Author Guidelines
Everything authors need to prepare, format and submit scholarly manuscripts to The Business and Economic Review.
Preparing your research for publication.
The Business and Economic Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in business, economics, commerce, management, finance, accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship and related interdisciplinary fields.
The journal welcomes original theoretical, empirical, conceptual, methodological and review-based research that contributes meaningfully to academic knowledge, professional practice or public policy.
Scope of the Journal
The journal considers research in, but not limited to, the following areas:
The journal also welcomes interdisciplinary research connecting business and economics with law, political science, sociology, psychology, technology, public policy and related disciplines.
Types of Manuscripts
The journal accepts the following types of scholarly contributions.
Original Research Articles
Full-length theoretical, empirical, quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method studies.
5,000–8,000 wordsReview Articles
Systematic, scoping, narrative, bibliometric or critical reviews of existing scholarship.
5,000–8,000 wordsConceptual Papers
Articles developing theoretical frameworks, conceptual models or new interpretations of existing scholarship.
4,000–7,000 wordsCase Studies
Research-based studies of organisations, industries, markets, institutions, policies or business practices.
3,500–6,000 wordsResearch Notes & Commentaries
Concise scholarly contributions addressing emerging issues, methodological developments or important debates.
1,500–3,000 wordsBook Reviews
Critical reviews of recently published scholarly books relevant to the journal's scope.
1,000–2,000 wordsThe Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to determine the appropriate manuscript category.
Originality & Exclusive Submission
One manuscript. One journal.
Manuscripts submitted to The Business and Economic Review must be original and must not have been formally published elsewhere.
A manuscript must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal while it is under consideration by this journal.
Authors must ensure that the manuscript is original, all authors have approved the submitted version, all qualifying authors are appropriately listed, and sources, ideas, data and materials from other works are properly acknowledged.
Necessary permissions must be obtained for copyrighted material. Duplicate, redundant or substantially overlapping publications must be disclosed to the editorial office.
Authorship
Who qualifies as an author?
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, development, drafting or critical revision of the manuscript.
Author Approval
All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.
Changes to Authorship
Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must be justified and approved by all authors. Changes after acceptance will normally be considered only in exceptional circumstances.
Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts should be written in clear and academically appropriate English.
Recommended Manuscript Structure
Research articles should normally include the following sections.
Title
Concise, specific, informative and accurately reflecting the content of the manuscript.
Abstract
Research context, problem, objectives, methodology, principal findings and conclusion. Recommended length: 150–300 words.
Keywords
Provide 4–8 keywords representing the major themes of the manuscript.
Introduction
Establish the research context, problem, gap, significance and objectives or research questions.
Literature Review
Critically engage with relevant scholarship, major debates and research gaps.
Theoretical or Conceptual Framework
Explain the theoretical concepts, models or frameworks guiding the study where applicable.
Methodology
Explain research design, approach, data, sampling, instruments, analytical techniques and ethical considerations.
Results / Findings
Present principal findings clearly and objectively using tables and figures where appropriate.
Discussion
Interpret findings in relation to objectives, literature, theory and practical or policy implications.
Conclusion
Summarise principal findings and clearly state the research contribution.
Limitations and Implications
Discuss important limitations and theoretical, managerial, practical or policy implications where appropriate.
Funding
Disclose all sources of financial support.
Conflict of Interest
Disclose financial, professional, institutional or personal interests that could influence the research.
Data Availability
Explain whether supporting data are publicly available, available upon reasonable request, or subject to restrictions.
Ethics Statement
Provide appropriate ethics information and approval details where applicable.
Acknowledgements
Recognise individuals or organisations that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship.
References
Ensure every cited source appears in the reference list and every listed reference is cited in the manuscript.
Title Page & Anonymous Manuscript
Title Page
The title page should contain:
- Full manuscript title
- Author names
- Institutional affiliations
- Department, school or faculty
- Institutional email addresses
- ORCID iDs, where available
- Corresponding author's details
- Funding information
- Conflict-of-interest statement
- Acknowledgements, where applicable
Anonymous Manuscript
The journal follows a double-blind peer-review process.
The anonymous manuscript should contain the title, abstract, keywords, main text, references, tables and figures, but must not contain information that directly identifies the authors or their institutions.
Tables, Figures & Equations
References & Citation Style
MLA Latest Edition
The journal generally follows MLA Latest Edition citation and referencing principles.
Authors should provide DOI information wherever available and are responsible for ensuring that references are accurate, complete and properly cited.
References must not be fabricated, manipulated or inaccurately attributed.
Plagiarism & Academic Integrity
All manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism, excessive textual similarity, duplicate publication and other forms of academic misconduct.
