Submissions

Author Guidelines

Pakistan Business Review (PBR) welcomes submissions of original, high-quality, and unpublished research that makes significant contributions to the fields of business, economics, and management sciences. The journal publishes quarterly and follows a rigorous editorial and peer review process to uphold its academic integrity and quality. The following guidelines provide detailed instructions for authors preparing and submitting manuscripts.

Review and Publication Policy

All manuscripts submitted to PBR undergo an initial editorial screening to ensure compliance with the journal’s scope, formatting requirements, and ethical standards. Submissions that meet these criteria are then subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer review process in which at least three independent reviewers evaluate the quality, originality, and relevance of the work. Both author and reviewer identities remain confidential throughout the process to ensure impartiality. Final editorial decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection are based on the reviewers’ recommendations and the judgment of the editorial team. Accepted papers are copyedited and typeset prior to publication and appear online through the Journal Management System (JMS).

Ethical Standards

PBR adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and follows the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME). Authors must ensure that their work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts are screened using Turnitin, and only those with a similarity index below 19% and no more than 5% from a single source will be considered.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is permitted only in a limited capacity (such as language editing) and must be explicitly disclosed in the manuscript. AI-generated text is treated as a single source for similarity checking and must not materially contribute to the novelty, analysis, or interpretation of the work. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and responsibility for the manuscript rests entirely with the human authors.

All authors must declare any conflicts of interest—financial, professional, or personal—that could be perceived to influence the research. The journal reserves the right to issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern in line with COPE guidelines if ethical concerns arise.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should be limited to those who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria—such as those providing technical support, writing assistance, or funding—should be acknowledged separately. Any changes to authorship after submission (addition, removal, or order of authors) require written consent from all listed authors.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with internationally recognized ethical standards and local regulations. Manuscripts must state that approval was obtained from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board, including the approval reference number where applicable. For research involving human subjects, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal guardians. Research must protect the dignity, privacy, and rights of participants, and animal studies must minimize harm in accordance with accepted welfare guidelines.

Data Integrity and Availability

Authors are responsible for presenting their data and results accurately and transparently. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data is strictly prohibited. Methods should be described in sufficient detail to allow replication. Authors are encouraged to provide a data availability statement in their manuscripts, specifying whether underlying data, code, or supplementary material are accessible, and if so, where they can be found.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be prepared in English and should not exceed 10,000 words, including references and annexures. Authors must submit two separate files: a Title Page and the Main Manuscript.

The Title Page should include the article title, full names of all authors, institutional affiliations, and complete contact details of the corresponding author. Funding sources, acknowledgments, and conflict of interest statements should also be included.

The Main Manuscript must be anonymized for peer review and should contain only the title, abstract, keywords, main text, references, and embedded figures or tables. The abstract should not exceed 200 words and should summarize the purpose, methodology, results, and significance of the study. Authors must also provide three to six keywords for indexing.

The manuscript should be formatted in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with wide margins. Pages must be numbered consecutively. Headings and subheadings should be concise and clearly marked. Tables and figures must be embedded at appropriate points in the text, numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, and accompanied by descriptive titles and legends that allow independent interpretation.

References must conform to the APA style and must strictly correspond between in-text citations and the reference list. Only relevant and essential references should be included. Formulae should be numbered consecutively, and footnotes should be kept to a minimum. Manuscripts exceeding the word limit, failing to follow formatting requirements, or falling outside the journal’s subject scope will not be considered. PBR accepts submissions only in core business disciplines, including economics, finance, accounting, management, marketing, human resources, entrepreneurship, business psychology, social marketing, and analytics.

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be made online through the Journal Management System (JMS) at http://jmsnew.iobm-research.com/index.php/pbr
. Submissions must include the following: a cover letter, a title page with complete author details, an anonymized manuscript file, a conflict of interest statement, and proof of payment of the processing fee. Tables, figures, and datasets may be uploaded as supplementary files when applicable. Submissions not meeting these requirements will be returned for revision.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision must submit a reasoned written explanation to the editorial office. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent editorial board member not involved in the original decision. Complaints regarding potential ethical concerns, editorial conduct, or conflicts of interest will be investigated promptly in accordance with COPE guidelines, and appropriate action will be taken.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

To cover the costs of peer review, editorial management, copyediting, typesetting, hosting, and indexing, PBR applies an article processing charge. A processing fee of PKR 3,000 is payable upon submission and is non-refundable. An additional publication fee of PKR 10,000 is payable upon acceptance after peer review. Both fees are mandatory and must be paid in favor of The Institute of Business Management.

For local authors, payments may be made by pay order in favor of Institute of Business Management or through cash/online deposit to:

Account Title: IoBM Pakistan Business Review
Bank: Standard Chartered Bank
Virtual Account: 5501309900055564

For international authors, payments may be made by bank transfer to:

Standard Chartered Bank Limited, Centenary Branch, 14-A P.E.C.H.S Block-6, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi, Pakistan
IBAN: PK97 SCBL 0000 0013 2602 0801
Account No.: 01326020801

Proof of payment (deposit slip or screenshot) must be sent to the editorial office at editorpbr@iobm.edu.pk

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

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their published work, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits others to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source. By submitting to PBR, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive right to publish and disseminate their work.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

PBR upholds the integrity of the academic record. Where honest errors are identified that do not affect the overall findings, a correction notice will be issued. In cases of major errors, plagiarism, or research misconduct that invalidate results or conclusions, the article will be retracted. If there is unresolved evidence of potential misconduct or unreliability, the journal may issue an expression of concern. All notices will be clearly linked to the original article and made freely available.

Privacy Statement

PBR treats all submissions as strictly confidential. Authors’ names, email addresses, and institutional affiliations will be used solely for editorial correspondence and will not be disclosed to third parties. All manuscripts are screened for originality, and by submitting to the journal, authors agree to undergo these checks. Authors found in violation of these conditions may be barred from future submissions.

Contact Information

All correspondence should be addressed to:

Editor, Pakistan Business Review (PBR)
Institute of Business Management (IoBM)
Korangi Creek, Karachi-75190, Pakistan
Telephone: (+92-21) 111-002-004, Ext.: 452, 454
Fax: (+92-21) 35090968, 35092658
Email: editorpbr@iobm.edu.pk
Website: https://journals.iobm.edu.pk/index.php/pbr