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The Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior in all stages of the publication process. Our goal is to ensure that the research and practice we publish are trustworthy, transparent, and respectful of the communities and environments they affect.
Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) explicitly aligns its ethical standards with the following documents and frameworks:
Policy Statement on Ethical Guidelines, American Mathematical Society (AMS)
Best Current Practices, Journals of the International Mathematical Union (IMU)
Code of Practice, European Mathematical Society (EMS) Ethics Committee
EMS Ethics Committee Comments on the EMS Code of Practice
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Guidelines
While these documents originate in the mathematical sciences, their principles of honesty, integrity, fairness, and transparency are fully applicable to architecture, planning, and design research. Where appropriate, Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) interprets and applies these guidelines within the specific context of its disciplines.
1. General Principles
All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to the following fundamental principles:
Integrity: Research must be conducted and reported honestly, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.
Originality: Submissions must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Transparency: Methods, data sources, funding, and potential conflicts of interest must be declared clearly and accurately.
Respect: Research that involves human participants, communities, or sensitive environments must respect ethical, legal, and cultural norms.
Accountability: Each party accepts responsibility for their contribution to the scholarly record and cooperates in correcting the literature when needed.
2. Duties of Authors
Authors submitting to Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) agree to the following responsibilities:
2.1 Originality and Plagiarism
The manuscript must be the author’s own original work.
Plagiarism in any form—including verbatim copying, close paraphrasing without attribution, or reuse of one’s own previously published text without proper citation (self-plagiarism)—is not acceptable.
All sources—textual, visual, or digital—must be appropriately cited and acknowledged.
2.2 Data Integrity and Reproducibility
Authors must ensure that the data, case studies, and design or planning evidence presented are accurate and honestly reported.
Fabrication or falsification of data, cases, or results is a serious breach of ethics.
Where feasible, authors should maintain underlying data and documentation so that results can be checked or replicated if necessary.
2.3 Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Manuscripts submitted to Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) must not be under review by another journal or publication outlet.
Submitting the same or substantially similar work to more than one journal simultaneously is unethical and not acceptable.
If parts of the work have been published (e.g., as conference proceedings, technical reports, or preprints), this must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission.
2.4 Authorship and Acknowledgment
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study.
All authors must have approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.
Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria (e.g., technical assistance, data collection, administrative support) should be acknowledged appropriately but not listed as authors.
Any funding sources, institutional support, or non-personal sponsorship must be clearly acknowledged.
2.5 Ethical Considerations in Research and Practice
Research involving human participants, communities, or sensitive places must comply with appropriate ethical review, local regulations, and professional standards.
Where applicable, authors should state that ethical approval (e.g., IRB or equivalent) was obtained and that informed consent was secured.
Projects and case studies in architecture and planning should respect privacy, safety, and dignity of individuals and communities.
2.6 Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be viewed as influencing the work (e.g., consulting fees, ownership, employment, or funding from interested organizations).
Conflicts of interest should be declared at the time of submission and will be published if the article is accepted.
2.7 Corrections and Retractions
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate in issuing a correction, erratum, or retraction as appropriate.
3. Duties of Reviewers
Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining JMPR’s standards of quality and integrity. They are expected to:
3.1 Confidentiality
Treat the manuscript as a confidential document.
Not share the manuscript or its content with third parties without explicit permission from the Editor-in-Chief.
Not use any ideas, data, or insights obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.
3.2 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback
Provide objective, fair, and constructive evaluations aimed at improving the manuscript.
Avoid hostile, demeaning, or personal comments.
Clearly explain the basis of their recommendations, supported by reasoned arguments and, where appropriate, references.
3.3 Conflicts of Interest
Declare any conflict of interest that might compromise impartiality (e.g., close collaboration with the authors, direct competition, personal relationships).
Decline the review if such conflicts exist or if they feel unable to assess the manuscript fairly.
3.4 Timeliness
Accept review assignments only if they can complete them within the requested time frame.
Inform the editor promptly if they cannot meet the deadline, so that alternative arrangements can be made.
3.5 Ethical Awareness
Alert the editor if they suspect plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, or any other form of research or publication misconduct.
Draw attention to relevant work that appears to have been overlooked or insufficiently cited.
4. Duties of Editors
The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team act in accordance with the principles laid out in the AMS, IMU, EMS, and COPE guidelines. Their responsibilities include:
4.1 Fair and Impartial Evaluation
Evaluate manuscripts solely on their scholarly merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, and quality of contribution—regardless of authors’ nationality, institutional affiliation, seniority, gender, or other personal characteristics.
Maintain an independent editorial decision-making process, free from undue influence by sponsors, institutions, or other external parties.
4.2 Confidentiality
Keep all information about submitted manuscripts confidential, sharing details only with authors, reviewers, and editorial staff as necessary.
4.3 Peer Review Management
Select qualified, independent reviewers and manage the blind peer review process.
Ensure that reviews are conducted ethically, and that reviewers adhere to the journal’s expectations.
Handle conflicts of interest by reassigning manuscripts when editors themselves may have a conflict.
4.4 Handling Misconduct and Ethical Concerns
Act promptly and consistently when ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, falsification, unethical research) arise.
Follow COPE-recommended workflows and the spirit of AMS/IMU/EMS guidelines in investigating concerns.
When needed, issue corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other appropriate notices to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
4.5 Transparency and Communication
Provide clear and transparent author guidelines, reviewer guidelines, and policies on open access, copyright, and ethics.
Communicate decisions and major editorial policies openly and respectfully.
5. Publisher and Journal Responsibilities
As a diamond open access journal publishing under the CC BY 4.0 license:
Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) and its publisher are committed to free and open access to scholarship while safeguarding the integrity of the scientific record.
The publisher supports and implements the ethical standards described in the AMS, IMU, EMS, and COPE frameworks.
The journal will work with authors, institutions, and other stakeholders to correct the literature if errors or misconduct are identified after publication.
6. Misconduct, Complaints, and Appeals
Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. Examples include:
Plagiarism or self-plagiarism
Data fabrication or falsification
Unethical research practices
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication
If concerns are raised:
The editorial office will conduct an initial assessment, possibly contacting the authors for clarification.
Where necessary, the editor may contact the authors’ institution(s), relevant bodies, or follow COPE-recommended procedures.
Outcomes may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction or retraction, or other appropriate action.
Authors and reviewers may submit complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions or processes by writing directly to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals should clearly explain the basis of the concern or disagreement and will be considered in light of the journal’s ethical principles and external guidelines (AMS/IMU/EMS/COPE).
7. Continuous Improvement
Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR) recognizes that best practices in publication ethics evolve over time. By referencing and aligning with the:
AMS Policy Statement on Ethical Guidelines
IMU Best Current Practices for journals
EMS Code of Practice and Ethics Committee comments
COPE Guidelines and flowcharts
the journal commits to:
Regularly reviewing and updating its ethical policies.
Adapting to emerging standards, especially around open access, data transparency, and responsible research practices.
Promoting an editorial culture of fairness, respect, and academic integrity.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding publication ethics at Journal of Management and Planning Research (JMPR), please contact the editorial office at: jmpr@lockescience.press.