⦁ Editor in Chief:

⦁ Associate Editor:

⦁ International Advisory Board:

  Governance Policy for the Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance (AJELG)

1. Introduction
This Governance Policy outlines the roles, responsibilities, and procedures for key positions within the journal, ensuring effective management, quality control, and adherence to ethical standards.

2. Governance Structure (Roles and Responsibilities/Duties)
 
 

2.1. Founding Editor

§ Role: The Founding Editor (FE) is responsible for establishing and developing the journal, securing financial resources needed to support its operations, growth, and strategic initiatives. The FE’s leadership is important in maintaining the journal’s credibility, ensuring its long-term success within academic communities.

§ Responsibilities:

- Identify and pursue funding opportunities from institutions, government bodies, foundations, and private sector sponsors.
 - Prepare grant applications and proposals to secure financial support for the journal’s projects.
 - Collaborate with the editorial board and publisher to align publication efforts with the journal’s aims and scopes.
 - Implement strategies for diversifying publication sources, including partnerships.
 - Allocate funds for various aspects of journal operations, including editorial activities and technological improvements.
 - Establish partnerships with academic institutions, research organisations, and industries for for collaborative publications.
 - Represent the journal at conferences, symposia, and networking events to raise awareness and engage with potential collaborators.
 - Engage with social media and digital platforms to increase the journal’s impact and attract furthers collaborations.
 - Contribute to strategic discussions regarding the journal's expansion, including special issues and research initiatives.

2.2. Editor-in-Chief
 § Role: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) oversees the journal's editorial direction, strategic development, and policy implementation.
 
 

§ Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and vision for the journal fostering editorial excellence and staying informed about innovations in research, innovation, and technology and also their theories and practices. In this regard, upon their appointment, the Editor-in-Chief must present a long-term strategy (5-year period) for the journal.
- Ensure the quality and integrity of the published content, addressing cases where withdrawing a paper is necessary due to to unreliable results, data fabrication, or unethical conduct. EiC is ethically and morally obligated to investigate alleged cases of misconduct thoroughly, potentially resulting in the rejection of articles.
- Make final decisions on manuscript acceptance or rejection. Ensuring assessments are fair, impartial, and timely. If manuscripts do not comply with the journal’s guidelines or scope, the EiC may reject them without peer review.
- Oversee the peer review process and ensure timely publication.
- Maintain and enhance the journal's reputation developing strategies to increase its impact factor and citation rates.

- Ensure the timely indexing process for each issue released across all databases in which the Journal is currently indexed. 

- Ensure adherence to ethical publishing standards, regularly updating editorial policies to reflect best practices.

- Liaise with the Publishing House and represent the Journal at academic and professional events.

- Act promptly if improper conduct is suspected or if accused of improper conduct.

- May not disclose others communications and materials related to the revision process to others and may not keep or copy the manuscript.

- Familiarise themselves with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Publication Ethics Resource Kit (PERK), which offers online support for managing publishing ethics issues.

§ Appointment and Term: The EiC is appointed by the Managing Board of the Publisher and serves an open-ended term, renewable every 5 years, based on performance and long-term strategy. Academic performance will be evaluated through key metrics, including year-over-year increases in h-index scores as provided by Google Scholar, Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID, and SciProfiles.

 2.3. Associate Editor(s)
 § Role:  Associate Editor(s) (AE) assist the EiC in managing the editorial workflow and upholding the journal's standards.

§ Responsibilities:
- Collaborate closely with the Editor in Chief (EiC) to make informed editorial decisions and uphold the journal's standards.

- Manage submissions within specific areas of expertise, ensuring they align with the journal's scope and quality criteria.

- Oversee the coordination and execution of special issues and thematic collections, from soliciting contributions to final publication.

- Facilitate and support the peer review process, ensuring rigorous evaluation and timely feedback to authors.

- Assume the EiC responsibilities in their absence to maintain operational efficiency.

 § Appointment and Term: AEs are appointed by the EiC in consultation with the editorial board and serve an open-ended term, renewable every 5 years by mutual agreement on the medium-term strategy provided and demonstrated academic performance. Academic performance will be evaluated through key metrics, including year-over-year increases in h-index scores as provided by Google Scholar, Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID, and SciProfiles.

 
 2.4. International Advisory Board
 § Role: The International Advisory Board (IAB) provides strategic advice on the journal’s direction, policies, and development.

