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Instructions for Authors

Contents

Editorial Procedure

Double-blind Peer Review

AEBJ adheres to a double-blind peer review process, ensuring the highest standards of academic integrity. After an initial assessment by our editors to determine the suitability of a submission, the manuscript is typically sent to at least two independent reviewers for a thorough evaluation of its scientific quality. The final decision on acceptance or rejection rests with our editors. Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision may do so by following the procedures outlined in editorial policies section. It is important to note that only one appeal per submission will be considered, and the decision on the appeal will be final.

To maintain transparency and avoid conflicts of interest, our editors do not participate in the review or decision-making process for papers in which they have a personal interest, whether through authorship, familial relationships, or financial stakes. In such cases, the peer review process will be handled independently to uphold the journal's ethical standards. Read more about editor duties.

To support this process, please submit the title page (with author details) separately from the anonymized manuscript (which excludes author details).

  • The title page must include the following:
    • Manuscript title
    • Author name(s) and affiliation(s)
    • Corresponding author's email and full address
  • The anonymized manuscript should include the following:
    • Title
    • Abstract
    • Keywords
    • The main body of the paper; including required statements, references, figures, and tables.
    • Acknowledgments (without identifying information such as author names/affiliations)

    • Please ensure no identifying details are included in the anonymized manuscript. For further details regarding our peer review procedure, please, see “ Peer Review Policy”

    Manuscript

    • We typically allow papers to be in one of the following two formats: LaTeX or MS Word.
    • We do not consider papers whose only contributions are bibliometric or a response to another paper. The general rule is that we do not publish brief discussion notes. However, we would also consider a paper review or a book review.
    • When citing their own work, authors should use the third person to maintain objectivity. This practice helps to avoid personal bias and ensures that the arguments are based on evidence rather than subjective opinions. For example, instead of saying “I previously found….” use “Khalife (2022) observed that…
    • All in-text references should be included in the reference list at the end of the manuscript.
    • AEBJ will not consider for publication any manuscript that contains offensive, discriminatory, or intolerant language; personal attacks; libel; defamation; grossly unfair criticism; or deliberate misrepresentation.

    Manuscript Submission

    Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described:

    • has not been published before;
    • is not under consideration for publication anywhere else;
    • and its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute where the work has been carried out.
    The publisher will not be held legally responsible should there be any claims for compensation.

    Permissions

    Authors must obtain written permission from copyright owners for any figures, tables, or text passages previously published elsewhere, covering both print and online formats. This permission must be included with the manuscript submission. Any material submitted without such evidence will be considered the author's original work.

    Online Submission

    Please follow the hyperlink “Submit Article” and upload all of your manuscript files following the instructions given on the screen. The system will convert your files into a single PDF for peer review. Editable files (e.g., Word) are required for typesetting the article for final publication. All communication, including the editor's decision and revision requests, will be sent via email.

    Source Files

    Please ensure your article is provided in editable source files at every submission and revision. Failure to do so will result in the manuscript not being reviewed. Please submit your manuscript text in a common word processing format, such as .docx or LaTeX.

    Additional Information

    Manuscripts submitted to AEBJ should neither be published previously nor be under consideration for publication in another journal.

    We expect authors to adhere to the highest ethical standards. This includes acknowledging all sources, avoiding plagiarism, and refraining from resubmitting previously rejected papers. Violations of these principles may lead to rejection, submission bans, and increased scrutiny of future submissions.

    Translated Articles

    The journal does not wish to receive translated articles.

    Article Types

    Authors are required to identify the article type of their manuscript from one of the following options:

    • Original paper: A conceptual paper, literature review, or empirical paper that makes an original contribution.
    • Editorial: Opinion article that expresses the views of the publication or its editorial board.
    • Review paper: A review providing a comprehensive overview of a particular field of research A review of scholarly books and other media that advances dialogue between scholars and the public about business, ethics, and society.
    • Book review: A critical evaluation of a recently published book related to the journal's aims and scope.

    Manuscript Preparation

    Submission Template

    Please download the AEBJ article template, and use it when formatting your article for submission to the journal.

