Editorial Policy

AD-Minister is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the School of Management at Universidad EAFIT.

The opinions expressed by the authors are their sole responsibility and therefore do not represent the policies of Universidad EAFIT, the School of Management, or the Editorial Committee. Once a manuscript is received, it undergoes a preliminary screening by the Editorial Committee to determine its thematic relevance to the journal. If the manuscript is deemed suitable for publication, it enters a peer review process conducted by two expert reviewers in the field. The anonymity of both reviewers and authors is preserved throughout the process. This evaluation determines the academic suitability of the manuscript, the possibility of publication, or the need to request revisions from the authors before the manuscript is submitted to a new round of evaluation.

Publication Frequency

AD-Minister publishes two issues per year (July and December).

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its contents, based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. AD-Minister authorizes the sharing and adaptation of articles and commentaries under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

Archiving

As part of its digital preservation policy, AD-Minister recognizes the importance of ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, and availability of published scholarly content. The journal uses the LOCKSS system (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe), which enables the creation and maintenance of permanent and distributed archives among participating libraries, ensuring the preservation, restoration, and recovery of published content in the event of loss or failure of the primary system. The content published in AD-Minister is stored and managed through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform of Universidad EAFIT.

Plagiarism Detection

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to immediately notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the document. If the editor becomes aware through a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the author's obligation to promptly retract or correct the document, or to provide evidence to the editor supporting the accuracy of the original publication.

Publication Ethics

AD-Minister aims to improve its processes for receiving, reviewing, editing, and publishing scientific articles every day. For this reason, it adopts the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and Elsevier on publication ethics to prevent misconduct in publishing. The following sets out the different cases and the corresponding procedures for resolving disputes established by COPE:

• Suspected redundancy or duplicate publication
• Suspected plagiarism
• Changes in authorship
• Conflict of interest
• Suspected data fabrication
• Suspected scientific rigor issues
• Suspected use of elements with legal restrictions
• Manuscripts involving human subjects

1. Suspected redundancy or duplicate publication

   In case of suspicion, the author will be asked to provide a letter justifying why the manuscript is redundant or presents duplicate content. Once this letter is received, the resolution instructions will be followed according to COPE (publicationethics.org).

2. Suspected plagiarism

   The author will be asked to rewrite the sections whose content has been copied, or to treat them as direct quotations, along with a proper justification for their use. If these explanations are not satisfactory, they will result in rejection of the manuscript. These procedures follow the plagiarism guidelines suggested by COPE (publicationethics.org).

3. Changes in authorship

   Authors will be required to justify the reasons for changing, adding, or removing authors from the manuscript during the editorial process, as well as in the phase following publication of the manuscript. All parties who originally submitted the manuscript must send a signed letter accepting the authorship changes. This letter will be thoroughly reviewed by the editorial team. If general agreement among authors regarding the authorship changes is not evident, the change will be rejected. All procedures related to authorship changes will be governed according to COPE guidelines, as presented below:

   • Addition of extra authors before publication: publicationethics.org
   • Addition of extra authors after publication: publicationethics.org
   • Removal of authors before publication: publicationethics.org
   • Authorship and collaboration in unpublished data: publicationethics.org

4. Conflict of interest

   All authors must declare conflicts of interest at the time of submitting the manuscript to AD-Minister and declare again at the time of publication, and this information will appear in the published manuscript. If reviewers or the editorial team identify undisclosed or reported conflicts of interest, the instructions suggested by COPE will be followed: publicationethics.org

5. Suspected data fabrication (photographs, statistics, graphics, etc.)

   If any of the authors or the editorial team suspects or is informed that some of the research data to be published is fabricated or falsified, a new reviewer will be assigned to provide their opinion. If the suspicions are confirmed, the authors will be contacted to provide clarifications. If the response is not satisfactory, COPE's instructions will be followed: publicationethics.org

6. Suspected scientific rigor issues

   In cases where the validity of data handling and scientific rigor is in question, COPE's procedures will be followed: publicationethics.org