§ Responsibilities:
- Advise the EiC and editorial team on editorial policies, long-term planning, and high standards of academic integrity.

- Recommend and critically review potential topics for special issues, that align with the journal’s scope advancing knowledge in the field.

- Act as ambassadors for the journal within the international academic community, fostering collaborations and enhancing its global visibility.

- Assist in identifying and attracting high-quality manuscripts and competent reviewers, contributing to the journal's growth and impact.

- Provide valuable feedback on the journal's performance and areas for improvement, based on their expertise and understanding of the field.

 § Composition and Appointment: Comprised of distinguished scholars and professionals from diverse geographical and disciplinary backgrounds. Members are appointed by the Founding Editor and EiC in consultation with current IAB members, based an invitation. Serve five-years, renewable by mutual agreement based on demonstrated academic performance. Academic performance will be assessed through key metrics, including year-over-year increases in h-index scores as provided by Google Scholar, Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID, and SciProfiles.

Duties of Authors:

§ Submitted manuscript must be the original work of the author(s) and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others they ensure that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

§ Only unpublished manuscript should be submitted. Author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. It is unethical to submit a manuscript to more than one journal concurrently.

§ Any conflict of interest must be clearly stated. Authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. The AJELG_Disclosure Interest will be filled and signed in the same time with your paper submission.

§ Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be recognised. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

§ All errors discovered in the manuscript after submission must be promptly communicated to the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

§ If the authors decide to withdraw the paper from the revision process or they decide not to respond to the reviewers’ comments, after having received a conditional acceptance, they must inform the editors. Authors should respond to comments made in reviews in a professional manner and in due time.

§ Authors should acknowledge the contributions of those who provided support, guidance, or resources that helped in conducting the research. The template form of the paper has a brief section where authors express their appreciation and recognition to individuals, groups, or organisations that have contributed to the research but may not qualify for authorship. If individuals or organisations are being acknowledged by name, it is advisable to seek their informed consent before including their names in the publication.

§ Authorship to the manuscript should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included to the manuscript, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication. It is unacceptable to mention as authors persons whose contribution to the research has been scanty or actually non-existent (the so-called “guest authorship”). It is likewise inappropriate to conceal information on the contribution of persons who have actually participated in the creation of the publication. This must be recognised in form of acknowledgements at the end of the text or by including this person as a co-author. “Ghostwriting” and “guest authorship” are manifestations of scholarly unreliability.

§ Authors should disclose their specific contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. This disclosure is included in Credit Authorship Contribution Statement section in the published paper. This section has the intention of recognising individual author contributions, reducing authorship disputes and facilitating collaboration. For more details about how to describe the role played, please see: https://credit.niso.org/ The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the descriptions are accurate and agreed by all authors.

§ All errors discovered in the manuscript after submission must be promptly communicated to the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

§ If the authors decide to withdraw the paper from the revision process or they decide not to respond to the reviewers’ comments, after having received a conditional acceptance, they must inform the editors. Authors should respond to comments made in reviews in a professional manner and in due time.

§ If authors have not revised their articles within six weeks without offering any explanation, the paper will be postponed to the next issue. However, if more than six months pass without revision, the research reported may start to become outdated in terms of its evidence base. After one year in the system without revision, it becomes evident that the author is unlikely to revise the paper.

Duties of Reviewers:

§ Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author who may also assist the author in improving the paper.

§ Reviewers are expected to respond promptly to requests to review and to submit reviews within the time agreed.

§ Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research report in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.

§ Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorised by the editor.

§ Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

§ Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement or an observation, derivation, or argument that had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call the editor's attention to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

§ Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers. A Non-Conflict of Interest Statement is included in the AJELG_Reviewer Form in which they affirm that don't have any financial, professional, or personal affiliations or relationships with any individual, organisation, or entity that could potentially influence or bias their judgment or review of the manuscript.

§ Commitment to providing an unbiased and objective evaluation of the manuscript based solely on its scientific merits, originality, validity, and relevance to the field,  maintaining strict confidentiality and handling all materials and information provided for the review process with the utmost professionalism and integrity.

3. Editorial Process

- Manuscripts are submitted through the journal’s online submission system, which ensures efficiency and transparency. Authors' work are anonymously considerate for reviewing to maintain a double-blind process. This system helps in maintaining impartiality and fairness in the review process.

