JOURNAL POLICIES

Editorial

The Abuja Management Review (AMR) is a distinguished bi-annual journal published by the Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Abuja, Nigeria. The journal serves as a critical platform for the dissemination of high-quality, peer-reviewed research in the field of management and related disciplines. AMR is committed to fostering intellectual rigor, promoting interdisciplinary research, and contributing to the advancement of management knowledge both within Nigeria and globally.

The editorial policy of AMR is centred on excellence, originality, and relevance. The journal welcomes empirical, theoretical, and conceptual papers that provide new insights into contemporary management issues, particularly within emerging economies. AMR encourages submissions that address significant managerial challenges, policy implications, and innovative solutions applicable across sectors. The journal maintains an open-access model to enhance the accessibility and impact of published research. Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling basis, subject to a rigorous evaluation process to ensure alignment with global best practices in academic publishing.

The editorial board, comprising leading scholars and practitioners from diverse fields, oversees the integrity and scholarly contribution of the journal. The board is responsible for setting strategic directions, ensuring adherence to ethical standards, and upholding the quality of publications. Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance are based on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, and contribution to knowledge, rather than personal or institutional affiliations.

Peer Review Process

AMR adopts a double-blind peer review process, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other. This approach safeguards objectivity, eliminates bias, and enhances the credibility of the review process. The peer review process follows a structured and systematic approach designed to maintain the highest standards of academic rigor.

Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo an initial screening by the editorial team to determine their alignment with the journal’s aims and scope. Manuscripts that pass this preliminary assessment are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. Reviewers assess the manuscript based on originality, methodological soundness, theoretical contribution, clarity of presentation, and practical implications. The review process is constructive, with reviewers providing detailed feedback to authors, ensuring continuous scholarly improvement.

Based on reviewers’ recommendations, the editorial team may decide to: (a) accept the manuscript with minor or major revisions, (b) request substantial revisions and resubmission, or (c) reject the manuscript. Authors are required to address all reviewer comments diligently before final acceptance. The average duration of the review process ranges from two to four weeks, depending on the complexity of the submission and the responsiveness of reviewers and authors.

Publication Ethics

AMR adheres to the highest ethical standards in academic publishing, guided by the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability. The journal follows the ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, and editors, to uphold these standards.

Authors submitting manuscripts to AMR must ensure that their work is original, free of plagiarism, and not under consideration in any other journal. Plagiarism, data fabrication, and other forms of academic misconduct are strictly prohibited, and all manuscripts undergo rigorous plagiarism screening before review. Instances of ethical violations will result in immediate rejection and potential blacklisting of authors.

Reviewers are expected to provide unbiased, fair, and confidential assessments of manuscripts. They must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts where such conflicts exist. Editors play a pivotal role in ensuring ethical compliance by maintaining transparency in the decision-making process and safeguarding the journal from unethical practices such as coercive citations, nepotism, or biased decision-making.

AMR also upholds ethical principles regarding authorship. Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors. Guest, honorary, or ghost authorship is not permitted. Any disputes concerning authorship must be resolved before submission. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued where ethical breaches or errors are identified post-publication.