    General Guidelines

    General Structure
    Research manuscripts should comprise:

    • Title Page: Manuscript Title, Authors, and Affiliations List (AEBJ article template)
    • Anonymous Manuscript: Tite, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Statements, References (AEBJ article template)
    Title Page

    The title page should contain the following information:

    • Title – written in a concise and informative way
    • Author information – Names of author(s), Affiliation (institution, city, country), a clear indicative and active Email address of the corresponding author
      If available, the 16-digit ORCID of the author(s)
      (For authors who are temporarily unaffiliated, we will only capture their city and country of residence, not their Email address unless specifically requested)
    • Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, do not meet our authorship criteria. Attribution of authorship implies accountability, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs. The use of an LLM should be clearly documented in the Methods section (or a suitable alternative) of the manuscript. While 'AI-assisted copy editing' (improving readability, style, and grammar) does not require declaration, human accountability, and author agreement are essential for the final version of the text.

    Abstract

    Provide a concise summary of your research not exceeding 150 words covering the following objective of the study, a brief description of the research approach and techniques used, the key findings, and the main conclusion drawn from the results.

    Keywords

    List 5 relevant keywords that highlight the main topic of your research. Single-word keywords are preferred; avoid multi-word phrases and use abbreviations only if they are well-established in the field.

    Text

    Manuscript must be submitted in MS Word or LaTeX.

    • Use double spacing on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides.
    • Use a normal, plain font (12-point Times Roman) for the main body text.
    • For Footnotes use a normal, plain font (10-point Times Roman)
    • Use italics for emphasis.
    • Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages.
    • Do not use field functions.
    • Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.
    • Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables.
    • Use the equation editor or MathType for equations.
    • Save your file in .docx format (Word 2007 or higher) or .doc format (older Word versions). Manuscripts with mathematical content can also be submitted in LaTeX.
    Headings

    Please use the decimal system of headings with no more than three levels.

    Abbreviations

    Abbreviations should be defined in parentheses the first time they appear in the abstract, main text, and in figure or table captions and used consistently thereafter.

    Footnotes

    Footnotes can be used to give additional information, which may include the citation of a reference included in the reference list. They should not consist solely of a reference citation, and they should never include the bibliographic details of a reference. They should also not contain any figures or tables.

    Footnotes to the text are numbered consecutively; those to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data). Footnotes to the title or the authors of the article are not given reference symbols. Always use footnotes instead of endnotes.

    Tables and Figures

    To the extent possible, tables and figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of overly small type in tables. In no case should tables or figures be in a separate document or file. All tables and figures must fit within 1.5" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) in both portrait and landscape view.

    Tables

    • Numbering: All tables should be numbered using Arabic numerals.
    • Citation: Tables must be cited consecutively in the text..
    • Caption: Each table requires a caption above it explaining its components..
    • Source: Acknowledge any previously published material with a reference at the end of the table caption..
    • Footnotes: Indicate footnotes using superscript lowercase letters or asterisks for statistical data. Place them beneath the table body.

    Figures
    All figures (charts, diagrams, line drawings, webpages/screenshots, and photographic images) should be submitted electronically. Both color and black-and-white files are accepted.

    There are a few other important points to note:

    • All figures should be supplied at the highest resolution/quality possible with numbers and text clearly legible.
    • Acceptable formats are .ai, .eps, .jpeg, .bmp, and .tif.
    • Electronic figures created in other applications should be supplied in their original formats and should also be either copied and pasted into a blank MS Word document or submitted as a PDF file.
    • All figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and have clear captions below them.

    Mathematics

    Roman letters used in mathematical expressions as variables should be italicized. Roman letters used as part of multi-letter function names should not be italicized. Whenever possible, subscripts and superscripts should be a smaller font size than the main text.

    Short mathematical expressions should be typed inline. Longer expressions should appear as display math. Also, expressions using many different levels (e.g., such as fractions) should be set as display math. Important definitions or concepts can also be set off as display math. Equations should be numbered sequentially. Whether equation numbers are on the right or left is the choice of the author(s). However, you are expected to be consistent in this.

    Symbols and notation in unusual fonts should be avoided. This will not only enhance the clarity of the manuscript but will also help ensure that it displays correctly on the reader's screen and prints correctly on her printer.

    When proofing your document under PDF pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notation drawn from other than standard fonts.

    Acknowledgments

    An optional Acknowledgments section can be included to recognize individuals who contributed to the research but do not qualify as authors. This may include assistants, collaborators, funding sources, or other relevant parties.