- Upon submission, the Managing Editor oversees the assignment of manuscripts to reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise and familiarity with the subject matter, drawn from a registered pool within the RITHA Editorial & Publishing System. The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) and Associate Editor play key roles in identifying suitable reviewers who can provide insightful evaluations of the manuscript's quality, originality, methodology, and relevance to the journal's scope.
 - Following the peer review process, the EiC consolidates feedback from reviewers and the Associate Editor (when is the case) to make a final decision on the manuscript. This decision may include acceptance, revision with major or minor changes, or rejection. The aim is to ensure that decisions are made promptly and fairly, considering the scholarly merit and potential impact of the submission.
 - Once accepted, manuscripts are prepared for publication by Associate Editor (when is the case) under the overseeing of the EiC. This involves typesetting, formatting, and ensuring adherence to the journal's style guidelines. The editorial team works diligently to maintain the quality and integrity of the published content while aiming for timely release of journal issues. The EiC oversees the final approval process before publication to guarantee accuracy and consistency across all published articles.

4. Conflict of Interest
 
 

All editors, board members, authors, and reviewers will disclose any potential conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest arises when a person’s personal, academic, or financial interests could compromise their impartiality or integrity in the editorial process.

• - The Founding Editor encountered situations where their funding partners, collaborators, or institutional affiliations influenced editorial decisions. Financial or professional conflicts related to certain manuscripts had to be disclosed and managed transparently.
• - The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) and Associate Editors (AEs)were occasionally required to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts due to personal, academic, or financial conflicts. Cases arose where editors had direct affiliations with institutions, financial ties, or relationships with submitting authors, necessitating their withdrawal from the editorial process. These conflicts were disclosed, and alternative editors were assigned to maintain objectivity.
• - Reviewers faced instances where professional, personal, or financial relationships with authors or institutions compromised their ability to provide an impartial review. In such cases, reviewers had to step away from the evaluation process. They were required to sign conflict-of-interest statements to ensure transparency in the peer-review process.
• - Authors had to disclose financial or professional conflicts affecting their manuscripts. Some research projects were funded or influenced by external entities, raising concerns about objectivity. These conflicts were acknowledged within manuscripts and through the submission system to ensure transparency.
• - The Publisher refrained from interfering in editorial decisions, allowing the EiC, AEs, and reviewers to operate independently. Any external influence from the Publisher on manuscript acceptance or rejection would have constituted a violation of ethical standards and prompted a review of the Publisher’s involvement.

In all cases, conflicts of interest were addressed with transparency. When necessary, alternative editorial staff were assigned to uphold fairness and impartiality in the review and publication process.

5. Amendments
Any amendments to the Governance Policy will be proposed by the Founding Editor or Editor-in-Chief and communicated to all stakeholders (including editorial board members, reviewers, and authors) for transparency. Regular reviews of the policy will be conducted to ensure alignment with best practices in academic publishing.

 Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0  and BOAI definition of open access. 

Journal applies the DOAJ's principle of Open access for its digital content: "Open Access is only when digital content is freely available online AND user rights and the terms of copyright are defined. Publishing open access offers a number of benefits for authors:

• Authors maintain the copyright to their work through the use of a Creative Commons Attribution License, allowing for the reuse and redistribution of publications as long as proper attribution is given to the original author.

• Open access publications undergo the same high-quality and rigorous peer review, production, and publishing processes as journals and books following the traditional subscription-based model.

• Open access journals that cross multiple disciplines help researchers connect more easily and providing greater visibility of their research. 

• Open access publications benefit from increased citations and usage, as well as greater public engagement, because the content is available to those who cannot access subscription-based content.

• An efficient online submission and production process ensures swift review, approval, and publication, facilitating a faster dissemination of research findings.

• Online publishing eliminates space constraints, providing authors with ample room for supplementary material, including figures, extensive data, and video footage.

• Open access publications enable authors to quickly and easily comply with open access mandates from funding sources or academic institutions. Final articles can be deposited into bibliographic databases and institutional repositories without embargo periods.

• Open access journals, like traditional ones, are deposited into bibliographic databases and institutional repositories without embargo periods. The immediate availability of full-text articles in Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance, without registration or subscription, allows search engines like Google Scholar to index them fully, significantly enhancing their visibility.

Open Access Explained

Publishing open access (OA) offers significantly greater reach and readership for authors' work: 1.6 times more citations than non-OA articles across all subjects, OA articles are downloaded four times more frequently, enhancing visibility and accessibility,  OA articles attract 2.5 times more Altmetric attention, including 1.9 times more news mentions and 1.2 times more policy mentions. These metrics demonstrate that publishing open access not only increases the dissemination of research but also amplifies its influence and engagement within and beyond the scholarly community.