7. Suspected use of elements with legal restrictions

   For cases of suspicion arising after the publication of articles in AD-Minister related to intellectual property, research, or regulatory compliance, COPE's guidelines will be followed: publicationethics.org

8. Manuscripts involving human subjects

   In line with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki (wma.net), we ask that authors preserve the well-being and rights of the individuals or groups involved in the research. To this end, we require authors to present evidence of informed consent, treatment, and the purpose of the data collected. Likewise, research involving the participation of individuals will require approval from the Ethics Committee assigned by the journal. Authors will also be required to maintain participant anonymity and their informed consent.

Editorial Commitment

The editorial team of AD-Minister will ensure fair treatment of authors, reviewers, and other participants in the editorial process. The journal will likewise guarantee confidentiality: information submitted by authors and reviewers will be used solely for editorial activities, and files corresponding to rejected manuscripts will be deleted from our records. The editorial team will maintain timely communication with authors regarding editorial decisions and will work to ensure compliance with the journal's publication schedule.

Duties of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to AD-Minister declare that:

• The work is original and has not been previously published, except in permitted academic formats (e.g., theses, working papers, or properly identified preprints).
• The manuscript is not under simultaneous consideration by another journal.
• All authors have approved the submitted version and assume responsibility for its content.
• The article will not be published elsewhere without explicit authorization once accepted.

Once the manuscript has passed the editorial evaluation and is accepted for external scientific review, the corresponding author must complete and submit a letter of originality and publication authorization certifying that the work is original, unpublished, and not under simultaneous consideration by another scientific journal.

Reporting Standards

Authors of original articles must present an accurate account of the work performed, as well as an objective discussion of its significance (see formatting guidelines). The underlying data must be accurately represented in the manuscript. Knowingly fraudulent or inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works and, if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, these must be properly cited. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical editorial conduct and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

An author should not generally publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable. An author should not submit for consideration an article that has already been published in another journal. The publication of certain types of articles (for example, clinical guidelines or translations) in more than one journal may sometimes be justified, provided that specific conditions are met. Authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation as the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication. More details regarding acceptable forms of secondary publication can be found at icmje.org.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be observed. Authors should cite publications that have influenced the determination of the nature of the work presented. Information obtained privately, such as through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit written permission from the source. Information obtained through confidential services, such as peer review or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author involved in those services.

Authorship of the Manuscript

Authorship of manuscripts must be limited exclusively to those who have made substantial contributions to the development of the research and the academic content of the work. AD-Minister adopts the criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), according to which each author must have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for its content. Authorship recognition must be based on fulfillment of all the following conditions:

1. Significant participation in the conception and design of the study, or in the analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Substantial contribution to drafting the manuscript or critically revising its intellectual content. Exclusively grammatical or stylistic corrections do not constitute authorship criteria.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.

Participation solely in obtaining funding, data collection, or general supervision of the research group does not justify authorship. Likewise, every part of the article essential to its conclusions must be supported by the academic responsibility of at least one of the authors. All manuscripts must include an explicit authorship contribution statement and designate a corresponding author responsible for communication with the journal during the editorial process. Changes in authorship will not be considered once the evaluation process has begun, except under exceptional circumstances duly justified and approved by the Editorial Team of AD-Minister.

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest and Funding

All authors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal conflict of interest that could influence, or be perceived as influencing, the results, analyses, or interpretation of the manuscript. Potential conflicts of interest include employment relationships, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, grants, or other sources of funding. Authors must also explicitly disclose all sources of financial support related to the research, indicating, where applicable, the role of funders in the design, execution, analysis, and dissemination of the study. When the research has not received external funding, authors are encouraged to include an explicit statement indicating the absence of financial support.

Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions

The editor of AD-Minister is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. Validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always guide such decisions. The editor is guided by the policies of the journal's Editorial Committee and constrained by legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may confer this decision-making responsibility upon other editors or reviewers (or society officers).

