CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

 

 

This Journal requires all managing entities, reviewers, and authors/contributors to disclose any interests or relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, the conduct, interpretation, assessment, or publication of scholarly and academic work.
Disclosure enables transparent assessment and management of potential conflicts of interest. The existence of a competing interest does not automatically establish misconduct or render a manuscript unsuitable for publication.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest arises when a secondary interest or personal/institutional relationship could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, independent scholarly judgment. Conflicts may be financial or non-financial, actual or potential.

• Financial interests: employment, consultancy, honoraria, paid testimony, ownership interests, royalties, or other financial benefits relevant to the subject of the work.
• Personal relationships: close family or personal relationships, significant disputes, or personal antagonism involving individuals connected with the work.
• Professional and institutional relationships: recent or ongoing collaboration, co-authorship, supervisory relationships, shared projects, or organizational positions that could affect impartiality.
• Competitive interests: direct academic or professional competition that may interfere with fair evaluation or create an opportunity to benefit from confidential information.
• Organizational or advocacy interests: leadership, advisory, campaigning, or representative roles in organizations directly concerned with the research topic or its outcomes.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Each author must disclose relevant competing interests at submission. The corresponding author coordinates the declaration and confirms that all co-authors have reviewed their own interests. This coordination does not remove each author's individual responsibility.

Manuscripts must include a section entitled "Conflicts of Interest". A declaration is required even when no competing interests exist.

A.    When No Conflicts Exist: "The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this article."

 

B. When a Relevant Interest Exists: "[Author name] serves as [role] at [organization], whose activities are examined in this article. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this work."

 

Authors must also disclose funding and material support, including the funder’s role, if any, in research design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit. Funding should be reported in a separate Funding statement and included in the conflict declaration where it creates a relevant competing interest. For book review articles, authors must disclose relevant relationships with the book’s author, editor, or publisher, including receipt of a complimentary review copy. Authors must not review books they have authored, edited, or translated. Authors must update their declarations if relevant circumstances change during review or production.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts before accepting an invitation. They must decline assignments when a relationship or interest prevents an independent and fair assessment.

Reviewers must not assess manuscripts involving:

• Authors from their own institution.
• Close personal or family relationships with the authors.
• Current supervisory relationships or close, recent research collaborations that compromise independence.
• A direct financial interest in the research or its outcomes.
• Significant personal disputes or other interests that prevent impartial evaluation.

If a conflict becomes apparent during double-blind review, including through recognition of an author’s identity, the reviewer must notify the editor promptly and pause the assessment pending instructions. Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained through review for personal, professional, or financial gain.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose relevant interests and recuse themselves from handling or deciding on manuscripts when their independence could be compromised. An independent editor must manage manuscripts authored by an editor or editorial board member, or involving close collaborators, family members, or other relationships that create a relevant conflict. The conflicted editor must not select reviewers, access confidential reviewer identities or reports beyond what is provided in their capacity as an author, or participate in the editorial decision. Editorial decisions must remain independent of publication fees, funding relationships, sponsorship, and institutional or commercial pressure.

5. Assessment and Management

The institution/managing body assesses disclosed interests according to their relevance, nature, and potential effect on the research or editorial process.

Appropriate measures may include:

• Requesting clarification or a more specific declaration.
• Publishing a relevant disclosure alongside the article.
• Replacing a reviewer or reassigning the handling editor.
• Obtaining an additional independent assessment.
• Restricting a conflicted individual’s involvement in the editorial process.
• Pausing consideration while a significant concern is resolved.

6. Undisclosed Interests and Reporting

Concerns about an undisclosed conflict may be reported through official channels. Reports should identify the manuscript or article, describe the relationship or interest, and provide relevant supporting information. The institution/managing body will assess the evidence and normally invite the person concerned to explain the circumstances. An allegation alone does not establish a breach. Before publication, the managing body may require an updated declaration, arrange independent re-review, or reconsider a decision where the process was compromised. Serious unresolved concerns may result in rejection. After publication, the managing body may issue a correction to the disclosure statement or take further action under applicable academic integrity policies.