Open Access Explained

Preprints and Conference Papers Policy
 
 

Note that a preprint is a complete research paper shared publicly on platforms before it undergoes formal peer review, aiming to disseminate findings quickly and receive early feedback. In contrast, a working paper is a preliminary report of ongoing research shared within an institution or group to gather informal feedback and stimulate discussion before reaching a more finalised stage.
 
Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance allows for the submission of manuscripts which have already been made available on such a server. Allowing a preprint version as submission does not, of course, guarantee that an article will accepted for publication without reviewing; it simply reflects a belief that availability on a preprint server should not be a disqualifying for submission.

Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Authors may also post the final published version of the article immediately after publication.

If a preprint is assigned a DOI, Publishing House will assign a new DOI to the accepted article using https://doi.org/10.57017/ajelg and can optionally link to the preprint. Note that the preprint publisher must link to the published article, per CrossRef: “[Posted content] consists of preprints, eprints, working papers, reports, dissertations, and many other types of content that has been posted but not formally published… Once a journal article (or book, conference paper, etc.) has been published from the posted content and a DOI has been assigned, the posted content publisher will update their metadata to associate the posted content with the DOI of the accepted manuscript (AM) or version of record (VOR)”. More details are available here.

If authors have previously presented their work at a conference, expanded and high-quality conference papers can also be considered for publication as full articles, under the following conditions:

- The conference paper must be significantly expanded to meet the length and depth of a research article;

- The original conference paper must be properly cited and referenced on the first page of the submission;

- If the authors do not retain the copyright of the published conference paper, they must secure permission from the copyright holder;

- Authors should clearly disclose that the submission is based on a conference paper, and provide a detailed explanation of the changes made from the original version.

Copyright and Licensing Policy

All articles published in Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance are open access licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 which permits unrestricted, use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, or format for any purpose, even commercially provided the work is properly cited. The CC BY licence is the most open licence available and considered the industry 'gold standard' for open access; it is also preferred by many funders. A "License Agreement" will be complete by the author(s) if the submitted manuscript is accepted for publication allowing them to retain the copyright to their work. 

Reproducing Published Material from other Publishers

Authors must obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables, or text extracts) for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be sought from the copyright holder, typically the publisher.

- When permission is required:

      - For authors' own works published by other publishers where copyright was not retained;

      - For substantial extracts from others' works;

     - For using unaltered or slightly modified tables, graphs, charts, schemes, artworks, or photographs not owned by the author.

- When permission is not required:

      - Reconstruction of the author's own table with data published elsewhere, with proper citation;

      - Reasonably short quotes (considered fair use);

      - Graphs, charts, schemes, and artworks completely redrawn by the authors and significantly changed beyond recognition.

- Obtaining Permission:

      - Authors should start obtaining permissions early to avoid publication delays;

      - If unsure about copyright, it's recommended to apply for permission;

      - Acknowledgement of permission should follow a standard style if instructed by the copyright holder.

These guidelines aim to ensure compliance with copyright laws and ethical standards in academic publishing. Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions to reproduce copyrighted material and should adhere to the stated policies to prevent any delays or legal issues in the publication process.

  The principal aim of the journal is to publish original and relevant works that demonstrate practical implications and policy relevance, supported by a robust methodology and a clear theoretical framework. Submissions should align with the journal’s core focus areas. Manuscripts will be considered on the understanding that they present original research or offer meaningful interpretations of progress within a thematic area, and that they are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.


  §  Types of Submissions
We accept the following categories:
- Research Articles (6,000–9,000 words): Original studies with significant findings and policy relevance.
- Review Articles (5,000–8,000 words): Comprehensive reviews of recent developments in relevant fields.
- Case Studies (3,000–5,000 words): Applied case analyses that illustrate practical implementation or reform processes.
- Methodological Notes (3,000–5,000 words): Contributions presenting new tools or approaches for applied research in economics, law, or governance.

