ERBE uses double anonymous peer review. Reviewers are chosen when they have the appropriate expertise to review the manuscript and should neither be current collaborators of the co-authors nor have published with any of the co-authors of the manuscript within the last three years; also, reviewers should be from different institutions to the authors. Reviewers are generally external, but can also be associated members of the associate editorial board.

Manuscripts submitted to ERBE are handled by an Editor and two Co-Editors, using the ScholarOne Manuscripts system. Papers are submitted online via ScholarOne, processed by the ERBE’s office administrator, and then distributed by the Editor-in-Chief to one of the Co-Editors or himself to oversee the refereeing process and to make a publication decision.

Submitted papers are routinely screened for plagiarism with Turnitin. The editors of ERBE are vigilant in upholding publishing ethics, particularly when it comes to plagiarism. They are trained to enforce a zero-tolerance policy in such cases, ensuring the integrity of the journal and the respect for intellectual property rights. If plagiarism is found during the peer review process, the manuscript may be rejected. If plagiarism is detected after publication, an investigation will be conducted, and actions will be taken in accordance with ERBE’s policies.

Papers are assigned based on the field of expertise of the Co-Editor, combined with a variety of other considerations, including equalization of workload and conflict-of-interest rules.

Once assigned, papers are handled by the designated Co-Editor throughout the decision process. Before giving a revise and resubmit decision to any paper (or in case of doubt), the Co-Editor in charge will consult a second Co-Editor of his/her choosing. He/she remains the Co-Editor in charge and is free to decide however he/she wants but can use the input of the second Co-Editor to reach a decision or to provide input in a potential revision letter.

Accepted articles are proofread by a native English-speaking professional proofreader and returned to the author(s) with a tracked version of the changes made in order to guarantee that each suggested change can be individually accepted by the author(s).

Accepted articles will be permanently deposited in Camões – Repositório Institucional da Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa CENTRO DE INVESTIGAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIAS ECONÓMICAS E EMPRESARIAIS ERBE – European Review of Business Economics.

The Editors handle all complaints and appeals. ERBE is obliged to pursue a complaint once made as there could be a potential problem with an article.  The integrity of the article is the editors’ key concern. Also, allegations of misconduct pre-publication and post-publication are taken seriously and originate a rigorous investigation. Whistleblowers’ identity is kept confidential. If justifiable, an article could be corrected, revised or retracted after publication (see below).

Before the release of an issue, minor corrections are made directly to the original published version of the article on the journal’s website. If these changes could impact the results or conclusions, the Academic Editors will review them. In such cases, a Correction or Retraction may be necessary.

Any changes made after publication that could affect the scientific interpretation of a paper—such as modifications to data in a figure, alterations to conclusions, the addition of whole paragraphs, corrections to species names or equations, or the inclusion of missing details about a method—will be announced through a Correction. This will be published as a separate document that links to the original paper, which will be updated accordingly. Additionally, a note will be added to the Article Version Notes and the abstract page to inform readers that an updated version is available. The previous version of the paper will remain accessible via the article abstract page.

Inadvertent errors made during the research process, serious ethical breaches, data fabrication, significant plagiarism, or other reasons, may undermine the integrity of scientific records and must be retracted.

ERBE adheres to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for retraction. Potential retractions are thoroughly investigated by the Editorial Office, with support from the Editorial Board and final approval from the Editor-in-Chief. Other individuals and institutions, such as university authorities or field experts, may also be consulted as necessary.

When a retraction is published, the original publication is marked with a “RETRACTED” watermark, but it will still be available on the journal’s website for future reference. However, retracted articles should not be cited or used for further research, as they cannot be relied upon. The retraction is also published as a separate item in the current issue of the journal, with article numbers added to ensure it can be indexed and abstracted appropriately. In cases where only certain results are incorrect, partial retractions may be published. Complete removal of a paper will only occur in very exceptional circumstances, such as when leaving it online would constitute an illegal act or result in significant harm.