Conflict of Interest
1. General Conflict of Interest Policy
This journal requires all parties involved in the publication process to identify, disclose, and manage any conflicts of interest that may influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, objectivity in the conduct of activities, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication of scholarly work.
Conflicts of interest, also referred to as competing interests, may be financial or non-financial in nature. The existence of a particular relationship or interest does not necessarily constitute an ethical violation. However, all relevant relationships must be disclosed transparently so that they can be evaluated and managed proportionately according to their nature and potential impact on the integrity of the publication process.
This policy applies to authors, peer reviewers, the Editorial Team, the publisher, and journal management. Its implementation follows the principles of scholarly publication ethics, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidance on Conflicts of Interest.
2. Types of Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest that must be identified and disclosed include, but are not limited to, the following categories:
- Financial interests: Relationships involving funding, honoraria, employment, consultancy services, share ownership, business activities, patents, royalties, or other economic interests related to the topic or content of the article.
- Professional and academic relationships: Close research collaborations, supervisor–student relationships, superior–subordinate relationships, academic competition, and involvement in programs, activities, or projects related to the manuscript.
- Personal and family relationships: Relationships that may influence, or give rise to concerns regarding, impartiality in peer review and editorial decision-making.
- Institutional interests: Affiliations with universities, organizations, partners, sponsors, funding agencies, or other parties that have an interest in the activities or findings reported in the article.
- Intellectual and other non-financial interests: Professional, ideological, or belief-based interests that may be relevant to the assessment of the manuscript's content.
- Other relationships or interests: Any relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as affecting independence, objectivity, or decision-making in the publication process.
3. Conflicts of Interest of Authors
All authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest related to the conduct of activities, manuscript preparation, analysis and interpretation of results, or publication of the article.
A conflict of interest statement must be provided when the manuscript is submitted to the journal. If a new conflict arises or a previously undisclosed conflict is identified during the editorial process, the author must promptly inform the Editorial Team so that the matter can be assessed and appropriately managed before any subsequent editorial decision is made.
Authors must also disclose relevant relationships with sponsors, funding agencies, activity partners, product or technology providers, organizations, institutions, or other parties that may influence the conduct of activities, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish the results.
Every published article must include a Conflict of Interest/Competing Interests Statement. If no relevant conflicts of interest exist, this must also be explicitly stated.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all disclosures are complete, truthful, and accurate. They must update their statements whenever relevant changes occur during the editorial process.
4. Funding and the Role of Funders
All sources of funding and support related to the conduct of activities and preparation of the article must be disclosed transparently. If a funding relationship creates or may create a conflict of interest, the authors must explain this relationship in the Conflict of Interest Statement.
The role of any sponsor or funder in planning activities, implementing programs, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting findings, preparing the manuscript, or deciding whether to publish the results must be clearly disclosed whenever the sponsor or funder has been involved in these stages.
Funding or sponsorship must not influence decisions to accept or reject manuscripts and must not compromise the independence of the Editorial Team or peer reviewers in carrying out their responsibilities.
The Conflict of Interest Statement is separate from the Funding Statement. Therefore, disclosure of conflicts of interest does not eliminate the authors' obligation to provide funding information in a separate section of the article.
5. Conflicts of Interest of Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Editorial Team before accepting a manuscript review assignment. If a relationship or interest could compromise the independence and objectivity of the review, or could reasonably create a perception of bias, the peer reviewer must decline the assignment.
Potential conflicts may include close collaborative relationships, academic supervisory relationships, involvement in the same project or activity, personal relationships, financial interests, direct academic competition, or other relevant connections with the authors or the subject matter of the manuscript.
If a conflict of interest is identified after the assignment has been accepted or the review process has begun, the peer reviewer must promptly notify the Editorial Team and suspend the review until appropriate action has been determined.
Peer reviewers must not use information, ideas, data, methods, or materials obtained through the manuscript review process for personal benefit or for the benefit of other parties.
The review process must uphold confidentiality, integrity, independence, and objectivity, in accordance with the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
6. Conflicts of Interest of the Editorial Team
The Editorial Team is responsible for ensuring that all editorial processes are conducted independently, fairly, and objectively. Any editorial team member who has a conflict of interest concerning a manuscript must disclose the conflict and refrain from handling or making decisions regarding that manuscript.
Manuscripts authored by members of the Editorial Team, or by authors who have relationships with journal management that may create a conflict of interest, must be assigned to another editorial team member who is free from such conflicts. Authors who also hold positions in journal management must not participate in the selection of peer reviewers, the review process, or editorial decision-making concerning their own manuscripts.
Editorial decisions must be based on scientific quality, relevance, and compliance with publication ethics standards. Such decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional interests, funding sources, publication fees, sponsorship, advertising, partnerships, or other commercial interests.
7. Conflicts of Interest of the Publisher and Journal Management
The publisher and journal management are responsible for safeguarding the independence of the Editorial Team and ensuring that the review process and editorial decision-making are conducted without undue interference.
The publisher and journal management must not influence manuscript acceptance or rejection, the review process, or post-publication handling on the basis of institutional, financial, political, commercial, or other interests unrelated to academic assessment and publication integrity.
Journal revenue, publication fees, sponsorship, advertising, partnerships, and other sources of income must not be used to influence peer review outcomes or editorial decisions. All parties must ensure that scientific integrity and editorial independence remain the journal's primary priorities.
8. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
If the Editorial Team receives information indicating a possible undisclosed conflict of interest, the journal will conduct an objective and proportionate assessment. The parties concerned will be given an opportunity to provide explanations, clarifications, and supporting evidence before a decision is made.
If a conflict of interest is identified before publication, the Editorial Team may request that the authors revise or complete their conflict of interest disclosure, replace an editor or peer reviewer who has a conflict, arrange additional peer review where necessary, or take other appropriate measures to safeguard the independence and objectivity of the editorial process.
If a relevant conflict of interest is discovered after publication, the Editorial Team will evaluate the nature and extent of the conflict, the available evidence, and its potential impact on the article, editorial decisions, and the integrity of the published record. Based on this assessment, the journal may issue a correction, publish an additional disclosure statement, or take other appropriate post-publication action.
Failure to disclose a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection or article retraction. The appropriate action will be determined by considering the nature of the conflict, the degree of nondisclosure, the available evidence, and the impact on scientific integrity and the publication process.
If the investigation indicates a suspected breach of academic integrity or raises concerns that may affect the reliability of the published record, further action will be taken in accordance with the journal's policies on Handling Breaches of Academic Integrity and Corrections, Retractions, and Article Withdrawal, while taking into account the COPE Guidance on Handling Suspected Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest.
