the published work.

The journal does not permit:

  • honorary authorship
  • guest authorship
  • gift authorship
  • ghost authorship.

Requests to change authorship after submission require written agreement from all authors and editorial approval.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original.

The journal does not accept:

  • plagiarism
  • self-plagiarism without disclosure
  • duplicate publication
  • redundant publication
  • unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

The journal may employ plagiarism-detection software.

Confirmed violations may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

Data Integrity and Research Transparency

Authors must ensure that research findings are reported honestly and accurately.

Fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or intentional misrepresentation of data are prohibited.

Where appropriate, editors may request:

  • underlying data
  • coding procedures
  • supplementary documentation
  • methodological materials.

Authors should retain relevant research records for a reasonable period following publication.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable legal, institutional, and ethical requirements.

Where appropriate, authors should provide information regarding:

  • ethics committee approval
  • institutional review board approval
  • informed consent procedures
  • participant protection measures.

Particular care must be taken when research involves vulnerable individuals or groups.

Artificial Intelligence and Generative Technologies

Artificial intelligence systems and generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors who use AI-assisted technologies shall disclose their use when such use materially contributed to the preparation of the manuscript.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • the accuracy of content
  • originality
  • citations
  • compliance with ethical standards.

Undisclosed substantive AI-generated content may be treated as an ethics violation.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgment.

Potential conflicts include:

  • financial relationships
  • employment relationships
  • consulting arrangements
  • funding sources
  • personal relationships
  • political or organizational affiliations directly related to the manuscript.

Editors with conflicts of interest shall recuse themselves from editorial decisions.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal maintains procedures for handling complaints and appeals concerning:

  • editorial decisions
  • peer review
  • publication ethics
  • editorial conduct.

Appeals must be submitted in writing and include supporting reasons or evidence.

Appeals will be reviewed independently where possible.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

The journal is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal may publish:

Corrections

To address errors that do not invalidate the main findings.

Expressions of Concern

When substantial concerns exist and investigations are ongoing.

Retractions

When published findings are shown to be unreliable due to misconduct or significant error.

Retraction notices shall remain permanently linked to the original publication.

Whistleblowing and Reporting Concerns

The journal welcomes good-faith reports regarding potential misconduct.

Reports may be submitted by:

  • authors
  • reviewers
  • readers
  • institutions
  • members of the public.

Anonymous reports may be considered where sufficient evidence is provided.

The journal seeks to protect individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

Cooperation with Institutions

Where appropriate, the journal may communicate with universities, research institutions, funding bodies, ethics committees, and research integrity offices regarding investigations into potential misconduct.

Institutional findings may be considered when determining editorial actions.

Policy Review

These policies may be revised periodically to reflect developments in research integrity, publication ethics, and scholarly publishing standards.