Not Tolerated
- Plagiarism
- Fabrication or falsification of data
- Duplicate publication
- Self-plagiarism
- Citation manipulation
Research Integrity
- Misrepresentation of sources
- Other forms of research misconduct
- Manipulation of research results
- Improper attribution
Editorial decisions will consider the nature, location and significance of detected similarities rather than relying solely on a similarity percentage.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Responsible use of AI
Authors may use artificial intelligence tools for limited purposes such as language improvement, grammar correction, formatting or other editorial assistance, provided that such use does not compromise the originality, accuracy or integrity of the manuscript.
AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, citations, interpretations, data and conclusions presented in their manuscript.
AI tools must not be used to fabricate references, data, quotations, participants, findings or sources.
Where generative AI has been substantially used in manuscript preparation, appropriate disclosure should be provided.
Research Ethics
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards.
Research involving confidential organisational or commercial information must also comply with relevant permissions and confidentiality requirements.
Data Availability & Reproducibility
Authors are encouraged to make research data, analytical procedures, statistical code, questionnaires, interview protocols and other supporting materials available where ethically and legally permissible.
Data should not be shared where doing so would compromise participant confidentiality, privacy, institutional requirements, contractual obligations or confidential commercial information.
Publication Ethics
Integrity throughout publishing.
The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and academic integrity.
Authors, reviewers and editors are expected to act honestly, transparently, objectively and responsibly.
The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of results, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, ghost authorship, honorary authorship or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Suspected misconduct may be investigated and appropriate action may be taken.
Conflict of Interest & Funding
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any relationship or circumstance that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their research.
- Financial relationships
- Employment
- Consultancy
- Institutional relationships
- Personal relationships
- Funding
- Ownership interests
Funding Disclosure
All sources of financial support should be disclosed, including the funding organisation and grant or award number where applicable.
Copyright & Permissions
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material, including figures, tables, photographs, questionnaires, research instruments, extended quotations and other protected content.
Submission of a manuscript confirms that the authors have the necessary rights and permissions for all materials included in the manuscript.
Preprints & Conference Papers
Disclosure
Authors should disclose whether substantially similar versions of the manuscript have appeared as preprints, working papers, conference papers, institutional reports or other publicly accessible documents.
Conference Papers
Manuscripts developed from conference papers may be considered provided that the submitted version represents a sufficiently developed and original scholarly contribution.
Withdrawal of Manuscripts
Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript should contact the editorial office and provide the manuscript title, manuscript identification number where available, corresponding author's name and reason for withdrawal.
Authors should not withdraw manuscripts merely because they have received a revision decision or because additional revisions are required.
Article Processing Charges
Transparent publishing charges.
Any applicable Article Processing Charge (APC), submission fee, publication fee or other author charges will be communicated transparently by the journal.
Payment, where applicable, does not guarantee acceptance or publication.
Editorial decisions are independent of financial considerations.
Where applicable, APC waivers or discounts may be provided in accordance with the journal's prevailing policies. Any exemption must be formally confirmed by the editorial office.
Submission Files
01 — Title Page
Containing complete author and institutional information.
02 — Anonymous Manuscript
Containing the manuscript without identifying author information.
03 — Cover Letter
Briefly stating manuscript title, article type, principal contribution, originality, exclusive-submission status, author approval and relevant funding or conflict-of-interest information.
04 — Supplementary Files
Where applicable, datasets, research instruments, appendices, ethical approval documents, permission letters, supplementary tables, figures and other supporting materials.
Corrections, Retractions & Post-Publication Issues
Authors should carefully review proofs before publication and promptly report significant errors discovered after publication.
Depending on the nature of an issue, the journal may publish a correction, erratum, corrigendum, expression of concern or retraction.
Articles may be retracted where serious errors, plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified results or other circumstances substantially undermine the reliability of the published work.
Responsibilities
Authors
- Originality and accuracy
- Proper citation
- Ethical compliance
- Appropriate authorship
- Funding disclosure
- Conflict-of-interest disclosure
- Responding to reviewers
- Reporting significant post-publication errors
Reviewers
- Maintain confidentiality
- Provide objective assessments
- Provide constructive feedback
- Identify relevant ethical concerns
- Avoid conflicts of interest
- Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe
Editors
- Fair handling of submissions
- Confidential editorial processes
- Appropriate reviewer selection
- Management of conflicts of interest
- Consideration of ethical concerns
- Decisions based on scholarly merit
Appeals & Complaints
Appeals
Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a significant procedural error, misunderstanding or inappropriate evaluation affected the decision.
An appeal should clearly identify the manuscript, explain the grounds for appeal and provide relevant evidence.
Complaints
Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, authorship, plagiarism, conflicts of interest or publication errors should be submitted to the editorial office with sufficient supporting information.
Final Submission Requirements
Before you click Submit
Failure to meet essential requirements may result in the manuscript being returned for correction, rejected before peer review or withdrawn from consideration.
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Please review these guidelines carefully before submitting your research to The Business and Economic Review.
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