DIEM – Dubrovnik International Economic Meeting is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the University of Dubrovnik. DIEM publishes original scientific papers, preliminary communications, reviews, and professional papers in the field of economics.
By submitting a manuscript to DIEM, the author confirms that the work is original, has not been previously published, and is not currently under consideration by any other publication. The journal maintains a strict policy against plagiarism, including duplicate publication of an author’s own work, in whole or in part, without appropriate citation. All submitted manuscripts may be screened for originality using plagiarism detection software.
Authors are fully responsible for the content they submit to the journal, including texts, images, tables, and any other materials. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that they hold the rights to publish all submitted materials and that the content does not infringe copyright, third-party rights, or applicable regulations. Authors are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions and licences for the reproduction and publication of any copyrighted material, including figures, photographs, illustrations, tables, and other third-party content. DIEM and the University of Dubrovnik assume no responsibility for any infringement of copyright or other third-party rights arising from materials submitted by the authors.
If artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used at any stage of manuscript preparation, such as writing, creating images or graphical elements, or collecting and analysing data, authors must clearly disclose which tools were used and describe their specific applications in the relevant section of all versions of the paper. If the editorial team determines that AI use has compromised the integrity of any aspect of a manuscript that is published, accepted, or under review, the paper may be rejected or retracted.
Any violation of publication ethics may result in the retraction of a published paper, rejection of a submitted or accepted paper, or other actions deemed necessary to uphold the journal’s commitment to research integrity and the publication of high-quality, original, and relevant research.
Submitted papers are first considered by the Editor to whom they were submitted. Papers that do not fall within the scope of DIEM are desk-rejected. Borderline papers may be referred to the relevant member of the DIEM Editorial Board who specialises in that topic for advice. Papers that address DIEM issues but are more appropriate for publication in another disciplinary journal may also be desk-rejected, following specialist advice from a member of the DIEM Editorial Board. In addition, papers that fail to meet the minimum threshold for quality and originality will be rejected without being sent to reviewers.
Papers passing initial editorial scrutiny are typically sent to two reviewers. If one or more decline the invitation to review, other reviewers will be appointed. Normally, at least two authoritative reviews are required before the handling Editor can decide whether to accept, reject, or request a ‘revise and resubmit’ for the submitted paper.
All DIEM papers are reviewed using a ‘double-blind’ process, in which neither the authors’ nor the reviewers’ identities are revealed. Authors must submit two versions of their papers: a ‘full’ version, seen only by the handling Editor, and a ‘blinded’ version, from which the authors’ names and addresses have been removed and any identifying references suitably anonymised. This is the version sent to reviewers.
When returning the paper with the accepted reviewers’ suggestions, authors must also submit a cover letter stating the changes made to the paper, with corresponding page numbers.
DIEM is published annually. Papers are submitted and published in English. All authors who wish to publish their papers in this journal should send them to the e-mail address: info@diem-dubrovnik.com
DIEM accepts papers presented in the following way:
Manuscripts should be prepared using the DIEM Full Paper Template and must follow the formatting requirements provided therein. The paper length should be between 4,000 and 5,000 words. Figures and photographs must be of sufficient quality for publication. All images, including photographs, must be included in the main Word or other files submitted. Images will need to be resized if they are too large or too small, which can be problematic in some cases. Label your pictures or illustrations as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. The number refers to the illustration or image number within the manuscript. The source must be provided for every figure, photograph, illustration, and table, including materials created by the authors themselves (e.g. “Source: Authors”). For third-party materials, the original source must be clearly cited. Tables should be numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) and provided with a title and source.
Papers must include an abstract and keywords (3 words max). The abstract should present essential data (including methodological information) and explain the results of the work. The abstract should not exceed 15 lines. The abstract comes after the title and must be written in the third person.
Author Contributions
Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work; or have drafted the work or substantively revised it; AND has approved the submitted version (and version substantially edited by journal staff that involves the author’s contribution to the study); AND agrees to be personally accountable for the author’s own contributions and for ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and documented in the literature. For articles with more than one author, a short paragraph specifying the authors’ individual contributions must be provided (author’s initial only).
The following statements must be included at the end of the manuscript, before the References section: Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, Acknowledgments (if applicable), and Acknowledgement of AI or AI-assisted tools use.
Conceptualization
X.X. and Y.Y.; Methodology, X.X.; Software, X.X.; Validation, X.X., Y.Y. and Z.Z.; Formal Analysis, X.X.; Investigation, X.X.; Resources, X.X.; Data Curation, X.X.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, X.X.; Writing – Review & Editing, X.X.; Visualization, X.X.; Supervision, X.X.; Project Administration, X.X.; Funding Acquisition, Y.Y.
For single authors, use the following wording: “The author confirms sole responsibility for the following: study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation.”
Funding
The manuscript should contain all sources of funding for the study, clearly stated. If the research is not funded, then the following statement should be included: “The research presented in the manuscript did not receive any external funding.”
Conflict of interest
Please provide details of all known financial, professional and personal relationships with the potential to bias the work. Where no known conflicts of interest exist, please include the following statement: “None.”
Acknowledgments
This is a place to thank someone for their help, be it financial, technical, or any other form of official support. It is not intended for expressing gratitude to reviewers or editorial staff.
Acknowledgement of AI or AI-assisted tools use
If AI or AI-assisted tools were used during the preparation of the manuscript, the following statement must be included: “During the preparation of this paper, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] for [PURPOSE]. The author(s) subsequently reviewed and edited the content as necessary and accept full responsibility for the content of the published article.” If no AI or AI-assisted tools were used, the following statement must be included: “The author(s) did not use any AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of this paper.”