    Quotations

    For quotations exceeding 40 words, use indentation or a smaller typeface to distinguish them from the main text. Employ double quotation marks for direct quotes and single quotation marks for nested quotes or terms used in a special sense.

    References

    It is the author's obligation to provide complete references with the necessary information. After the last sentence of your submission, please insert a line break—not a page break—and begin your references on the same page, if possible. References should appear right after the end of the document, beginning on the last page if possible. Please supply a reference list in alphabetical order using the style guidelines below. Where a DOI is available, this should be included at the end of the reference.

    The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list.

    The journal uses the APA style. In this style, both expanded and abbreviated style is allowed for author’s initials in references but one style must be consistent throughout the article.

    • Author-Date System: Use the author's last name and year of publication in parentheses (e.g., Smith, 2023).
    • Multiple Authors:
      • Two authors: Include both last names separated by "and" (e.g., Smith & Jones, 2023).
      • Three or more authors: Use the first author's last name followed by "et al." (e.g., Smith et al., 2023).
      • Direct Quotes: Include page numbers after the closing quotation mark (e.g., "This is a quote" (Smith, 2023, p. 42)).
      • Multiple Works by Same Author: Use lowercase letters after the year to differentiate publications from the same year (e.g., Smith, 2023a; Smith, 2023b).

    Variant with first name initials only:

    Book
    In-text citation: (Smith, 2023, p. 42)
    Reference list entry: Smith, J. (2023). The History of Everything. New York: Penguin Books.

    Journal Article
    In-text citation: (Jones & Brown, 2022)
    Reference list entry: Jones, J., & Brown, M. (2022). The impact of technology on society. Journal of Future Trends, 15(2), 123-145. [invalid URL removed]

    Website
    In-text citation: (American Psychological Association, 2023)
    Reference list entry: American Psychological Association. (2023). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. www.apa.org

    Book Chapter
    In-text citation: (Davis, 2023, p. 10)
    Reference list entry: Davis, M. (2023). Chapter title. In J. Smith (Ed.), Book title (pp. 1-20). Publisher.

    English Language Editing

    For editors and reviewers to accurately assess the work presented in your manuscript you need to ensure the English language is of sufficient quality to be understood. If you need help with writing in English, you should consider:

    • asking a colleague who is a native English speaker to review your manuscript for clarity.
    • using a professional language editing service where editors will improve the English to ensure that your meaning is clear and identify problems that require your review.

    Papers will undergo a quick check of grammar and phrasing. However, as a journal, we do not provide professional editing services. If extensive English corrections are necessary, you are required to connect to professional editorial services before the article can be published.

    Submitting a Revision

    Submission steps for a revised manuscript are very similar to those for a new manuscript. After the author receives the editor's request for a revision, the author can find the submission in the "Submissions Needing Revision" folder. When you are ready to submit the revision:

    1. Go to your "Submissions Needing Revision" folder.
    2. Click the "Revise Submission" link and confirm that you are ready to submit the revised files. This returns you to the submission steps. Revisit any steps that need updating.
    3. Submit a response to the reviewers:
      To allow the assessment of your revision by the editors and reviewers, you are required to upload a version of your manuscript highlighting any revisions made or writing in a different color. For more detailed instructions, please visit this page, or read the "Submitting Revised Manuscripts" section in the Editorial Manager Author Tutorial.

    Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

    AEBJ is committed to ensuring integer and ethically sound publishing. We therefore closely follow the suggestion of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as laid out in the COPE guidelines (Promoting integrity in scholarly research and its publication COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics).

    Authors should prevent any publication that misrepresents research results and could erode the trust in AEBJ. Moreover, submitted research papers should not in any way undermine the professionalism of scientific authorship. All authors are requested to maintain the highest integrity standards regarding their research and its presentation.