Fair Play

An editor must evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

The editor and all editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

• Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.
• Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
• Editors shall refrain from considering 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 manuscripts.
• Editors will require all contributors to disclose relevant conflicts of interest and publish corrections if conflicts are revealed after publication. If necessary, other appropriate actions will be taken, such as publication of a retraction or expression of concern.
• AD-Minister ensures that the peer review process for special issues follows the same standards used for regular issues of the journal. Sponsored issues must be accepted solely based on academic merit and readers' interests and must not be influenced by commercial considerations.
• Sections subject to peer review are clearly identified.

Journal Self-Citation

The editor shall never engage in practices that require authors to cite the journal as an implicit or explicit condition of acceptance for publication. Any recommendation regarding references should be made solely based on direct relevance to the author's article to improve the quality of the published research. Editors may direct authors to relevant literature as part of the peer review process; however, this should never extend to general instructions to cite participating journals.

Involvement and Cooperation in Investigations

An editor must take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints are presented regarding a submitted manuscript or published article, in collaboration with the Editorial Committee. Such measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or published work and giving due consideration to the complaint or allegations, but may also involve further communications with relevant institutions and research bodies. If the complaint is substantiated, publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other appropriate notice may follow. Every reported act of unethical editorial conduct must be examined, even if discovered years after publication.

Editorial Impartiality and Management of Conflicts of Interest

AD-Minister is governed by principles of impartiality, transparency, and editorial responsibility. Editors do not participate in editorial decisions concerning manuscripts in which a conflict of interest exists, including, among others, manuscripts:

• Authored by themselves.
• Written by family members, close colleagues, or frequent collaborators.
• Related to organizations, projects, or initiatives in which they have direct interests.

In such cases, editorial management of the manuscript is assigned to another member of the editorial team to guarantee the independence of the evaluation process.

Appeals to Editorial Decisions

Authors may submit a formal appeal regarding an editorial decision, provided that the appeal is properly justified and based on substantive academic grounds. AD-Minister will consider only one appeal per manuscript, and the resulting decision will be final.

Special Issues and Thematic Sections

Manuscripts submitted to special issues or thematic sections follow the same peer review standards and procedures as regular articles. In these cases, guest editors may coordinate the evaluation process and formulate recommendations under the supervision of the editor-in-chief, who retains responsibility for the final editorial decision.

Protocol for Corrections, Retractions, and Exceptional Removals

AD-Minister adopts the COPE and Elsevier guidelines for handling corrections, retractions, and exceptional removals of published articles. The journal recognizes the importance of preserving the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the academic record. When substantial errors, ethical concerns, or evidence of academic misconduct are identified, the Editorial Team will evaluate each situation and may adopt the corresponding editorial measures.

Corrections

When a published article contains minor errors or inaccuracies that do not compromise the overall validity of the study's results, conclusions, or contributions, AD-Minister may publish an editorial correction, erratum, or corrigendum. Corrections will be officially published by the journal and will remain linked to the original article to maintain transparency and integrity in the publication record.

Retractions

AD-Minister may retract a published article when there is clear evidence that the results, findings, or conclusions are unreliable or when serious violations of publication ethics have occurred. Retractions will be officially issued by the journal and will be clearly identified and linked to the original article. Retractions may result from suspected or confirmed plagiarism, duplicate publication, data falsification, manipulation of the peer review process, undeclared conflicts of interest, ethical violations, or falsification of authorship information.

Exceptional Removal of Articles

Under exceptional circumstances, AD-Minister may remove a published article when legal, ethical, or security reasons require its partial or total removal from the journal's website.

Policy for Reviewers

Reviewers must act with objectivity, independence, and transparency throughout the peer review process. Therefore, it is mandatory to identify and disclose any conflict of interest that may influence or be perceived as influencing their academic judgment. Reviewers must communicate any conflict of interest before accepting the invitation to review a manuscript. They must refrain from conducting the review when there is a close personal or professional relationship with the authors, such as:

• Direct colleagues.
• Previous co-authorship (within the last two years).
• Joint participation in projects, consultancies, or research.
• Academic supervisory relationships (advisor, tutor, or student).
• Recent shared institutional affiliation.
• Direct financial interests (e.g., potential benefits derived from results such as patents or licenses).

