Ethics Policy

Open Access Policy

SYNEX: Journal of Mobility and Business Research is a Diamond Open Access journal, which means that all content is freely available to readers immediately upon publication, without any subscription charges, paywalls, or article processing charges (APCs). Authors are not required to pay submission or publication fees.

The journal is committed to the principle that applied research should be accessible to everyone—academics, practitioners, policymakers, and the broader public—without financial or legal restrictions. By adopting this model, SYNEX ensures the widest possible dissemination of knowledge in the fields of transportation, tourism, and business research.

All articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. This license allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors retain the copyright of their work while granting readers the right to access and reuse their articles.

The journal’s open access policy is aligned with international best practices, including the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) criteria, and the guidelines of COPE and OASPA.

By operating as a non-profit, independent, Diamond Open Access journal, SYNEX upholds its mission of advancing applied research, enhancing visibility, and fostering global collaboration across the domains of mobility, tourism, and business.

Publishing Ethics

The publication of scholarly articles in a peer-reviewed academic journal serves far more than the dissemination of ideas. It creates a structured and trusted network of knowledge; it provides evidence of the quality and impact of the authors’ work and, by extension, of their institutions; and it strengthens the scientific method itself. For these reasons, SYNEX: Journal of Mobility and Business Research (“SYNEX”) has established clear ethical standards for all parties involved in scholarly publishing: authors, editors, reviewers, the publisher, and any partner societies.

All participants in the publication process are expected to treat one another with respect and dignity, free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, or retaliation. These guidelines primarily apply to original applied research articles but are equally relevant for review studies, professional communications, and special issues. Where discipline-specific standards exist (e.g., ICMJE, CONSORT), SYNEX follows them and requires authors to comply.

SYNEX is an independent, Diamond Open Access journal, operating under its own domain. It charges no submission or publication fees, publishes exclusively in English, and applies a double-anonymized peer review process. All publishing practices are aligned with international standards, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).

Duties of the Publisher

Guardianship of the scholarly record. The publisher has a responsibility to maintain the integrity and permanence of the scholarly record. This includes investing in editorial systems, supporting peer reviewers, and implementing long-term digital preservation strategies (e.g., CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, or PKP PN).

Safeguarding editorial independence. Editorial decisions are free from commercial or political influence. Revenue sources such as hosting, sponsorships, or advertising cannot influence the editorial process.

Collaboration for best practice. The publisher promotes industry standards by:

Providing editors with access to COPE resources.
Applying plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin).
Maintaining transparent journal policies on peer review, authorship, conflicts of interest, corrections, and retractions.
Ensuring the provision of persistent identifiers (DOIs) and open bibliographic metadata.

Technical, procedural, and legal support. Editors are supported with communications to other journals or institutions when misconduct is suspected, and with legal advice if necessary.

Education. The publisher provides resources on ethics for authors, reviewers, and editors, especially early-career researchers. Training may include proper citation practices, responsible authorship, and awareness of research misconduct.

Editorial staff conduct. Editorial staff must declare any competing interests and are prohibited from using non-public information for personal gain. Staff are excluded from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist.

AI usage by the publisher. Confidential manuscripts are never uploaded to public generative AI systems. AI-based tools, where used (e.g., for plagiarism screening), operate under strict human oversight.

Duties of Editors

Publication decisions. Editors decide on acceptance, revision, or rejection based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigour, and fit with the scope of SYNEX.

Peer review. Editors ensure a fair, unbiased, and timely review process. At least two independent reviewers are typically consulted. Fraudulent reviewers and conflicts of interest are actively avoided.

Fair play and transparency. Manuscripts are judged without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation.

Citations and journal metrics. Editors must not attempt to influence metrics by coercive citation practices. References must only be required for genuine scholarly reasons.

Confidentiality. Editors protect all submitted material and reviewer identities. Privileged information cannot be used for personal advantage. In cases of alleged misconduct, limited information may be shared with institutions or other journals, in line with COPE guidelines.

