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1. Ethics and Responsibilities of Authors

1.1 Responsibilities of Authors

Authors of a manuscript should present original research with an accurate account of the work performed along with an objective discussion of its significance. Authors are responsible for the truth and accuracy of their data. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. Upon request, authors are required to provide relevant documentation (in the form of raw data, samples, records, etc.) for verification of their validity. Research data after publication should be retained by authors in accordance with the policies of the organization to which they belong.

A manuscript should contain sufficient details and references to permit readers to replicate the work, if required. Fraudulent or deliberately inaccurate statements or data constitute unethical scientific behavior and may lead to rejection of a manuscript or retraction of a published article. Authors should also ensure that they have written entirely original work. If data, statements, or derivations from another published work have been reproduced, they must be appropriately cited or quoted in compliance with existing laws on plagiarism. Excessive and inappropriate self-citations, text recycling, or coordinated efforts among several authors to collectively self-cite are strongly discouraged. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.

Author(s) should ensure that a submitted manuscript reports an original work and that its contents have not been published elsewhere (partially or in full) in any form or language, unless the reported work concerns an expansion of a previous work that is duly cited. Concurrent submission of one manuscript to more than one journal, or submitting an already published paper to another journal, is considered unethical behavior.

If authors use their previously published or under-review work, they must properly acknowledge and cite the original work. The journal will deal with cases of text recycling according to COPE guidelines (COPE Council. Handling concurrent and duplicate submissions).

1.2 Authorship & Author Contributions

The names of authors are to be listed in the manuscript in order of their contributions, and all authors take responsibility for their own contributions. Authorship should be limited to those who have: (1) made significant contribution to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, or the creation of new software/model, or drafted the work or substantively revised it; (2) approved the submitted version; and (3) agreed to be personally accountable for their contributions (COPE Discussion Document: Authorship).

For transparency, authors should include an Author Contribution Statement following the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework. The corresponding author is responsible for including the contributions of all authors in the manuscript before the References section.

The journal does not support any unethical practice that inappropriately attributes authorship credits. Authorship misconduct includes: Ghost authorship, Gift authorship, Substitution authorship, Coercive authorship, and Artificial collaboration. If suspicion is raised about authorship, the peer review process shall be suspended and an investigation will be conducted (COPE Flowcharts — Ghost, guest, or gift authorship).

1.3 Pre- and Post-publication Corrections

Authors have an obligation to correct any misreporting once they discover it. An erratum will be published for editorial errors that cause incorrect understanding. A corrigendum will be published for errors that affect the validity of the scientific content. Retractions are issued when there is clear evidence that findings are scientifically unreliable.

Post-publication discussions may be submitted as Letters to the Editor within a 3-month period following publication, not exceeding 3 double-spaced manuscript pages.

1.4 Conflict of Interest & Competing Interests

During submission, all authors and co-authors are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest, either stating that "No conflict of interest exists" or describing the nature of any potential conflict. Source(s) of financial support for the reported research should also be disclosed.

1.5 Journal Publishing Agreement

When submitting a manuscript, authors must sign the "Journal Publishing Agreement Form" certifying: originality of the work; no prior publication; full responsibility for data and statements; absence of conflict of interest; compliance with ethical policies; and willingness to carry out timely revisions.

1.6 Ethical Oversight Policy

As per COPE, ethical oversight should include policies on consent to publication, publication on vulnerable populations, ethical conduct of research using human subjects and animals, handling confidential data, and ethical business/marketing practices (COPE Ethics Toolkit).

1.7 Authorship and Artificial Intelligence Tools Policy

AI tools may not be listed as authors. The use of generative AI must be disclosed in the Materials and Methods or Declarations section. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including parts produced by AI tools (COPE Position Statement on AI).

1.8 Research Misconduct

Author(s) must not engage in any form of research misconduct, including but not limited to: self-plagiarism, data or image fabrication/manipulation, copyright infringement, citation manipulation, duplicate submission, peer review manipulation, and failure to disclose competing interests.

The journal takes all forms of misconduct seriously and will take all necessary action in accordance with COPE guidelines (COPE Flowcharts — Systematic manipulation of the publication process). Upon discovery of misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief has full authority to reject or retract the article. The publisher may disable the author(s)' account for a period of one to three years.

1.9 Article Sharing Policy

As an open access journal under CC BY 4.0, authors are permitted to freely share all versions of their articles: the Author's Original Manuscript (AOM) at any time; the Accepted Manuscript (AM) after publication; and the Final Version of Record with proper attribution. No embargo period is applied to self-archiving.

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2. Peer Review Process

The evaluation involves two sequential steps: desk review and peer review. During the desk review (up to 30 days), editors assess relevance, methodological adequacy, and compliance with guidelines. Articles that pass are sent to two reviewers affiliated with graduate programs at national or international educational institutions.

Possible outcomes: Accepted, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, or Rejected. In case of divergent opinions between reviewers, a third reviewer may be invited. AI tools cannot serve as reviewers or decision-issuing editors.

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3. Ethics and Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Reviewers should provide accurate information about their expertise and respond to invitations promptly. All manuscripts are treated as confidential. Reviews should be objective and supported by arguments. Reviewers must declare any competing interests and decline when conflicts exist. Unpublished content must not be used without consent. Expected timeline: three weeks per review (COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers).

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4. Ethics and Responsibilities of Editorial Board Members

All members must declare conflicts of interest upon joining the editorial team (COPE Guidelines: Editorial board participation). Manuscripts authored by editors are handled by an independent guest editor, with a transparency note, following the ANPAD Handbook of Best Practices and COPE recommendations.

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5. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using Crossref Similarity Check / iThenticate. When plagiarism is detected, the process outlined in COPE guidelines is followed (COPE — Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript).

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6. Conflicts of Interest Policy

The journal adopts strict procedures to identify, prevent, and manage conflicts of interest at all stages of the editorial and publication process. All authors must provide an explicit disclosure statement at submission, which will be published in the final version of the article. Manuscripts are assigned to editors and reviewers with the objective of minimizing potential conflicts. The journal is committed to transparency, impartiality, and ethical rigor in accordance with COPE guidelines and Brazilian best practices in scholarly publishing.

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7. Copyright and Licensing

The journal adopts an open access publishing model. Upon acceptance, authors grant the journal the right of first publication under CC BY 4.0. Prior to publication, all authors must sign the Term of Authorization for Publication. The journal provides immediate and unrestricted open access with no embargo period. Authors are permitted and encouraged to disseminate their work widely through institutional, thematic, or personal repositories.

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8. Article Processing Charges (APC)

What the APC Covers

The APC covers all costs associated with editorial processing and publication, including: editorial management and peer review coordination; plagiarism screening (Crossref Similarity Check / iThenticate); professional copyediting and proofreading; typesetting and layout; conversion to publication formats (PDF, HTML, XML); DOI registration via Crossref; digital archiving and long-term preservation; hosting and online infrastructure maintenance; and indexing in databases and directories.

When Payment Is Due

The APC is due only after formal acceptance of the manuscript for publication and must be paid before the article is published. No payment is required at submission or during the peer review process. The editorial decision to accept or reject a manuscript is made completely independently of financial considerations or APC payment status.

Following acceptance, the publisher will issue an invoice to the corresponding author with detailed payment instructions. The article will be published only after confirmation of full payment.

Editorial Independence

The collection of APC does not influence editorial decisions under any circumstances. Editors and reviewers have no knowledge of authors' payment status, waiver eligibility, or financial situation during the peer review process. The separation between editorial and financial functions is strictly maintained.

Waiver and Discount Policy

The journal is committed to equity in access to scholarly publication and offers a waiver and discount program for authors who lack the resources to cover the APC. Waiver requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and do not influence the peer review process.

Waiver or discount requests should be submitted at the time of manuscript submission through the designated field in the submission form or by email to the editorial office. The decision on waiver approval is communicated to the author before the completion of peer review, ensuring that authors can proceed with their submission regardless of their financial capacity.

Whether a waiver is granted or not is not disclosed to editors or reviewers and has no influence on the editorial decision.

Payment Methods

APC payment may be made by: international bank transfer (SWIFT); credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) via a secure platform; PayPal; or institutional billing (purchase order) for institutions with internal procurement processes. All invoices are issued in U.S. dollars (USD). Local taxes (such as VAT) may be added in accordance with the author's country of residence.

Refund Policy

The APC is fully refundable if the article is withdrawn before final publication, provided the withdrawal request is made in writing to the Editor-in-Chief. After publication of the article (including Early Access publication), the APC will not be refunded except in cases of proven error by the publisher.

Authors should be cautious of any communication requesting payment that does not originate from the official channels of Editora Alumni IN. Any suspicious requests should be reported to the Editorial Office immediately.

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9. Data Availability and Sharing

The journal encourages authors to make research data publicly available in accordance with FAIR principles. Authors should include a Data Availability Statement. The journal supports the Center for Open Science (COS) initiative with Open Data, Open Materials, and Preregistered badges.

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10. Preprint Policy

Deposition of a preprint on a recognized platform shall not be viewed as a prior publication (COPE Discussion Document: Preprints). Authors must include preprint details at submission and, after publication, link the preprint to the Version of Record with the corresponding DOI.

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11. Archiving and Digital Preservation

The journal adopts a comprehensive digital preservation policy. It is indexed in SPELL — Scientific Periodicals Electronic Library (ANPAD). Cloud-based backups are maintained by Lepidus Tecnologia with redundancy and rapid restoration capability. The policy ensures that all published articles remain available in perpetuity.

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12. Retraction and Correction Policy

The journal follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Possible editorial actions: Erratum (production errors); Corrigendum (author errors affecting validity); Expression of Concern (ongoing investigation with inconclusive evidence); and Retraction (scientifically unreliable findings, plagiarism, unethical practices). Retracted articles are not removed from the published record; an indexed, linked retraction notice is published.

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13. Withdrawal Policy

Manuscript withdrawal is discouraged. A formal written request to the Editor-in-Chief, signed by all authors, is required. If withdrawal occurs after completion of review or communication of acceptance, authors may be barred from submitting new manuscripts for up to three years.

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14. Advertising Policy

Published editorial content is not compromised by commercial interests. The publisher and the Editorial Board do not accept advertising, commercial content, or sponsored articles. Editorial decisions are made independently of any commercial considerations.

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15. Complaints and Appeals

The journal adopts transparent procedures for receiving, evaluating, and resolving complaints and appeals. Authors may appeal editorial decisions, including rejection. Ethical complaints are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief in accordance with COPE guidelines and applicable Brazilian law. Decisions resulting from the appeals process are final. Legal matters are governed by Brazilian law and the jurisdiction of competent courts in Brazil.

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16. Publication Schedule and Editorial Workflow

Continuous Publication

Articles are published individually as soon as they complete peer review, editorial processing, and production, without waiting for issue closure. Each article receives a DOI upon publication, making it immediately citable and trackable.

Early Access

Articles accepted for publication are displayed on a dedicated "Early Access" page, allowing them to be read and cited before their scheduled release in a specific issue. Early Access articles are final full-text, peer-reviewed, copyedited articles. They are considered fully complete and final — no further changes can be made after online publication. Errors must be corrected by erratum. They are fully citable via DOI, which remains the same after assignment to an issue.

Editorial Workflow

Estimated Timelines

Stage	Estimated Timeline
Desk review	Up to 30 days
Peer review (per reviewer)	3 weeks
Submission to first decision	8 to 12 weeks
Invoicing and APC payment	Up to 30 days after acceptance
Copyediting and layout	2 to 4 weeks after payment
Early Access publication	Immediate upon production completion

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17. Revenue Sources and Business Model

In accordance with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, the journal discloses its revenue sources and business model.

The Journal of Sustainable Competitive Intelligence operates as a Gold Open Access journal. The primary source of revenue is Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by authors (or their institutions or funding agencies) following formal acceptance of manuscripts. The current APC is USD 1,200.00 per article.

Additional sources of revenue may include: institutional support from the publisher (Editora Alumni IN); voluntary partnerships with academic institutions; and other publishing activities of Editora Alumni IN that are entirely separate from editorial decision-making.

The journal does not accept advertising, content sponsorships, or any form of commercial revenue that could influence editorial decisions or the integrity of published content. This financial model ensures that editorial independence is fully preserved.

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