The editors reserve the right to make the editorial changes and alter the manuscript to suit the style of the journal.
Guidelines for the Use of AI in Manuscripts and Research
As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies become increasingly integrated into research and writing processes, it is important to ensure their use aligns with the ethical standards and integrity expected in academic publishing. The following guidelines outline our journal’s position on the use of AI tools in the preparation of manuscripts and the conduct of research:
Transparency and Disclosure
Authors must clearly disclose the use of AI tools in the preparation of their manuscripts. This includes, but is not limited to, AI-generated text, data analysis, image generation, or any other AI-assisted methods. The disclosure should specify the tools used and the extent of their involvement.
A statement describing the role of AI should be included in the Methods or Acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
Accountability and Authorship
Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts, including any sections generated or assisted by AI tools. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that all content, regardless of how it was created, meets the journal’s standards for quality, accuracy, and originality.
Ethical Use and Compliance
The use of AI must comply with applicable ethical guidelines, including those related to data privacy, consent, confidentiality, and intellectual property. Authors must ensure that the use of AI does not result in a breach of these ethical standards. Plagiarism, whether from human or AI sources, is strictly prohibited. Authors must ensure that AI-generated content is properly vetted and original.
Accuracy and Validation
Authors must critically evaluate and validate the outputs of AI tools used in their research or manuscript. The reliance on AI-generated data or interpretations must be justified, and authors should provide evidence of validation where applicable. Any errors or biases identified in AI outputs must be addressed, and authors must ensure that the final manuscript accurately represents the research findings without undue influence from AI limitations.
Research Integrity and Reproducibility
When AI is used in research methodologies, authors must provide sufficient details for others to understand, reproduce, and validate the AI-assisted components of the work. This includes sharing data, code, and specific parameters used in AI applications, subject to data sharing and ethical guidelines.
Human Oversight
While AI can be a valuable tool in research and writing, human oversight is essential. Authors must oversee the AI’s contributions to ensure they align with the scientific rigor and ethical standards of the journal. Critical thinking and expert judgment should not be substituted with AI outputs, and authors are expected to make all key decisions in their research and writing process.
Reference Citations in Text
The American Psychological Association citation style (APA, 7th edition) should be followed for all in-text citations.
Works by a single author
For a work by a single author, include the author’s surname and the year of publication.
a) When the author’s name is not part of the narrative, include the surname and year in parentheses, e.g. “… individual and creative (Boym, 2001).”
b) When the author’s name is part of the narrative, include only the year in parentheses, e.g. “Kral (2012) suggests…”.
Works by two authors
For a work by two authors, cite both authors’ surnames every time the reference occurs in the text.
a) In parenthetical citations, join the authors’ names with an ampersand (&), e.g. “… it is confirmed (Elliott & Percy, 2007).”
b) In narrative citations, join the authors’ names with the word “and”, e.g. “Hamilton and Wagner (2014) confirmed…”.
Works by three or more authors
For a work by three or more authors, include only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” and the year of publication from the first citation onwards.
a) In parenthetical citations, e.g. “… consumers’ memories (Kardes et al., 2011).”
b) In narrative citations, e.g. “Kardes et al. (2011) argued…”.
Works by associations, corporations, government agencies, and other organisations
For works authored by associations, corporations, government agencies, or other organisations, the full name of the organisation should generally be used. If the organisation has a well-known abbreviation, the abbreviation may be introduced in the first citation and used in subsequent citations.
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015)
Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2015)
Citing specific pages
When directly quoting or referring to a specific part of a source, include the page number.
a) (Kral, 2012, p. 115)
b) Kral (2012, p. 115) suggests…
For a range of pages, use “pp.”, e.g. (Kral, 2012, pp. 115–117).
References
The reference list should follow APA 7th edition style. Only sources cited in the text should be included in the reference list. All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list. References should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author and should not be numbered. Sources of figures, photographs, illustrations, tables, and other graphical materials that are not the authors’ original work must also be appropriately acknowledged and referenced. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are complete and accurate.
ARTICLES IN JOURNALS
Article with one author
Muehling, D. D. (2013). The relative influence of advertising-evoked personal and historical nostalgic thoughts on consumers’ brand attitudes. Journal of Marketing Communications, 19(2), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2011.560613
Article with two authors
Bierey, M., & Schmidt, M. (2017). Banks’ use of accounting discretion and regulatory intervention: The case of European banks’ impairments on Greek government bonds. The International Journal of Accounting, 52(2), 122–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2017.01.002
Article with three or more authors
Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., & Hinsch, C. (2017). Elements of strategic social media marketing: A holistic framework. Journal of Business Research, 70, 118–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.05.001
BOOKS
Book with one author
O’Shaughnessy, J. (2015). Competitive marketing: A strategic approach. Routledge.
Book with two or more authors
Levy, M., Weitz, B. A., & Grewal, D. (2014). Retailing management (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Edited book
Solomon, M. R., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S., & Hogg, M. K. (Eds.). (2006). Consumer behaviour: A European perspective (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Chapter in edited book
Babin, B. J., & Borges, A. (2009). Oh yeah, I remember that store! Memory, experience, and value. In A. Lindgreen, J. Vanhamme, & M. B. Beverland (Eds.), Memorable customer experiences: A research anthology (pp. 161–176). Gower Publishing.
General Requirements
Authors should ensure that:
- every source cited in the text appears in the reference list;
- every entry in the reference list is cited in the text;
- references are listed alphabetically and are not numbered;
- DOIs are provided whenever available and presented as URLs;
- URLs are provided for online sources where appropriate;
- the reference list is prepared consistently according to APA 7th edition style.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
