Author Affiliation Policy

Purpose

The International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM), published by the Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS), requires all authors to provide accurate, complete, and verifiable affiliation information at the time of manuscript submission. Clear author affiliations promote transparency, ensure appropriate institutional recognition, facilitate scholarly communication, and support the integrity of the academic record.

Institutional Affiliation

Each author must provide the institutional affiliation held at the time the research was conducted.

An affiliation should include:

  • Name of the institution or organization.

  • Faculty, school, department, or research centre (where applicable).

  • City.

  • State or province (where applicable).

  • Country.

Affiliations should represent the institution where the majority of the research was undertaken and should be written using the institution's official name.

Corresponding Author

One author must be designated as the corresponding author.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Managing all communication with the editorial office throughout the submission, peer review, and publication process.

  • Confirming that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

  • Ensuring the accuracy of author names, affiliations, and contact information.

  • Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.

  • Communicating any post-publication corrections relating to authorship or affiliations.

The corresponding author must provide a valid institutional or professional email address that will be used for all official correspondence whenever possible.

Multiple Affiliations

Authors who are formally affiliated with more than one institution may list multiple affiliations.

Each affiliation should:

  • Be presented separately.

  • Be linked to the appropriate author using superscript numbers or another journal-approved format.

  • Reflect genuine institutional appointments held during the research period.

Multiple affiliations should not be listed solely to increase institutional visibility or citation credit.

Changes in Affiliation

Affiliations published in the article should normally reflect the author's institutional position at the time the research was conducted.

If an author changes institution after completing the research or before publication, the original affiliation should remain as the primary affiliation.

The author's current affiliation may also be included as a "Present Address" or similar note where appropriate.

Changes in affiliation after publication will only be made when necessary to correct factual inaccuracies and will follow the journal's post-publication correction procedures.

Independent Researchers

Authors who are not affiliated with a university, research institute, company, or other organization may submit manuscripts to IRFBM.

Independent authors should clearly indicate their status, for example:

  • Independent Researcher

  • Independent Scholar

  • Consultant

  • Research Professional

Where applicable, authors may also provide the name of their professional organization or consulting practice.

Independent status does not influence editorial decisions.

Research Consortia and Collaborative Groups

Where research has been conducted by a consortium, research network, laboratory, project team, or collaborative group, the manuscript should clearly identify:

  • The participating institutions.

  • The institutional affiliation of each listed author.

  • The role of the consortium or research group, where appropriate.

The journal may request additional information to ensure accurate attribution.

Institutional Recognition

Authors should ensure that institutional names are complete, accurate, and consistent with the official English-language designation of the organization.

Abbreviations should be avoided unless they are internationally recognized or commonly accepted.

Providing accurate affiliation information assists:

  • Institutional research reporting.

  • Indexing services.

  • Citation databases.

  • Funding agencies.

  • University rankings.

  • Research assessment exercises.

Funding and Institutional Support

Any financial, institutional, technical, or administrative support that contributed to the research should be disclosed in the manuscript.

Authors should acknowledge:

  • Research grants.

  • University funding.

  • Institutional research projects.

  • Government funding.

  • Industry sponsorship.

  • Laboratory support.

  • Data collection assistance.

  • Technical assistance.

Funding disclosures should accurately identify the supporting organization and, where applicable, the grant or project number.

Conflict of Interest

Institutional affiliations should not conceal potential conflicts of interest.

Authors must disclose any personal, professional, financial, institutional, or commercial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent publication, but transparency is essential for maintaining trust in the scholarly record.

Verification of Affiliation

IRFBM reserves the right to verify the affiliation information provided by authors.

The editorial office may request supporting documentation where there is reasonable doubt regarding:

  • Institutional employment.

  • Academic appointments.

  • Organizational membership.

  • Research appointments.

  • Professional positions.

Providing false or misleading affiliation information may result in:

  • Rejection of the manuscript.

  • Withdrawal of an accepted article.

  • Publication of a correction.

  • Retraction of a published article in cases of serious misconduct.

Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • All affiliations are accurate and complete.

  • Institutional names are correctly presented.

  • Author order has been agreed upon by all contributors.

  • Affiliation information is updated during the review process if necessary.

  • Funding and institutional support are fully disclosed.

  • Any changes requiring correction are promptly communicated to the editorial office.

Contact

Questions regarding author affiliations or institutional information may be directed to:

International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM)
Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS)
Email: editor.irfbm@addsacademy.com

Policy Review

This policy may be updated periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing standards, indexing requirements, institutional reporting practices, and publication ethics. Any revisions will be published on the journal website and will apply to future submissions unless otherwise stated.