  § Manuscript Preparation
Formatting Requirements:
- Manuscripts must be submitted in Word (.doc/.docx) format.
- Use Arial, 11-point font, 1.2 line spacing.
- Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
- Pages should be numbered consecutively.
- Avoid endnotes where possible; use footnotes only if necessary.
Structure:
- Title page (title, author(s), affiliation, email, ORCID)
- Abstract (150–200 words)
- Keywords (4–6)
- Introduction
- Literature Review / Theoretical Framework
- Research Methodology
- Results / Findings
- Discussion
- Conclusions and Policy Implications
- References (APA 7th Edition or Chicago Style – ensure consistency)
Figures and Tables:
- Numbered consecutively and placed within the text, close to where they are first referenced.
- Include captions and indicate the source if applicable.
References:
- Include only those cited in the text, using DOI for each
- Use APA (7th edition) or Chicago Style, consistently throughout the manuscript.

  §  Submission Process
All manuscripts should be submitted through the journal’s online submission system or via email to: journals@ritha.eu

  §  Peer Review Process
- All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review.
- Initial editorial screening ensures thematic alignment and originality.
- Authors will typically receive initial feedback within 4–6 weeks.

  §  Ethical Considerations
- Manuscripts must be original and not under review elsewhere.
- All authors must disclose conflicts of interest, if any.
- Plagiarism or self-plagiarism will lead to rejection or retraction.

  §  Publication Fees
There are no publication fees or charges for submission paper.

  §  Copyright and Open Access
- AJELG operates under an open-access model.
- Authors retain copyright but grant the journal non-exclusive rights to publish and distribute the article.
- Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

  § Contact
For further inquiries or editorial support, please contact: office@ritha.eu

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice

Our Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement is based on the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the position statements developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) at the DORA Roadmap: A two-year strategic plan for advancing global research assessment reform at the institutional, national, and funder level. Furthermore, the ethical framework of the  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance integrates the best practices outlined in The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Endorsed by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and All European Academies (ALLEA), this code serves as a benchmark for national research integrity standards across the European Union, following a rigorous development process.

Publication ethics of Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance refers to the principles, guidelines, and standards that govern the ethical conduct of all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, peer reviewers, and publishers. The primary goal of our publication ethics is to maintain the integrity and credibility of the Journal, ensuring that published papers are accurate, reliable, and transparent. Key aspects of our publication ethics include:

§ Identification and Dealing with Allegations of Research Misconduct
The  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance upholds the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in academic research. Research misconduct undermines the trustworthiness of scientific publication and erodes the public’s trust in academic research. To ensure the credibility of the researches we publish, Journal adheres to the COPE’s principles and procedures for identifying and dealing with allegations of research misconduct.

§ Publication decisions

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The Editor-in-Chief may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

 § Authorship and Contributorship

The  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance adheres to strict policies on authorship and contributorship to ensure transparency and integrity in the publication process. To qualify as an author, individuals must have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or analysis and interpretation of the data. Additionally, authors must be involved in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content, give final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Contributors who do not meet the full criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the manuscript. These contributors may include those providing technical support, writing assistance, funding acquisition, or general supervision of the research group. The corresponding author has the responsibility to communicate with the journal on behalf of all co-authors and ensure that all authors have seen, approved, and are aware of the manuscript submission. Additionally, the corresponding author must ensure that the manuscript adheres to the journal's policies and guidelines, including those concerning conflicts of interest and ethical research conduct.

Requests for changes to the authorship list after submission must be accompanied by a clear explanation for the change and signed confirmation from all authors agreeing to the change. In cases of authorship disputes, the journal will adhere to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), with the Editor-in-Chief mediating and seeking resolution based on these established guidelines.

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be listed in the acknowledgments section. Authors must obtain written permission from acknowledged individuals as they may be recognized for their contribution to the manuscript. Furthermore, authors must provide a clear statement of their individual contributions to the manuscript, which will be published as part of the article. Each author should be listed with their specific contributions, such as conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, resource management, software usage, visualization, original draft preparation, and review and editing.

See also, AJELG_Template Format which includes the section Credit Authorship Contribution Statement: This section has the intention of recognising individual author contributions, reducing authorship disputes and facilitating collaboration. In this regard, the statement will describe for each authors the role played to research outputs. For more details about how to describe the role played, please see: https://credit.niso.org/. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the descriptions are accurate and agreed by all authors. 

§ Fair play

An editor at any time evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

§ Confidentiality

The Editor-in-Chief and any member of editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, or reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, or the publisher, as appropriate. Once a manuscript is rejected for publication, all the copies of the manuscript will be deleted from our editorial system. Reviewers are required to adhere to confidentiality rules and must not distribute or misappropriate any information pertaining to the manuscript during or after the peer-review process. In instances where reviewers wish to involve another individual in the review process, they must seek prior permission from the Editor-in-Chief. Reviewers should provide the name of the person assisting in the review, ensuring that confidentiality is rigorously maintained.

