Policies

Publication Ethics

INNOVATE upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity, setting out clear responsibilities for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher in line with COPE principles.

COPE aligned
Peer-reviewed
Integrity first

Publishing scholarly work contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge in information systems, digital technologies, and innovation studies. That contribution depends on the trust readers, funders, and institutions place in the editorial record.

All parties involved are expected to uphold ethical standards throughout the editorial and publishing process. Editorial decisions remain independent, evidence-based, and free from commercial or personal influence.

Publication Decisions

Editors determine suitability based on originality, academic contribution, scope relevance, methodological quality, and clarity. Decisions must comply with legal and ethical standards.

Fairness & Impartiality

Manuscripts are evaluated on intellectual merit without discrimination related to race, gender, nationality, religion, affiliation, citizenship, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts remain confidential and are not disclosed except to the corresponding author, reviewers, editorial advisors, and the publisher as appropriate.

Conflict of Interest

Editors must not use unpublished materials for personal research or advantage without written author consent, and must recuse themselves from decisions where a conflict exists.

Contribution to Decisions

Reviewers assist editors and help authors improve manuscripts through constructive, scholarly feedback grounded in evidence.

Promptness

Reviewers who are unqualified or unable to complete a review within the agreed time should notify the editor promptly so a replacement can be found.

Confidentiality & Objectivity

Manuscripts are confidential. Reviews must be objective, evidence-based, and free from personal criticism or disparaging remarks.

Sources & Conflicts

Reviewers should flag uncited relevant works and substantial overlap with other publications. Any conflict of interest requires withdrawing from the review.

Author responsibilities

Present accurate, original, and objective research with sufficient detail for replication.
Ensure manuscripts are entirely original; cite all borrowed work appropriately.
Do not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals.
Provide raw data when reasonably requested and retain it for a suitable period.
Limit authorship to significant contributors; all co-authors must approve submission.
Acknowledge all sources of funding and substantive contributions to the research.
Notify the editor promptly of significant errors and cooperate in corrections or retractions.

Reporting misconduct

Concerns may be raised by readers, reviewers, authors, or institutions at any time.

What to report

Suspected plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or citation and authorship disputes.

How we respond

Reports are assessed confidentially and proportionately. Where needed, the journal contacts the corresponding author and the author's institution before deciding on corrections or retraction.

Ethical oversight

COPE

The editorial board prevents publication malpractice and maintains the integrity of the academic record. Allegations of misconduct, plagiarism, or conflicts of interest are handled according to international standards.