Journal Policies

Please find below the policies guiding the journal’s editorial and publishing processes.

Open Access Policy

The African Journal of Business and Development Studies (AJBDS) provides immediate open access to all published content, in line with the principle that making research freely available supports the global exchange of knowledge. All articles are available online without subscription or payment barriers. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, and use them for any lawful purpose, subject to the journal’s licensing terms. AJBDS does not apply embargo periods. This policy aligns with international open access standards and supports transparency, accessibility, and reuse of scholarly research.

Authors retain full copyright of their work published in AJBDS. By submitting to the journal, authors grant AJBDS a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the work in all formats and media. Authors may:

  • Share the published version of their articles
  • Deposit their work in institutional or subject repositories
  • Reuse their work in future publications

All reuse must include appropriate citation to the original publication in AJBDS. The journal respects authors’ rights and adheres to best practices in copyright management and ethical publishing.

 

License Policy

All articles published in AJBDS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. All article metadata (including titles, abstracts, author details, keywords, references, and funding information) are made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (CC0) to support discoverability, indexing, and interoperability. In April 2026, the journal adopted the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, replacing the previously used Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license. This change applies to all newly published articles and has been retrospectively applied to previously published content, which is now distributed under the terms of the CC BY license. Author Consent and Retrospective Licensing: The journal ensures that all published content is distributed in accordance with agreed licensing terms. For articles published prior to April 2026, the application of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license is supported by the publishing agreements in place at the time of submission, which permit the journal to disseminate and re-license content as necessary. Where applicable, authors have been duly informed of this change. The journal remains committed to transparency and to upholding ethical publishing standards in line with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Plagiarism Policy

AJBDS upholds strict standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing, in line with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics. All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using appropriate detection tools and editorial review. Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and unattributed use of others’ work, is not acceptable. If plagiarism is detected:

  • Before publication: the manuscript will be rejected
  • After publication: the journal will follow COPE guidelines, which may include issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern

Serious cases may be reported to the authors’ affiliated institutions. Authors are expected to ensure originality, proper citation, and ethical use of sources.

 

Peer Review Policy

AJBDS operates a double-blind peer review process to ensure fairness, objectivity, and academic quality.

  • All submissions undergo initial editorial screening for scope, quality, and ethical compliance
  • Suitable manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent experts
  • Reviewer and author identities are kept confidential throughout the process

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on originality, methodological rigor, clarity, and contribution to the field. Editorial decisions are based on reviewers’ reports and editorial judgment. The journal adheres to the ethical standards and peer-review best practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics, including confidentiality, conflict of interest management, and integrity in decision-making.

 

Digital Preservation Policy

AJBDS is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. The journal ensures digital preservation through:

  • Routine system backups and secure data storage

This measure ensures continued access to journal content in the event of technical failure or platform changes because the published content can be restored in good time. The journal supports the principles of sustainability, accessibility, and permanence in scholarly publishing, consistent with international best practices and ethical standards.