1.      Editorial Policy

Using an online manuscript management software system, manuscripts submitted to the AADFI Journal of Development Finance are managed by the editor, one of several Co-editors, and staff in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Papers are submitted electronically, evaluated by the AADFI secretariat office staff, and then sent to one of the Coeditors or to the editor themselves to monitor the review process and decide whether to publish. Articles are assigned based on the Coeditor’s area of expertise in addition to a number of other factors, such as balancing workloads and adhering to conflict-of-interest policies. The designated Coeditor manages papers once they have been assigned during the selection process. Before making a decision to revise and resubmit a paper (or if in doubt), the coeditor in charge will consult with a second coeditor of their choice. They are still the Coeditor in control and have complete discretion, but they may consider the opinions of the second Coeditor when making a choice or contributing to a prospective correction letter. If the paper is accepted, the primary Coeditor in charge will be acknowledged in the article’s published acknowledgment note.

1.1         Peer Review, Confidentiality, and Editorial Handling

There are several rules that affect assignment of manuscripts.

Conflict of interest: Coeditor in charge

• Papers involving current coworkers at the same institution (regardless of department), as well as graduate students or intern at the same institution, are excluded from coeditorship.
• Coeditors are disqualified from articles including coauthors of recent works or papers released within the last two years.
• Coeditors are disqualified from papers featuring unpaid interns they advised.
• Coeditors are recused from papers involving a family member.
• Coeditors are required to disclose any other close friendships or professional connections that might, in their judgment, lead to a conflict of interest, even if they are not specifically mentioned here (such as being a coauthor of a current project or being close friends with a former tenured student).

Conflict of interest: Consulting coeditor

• Coeditors are prohibited from providing editorial input on papers involving coworkers from the same department, but they are permitted to do so for authors of papers from different departments within the same organization.
• If the student/author/scholar has graduated within the last three years or the paper was a component of the student’s dissertation, coeditors are prohibited from providing editorial input on publications involving untenured students they advised.
• Coeditors are prohibited from providing advice on documents involving a member of their family.
• Even if it isn’t specifically mentioned here, coeditors are still required to disclose any other close friendships or professional connections that could, in their opinion, conflict with their ability to advise on the paper. Examples include being a current project coauthor or being close friends with a former tenured student/author/scholar.

It is the coeditor’s responsibility to notify the editor in charge of any conflicts. Conflict might also be hinted at by authors in their cover letters. These papers are handled by the Editor or a separate Coeditor in accordance with the proper refereeing confidentiality rules. A Guest Editor manages papers submitted by a Coeditor or the Editor while following the necessary confidentiality protocols. The Guest Editor has complete editorial freedom. The Editor invites a Guest Editor if the paper is submitted by a Coeditor. If the paper is submitted by the Editor, a Coeditor invites a Guest Editor. Current Coeditors or the current Editor cannot serve as Guest Editor. If possible, the Guest Editor is drawn from former Editors or Coeditors of AJDF journals or from members of the Board of Editors. The Guest Editor’s name will appear as the official editor in the acknowledgement section of any published paper.

Single-blind review of manuscripts is used. The referee(s) are made aware of the author’s name, but the referee(s) are kept anonymous to the writers. The author of the Comment and other referees receive responses to Comments. There is no automatic right to respond; instead, the person who responds must discuss the problems at hand in depth and in detail. Sometimes, only comments and replies that appear on the AJDF web page are taken into consideration. These articles go through the same peer review procedure as all Comments and Replies; however, they might be deemed more suitable for posting online rather than being printed in the AJDF.

1.2         Data Legality Policy

All data used in papers published in AJDF should be legally acquired. The (co-)editor handling a paper may reject it if some or all of the data used in the paper were not legally obtained. Also, not that the raw data used for the paper may be required depending on the nature of article be publish to substantiate the results publish with empirical data.

 AJDF Data Legality Policy and Explanations

Advice to Authors

The Data Legality Policy’s justification is discussed in more detail below, but a crucial justification is that, in accordance with the Policy, the debate of data legality takes place early in the editorial process so that there are no surprises at the conclusion. When you submit your manuscript, feel free to ask any queries you have about the legality of the data to the AJDF Journal Editors or the AJDF Data Editor. When submitting your article online, please indicate whether you used any data that you think might not have been obtained legally as ADFI will not be liable to the authors claim/publication.

AJDF Data Legality Policy

Every piece of information utilized in AJDF-published studies must be legitimately obtained. If part or all of the data included in the study were not lawfully obtained, the (Co)Editor handling the paper may reject it. If some or all of the data used in the study were illegally obtained, the current Editor of the journal that the paper was submitted to or in which it was published may revoke the acceptance decision or retract the paper. In any situation when the validity of the data is in doubt, the Data Editor must be consulted. Before publishing a retraction or revoking an acceptance decision, the Editor must speak with the Secretary-Treasurer of the AJDF. The following two instances are exempt from the need that data in published papers be legally acquired, according to the handling (Co)Editor:

• The author purchased or acquired the data from a third party, and a prudent person would not have had any cause to believe that the third party had obtained the data unlawfully at the time of purchase or acquisition. There are a number of valid reasons to believe that data may have been obtained illegally, including but not limited to: I the third party is not an official firm or organization; (ii) the third party is secretive about its distribution of the data; (iii) the author is unable to or not permitted to identify the third party; or (iv) the nature or sensitivity of the data is such that third parties would not typically be able to legally obtain such data. The author must show that the data were legally acquired by the third party if there are any grounds to believe they may have been obtained illegally.
• Very rare circumstances where, in the (Co)Editor’s opinion, the publication’s contribution to society exceeds the use of data obtained unlawfully. In these circumstances, the author must state in the initial submission’s cover letter that the data were not obtained lawfully (by the data provider or by the author themselves). Editor, Data Editor, and Secretary-Treasurer of the AJDF must be consulted before inviting a revision or conditionally approving a paper whose author admitted the use of unlawfully obtained data.

Rationale and Background of the Data Legality Policy

AJDF journal editors occasionally receive papers based on information obtained in unethical ways. Examples could include data gained while working as an intern for a company without the company’s consent, buying data from a third party that the real owner of the data does not sell, or hiring hackers to access private employee records of a corporation. Such data are troublesome since other researchers can’t access them, which raises questions about equity, the accuracy of the data, and the replication of conclusions utilizing this data in addition to ethical issues.

These problems frequently don’t surface until much later in the editing process, when there are few viable possibilities for a workable solution. The author’s only choice is to revoke a (conditional) acceptance decision, which is a bold move with possible serious professional repercussions. Equity would be the final issue. Why is the acceptance decision for this specific author being withdrawn when earlier writers may have produced works with equally dubious data?

The Data Legality Policy is designed to handle situations like the ones in the aforementioned examples in a direct, consistent, and fair manner. Any questions regarding the legality of the data are handled in accordance with the Policy from the beginning rather than the end of the editorial process.

The AJDF is aware that there may be compelling public interest justifications for publishing papers including information that was not obtained properly. For instance, using information that was not legally gained might occasionally result in significant advancements in study on corruption or unlawful activities. In specific situations, as outlined in exception (2) of the Policy, the AJDF will decide whether the advantages of such research outweigh the disadvantages of illegal acquisition. This choice would be made at the time of the paper’s original submission, before the authors had devoted a substantial amount of time and money to the AJDF journal’s editorial procedure. Other examples include the use of institutional data for analysis, such as internal assessments of solvency and profitability, or data relating to the size and operations of financial institutions that are not publicly disclosed in annual reports. While such data may be accessible to an author or researcher by virtue of their position within the institution, any information that is not publicly available or cannot be independently verified will not be considered acceptable for publication in the journal.

Data and Code Availability Policy

The AJDF has a policy of only publishing papers provided the data and code used in the analysis are accurately and clearly documented, and the authors have non-exclusive access to the data and code. Prior to approval, authors of accepted articles that include empirical research, simulations, or experimental work must submit information on the data, programs, and other computational details necessary to enable replication, as well as information regarding access to the data and programs.

The AJDF Data and Code Repository should be used to archive programs and data. Before acceptance, authors will grant editors and reviewers access to both data and programs upon request. If access to the data used in a work is restricted or limited, or if the aforementioned standards cannot be met for some other reason, the Editor should be informed at the time of submission. Before the material is accepted by the Editor, the AJDF Data Editor will evaluate conformity with this policy and confirm the accuracy of the data.

Content and Scope

For econometric, simulation, and experimental papers, the replication materials shall include (a) the data set(s), (b) description sufficient to access all data at their original source location, (c) the programs used to create any final and analysis data sets from raw data, (d) programs used to run the final models, and (e) description sufficient to allow all programs to be run.

For papers collecting original data through surveys or experiments, the replication materials shall also include (f) survey instruments or experiment instructions, (g) computer code for experiment or survey collection mechanisms, and (h) original instructions and details on subject selection.

Data and Software Citations

All source data used in the paper shall be cited, following the AJDF Sample References. Citation of software packages is also encouraged.

Data Availability Statement

The README/codebook file must contain a data availability statement that applies to both the original data and any derivative data. It could also be made available as an online appendix. The data availability statement must be explicit and accurate about any restrictions, requirements, payments, and processing delays and must provide detailed information on how, where, and under what circumstances an independent researcher can access the original source data as well as author-generated derivative data. The data availability statement must provide details to reassure the reader that the data will be accessible for an adequate amount of time.

