Publishing policies

ARC Publishers operates a double-blind peer review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other to ensure objectivity and fairness.

Peer Review Process

• Each manuscript is initially screened by the editorial team for scope, quality, and ethical compliance.
• Suitable manuscripts are assigned to independent expert reviewers with relevant subject-matter expertise.
• Reviewers evaluate submissions based on originality, theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.
• Editorial decisions are based on reviewers’ recommendations and the editor’s scholarly judgment.

• Generative AI tools may be used in a limited manner for language editing and non-substantive assistance; however, a disclosure statement detailing its usage is mandatory upon submission
• AI tools must never be used as a substitute for critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation
• Disclosure statement shall appear in the published work. The statement must include the name of a specific AI tool and the purpose for which it was used
• Basic checks of grammar, spelling, and punctuation need no declaration.
• Use of Generative AI tools is highly discouraged and not permitted to develop and alter images in the manuscript

Manuscripts exhibiting unacceptable similarity levels or unethical use of AI will be rejected, and further action may be taken in accordance with publishing ethics guidelines.

The journal recognizes authorship based on substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript. All individuals listed as authors must have made a meaningful contribution to the work and must approve the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and for confirming that:

• All listed authors have approved the manuscript;
• All authors agree with the submission;
• Required declarations have been completed; and
• Communication from the journal is appropriately shared with all authors.

Contributorship

Where appropriate, authors may provide a contributorship statement describing the specific contributions of each author.

ABR requires full disclosure of any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research, review, or editorial decision-making process.

For Authors

Authors must disclose

• Financial relationships (grants, funding, consultancy, honoraria)
• Institutional affiliations that may influence interpretation
• Personal or professional relationships relevant to the research

All disclosures should be stated clearly at the time of submission.

For Reviewers

Reviewers must

• Declare any conflicts of interest prior to accepting a review invitation.
• Decline to review manuscripts where conflicts exist that could compromise objectivity.

For Editors

Editors must

• Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.
• Ensure alternative editorial oversight when necessary.

Handling Undisclosed Conflicts

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in

• Rejection of the manuscript
• Retraction of published articles
• Notification to affiliated institutions, where appropriate

Actions will be taken in line with established publication ethics standards.

ARC Publishers is committed to ensuring that research published in the journal meets appropriate ethical standards and applicable institutional, national, and international requirements.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research has been conducted ethically and in accordance with relevant regulations and institutional requirements.

Where applicable, authors must

• Obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee/institutional review board (IRB) before conducting research involving human participants.
• Provide details of ethical approval, including the name of the approving body and approval/reference number, where applicable.
• Obtain informed consent from participants where required.
• Protect participant privacy, confidentiality, and personal data.
• Ensure that research involving vulnerable populations receives appropriate ethical safeguards.
• Disclose any relevant ethical concerns or limitations associated with the research.

For studies involving human participants, authors should include an appropriate Ethics Approval/Ethical Considerations statement in the manuscript.

Where ethical approval is not required, authors should clearly state this and provide an appropriate justification.

• ARC Publishers encourages transparency, reproducibility, and responsible sharing of research data and materials.
• Authors should provide a clear Data Availability Statement where applicable.
• Where ethically and legally permissible, authors are encouraged to make the data and materials supporting their findings available through an appropriate repository.
• Where data cannot be publicly shared because of:

• participant privacy;
• confidentiality;
• legal restrictions;
• institutional restrictions;
• contractual obligations; or
• other legitimate ethical considerations,

• Authors should clearly explain the relevant restrictions and indicate, where possible, the conditions under which data may be accessed.
• The journal may request access to underlying data or research materials during peer review or after publication where this is necessary to assess the integrity or reproducibility of the research.
• Authors remain responsible for ensuring that data sharing complies with applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and privacy requirements.

ARC Publishers is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Where errors or concerns are identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction, retraction, or expression of concern as appropriate.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when a published article contains an error that does not invalidate the overall findings or scholarly conclusions.

Corrections will

• Clearly identify the article affected;
• Describe the nature of the correction where appropriate;
• Be linked to the original article;
• Be included in the article's publication record.

Retractions

A published article may be retracted where there is substantial evidence that:

• The findings are unreliable;
• Significant research or publication misconduct has occurred;
• The article contains substantial plagiarism or duplicate publication;
• There has been serious ethical non-compliance;
• Other circumstances materially undermine the integrity of the published work.

A retraction will be clearly identified and linked to the original article so that the scholarly record remains transparent.