Conflicts of interest. Editors must not handle manuscripts where they have personal, professional, or financial conflicts. Manuscripts authored by editors, family members, or close collaborators are assigned to uninvolved editors, and this process is documented.

Vigilance over the record. Editors investigate all allegations of misconduct (plagiarism, fabrication, redundant publication, image manipulation). Appropriate corrective measures include publishing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Ethics and safety. Editors ensure manuscripts report required approvals for studies involving human or animal subjects and provide informed consent statements where applicable. Hazards related to chemicals, equipment, or procedures must be disclosed.

Appeals and complaints. SYNEX allows one formal appeal per manuscript. Appeals are reviewed by uninvolved editors or an independent advisory panel. Complaints about editorial handling are acknowledged and addressed in writing.

Special issues. Guest editors may manage peer review but the Editor-in-Chief retains full responsibility for final decisions, ensuring all special issues follow SYNEX standards.

AI policy. Editors must not use generative AI for decision-making or upload manuscripts to external AI systems.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions. Peer review supports editorial decision-making and helps authors improve their work.

Objectivity and competing interests. Reviews must be fair, evidence-based, and constructive. Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest before accepting an assignment and recuse themselves when necessary.

Citations. Reviewers may suggest references but only for legitimate scholarly reasons. Any inappropriate or excessive citation suggestions are removed by editors.

Confidentiality. Manuscripts are confidential. Content must not be shared, reused, or used for personal advantage. Co-reviewing is allowed only with editor approval and acknowledgment.

Ethical vigilance. Reviewers must alert editors to suspected plagiarism, overlap, fabricated data, or absence of ethics approvals.

AI in review. Reviewers may not upload manuscripts or reviews to public AI systems and remain fully responsible for their reports.

Timeliness. Reviewers unable to complete a review on time should notify the editors promptly.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards. Authors must present an accurate account of applied research with sufficient detail for replication where relevant. Knowingly false statements are unethical.

Data access and availability. All manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS). Authors should deposit data in open repositories whenever possible or explain restrictions. Data should be retained for a reasonable period after publication.

Originality. Submissions must be original and not simultaneously under review elsewhere. Use of others’ work must be acknowledged and cited appropriately. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

Redundant publication. Duplicate submissions or redundant publication is prohibited. Legitimate secondary publications (e.g., translations) must be transparent, with approval of both journals and citation of the original work. Preprints are permitted but must be disclosed.

Citations. References must be accurate, relevant, and verifiable, preferably with DOIs. Excessive self-citation, citation stacking, or coercive citation is forbidden.

Authorship and contributorship. Only contributors with significant roles (design, data, analysis, interpretation, writing) should be listed as authors. CRediT taxonomy must be applied. All authors approve the final version and consent to submission. Changes to authorship after submission require unanimous written agreement.

Conflicts of interest and funding. All personal or financial conflicts must be disclosed. Authors must state funding sources and the role of sponsors in study design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Human and animal ethics. Authors must state ethics approval identifiers and informed consent for human studies. For animal research, compliance with ARRIVE guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU, U.S. PHS Policy, or equivalents is required.

Clinical trial transparency. Relevant trials must be registered in recognized public registries and reported according to CONSORT guidelines.

Use of AI. AI cannot be listed as an author. Any use of AI-assisted tools (e.g., for language editing, figure generation, or analysis) must be disclosed with details of the tool, version, and purpose. Authors are fully accountable for content.

Notification of errors. Authors discovering errors in their published work must notify the editor immediately and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

Image integrity. Manipulating images in misleading ways is prohibited. Brightness or contrast adjustments are allowed only if they do not alter scientific meaning. Editors may request original image files.

Permissions. Authors must secure written permissions for third-party materials and include credit lines in the manuscript.