Non-Public Data

This policy also applies to articles that employ data that is not permitted for publication as part of a replication package or in a trustworthy data repository that is publicly available. Examples include private information about people or companies, data covered by data usage agreements, and information with copyrights that forbid transfer. When possible, the AJDF Data Editor and/or a designated third-party replicator who can offer a third-party reproducibility report should be given a confidential (not to be published) version of the data.

Formats

Data: Any format that is compatible with any widely used statistical software or package may be used to give the data files. Data files in open, non-proprietary forms are encouraged from authors. Every variable in the supplied datasets should have a descriptive name or label, according to the authors. Codebooks,  or similar information should explain each variable’s permitted values and their significance. References to publicly accessible documentation for these things are permissible.

Code: Any format that is compatible with widely used statistical tools or packages may be utilized to deliver the programs. Authors must inform the AJDF Data Editor if special or expensive software is needed. The use of a master script is strongly advised.

Version of Record

After the data and code deposit is accepted by the AJDF Data Editor, it will become the version of record associated with the paper. Corrections and revisions are subject to the Policy on Data and Code Revisions.

1.3         Ethics Approval

If applicable, approval by ethics boards relevant to various research discipline should be demonstrated by including the name of the ethics board and any approval or exemption record number in the title footnote and the author disclosure statement(s).

Plagiarism

Both the paraphrase of text, concepts, and ideas without proper attribution and the reuse of text, data, figures, and images without acknowledgment or permission are considered plagiarism. Self-plagiarism, in which an author exploits his or her own previously published text, data, or ideas without proper citation, is also seen as unethical. Turnitin or iThenticate or any other anti-plagiarism software may be used to screen manuscripts submitted to AJDF in an effort to identify and prevent plagiarism. When submitting a paper for publication for the first time, it is therefore advisable to make sure that all references are properly and completely mentioned throughout the text. Each manuscript that has not already been screened will be run through Turnitin or iThenticate prior to final acceptance. An accept decision may be revoked if our software detects any evidence of plagiarism. The AJDF Plagiarism Standards will be followed in all cases of suspected plagiarism.

Copyright

For personal or educational use, permission is given without charge to make hard or digital copies of some or all AJDF publications, provided that copies are not distributed for profit or other direct commercial advantage and that copies display this notice on the first page or initial screen of a display along with the complete citation, including the author’s name. It is necessary to respect the copyrights of any parts of this work that are not owned by AJDF. Credit-assisted abstraction is acceptable. Any part of this work may be reused by the author in other works and may be published again, posted on servers, distributed again to mailing lists, etc. Others must pay a charge or have previous written authorization to do so. You can ask for permission from the AJDF secretariat.

1.4         AADFI Journal Legal Disclaimer and Publication Terms

By submitting, accepting, and publishing any manuscript with AADFI Journal (“the Journal”), the author(s) expressly agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. Author Responsibility and Liability: All authors bear full and sole responsibility for the content of their submissions. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy of data, originality of work, proper citation of sources, and compliance with all applicable laws and ethical standards. The Journal shall not be held liable for any claims, damages, or legal actions arising from the content published.
2. Copyright and Intellectual Property: The Journal (AADFI) shall not be held responsible or liable for any copyright infringement, plagiarism, unauthorized use of intellectual property, or inclusion of stolen or misappropriated material within any submitted or published work. Authors warrant that their submissions are original or properly authorized for use and do not infringe on any third-party rights.
3. Indemnification Clause: Authors agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless AADFI Journal, its management, staff, affiliates, and representatives from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from or related to the publication of their work.
4. Rights to Publish and Disseminate: Upon publication, AADFI Journal retains the unrestricted right to publish, distribute, reproduce, archive, and disseminate the work in any format or medium, including but not limited to online platforms, websites, digital repositories, and hard copy prints, as deemed appropriate by the Journal.
5. Right to Replicate and Reuse Content: AADFI Journal reserves the perpetual right to replicate, reuse, adapt, and include published materials in other Journal publications, compilations, or derivative works without further consent from or notification to the author(s).
6. Reproduction and Commercial Use: The Journal retains the right to reproduce, distribute, or make available any published material for a fee or other commercial purposes as it deems necessary. Authors shall not be entitled to any royalties, compensation, or financial benefit arising from such uses.
7. No Profit-Sharing or Compensation: AADFI Journal shall not be liable to provide any form of payment, compensation, or profit-sharing to authors for the publication, distribution, or reuse of their work. Submission and publication are deemed voluntary and without expectation of financial return.
8. No Legal Liability: Under no circumstances shall AADFI Journal be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from the publication or use of any content, including but not limited to legal disputes initiated by third parties.
9. Acceptance of Terms: Submission of a manuscript to AADFI Journal constitutes full acceptance of this disclaimer and all stated terms. Authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these conditions.