Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the DOU Journal of Management Sciences ("DOUJMS"), published by the Faculty of Management Sciences, Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. The Platform is accessible at doumanagementjournal.org.

By creating an account or using the Platform in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement to use this Platform. By using the Platform you represent that you meet these requirements. The Platform is intended for researchers, academics, students, and practitioners in management sciences and related disciplines.

2. Accounts

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your profile up to date.
• You must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or are inactive for an extended period.

3. Manuscript Submissions

3.1 Originality and integrity

• All submitted manuscripts must be original work authored by you (and any listed co-authors) and must not have been previously published or be under simultaneous consideration by another journal.
• Plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, and duplicate submission are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate rejection, retraction, and reporting to your institution.
• You must disclose any conflicts of interest relevant to your submission.

3.2 Licence to publish

By submitting a manuscript and, if accepted, authorising its publication, you grant DOUJMS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the article in all formats under an open-access model. You retain copyright in your work and are free to share it subject to attribution.

3.3 Co-authors

By submitting on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that all listed co-authors have approved the submission and agreed to these Terms. You are responsible for obtaining their consent.

4. Peer Review

Submissions undergo double-blind peer review. Reviewer identities are kept confidential. Editorial decisions are final. If invited to serve as a reviewer, you agree to provide timely, honest, and constructive evaluations and to declare any conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation.

5. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform that is not authored by submitting users — including the Platform design, software, logos, branding, and editorial content — is the property of Dennis Osadebay University or its licensors and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

Published articles are made available under open-access terms. You may read, download, and share published articles for non-commercial academic and educational purposes with appropriate attribution to the original author(s) and DOUJMS.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information or manuscripts.
• Attempt to identify or contact reviewers in violation of the double-blind review process.
• Use the Platform to send spam, unsolicited communications, or harassing messages.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other accounts, systems, or data.
• Interfere with or disrupt the security, integrity, or performance of the Platform.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to extract data from the Platform without prior written permission.
• Use the Platform in any way that violates applicable Nigerian law or international law.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or uninterrupted access. We do not warrant that the Platform will be error-free or that published content is free from inaccuracies.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Dennis Osadebay University, its faculty, staff, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of or inability to use the Platform, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

9. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful to other users, the Platform, or third parties. You may delete your own account at any time via Dashboard → Account → Delete Account.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Delta State, Nigeria.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page when changes are made. Material changes will be communicated to registered users by email where practicable. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: