About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Piccola Impresa / Small Business aims to contribute to the study of and the spread of information on small-sized entrepreneurial firms, by offering an approachable space where those who do research in this field can freely share the results of their empirical studies and  compare their theoretical reasoning and procedures.
It is an academic journal with an international vocation, dedicated specifically to the investigation of and theoretical reflection on the administration and management of small businesses, their role in the economy, as well as the policies and regulations they face. Piccola Impresa/Small Business was started in 1987 by the Associazione per lo studio della piccola e media impresa (Aspi).

The Journal is accredited by the Italian Academy of Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), Q1 quartile multisectoral Journals. It is also ranked as a scientific journal according to ANVUR.

 

 

Peer Review Process

Double blind peer review

Ethical Code of the Journal

The Journal’s Code of Ethics aims to define the principles which apply to the various organs, the Authors and the Reviewers, and to ensure the scientific qualifications of the articles published, the transparency of the evaluation and acceptance processes in compliance with laws and ethical standards. The aforesaid is essential to ensure that the correct practices for the publication of scientific works are fully observed.

The Code of Ethics of the Piccola Impresa/Small Business Journal features the following sections: Editor in chief and Editorial Board Responsibilities, Authors’ Responsibilities, Reviewers’ Responsibilities.

 

Editor in Chief and Editorial Board Responsibility

The decision to publish the articles submitted to the Journal is taken by the Editor in Chief, following the editorial policies of the Journal and in compliance with the relevant laws concerning defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor may take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred. The Editor may be guided by the policies of the Journal’s Editorial Board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force, regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor may confer with other Editors or Reviewers in making these decisions.

The Editor may decide to reject articles not consistent with the editorial line of the Journal or those that do not meet the minimum standards required for publication. Research articles and Other Research Articles must typically be reviewed by at least two reviewers. The Editor shall select reviewers who have suitable expertise among the reviewers of the Journal.

The evaluation process of the manuscripts should be based solely on their intellectual content, regardless of the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, and citizenship of the Authors, including their scientific, academic or political beliefs.

The Editor and the members of the Editorial Board are not allowed to disclose information on the manuscripts submitted to the Journal to anyone other than the Authors and the Reviewers.

The material contained in unpublished manuscripts submitted to the Journal cannot be used by members of the Journal for their own research without the written consent of the Author.

The Managing Director will inform Authors of the Reviewers’ judgments, of the decisions reached concerning the publication of their work in the Journal, along with his/her possible additional observations.

If the Editor learns from a third party that a published work contains an error, he/she will ask the Author to cooperate and provide evidence where requested. The Editor is willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed.

Responsibilities of the Authors

Authors must ensure the originality of the manuscripts they submit, and avoid sending contributions already published – as a whole or in part - in other journals, or published in different locations (e.g. book chapter), including in a different language.

Contributions submitted should not be presented simultaneously for publication in other journals. It is possible to propose articles already presented at conferences and published in conference proceedings, provided the item contains significant additions compared to the version presented at the conference.

Articles that present previously published studies, may only be accepted if they contain theoretical perspectives and/or data and/or results not examined in the original text. It is always necessary to appropriately cite or quote the previously published work.

The Authors of an article published in the Piccola Impresa/Small Business are required to ask the Journal’s permission to publish their article (or a selection of their article, or a translation thereof) in another journal or other editorial publications (e.g. a book chapter).

Authors must ensure that contributions submitted for publication do not contain illegal assertions or any form of plagiarism or falsification. Authors are required to explicitly indicate the references of all the works cited, in text or indirectly, in their own article.

Authors must indicate in the manuscript any conflict of interest - financial, commercial, political, academic or otherwise - that might influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. All sources of financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article should be disclosed.

The Authors are responsible for all materials included in the manuscript submitted to the Piccola Impresa/Small Business Journal. The manuscript should contain an accurate and detailed account of the research process followed and a clear description of the results obtained. Fraudulent misrepresentation or willfully inaccurate statements or data constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

All those who have made a significant contribution to the carrying out of the work described in the manuscript should be listed as Co-Authors and share responsibility for the results obtained. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the paper, they should be recognised in an endnote of the manuscript  or in the acknowledgements section.

At the time of the original submission, the Corresponding Author must have already received his/her Co-Authors’ agreement to its submission for publication, as well as the order in which the Authors’ names are listed and the possible attribution of sections/paragraphs.

The Corresponding Author should also ensure that all Co-Authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper.

Authors take collective responsibility to preserve and protect the privacy, dignity, well-being and freedom of all research subjects who participated in their study. The publication of any data or information enabling subjects to be identified must be authorized by the persons concerned, and any wish for anonymity must be respected.

Authors should ensure that their articles do not contain any breach of copyright (e.g. for quotations, tables, figures, photographs, etc. taken from other publications) and that they have obtained any and all permission required before submission.

Notification of fundamental errors in published work is Authors’ responsibility. When an Author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, the Author has an obligation to promptly notify the Journal Editor or publisher and cooperate with the Editor to retract or correct the paper.

 

Responsibilities of Reviewers

The Piccola Impresa/Small Business Journal subjects all proposed contributions for publication that have passed a first screening by the Editor, to a double-blind peer review process which guarantees the anonymity of the Authors against the Reviewers and vice versa.

Reviewers are asked to evaluate the articles with objectivity, equity and professionalism, without being influenced by personal biases in their comments and judgments. In expressing his/her views on the articles, the Reviewer must provide clear, documented and comprehensive arguments, which have to be also accompanied by adequate scientific references.

In particular, Reviewers are required to make their own judgments based on the following criteria:

-    Relevance and interest of the contribution

-    Originality of the contribution

-    Soundness of the conceptual foundations

-    Clarity of objectives

-    Methodological soundness and relevance of any empirical analysis

-    Clarity

-    Consistency with the editorial line of the Journal.

 

Reviewer's comments should also highlight items of interest in the article and its weaknesses and make a judgment on the article’s potential to be published. If the Reviewer recognises the need for the manuscript to be revised, the Author should provide guidance to improve the article and make it suitable for publication.

If the Reviewer does not feel adequately trained and does not therefore possess the skills necessary to evaluate the article with due professionalism, he/she should notify the Editor and ask to be relieved of this assignment. It is also appropriate for a Reviewer to cease reviewing a manuscript if he/she is able to recognize the identity of the Author or one of the Co-authors. Reviewer should furthermore avoid taking any action to permit identification of an Author.

Reviewers should have no conflict of interest. Reviewers should consult the Editor before agreeing to review a paper where they have potential conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the Authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Reviewers must carry out their tasks with confidentiality, not discussing the content of the manuscript submitted to them with anyone other than the Editor. If Reviewers suspect any wrongdoing on the part of an Author of a manuscript, they  must inform the Editor.

Reviewers are asked to respect deadlines when make revisions assigned to them and to inform the Editor of any situation that could result in a lengthening of that time.

Sponsors

Association for the study of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

University of Urbino