References

Author Declarations and Related Policies

Submission declaration

By submitting to SYNEX: Journal of Mobility and Business Research authors confirm that:

The work has not been published previously, except as a preprint, abstract, published lecture, academic thesis, or registered report clearly disclosed in the cover letter and manuscript.
The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
All authors approve the submission and the responsible authorities at the host institution have granted any required approvals.
If accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere in the same form and language without the written consent of the copyright holder.
The manuscript may be checked with screening tools for originality, image integrity, and policy compliance.

Authorship

SYNEX follows contributorship principles consistent with widely accepted standards.

Each listed author must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to at least one of the following: study conception and design, data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation, drafting the article, or critical revision for important intellectual content.
All authors must review and approve the final version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
A single corresponding author is designated to manage communication during peer review and after publication.
SYNEX encourages transparent CRediT contributor statements in the manuscript.

Changes to authorship

Authorship should be finalized at initial submission.

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors prior to acceptance must be sent by the corresponding author, include the reason for the change, and contain written confirmation from all authors including any added or removed.
Requests after acceptance are considered only in exceptional circumstances. The editor may pause publication while evaluating the request. If approved post-publication, a corrigendum will be issued.
Unauthorized authorship changes may lead to rejection or retraction.

Declaration of competing interests

All authors must disclose any relationships that could appear to influence the work. Examples include:
employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents or patent applications, grants or other funding, and editorial or advisory roles related to the journal.

Include a Competing Interests section in the manuscript. If none exist, state:
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Where an author holds a role connected to SYNEX, include a statement such as:
Given their role as [insert role] at SYNEX, [insert name] had no involvement in the peer review of this article and had no access to information regarding its peer review. Editorial responsibility was delegated to an independent editor.

Funding sources

Authors must list all funders and describe the role of the sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, and the decision to submit. If there was no such involvement, state this explicitly.

Use a standard format, for example:
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [grant zzzz]; and the United States Institute of Peace [grant aaaa].
If there was no specific funding, include:
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

SYNEX permits limited use of generative AI tools in writing under strict human oversight.

AI tools may be used only to improve language or readability. Authors must carefully review and edit all AI-assisted text and remain fully responsible for the content.
AI systems cannot be listed as authors and must not be cited as authors.
Include a declaration before the References when AI tools were used. Example section and statement:

Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process
During the preparation of this work the authors used [tool or service, version] for [purpose, for example language editing]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for the content of the article.

Basic tools for spelling, grammar, and reference formatting do not require a declaration.
Note: To protect confidentiality, reviewers and editors at SYNEX are not permitted to upload manuscripts to public generative AI services. Human judgment governs all editorial decisions.

Preprints

SYNEX supports preprint sharing.

Posting on recognized preprint servers does not constitute prior publication.
Authors must disclose the server name, DOI or persistent identifier, and describe material differences between the preprint and the submitted version.
Upon acceptance, authors should update the preprint record with the citation and DOI of the Version of Record.
Authors must also comply with our policies on multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication.

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect, and promotes equal opportunity.

Avoid implying superiority based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition.
Prefer gender-neutral constructions and plural forms where possible. Avoid unnecessary references to personal attributes unless relevant and supported.
Do not make assumptions about readers’ beliefs. Avoid bias, stereotypes, slang, and references that presume a dominant culture.

Practical inclusions and formatting inside your manuscript

Include these sections as applicable:

Funding
Competing Interests
CRediT Author Contributions
Data Availability Statement
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate
Consent for Publication (when individual data or images are used)
Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process
Acknowledgements

Data Availability Statement template
Data and code supporting this study are available at [repository name] [DOI or URL]. Where legal or confidentiality restrictions apply, qualified researchers may request controlled access from [contact or data access committee].

Authorship change request template

A signed letter from the corresponding author that explains the reason for the change.
Written agreement from all authors, including any being added or removed.
Updated CRediT roles and author order.
Timing: preferably before acceptance. Post-acceptance changes are exceptional and may require a corrigendum.

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