Expression of Concern

Where serious concerns have been raised but an investigation has not yet reached a final conclusion, ARC Publishers may publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers while the matter is being investigated.

Investigation

• Concerns may be investigated by the editorial team and, where appropriate, referred to the authors' institutions or other relevant authorities.
• The Editor-in-Chief has responsibility for ensuring that post-publication actions are handled fairly, consistently, and in accordance with applicable publication-ethics standards.

ARC Publishers provides a transparent mechanism for handling complaints related to:

• Editorial decisions
• Peer-review conduct
• Ethical concerns
• Publication processes
• Conflicts of interest

Complaint Process:

1. Submission: Complaints must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief or Publisher.
2. Acknowledgement: Complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days.
3. Investigation: The EiC and/or Publisher review complaints impartially.
4. Resolution: Decisions are communicated to the complainant within 30 days.
5. Confidentiality: All proceedings are confidential.

All complaint handling follows COPE guidelines for ethical publishing.

Appeal

• Authors may appeal editorial decisions 30 days of receiving the decision notification by submitting a reasoned and evidence-based request to the editorial office.
• Appeals are considered at the editorial team's discretion and do not guarantee reconsideration or reversal of the original decision.

• Appeals should include manuscript reference no, decision letter received, detailed explanation of the grounds for appeal, and any additional supporting evidence.
• Authors will be informed the appeal outcomes within 30 days.
• No further appeals will be entertained for the same decision.

Rejected manuscripts may be resubmitted only if explicitly invited by the editors and must clearly address the reasons for the original rejection.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are subject to similarity screening using appropriate similarity-detection tools.

ARC Publishers does not tolerate

• Plagiarism;
• Fabrication or falsification;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Inappropriate text recycling or self-plagiarism;
• Unattributed use of another person's work.

As a general editorial screening threshold, manuscripts should normally have:

• Overall similarity: not more than 15%
• Similarity from any single source: not more than 5%

Similarity percentages are screening indicators and do not by themselves establish plagiarism. Editorial assessment will consider the nature, location, and context of matched text.

Manuscripts containing unacceptable levels or forms of similarity may be returned to authors, rejected, or subjected to further investigation in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures.

• All the journals operates under a fully open access publishing model, allowing readers to read, download, copy, distribute, and link to published articles, subject to appropriate attribution and licensing terms.
• The journal does not restrict access to published content based on geographic location or institutional affiliation.

Based on peer review outcomes, manuscripts may be subject to one of the following decisions:

• Accept without revision
• Minor revision
• Major revision
• Reject

Revision Guidelines

• Authors receiving a revision decision are required to submit a revised manuscript along with a detailed response to reviewers, addressing each comment point-by-point.
• Minor revisions must be submitted within the 14-day timeframe specified by the editorial office.
• Major revisions must be submitted within 30-day timeframe specified by the editorial office, unless an extension is granted by the editorial office
• Extension request shall be granted before the original deadline expires.
• Failure to submit revisions within the allocated timeframe, without prior notification or an approved extension, may result in withdrawal of the manuscript from consideration.
• Withdrawal condition shall be applied if no response is received after two reminders
• Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or assessed by the editors, depending on the extent of the revisions required.

Special issues must

• Align clearly with the Aims and Scope of the journal
• Address contemporary, high-relevance themes in business, management, or organizational studies with Afro-Asian relevance
• Demonstrate a conceptual, empirical, or methodological contribution, not merely a regional description

Special issues are not intended to

• Serve as conference proceedings in disguise
• Act as vehicles for guest editor publication clustering
• Replace regular issues or inflate publication volume

Editorial Oversight and Governance

• Final editorial authority remains exclusively with the Editor-in-Chief
• Guest editors may:

• Manage reviewer selection and initial recommendations
• Do not issue final acceptance or rejection decisions

• The Publisher (ARC Publishers) reserves the right to:

• Audit the peer review integrity
• Reassign manuscripts if conflicts or delays arise
• Suspend or terminate a special issue if standards are breached

Peer Review Standards

All special issue submissions are subject to

• Double-blind peer review
• Minimum of two independent reviewers
• The same ethical, plagiarism, and revision standards as regular issues

Accelerated, guaranteed acceptance, or preferential treatment is strictly prohibited

Conflict of Interest (COI)

• Guest editors must declare all potential conflicts of interest
• Manuscripts authored or co-authored by guest editors:
• Are handled independently by the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor
• Guest editors have no access to reviewer identities or decisions