    The following points represent good scientific practice and should be respected by all authors:

    • Submitted manuscripts must be the original work of the authors and their paper has not been submitted to another journal simultaneously. Moreover, identical or similar versions of the manuscript have not been published elsewhere before. This also applies to publications of the same manuscript in different languages.
    • A single study should not be split up into several parts to increase the number of submissions and submitted to various journals or to one journal over time (i.e. ‘salami-slicing/publishing’).
    • Any conflict of interest must be declared upon submission to clarify upfront whether the paper can be transferred into the reviewing process. In this context, all authors of a manuscript have to disclose any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that may have influenced the results of their studies.
    • Submitting manuscripts to AEBJ implies that there is no infringement of existing copyright. With submission, all authors agree to acknowledge accurately and properly scientific sources and the work of others. Authors should be transparent if they want to re-use their own material in order to prevent self-plagiarism. If plagiarism becomes apparent during the review process, the manuscript risks being disqualified for further publication. If plagiarism is detected after the publication of the manuscript, AEBJ may publish a correction with the article; in severe cases, the editors will retract the paper.
    • No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the author’s own (‘plagiarism’). Proper acknowledgments to other works must be given (this includes material that is closely copied (near verbatim), summarized and/or paraphrased), quotation marks (to indicate words taken from another source) are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions secured for material that is copyrighted.
    • AEBJ may use software to screen manuscripts for plagiarism.
    • Authors should make sure they have permission for the use of software, questionnaires/(web) surveys, and scales in their studies (if appropriate).
    • Research articles and non-research articles (e.g. Editorial, Book Review, and Paper Review) must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made. Excessive and inappropriate self-citation or coordinated efforts among several authors to collectively self-cite is strongly discouraged.
    • Authors should avoid untrue statements about an entity (who can be an individual person or a company) or descriptions of their behavior or actions that could potentially be seen as personal attacks or allegations about that person.
    • Authors should present results clearly and comprehensively and refrain from fabrication, falsification, or data manipulation of any kind.
    • Upon submission of the manuscript, authors have received written permission to use any material in the paper that was provided or created by third parties.
    • Authors may be asked to provide raw data in connection with manuscripts for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data if possible.
    • Authors must ensure that all relevant authors to the article, the corresponding author as well as the order of authors are identified and defined upon submission. There will be no changes of authorship after the acceptance of a manuscript.

    *All of the above are guidelines and authors need to make sure to respect third parties’ rights such as copyright and/or moral rights.

    If there is suspicion of misbehavior or alleged fraud the Journal and/or Publisher will carry out an investigation following COPE guidelines. If, after investigation, there are valid concerns, the author(s) concerned will be contacted under their given Email address and given an opportunity to address the issue. Depending on the situation, this may result in the Journal’s and/or Publisher’s implementation of the following measures, including, but not limited to:

    • If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
    • If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction:
      • an erratum/correction may be placed with the article
      • an expression of concern may be placed with the article
      • or in severe cases, retraction of the article may occur.

    The reason will be given in the published erratum/correction, expression of concern or retraction note. Please note that retraction means that the article is maintained on the platform, watermarked “retracted” and the explanation for the retraction is provided in a note linked to the watermarked article.

    • The author’s institution may be informed.
    • A notice of suspected transgression of ethical standards in the peer review system may be included as part of the author’s and article’s bibliographic record.

    Fundamental Errors

    Authors have an obligation to correct mistakes once they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article. The author(s) is/are requested to contact the journal and explain in what sense the error is impacting the article. A decision on how to correct the literature will depend on the nature of the error. This may be a correction or retraction. The retraction note should provide transparency on which parts of the article are impacted by the error.

    Suggesting Reviewers

    Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers when they submit their manuscripts. When suggesting reviewers, authors should make sure they are totally independent and not connected to the work in any way. It is strongly recommended to suggest a mix of reviewers from different countries and different institutions. When suggesting reviewers, the Corresponding Author must provide an institutional email address for each suggested reviewer, or, if this is not possible include other means of verifying the identity such as a link to a personal homepage, a link to the publication record, or a researcher or author ID in the submission letter. Please note that the Journal may not use the suggestions, but suggestions are appreciated and may help facilitate the peer review process.

    Authorship Principles

    With the submission of their manuscript, authors have agreed with all content and with the publication of the content. In case permission from responsible authorities related to the research is required, authors must have obtained these before submission of the manuscript.

    AEBJ does not set specific authorship criteria. Authors should follow the guidelines established for their particular research field. If no such guidelines are available, they can use the following criteria as a reference:

    • Substantial Contributions: Contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, or creation of new software.
    • Intellectual Content: Involvement in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
    • Approval: Final approval of the published version of the work.
    • Accountability: Agreement to take responsibility for addressing questions regarding the work’s accuracy or integrity.

    Disclosures and Declarations

    All authors must provide information about funding sources, any financial or non-financial interests, and ethics committee approval for research involving humans. If the research involved human participants, include details of informed consent.

