Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions at the International Journal of Business & Computational Sciences (IJBCS) are based on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, originality, ethical compliance and relevance to scope.

Editorial authority

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for editorial standards and decisions, working with qualified handling editors and reviewers. The publisher, Health and Education Research Network (HERN), supports journal administration and infrastructure and must not interfere with individual acceptance or rejection decisions.

Commercial separation

APC collection, advertising, sponsorship, waivers and any external consultancy must remain separate from editorial assessment. Payment never guarantees acceptance. Staff involved in billing must not influence reviewers or editorial decisions. The journal must not offer acceptance, favorable review, authorship, manufactured citations or backdated publication for payment.

Competing interests and recusal

Editors disclose relevant financial, professional, institutional, academic and personal relationships. A conflicted editor must refer the manuscript to an independent editor. Submissions by editors, board members or close collaborators follow the same standards as other submissions; the author-editor has no access to confidential decision-making in their own case.

Appointments and accountability

Editorial appointments must reflect relevant expertise, consent and defined responsibilities. Affiliations and public profiles should be kept current. Nominal appointments and fabricated credentials are unacceptable. HERN and editorial leadership must protect legitimate editorial decisions from commercial retaliation.

Complaints

Concerns should be sent to editor@ijbcs.org, identifying the case and evidence. A person named in a complaint must not control its investigation. Complaints about the Editor-in-Chief should be referred to HERN for independent handling by an unconflicted person. The journal must document the review and communicate a reasoned outcome.