§ Disclosure and conflicts of interest/competing interest

Competing interests, also known as conflicts of interest, occur when the authors, reviewers, or editors have financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence their actions, decisions, or judgments. To ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of published research, JAES requires that authors disclose any potential financial and/or non-financial conflicts of interest both at the end of their manuscript and in the AJELG_Disclosure Interest file. This includes financial relationships, personal relationships, and professional affiliations that could be perceived as influencing the work. If no conflicts of interest are present, authors must explicitly state: "The author(s) declare(s) no conflicts of interest". We acknowledge that some authors may be constrained by confidentiality agreements. In such cases, authors should specify, "The authors declare that they are bound by confidentiality agreements that prevent them from disclosing their competing interests in this work". The declaration for each manuscript during peer review is fully accessible to reviewers and becomes entirely transparent to readers upon the online publication of the manuscript after acceptance.

Similarly, editors and reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling or reviewing manuscripts where a conflict exists. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for managing disclosed conflicts, which may involve reassigning the manuscript to a different editor or reviewer without conflicts. Journal promotes transparency by publishing authors' disclosures within the article to make potential biases apparent to readers. If undisclosed conflicts of interest are discovered post-publication, Journal will investigate and may take actions such as publishing corrections or retractions.

§ Disclosure  the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies

Authors should disclose in their statement the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process. AI and AI-assisted technologies should be used under human control and supervision as they may generate incorrect or prejudiced output, and they should not be listed as an author or co-author, nor cited as an author. A statement will appear in the Disclosure Interest Form: Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication. This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.

See also: COPE Position Statement: Authorship and AI tools | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

§ Duplicate Publication
Manuscripts submitted must be original and should not be published or under consideration for any other journals. Any overlapping publications should be cited. Journal uses iThenticate and Safe Assign to detect possible plagiarism. Any suspected cases of covert duplicate manuscript submission will be handled as outlined in the COPE Guidelines, and the Editor may contact the authors' institution if any misconduct exists. However, a preprint, a poster displayed at an academic conference, or a paper presented at an academic conference but unpublished in full, or being considered for publication in proceedings or similar format, are usually considered as exceptions to this rule.

For more details about the meaning of plagiarism and the varieties of plagiarism types, please see the Plagiarism section from Editorial Policies of Publisher.

§ Citations
Authors are required to ensure proper citation when incorporating material from other sources, including their own previously published work, and to obtain appropriate permissions when necessary. Excessive self-citation is discouraged. Authors should refrain from copying references from other publications without having read the cited work. Additionally, authors should avoid preferential citation of their own, friends', peers', or institution's publications, and should not cite advertisements or advertorial material. Following COPE guidelines, any original wording directly taken from other researchers' publications, including the author's own work, must be enclosed in quotation marks with the appropriate citations. COPE has issued a discussion document on citation manipulation, providing recommendations for best practices, which authors are expected to adhere to. Journal uses the APA in-text citation style: the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Nikolson, 2024). For direct quotations, is included the page number as well, for example: (Nikolson, 2024, p. 56)

§ Expressions of Concern

The Editors of Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance may consider the issuance of an Expression of Concern when substantial concerns arise, justifing the need to alert readers to potentially misleading information within an article. However, the decision to issue an Expression of Concern should be reserved for situations where an investigation into the concerns has proven inconclusive, yet there remain compelling indicators that the concerns are valid. Reference COPE case: Data manipulation and institute's internal review. Editors should be mindful that issuing an Expression of Concern carries comparable risks to a researcher's reputation as a retraction. Therefore, it is often advisable to delay the publication of a retraction until a definitive judgment has been reached through an independent investigation. Reference COPE case: Handling self-admissions of fraud.

§ Complaints and Appeals Process

If authors do not agree with any decision made in editorial handling, they can submit a formal appeal to the Editorial Office of Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance, explaining their reasons. The issue will be soon dealt (no more 7 working days) with according to the COPE Guidelines. Anyone involved in relation with editorial processes of the Journal: an author, reviewer, Editor, or representative, are in need to file a complaint, appeal a decision, or share other information, please send an email detailing the appropriate information (title, author, dataset, etc.) to  journals@ritha.eu with subject line: complaints. Managing Board treats all such communications seriously, confidentially, and will reply being neutral and based on facts, indicating the intended action.
Please maintain your professionalism while communicating with us. Any unprofessional conduct will not be tolerated by editorial board, your complaint will not be considered. We consider also that it is important to respect the correspondent’s right to anonymity.