    Data Transparency

    Authors must ensure that all data, materials, software applications, or custom code support the claims made in their published work and adhere to field standards.

    Confidentiality

    Authors must maintain the confidentiality of all communications with the Journal. This includes interactions with Journal representatives such as editors-in-chief and reviewers’ reports. Information should only be shared if explicit consent has been obtained.

    Compliance with Ethical Standards

    To maintain objectivity and transparency, authors should disclose potential conflicts of interest and informed consent procedures for human participants as well as data availability. This ensures adherence to ethical and professional research standards.

    In case the research involves human participants, authors should include in the manuscript; preferably under the Method section in a separate section entitled “Compliance with Ethical Standards, the informed consent and ethical committee approval (if applicable).

    The corresponding author must be ready to provide documentation of ethical compliance upon request during peer review or after publication.

    The editors may reject manuscripts that do not adhere to these guidelines. Authors are responsible for false statements or non-compliance.

    Statements and Declaration

    Authors must include statements related to the below before the references while respecting the same order:

    • Ethics Statement
    • Funding Disclosure
    • Conflicts of Interest
    • Data Availability

    Ethics Statement

    In the case of surveys (interviews and questionnaires), authors should include the following statement:
    “Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”

    Funding Disclosure

    Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research and manuscript preparation. The role of the sponsors, if any, in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript writing, and the decision to submit for publication should be clearly stated. If the sponsors had no such involvement, this should be noted in the submission.

    Please add one of the following statements:

    • Funding: This work was supported by [Funding Agency] [Grant Numbers xxxx, yyyy]; [Other Agency, City, State] [Grant Number zzzz]; and [Institution Name, City, State] [Grant Number aaaa].
    • If no funding was received, authors should include the statement: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

    Declaration of Conflict of Interests

    Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that are directly or indirectly related to the submitted work for publication. Interests that have arisen within the last three years—covering the research conducted and the preparation of the manuscript—should be reported. Additionally, any interests outside of these three years must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work.

    Please add one of the following statements:

    • “Financial interests: Authors A and B declare that they have no financial interests. Author C has received speaker and consulting fees from Company M. Dr. C has also received a speaker honorarium and research funding from Companies M and N. Author D has received travel support from Company O. Non-financial interests: Author D has served on advisory boards for Companies M and N.”
    • “The author(s) declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript.”

      • Data Availability Statement

      Please add one of the following statements:

      • “The data used are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”
      • “The data used in this study are confidential and cannot be shared due to privacy restrictions.”
      • “The data used in this study are publicly available at [repository name/link], with DOI [DOI number]. In case this option was selected, the author should be given a place to write the link and DOI.”
      • “Data sharing does not apply to this manuscript as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.”
      • “All relevant data are included in the manuscript and its supplementary information files.”
      • “The data are not publicly available due to third-party restrictions.”

      Proofs

      You will receive a PDF proof of your article via email for your review. Kindly verify the accuracy of the typesetting, editing, content, and formatting of the text, tables, and figures.

      To expedite the publication process, please submit all necessary corrections in a single response within 48 hours.

      Please note: Proofreading is the author's responsibility. Failure to provide timely feedback may result in the publication of the article without further revisions.

      Revised manuscripts

      When you revise your manuscript, please submit the following files:

      • Revised Manuscript with Highlighted Changes:
        Upload a copy of your revised manuscript with the changes you've made highlighted in Microsoft Word.
      • Response to Reviewers:
        Create a document detailing the specific comments from each reviewer and editor and outline your responses to these comments and list the changes you've made to the manuscript.
      • Clean Copy of Revised Manuscript:
        Upload a final, clean copy of your revised manuscript without any highlighted revisions.

      After acceptance

      Once your article is accepted for publication, it will be prepared for typesetting. After the typesetting process is finished, you will receive the proofs for your review.

      Supplementary Materials

      Please provide a comprehensive list of any supplementary materials (figures, tables, videos, spreadsheets, etc.) that have been published online alongside the manuscript.

      For each supplementary material, please specify its:

      • Name (e.g., Figure S1, Table S2)
      • Title

      Please adhere to this format to ensure clarity and consistency.

      Article Publishing Charge

      The journal does not charge any Article Processing Charges (APCs) for publication.