In case of doubt, the reviewer must inform the editor, describing the situation. The editor will determine whether the conflict permits continuation of the review process under transparency or whether a new reviewer should be appointed.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of the scientific method. AD-Minister shares the view that all scholars wishing to contribute to publications have an obligation to conduct fair reviews of submitted manuscripts.

Promptness

Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or who knows that prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

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

Acknowledgment of Sources

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

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers must 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 related to the manuscript.

Based on Elsevier recommendations and COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

AD-Minister recognizes the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and AI-assisted technologies to support writing, organization, or style improvement processes. These tools do not substitute academic judgment, critical reflection, or human authorship. Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their manuscripts and must:

• Carefully review and validate any content generated with AI support.
• Ensure the originality, accuracy, and coherence of the text.
• Transparently declare the use of these tools when applicable.

When generative AI tools are used, they must be declared at the end of the manuscript, indicating the tool used and its purpose. AD-Minister does not authorize the use of generative AI tools by reviewers or editors during the manuscript evaluation process, in order to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the editorial process. Authors are requested to include an explicit statement at the end of the manuscript with the following information:

Research Data Policy

AD-Minister promotes transparency, replicability, and academic integrity in management and organizational studies research. We encourage authors to adopt responsible practices for managing, documenting, and, when possible, making available the data used in their research. Management studies can involve different types of data, including quantitative data, interviews, documentary materials, secondary databases, organizational archives, ethnographic materials, or sensitive qualitative evidence. Our data policy therefore seeks to balance scientific transparency with the protection of confidentiality, privacy, and the ethical commitments made to research participants.

General Principles

AD-Minister promotes the following good practices regarding research data:

• Authors must clearly and sufficiently describe the data sources used in the study, along with the procedures for data collection, processing, and analysis, so that other researchers can understand the research process.
• When possible and ethically appropriate, authors are encouraged to make available the datasets, research instruments, methodological protocols, or analytical materials underlying the study.
• Data availability can facilitate replication, verification of results, and the development of future research in the field of management and organizational studies.

Data Availability Statement

All original articles must include a brief data availability statement at the end of the manuscript, before the references. This statement should indicate one of the following situations:

• The research data is available in a public repository, indicating the repository name and the corresponding link.
• The data is available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
• The data cannot be shared publicly due to ethical, legal, or organizational confidentiality restrictions.
• When the study is based exclusively on secondary sources or previously published literature, the authors must explicitly state this.

Confidentiality and Sensitive Data

AD-Minister recognizes that much management research involves confidential organizational information, access agreements with companies, or sensitive data from interviews or fieldwork. In these cases, authors must ensure that:

• The identity of participating individuals and organizations is protected or anonymized when necessary.
• The ethical commitments made to research participants are honored.
• The publication of the study does not violate confidentiality agreements.

When data cannot be shared publicly for these reasons, the data availability statement must explicitly specify this restriction.

Metadata Policy

We recognize the importance of academic metadata for ensuring the visibility, interoperability, indexing, and preservation of published content. Editorial metadata includes, among other elements, article title, abstract and keywords, author names and institutional affiliations, ORCID identifiers, funding information, bibliographic references, article DOI, and dates of submission, review, acceptance, and publication. All accepted articles receive an institutional DOI under the prefix 10.17230/ad-minister.

Recommended Repositories and Availability of Materials

AD-Minister promotes good practices in preservation, transparency, and responsible access to research materials. When authors decide to share their data, they are encouraged to use recognized academic repositories, such as university institutional repositories or international open access platforms, for example Zenodo, Figshare, or the Open Science Framework (OSF). Authors must ensure that deposited materials are adequately documented to facilitate their understanding and reuse.