Guidelines for Ethical Publishing

The Sankalpa: International Journal of Management Decisions adheres to the highest standards of ethical publishing and is committed to promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly communication. The journal follows internationally recognized best practices in academic publishing and expects all stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers—to comply fully with these ethical principles.

Authors are required to submit only original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere. All submissions must be free from plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, and improper citation practices. Authors must ensure appropriate acknowledgment of all sources, obtain necessary permissions where applicable, and clearly identify any use of third-party material. Proper authorship attribution is mandatory, and all individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the work should be listed as authors, while others should be acknowledged appropriately. Any financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation must be disclosed at the time of submission.

The journal maintains a strict policy against unethical research practices. Studies involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international ethical guidelines, and authors may be required to provide evidence of ethical approval or informed consent. The journal reserves the right to use plagiarism detection tools and to reject or retract manuscripts found to violate ethical norms at any stage of the publication process.

Editors and reviewers are expected to conduct the peer review process with fairness, confidentiality, and objectivity. Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their academic merit, relevance, and originality, without discrimination. Confidential information obtained during the review process must not be used for personal advantage. Any suspected ethical misconduct, including plagiarism, redundant publication, or conflicts of interest, is investigated thoroughly, and appropriate corrective actions—such as rejection, correction, retraction, or notification to relevant authorities—may be taken in accordance with ethical publishing standards.

By submitting to The Sankalpa, all contributors agree to uphold these ethical guidelines, thereby supporting responsible research dissemination and maintaining the credibility of the scholarly record.