Policies

Open Access Policy

Pakistan Business Review (PBR) is a premier open-access journal committed to the free and global dissemination of knowledge in business and economics. The journal provides immediate, unrestricted access to all published content, ensuring that readers can read, download, copy, print, search, and link to the full texts of articles without charge or prior permission from the publisher or the author. This commitment aligns with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) principles of promoting accessibility and knowledge sharing.

All articles published in PBR are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits users to share and adapt published material for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author and source.

Licensing Policy

The content published in PBR is protected under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This ensures that authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal a non-exclusive right to publish it. Users may reuse and adapt the content for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper attribution is provided.

Publication Policy

PBR is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. Manuscripts must align with the aims and scope of the journal and should represent original, unpublished work that has not been submitted to another outlet. All listed authors must approve the submitted version, and changes in authorship require written consent from all authors involved.

The journal prohibits unethical practices including plagiarism, duplication, fraudulent authorship, fabrication of data, salami publication, and copyright infringement. Manuscripts undergo a plagiarism check using Turnitin software, and only those with an overall similarity index below 19% and below 5% per source are considered.

After the similarity check, eligible manuscripts are evaluated by the editors-in-chief for relevance, originality, and methodological rigor. Submissions that meet these standards are reviewed through a double-blind peer review process involving at least two independent referees. The editorial team makes the final decision based on reviewers’ recommendations, and authors are required to revise their manuscripts in accordance with the feedback received.

Correction, Retraction, and Expression of Concern

To ensure transparency and reliability in the scholarly record, PBR follows international standards when addressing errors or misconduct. Minor errors that do not alter the findings or conclusions of a paper may result in the publication of a correction notice. If major flaws or ethical violations are identified that invalidate the results, the article will be retracted. In cases where there is uncertainty about the integrity of the research or unresolved concerns, the journal may issue an expression of concern. These measures ensure that the published record remains accurate and trustworthy.

Archiving Policy

PBR follows a robust archiving policy to safeguard the long-term accessibility of its content. All articles, including supplementary material, are securely archived in reliable digital repositories to ensure permanent preservation. This guarantees that previously published material remains available for scholarly reference and future research, even in the event of technical issues or system changes.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

To support the costs associated with peer review, editorial management, copyediting, typesetting, and online hosting, PBR applies article processing charges. Authors are required to pay a processing fee of PKR 3,000 at the time of submission and a publication fee of PKR 10,000 upon acceptance of the manuscript. These fees are mandatory and non-refundable.

For local authors, payments can be made by pay order in favor of Institute of Business Management or through cash/online deposit at any branch of Standard Chartered Bank to the following account:

Account Title: IoBM Pakistan Business Review
Bank: Standard Chartered Bank
Account No.: 01326020801

For international authors, payments can be made via bank transfer to:
Standard Chartered Bank Limited, Al-Tijarah Centre Islamic Branch, Karachi, Pakistan
Branch Code: 182
SWIFT Code: SCBLPKKX
IBAN: PK97 SCBL 0000 0013 2602 0801
Account No.: 01326020801

Proof of payment (deposit slip, screenshot, or transfer confirmation) must be sent to: editorpbr@iobm.edu.pk

Processing fees must be paid within six days of submission, and publication fees within fifteen days of acceptance. Failure to meet these deadlines will result in rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript. Submission of the processing fee does not guarantee publication.

Privacy Statement

The Pakistan Business Review upholds strict confidentiality and privacy standards. The names, email addresses, and other personal information provided to the journal will be used exclusively for editorial purposes and will not be shared with third parties. Manuscripts are treated as confidential documents throughout the review and production process. All submissions are subject to originality checks, and by submitting, authors agree to these processes as part of the editorial workflow.