There are many reasons why a researcher may not have an affiliation, but still conduct and publish research as independent researchers. Some researchers may have difficulties finding (adequate, stable) employment opportunities in research-focused roles, while others may be taking time away from employment to care for children or other family members, etc., but in any case, they want to conduct and publish their research in order to keep up or build their profile. Others make a considered choice to become independent researchers, perhaps disillusioned by the state of academia, where they can have more (hence the name) independence as to the type of work they do. This is totally legitimate. As with any research, it should be evaluated on its quality, rather than the affiliation (or otherwise) of the author.

Thank you very much Shannon Mason so it is allowed within the “rules” of the publishers that the affiliation is independent? It's just that honestly, I've never seen something like that in an article, which doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but not that I've seen.

Sure, an independent researcher can publish an article. The fact that someone is not affiliated with an institution does not restrict him or her from conducting and publishing the outcomes of his or her work. The only challenge here is that if such a person happens to be the corresponding author of the manuscript to be submitted to a journal, he or she can be asked to make use of the affiliated institution's email. In this case, an explanation can be given to the editor on why there is no institution email. If the policy of the journal permits the use of email other than institutional email, the paper will pass the technical review stage. Otherwise, it can be rejected. Please note that there are some independent researchers who are sounder in academic writing and research than most of the institutionally affiliated researchers, but for one reason or another, they are not found in the academic system and are not affiliated with any institution. Also, if not for the fact that collaborative paper publication is now a core task in the academic world, in the past, individuals have been writing, researching, and publishing with personal money and without being affiliated with any institution. When it comes to correspondence management, the received mail is replied to with the help of a gmail account, a Yahoo mail account, and other similar accounts.

Hi, would someone please name some of such journals in the field of Business Administration, that allow independent authors to publish.

Javier Ernesto Vilaso Cadre Sorry I just noticed this now. I certainly see it on occasion in my field of education, and it does seem to be skewed toward women, but I guess different disciplines would be different in terms of how common the 'independent researcher' status is.