Author Guidelines

The Journal of Sustainable Finance and Business Innovation (JSFBI) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes high-quality scholarly research at the intersection of sustainable finance, accounting, governance, and business innovation. The journal welcomes original contributions that advance theoretical understanding, empirical evidence, and policy or professional practice related to sustainable and innovation-driven economic systems. Submissions should demonstrate academic rigour, originality, and clear relevance to the journal’s aims and scope. All manuscripts submitted to JSFBI must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

1. Types of Manuscripts

JSFBI considers a wide range of scholarly contributions, including:

  • Original research articles (empirical, theoretical, or methodological)
  • Review articles (systematic, critical, or bibliometric)
  • Conceptual papers
  • Case studies
  • Policy- or practice-oriented papers

Regardless of manuscript type, submissions are expected to make a clear and substantive contribution to academic knowledge, professional practice, or policy debates within the journal’s scope.

2. Language and Length

Manuscripts must be written in clear, professional academic English suitable for an international readership. Authors are encouraged to ensure linguistic accuracy and clarity prior to submission. Research articles typically range between 6,000 and 9,000 words, including references, while review articles may extend up to 10,000 words. Shorter or longer manuscripts may be considered where justified by the nature and contribution of the research.

3. Manuscript Preparation and Structure

Authors are required to prepare manuscripts using the official JSFBI article template. Submissions should be logically structured, analytically rigorous, and clearly written. A typical manuscript should include:

  • A title page containing the manuscript title, author names, institutional affiliations, and corresponding author details
  • An abstract of 150–250 words
  • Three to six keywords

The main text normally comprises an introduction, literature review and/or theoretical background, methodology or research design, results or findings, discussion, and conclusion. Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to include sections on theoretical, practical, and/or policy implications, as well as limitations and directions for future research. Clarity, coherence, and analytical depth are expected throughout the manuscript.

4. Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts should be prepared using Times New Roman, with the main text in 12-point font, line spacing set at 1.15, margins of 2.5 cm on all sides, and fully justified alignment. Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively, clearly titled, and appropriately referred to in the text. Sources must be acknowledged where applicable, and tables should be presented in an editable format rather than as images.

5. Referencing Style

JSFBI follows the APA 7th edition referencing style. In-text citations must correspond accurately to the reference list, which should be presented in alphabetical order. Authors are encouraged to include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) where available. Ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of references is the responsibility of the authors.

6. Editorial Screening and Peer Review

All submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment to evaluate their suitability in terms of scope, academic quality, originality, and compliance with the journal’s guidelines. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s aims and scope, quality standards, or author guidelines may be declined at this stage without external peer review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment are subject to a double-blind peer review process involving at least two independent reviewers. Final editorial decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief, taking into account reviewers’ reports and the journal’s editorial policies. The peer review procedure is conducted in accordance with the journal’s official Peer Review Process policy

7. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for limited supportive purposes, such as language editing or improving clarity and readability, provided that such use does not compromise research integrity or academic originality. AI tools must not be listed as authors and must not generate substantive intellectual content, including research design, data analysis, interpretation of results, or conclusions. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

8. Plagiarism and Originality

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using appropriate detection tools. Manuscripts that exhibit plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or excessive similarity to previously published work may be declined following editorial assessment. JSFBI is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

9. Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research process, interpretation of findings, or presentation of results. Where no conflicts exist, authors should explicitly state this.

10. Ethical Considerations

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with recognised ethical standards. Where applicable, authors should confirm that ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate institutional or national ethics committee and that informed consent was secured.

11. Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement indicating whether the data supporting the findings of the study are available and how they may be accessed or explaining any restrictions on data availability.

12. Open Access and Copyright

JSFBI is a fully open-access journal. All published articles are made freely available in accordance with the journal’s open-access policy.

 

13. Submission Process

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission system. Authors should ensure that all required metadata, including author details, affiliations, abstracts, and keywords, are entered accurately during submission.

14. Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript has been prepared using the JSFBI article template
  • The abstract and keywords are complete
  • All author details and affiliations are correct
  • References follow APA 7th edition style
  • Tables and figures are properly labelled and cited
  • Ethical approval and conflict-of-interest statements are included where applicable

15. Copyright and Licensing

Authors who publish in JSFBI retain the copyright to their work. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Under this licence, authors may share, reuse, and adapt their published work for lawful academic, educational, and professional purposes without seeking additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is given.