Publishing Policies
Publishing Policy
Open Access Policy
All articles published in BSS are fully open access under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), ensuring immediate and free access for readers worldwide. Authors retain copyright.
Article Processing Charges (APCs)
To support open access publishing, BSS may charge a transparent Article Processing Charge (APC). Waivers or discounts are available to authors from low- and middle-income countries or on a case-by-case basis based on financial need.
Peer Review Policy
BSS employs a single-blind peer review system:
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Submissions are initially screened for scope, quality, and ethical compliance.
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Two or more independent expert reviewers evaluate each manuscript.
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Editorial decisions are based on reviewer feedback, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, and clarity.
Ethical Standards and Misconduct
The journal strictly follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. Authors, reviewers, and editors must uphold the highest ethical standards in research integrity, authorship, data transparency, and conflict of interest disclosures. Cases of suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication) will be investigated thoroughly.
Data Sharing and Transparency
Authors are encouraged to make research data, methods, and materials openly available. Where applicable, data availability statements must be included in manuscripts.
Archiving
All published content is digitally archived in our internal repositories.
Correction and Retraction Policy
Corrections, errata, or retractions will be issued in accordance with COPE guidelines. Authors or readers may notify the journal of any post-publication errors or concerns.
Licensing and Copyright
All articles are published under the CC BY 4.0 license. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a license to publish.
Editorial Policy
Editorial Board Structure
BSS maintains an international and diverse editorial board comprising scholars and professionals with recognized expertise in business and social sciences. Editorial board members are appointed based on academic qualifications, publication history, and subject area expertise.
Editorial Responsibilities
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Editor-in-Chief: Oversees journal scope, strategy, policy enforcement, and final decision-making.
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Associate Editors: Manage peer review processes, ensure quality, and advise on editorial direction.
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Editorial Advisors/Section Editors: Support article evaluation in specialized areas and promote journal outreach.
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Editorial Staff and Handling Editors
All editorial staff must declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from processing any manuscript where bias may arise.
Editorial Independence and Integrity
Editorial decisions are made independently from commercial considerations. The journal is committed to a transparent and fair editorial process. No manuscript is accepted or rejected based on author affiliation, nationality, or funding source.
Reviewer Selection and Confidentiality
Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise, academic standing, and impartiality. All peer review communications are confidential. Reviewer identities are blinded to authors, and vice versa.
Manuscript Handling Time
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Initial decision: within 7–10 days.
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Peer review completion: typically within 4–6 weeks.
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Final decision: promptly after receiving all reviews.
Authors are kept informed throughout the process. Delays are communicated transparently.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
BSS promotes inclusive editorial and publishing practices. The journal encourages submissions from underrepresented regions and disciplines and supports gender and geographic diversity in its editorial board and reviewer pool.
Compliance with International Standards
BSS adheres to:
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ICMJE Recommendations for authorship and disclosure
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COPE Core Practices for ethical publishing
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DOAJ Best Practice Guidelines
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Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA