Publication Policies

Aims and Scope 

A venue to share applied research on business, management, data analytics, multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary topics, SMN Digest publishes academic articles that contribute to the study of management in the Philippines. The scope of the journal includes all areas of business and management research, such as accounting, business information systems, corporate finance and governance, digitalization, entrepreneurship, family firms, marketing, operations research and production, strategy, supply chain management, sustainability, and taxes.

SMN Digest's aim is to evaluate, classify, and summarize business and management research, gather relevant empirical research findings, and challenge existing knowledge through extensive replication studies.

The journal's goal is to empirically establish business and management studies as academic disciplines and appeals to academic readers and practitioners interested in evidence-based management.

General Policies 

1. The SMN Digest is the official journal of the School of Management of the University of Asia and the Pacific. It is a collection of business and management research undertaken by SMN faculty, students, alumni and staff. It is published bi-annually and managed by the School of Management.

2. SMN Digest accepts original works that have never been published before, are not being considered for publication elsewhere, and do not include anything obscene, defamatory, or otherwise against the law. Articles that have already been published may be accepted with the consent of the original publisher/s.

3. While individuals who contributed significantly to the research are given authorship, all other contributors should be appropriately acknowledged.

4. SMN Digest may require proof of approval from the university's ethics committee or its equivalent for submitted research.

5. SMN Digest shall require a declaration that no portion of the submitted paper was falsified, fabricated, or plagiarized. Plagiarism, falsification, or fabrication can result in retraction and reprimand from the journal. The author is responsible for promptly retracting or correcting errors.

6. The editorial board will oversee a double-blind peer-review process for all submitted papers. 

7. To make sure that the articles are reviewed fairly and on time, the Editorial Board will choose independent reviewers who have the right kind of expertise for the content of the article and do not have any possible conflict of interest.

8. The publisher has the exclusive rights to publish, distribute, and reproduce articles accepted for SMN Digest, in whole or in part, for the entire duration of the copyright and all renewals and extensions of it, if any are permitted by law either now or in the future. Additionally, the publisher has the exclusive rights, with no limitation, for the electronic, mechanical, and visual reproduction of articles, their digital storage and retrieval, and all other publication types, electronic or not.

9. The author(s) do not need the publisher's written permission to do the following things with the article as long as the journal and the publisher are mentioned as the source:

   • Use a pre-published version of the work for personal or professional use or to distribute it;

   • Put the work on your website or the website of your institution;

   • Reprint the work in its entirety or part in any academic publication that is not for profit and of which you are the author or one of the authors.

10. The author must get written approval from the UA&P School of Management through the Journal's Editor-in-Chief for any other use of the work. E-copy of articles and issues may be accessed for free from the SMN Digest website as well as the UA&P University Library Academic Institutional Repository (UA&P uLAIR) and may be requested from smndigest@uap.asia.

Publication Ethics Statement

The SMN Digest commits to a high standard of quality and academic integrity in its effort to publish scholarly articles in business, accounting, business/data analytics, management, and related fields. It is dedicated to maintaining the highest publication standards and assuring the quality of submissions. Articles are accepted based on significance, originality, clarity, relevance to the journal's scope, and management knowledge addition.

SMN Digest, its editors, reviewers, and authors must adhere to the following publication ethics:

Duties of Editors/Reviewers/Authors

• • Confidentiality: Information about an article is not allowed to be shared with anyone other than the author, reviewers, other editorial advisers, and, if relevant, the publisher.

  • Publication decisions: Articles are evaluated without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political philosophies. The decision to publish the article will be based on the clarity, originality, significance, and relevance to the journal's scope of coverage. Current legal requirements for libel, infringement of copyright, and plagiarism must also be considered.

  • Disclosure and conflicts of interest: Peer review can lead to privileged information or ideas that must be kept secret and not used for personal gain. Reviewers should not consider papers where they have a conflict of interest because they work with or compete with any of the authors, companies, or institutions linked to the papers. 

All authors must disclose any financial or other substantial conflicts of interest that could affect the results or interpretation of their research. The project's finance sources should be mentioned.

Submitted article's unpublished materials shall not be used for research without the author's prior agreement.

• • Citations: Reviewers should identify when relevant published work mentioned in the paper has not been cited in the reference section. They should indicate whether observations or arguments derived from other publications are supported by citations. Reviewers will inform the editor if the paper under consideration has a lot in common with another article that has already been published that they are personally aware of.

  • Objectivity standards: Criticizing the author on a personal level is not allowed. Referees should state their ideas clearly and back them up with evidence.

  • Standards for reporting: Authors of original research papers should provide an exact description of the work done and an unbiased discussion of its significance. The study should show the underlying facts correctly. There should be enough information and citations in a paper. Fraudulent or knowingly false statements are wrong and should not be tolerated.

  • Originality, plagiarism, and citation of sources: The authors must submit only completely original research and should properly cite or mention the work and/or statements of others. Publications that influenced the nature of the research should also be cited. Authors must obtain authorization from co-authors before submitting their articles to SMN Digest. All co-authors and contributors must always be disclosed for proper credit. Authors must declare potential conflicts of interest and funding sources.

  • Authorship of the paper: Authorship should be given to those who contributed significantly to the interpretation, conception, execution, or design of the research. All those who have made important contributions should be mentioned as co-authors. The corresponding author guarantees that the author list includes all contributing co-authors and no uninvolved parties. The author will also confirm that all co-authors have approved the final paper and agreed to its publication.

  • Errors in published works: An author must inform the journal editor or publisher immediately of a serious error or inaccuracy in his or her published work and cooperate with the editor to revise or correct the paper in an erratum.

Publication Ethics

• Handling Misconduct: SMN Digest has the right to investigate wrongdoing. The Editorial Board will determine the appropriate sanctions in cases involving misconduct. 

• Multiple, redundant, and simultaneous publications: Generally, papers that fundamentally describe the same research should not be published in more than one publication. Submitting the same article to multiple journals is unethical. 

• Retractions and amendments to articles: The SMN Digest issue editors notify authors when errors or incorrect information are identified. Corrections are at the discretion of the publication. 

The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the journal editorial process

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce various types of content including text, imagery, audio, and synthetic data. Examples include ChatGPT, NovelAI, Jasper AI, Rytr AI, DALL-E, etc. (Elsevier, The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing)

SMN Digest established this policy as guide for honest and responsible utilization of AI technologies, and to provide authors, readers, reviewers, and editors with additional guidance and transparency regarding generative AI and AI-assisted technologies.

Authors shall:

1. Use AI technologies intelligently to enhance topic knowledge and learning.

2. Always acknowledge the usage of AI technologies, even if they are merely employed to create ideas.

3. Use AI detection tools and originality checks before submission of work to prevent any false flags.

4. Whenever AI technology is used, Include a footnote that displays the following:

●        a detailed list of the specific AI tools used (e.g. ChatGPT private subscription version or DALL-E free version);

●        link to the prompt.

Editors shall:

1. Not upload a submitted work or any of its parts to a generative AI tool to prevent potential violations of authors' confidentiality and property rights.

2. Avoid uploading their letters to an AI program, even for language and readability enhancement, as it might potentially violate data privacy rights.

3. Avoid utilizing AI tools for manuscript evaluation or decision-making due to the technology's limitations in critical thinking and original assessment, which may lead to inaccurate, inadequate, or biased conclusions.

4. Inform the publisher if there are concerns that the author or a reviewer has breached our AI policy.

Note: Some details of the above policies were adapted from the references below.

References:

1. Boston University Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, Using Generative AI in Coursework

2. Elsevier, The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing

SMN Digest Editorial Roles and Responsibilities

The following outlines the main roles and responsibilities of the editorial board and reviewers of SMN Digest. Each member is expected to help maintain the journal’s academic integrity, uphold ethical publishing standards, and contribute to its continued growth.

The following outlines the main roles and responsibilities of the editorial board and reviewers of SMN Digest. Each member is expected to help maintain the journal’s academic integrity, uphold ethical publishing standards, and contribute to its continued growth.

Editor-in-Chief

• Leadership. Provides direction and guidance for the journal and ensures that its publications reflect the highest academic and ethical standards.

• Decisions on Publication. Makes the final call on which papers are published after carefully considering the reviewers’ and editors’ recommendations.

• Confidentiality. Handles all manuscripts, reviews, and editorial discussions in strict confidence.

• Fairness. Assesses each submission on its quality and relevance alone, without bias or discrimination.

• Conflicts of Interest. Refrains from managing papers where a personal or professional connection might influence judgment.

• Oversight. Monitors the peer-review process to keep it fair, timely, and consistent with the journal’s editorial policies.

Editorial Board Members

• Advisory Role. Offer insights and recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief on matters related to content, editorial policy, and future direction.

• Review Participation. Assist in reviewing submissions when requested, providing thoughtful, constructive, and timely feedback.

• Quality Support. Help maintain the academic rigor and originality expected of all published articles.

• Promotion. Encourage quality submissions and raise awareness of the journal within their academic and professional communities.

• Ethics and Confidentiality. Keep all manuscript information private and uphold the ethical principles of scholarly publishing.

Reviewers

• Objective Evaluation. Assess manuscripts based on academic merit, originality, clarity, methodology, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

• Constructive Feedback. Provide clear, detailed, and respectful comments that help authors improve the quality of their work.

• Timeliness. Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe and promptly communicate any delays or inability to review.

• Review Commitment. Review approximately one to two (1–2) papers per issue, as assigned.

• Confidentiality. Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and refrain from sharing or using any information prior to publication.

• Ethical Standards. Identify potential ethical concerns, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or improper citation practices, and report them to the editors.

• Conflicts of Interest. Disclose any potential conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where impartiality may be compromised.