§ Data Sharing and Reproducibility

The  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and the highest standards of research integrity. In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Journal requires authors to adhere to the following regarding data availability and reproducibility:
- Authors must make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available to editors, reviewers, and readers without restriction, unless legal or ethical considerations prevent sharing. Authors should specify in their manuscript how and where the data can be accessed. If data cannot be shared publicly, the statement must include the reasons and outline any conditions for access.
- All data sets used in the research must be properly cited in the manuscript’s reference list. Authors should ensure that data sets have persistent identifiers, such as Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), to facilitate data citation and retrieval.
- Authors are encouraged to deposit their data in reputable data repositories that adhere to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
- Authors must provide detailed descriptions of the methods, materials, and analysis techniques used in their research to enable other researchers to replicate the study. This includes sharing any code, software, or computational methods applied in the analysis.
- Any supplementary materials, including data sets, protocols, code, and software, should be submitted alongside the manuscript and made available to readers through the journal’s platform or via a trusted repository.
-  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance may require authors to provide raw data and detailed methodological information during the review process to verify the results and conclusions presented in the manuscript. Authors should be prepared to respond promptly to such requests.
- If there are ethical considerations that prevent the sharing of data, such as privacy concerns or proprietary restrictions, authors must explain these limitations in their Data Availability Statement. Any ethical issues must be addressed and resolved in accordance with the guidelines provided by COPE.
- If any issues regarding data availability or reproducibility arise post-publication,  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance will work with the authors to resolve them. This may involve publishing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern as appropriate.

§ Digital Preservation and Repository Policy
 
 

The published articles of the Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance are deposited in the archive system of in-house Editorial & Publishing System to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of the articles. Digital preservation encompasses a series of processes and actions designed to guarantee the enduring accessibility and dissemination of information available in digital formats. The preservation policy of this Journal comprises the following strategies:

      - Website Archiving: All electronic content, including website content and manuscripts, is stored in different locations. The primary server hosts the content online and allows readers to access it. Simultaneously, a backup of the same content is preserved on other servers. In the event of a server failure, these alternative resources can be activated, and the website is expected to be available again within 2 hours, according our agreement with web-servers' provider.
       - Partnership with PORTICO: In addition to our internal archiving efforts and preservation policy,  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance benefits from the agreement signed by its Publisher with PORTICO, a leading digital preservation service. This partnership reinforces our commitment to safeguarding the published articles in this journal, ensuring they are securely archived and remain accessible, even in the event of organisational changes or disruptions.
      - Abstracting/Indexing Services: The journal’s Abstracting/Indexing services retain essential information about articles. Additionally, some of these services also archive metadata and electronic versions of the articles. This enables the scientific community to access copies of the articles through these systems as an alternative to traditional journals.
      -Author Self-Archiving Policy: Authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles in institutional or subject-specific repositories after publication, using the final published version (publisher's PDF). There are no embargo periods for any article published in this journal, which ensures immediate and unrestricted access upon publication. Articles deposited in repositories should be publicly accessible and free of charge, in line with our Open Access and Copyright policy. All articles must be deposited under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), consistent with the journal's licensing. Authors are advised to include complete citation information and a link to the original publication on the journal's website to ensure proper attribution. In this regards, please follow our suggestion from the section Cite this article.

§ Ethical oversight

Authors must obtain explicit consent from all participants, including individuals and organizations, whose data or information is included in the publication. This includes obtaining consent for the use of personal data, images, and other identifying information. A statement confirming that consent to publish has been obtained must be included in the manuscript. Research involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children, elderly, socio-economically disadvantaged groups) must be conducted with heightened ethical considerations. Authors must provide evidence of ethical approval and informed consent specific to the vulnerable group, ensuring that the research does not exploit or harm the participants.
 Research involving animals must comply with relevant national and international ethical guidelines. Authors must provide a statement confirming that the research was approved by an appropriate ethics committee and conducted in accordance with accepted standards for the humane treatment of animals. Details of the care and use of animals must be included in the manuscript. Research involving human subjects must adhere to ethical standards that protect the rights, dignity, and welfare of participants. Authors must obtain approval from a relevant ethics committee and provide a statement confirming that ethical standards were followed, including informed consent and the right to withdraw from the study at any time. Authors must ensure that all confidential data, including personal and sensitive information, is handled with the utmost care and in compliance with relevant data protection regulations. Confidential data must be anonymized or de-identified to protect the privacy of participants. Editors and reviewers are also required to maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and data. The Journal is committed to ethical business and marketing practices. This includes transparency in the publication process, avoiding conflicts of interest, and ensuring that advertising and promotional activities do not compromise the integrity of the journal. All sponsorship and funding sources must be disclosed.

