Digitalization and Startup Ecosystem Maturity: A Comparative Analysis of the European Union and the Western Balkans (2010–2024)

Author Guidelines

1. The journal accepts manuscripts in English.

2. Articles must be prepared in MS Word format.

3. Page margins must be set to 2 cm for the top margin and 1.27 cm for the right, left, and bottom margins.

4. The title should be written in 16-point Cambria font, aligned on both sides, bold and capitalized with initial letters (excluding conjunctions such as and, with, etc.).

5. Keywords must consist of at least 3 and at most 5 terms representing the content of the study, written in 10-point Cambria font, bold and centered. The first letter of each keyword should be capitalized.

6. Abstracts must be around 250-300 words and should be written as a single paragraph. Abstracts should include information on the purpose, methodology, findings, and conclusions of the study. Abstracts must be written in 12-point Cambria font and justified.

7. The main text should consist of the sections Introduction, Literature Review (Conceptual Framework), Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion, and must be written in 12-point Cambria font, with multiple line spacing (1.15), 0 cm spacing before and after paragraphs, and justified alignment. Section numbering should begin with the Introduction, and when necessary, the text may include numbered subheadings that are ordered hierarchically within their respective main headings (e.g., 2.1., 2.2., 2.3.).

8. Figures must be submitted in “.jpeg”, “.png” or “.tiff” format and should not be provided as any other formats. Figure captions should be placed below the figures and written in 10-point Cambria font. Figures must be embedded within the manuscript text and also submitted as separate files during submission.

9. Table titles should be placed above the tables and written in 10-point Cambria font.

10. It is recommended that manuscripts not exceed 10,000 words in length, including references; however, no word limit is imposed on review papers.

11. The title page must include the article title; the full names of all authors; their institutional affiliations; ORCID iDs; and e-mail addresses. One author must be designated as the corresponding author, and their affiliation and contact e-mail address must be provided. All relevant statements, including author contributions, conflict of interest, funding, ethical approval, and acknowledgements, must be included under a “Declarations” section on the title page.

12. Authors must disclose any use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools during the preparation of the manuscript. If AI tools were used for purposes such as language editing, text drafting, coding, statistical analysis, data visualization, translation, or any other aspect of manuscript preparation, authors are required to complete and upload the Journal's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Declaration Form at the time of submission. Manuscripts using AI tools without the required declaration may be returned to the authors before peer review.

13. Articles must include the following main elements: Title, abstract, and keywords; main text sections; endnotes; and references. Research articles should be organized in the following order: Introduction; Aim and Method; Results; Discussion and Conclusion; Endnotes; References; Tables and Figures.

14. All figures, graphics, and tables submitted must comply with the journal’s specified format. Footnotes, graphics, and tables should be placed on the same page as the relevant citation or following it. Notes under graphics and tables should aim to make these materials understandable without referring to the main text and should be formatted to fit A4 page size whenever possible. In-text citations should be presented in parentheses with the author’s surname and year of publication.

15. Both in-text citations and the reference list must comply with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition (APA 7.0). For detailed information on APA citation and referencing style, see: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples

16. The manuscript writing template includes the full text of a research article and incorporates the formatting rules. Examples related to writing rules are provided in the template. Texts, figures, and tables must be adapted according to  article template.

Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal’s author guidelines will be returned to the author(s) by the editorial office without initiating the review process. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with these guidelines lies with the author(s). Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the journal’s author guidelines in order to be submitted to the editor. If the journal template is used, the preliminary review conducted by the editorial office will be completed more quickly, allowing the evaluation process to proceed faster.

  JTMIS Editorial and Peer Review Process

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

Publication Ethics

Journal of Technology Management and Information Systems (JTMIS) is committed to adhering to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editors are required to perform their duties in accordance with the COPE Guidance for Editors. Reviewers are expected to comply with the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers throughout the evaluation process. All publication processes conducted by the journal are based on the principles of transparency, impartiality, confidentiality, and academic integrity.

Publication Ethics Statement

Responsibilities of the Editors and the Editorial Board

The editors of JTMIS are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be published, based on their relevance to the journal’s aims, scope, and publication policies.

Editors shall not allow unpublished information, data, or materials disclosed in submitted manuscripts to be used by third parties without the explicit written consent of the authors.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated objectively and solely on the basis of their academic merit, without regard to the authors’ origin, gender, political views, or institutional affiliation.

Editors, associate editors, and members of the editorial board are required to treat all information related to submitted manuscripts as confidential. Information about a manuscript may be shared only with the authors, reviewers, and the publisher.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board of JTMIS protects all information related to submitted manuscripts in accordance with the principle of confidentiality.

The Editorial Board supports the editors in making publication decisions by prioritizing scientific quality and originality.

The Board works to meet the academic expectations of readers and authors.

When necessary, the Board is prepared to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts for which they lack sufficient expertise, feel unqualified to evaluate, or are unable to complete the review within the specified timeframe, and should inform the editor accordingly.

Manuscripts under review are considered confidential documents and must not be shared with or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Reviews should be conducted objectively, constructively, and in accordance with academic ethical principles. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and should notify the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap with other published works.

Reviewers must avoid reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

Reviewers should assist editors in the decision-making process and contribute to the improvement of the manuscript.

Responsibilities of Authors

Manuscripts submitted to JTMIS must be original and must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere at the same time.

Authors are required to submit all requested information, documents, and revisions within the specified deadlines. Failure to do so may result in the manuscript being considered withdrawn.

Authors should be prepared to provide raw data when requested during the review process and should retain such data for a reasonable period after publication.

All sources used in the manuscript must be properly cited, and plagiarism in any form must be avoided.

The same research should not be submitted to or published in more than one publication.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant scientific contribution to the study, and all contributors should be listed as authors.

Requests for changes in authorship order must be submitted to the editorial office before acceptance and must be approved by all authors.

All authors are required to disclose any financial support and potential conflicts of interest that may have influenced the research.

If a significant error is identified in a published article, authors must promptly notify the editorial office and cooperate in the correction process.

Reporting Ethical Violations

If an ethical violation involving editors, reviewers, or authors is identified in JTMIS, it should be reported to the editorial office through official communication channels. All reports are handled confidentially.

Publication Policy

JTMIS is published digitally as an open-access journal in accordance with its stated publication schedule.

All submitted manuscripts undergo a similarity check using iThenticate or similar plagiarism detection software during the preliminary evaluation stage.

Manuscripts deemed suitable are processed through a double-blind peer review procedure.

The journal aims to publish original research articles, review papers, conceptual studies, and applied academic research.