§ Intellectual Property

The  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance adheres to the principles of intellectual property (IP) as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors must ensure that their submissions are original works and do not infringe on the IP rights of others. Any use of third-party material, including figures, tables, or extensive quotations, must be accompanied by proper permissions and attributions. Authors are required to provide evidence of these permissions upon submission. Additionally, Journal emphasises the importance of proper citation and referencing to acknowledge the contributions of other researchers and to avoid plagiarism.

 Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance also respects the IP rights of authors. Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors retain the copyright to their work while granting Journal the right of first publication. This ensures that authors maintain control over their intellectual property while allowing Journal to disseminate the research widely. The Journal supports open access and encourages authors to share their work under Creative Commons licenses, promoting broader access and reuse while protecting the authors' IP rights. Any disputes related to IP infringement are addressed promptly and in accordance with COPE guidelines concerning policy on intellectual property, ensuring fairness and integrity in the publication process.

§ Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

The Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance fosters a culture of continuous dialogue and transparency by encouraging post-publication discussions and corrections, in alignment with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Readers, authors, and reviewers are invited to engage in constructive discussions about published articles through comments, letters to the editor, and online forums. This open dialogue aims to enhance the understanding and interpretation of research findings, fostering an ongoing academic conversation that benefits the entire research community.

In cases where errors or issues in a published article are identified, Journal follows a systematic process to address and correct them. Authors and readers are encouraged to report any inaccuracies or concerns. The editorial team investigates these reports promptly and thoroughly. If necessary, Journal will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern to maintain the integrity of the scientific record. Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not affect the overall findings, while retractions are reserved for more serious issues such as significant errors or misconduct. All post-publication actions are conducted transparently and are clearly documented to ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of the journal.

§ Advertising Policy

Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance can accept only advertisements that are relevant to the journal’s subject community, promote high quality products and services, and are provided by reputable organisations who display a true commitment to science and research. This journal can earn revenue from advertising sales income.
 Publishing House’s advertising policy safeguards editorial autonomy and mitigates potential conflicts of interest as this is states in Editorial Policies of RITHA Publishing House, section Advertising Policy. RITHA Publishing House targets advertising based on publication, taxonomy, geography, behaviour, and opted-in audience demographics. User specific targeting only applies to individuals who have willingly and explicitly agreed to share their personal data as per our privacy policy. For more information about this journal’s advertising policy, please contact office@ritha.eu.

§ Revenue Sources

Journal Malpractice Statement 

Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance is committed to pursuing the highest standards of probity and the elimination of malpractice in research presented within own articles published. It is ultimately the responsibility of the Editor-in-chief to ensure that this policy is disseminated to all and followed through. If any third party believes that malpractice has occurred, they are encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief at journals@ritha.eu. Allegations of malpractice will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by the Editorial Board.

Where malpractice is substantiated, appropriate actions will be taken. This includes the immediate removal of the article in question from the journal platform. Authors found to have deliberately engaged in actions that constitute malpractice, such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of unethical behaviour, will be barred from publishing in Journal in the future. Additionally, if any cases arise, it is advisable to act in accordance with the Editorial Policies of RITHA Publishing House.

In handling all manuscripts, the Editor-in-Chief makes publication decisions based on the thorough evaluation by reviewers, adherence to the journal's governance policies, and compliance with legal constraints concerning plagiarism, libel, and copyright infringement. It is expected that authors will provide accurate data, cite relevant sources appropriately, and disclose any conflicts of interest.

The Editorial Board of  Applied Journal of Economics, Law & Governance is committed to maintaining the integrity of scholarly publishing and ensuring that all published research meets rigorous ethical standards. This commitment extends to fostering an environment of trust and transparency among authors, reviewers, and readers, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in applied economics while safeguarding the scholarly content.