• Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, or business relationships may compromise or appear likely to compromise the impartiality of the research, peer review, or editorial decision-making process. This may include any situation where individuals involved in the publication process have competing interests that may influence their decision.

Disclosure Requirements for Authors

Authors must fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest when submitting their manuscripts, including:

• Financial Interests: Any funding, sponsorships, or financial relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.
• Personal Relationships: Any affiliations or relationships that could affect the objectivity of the research.

Institutional Affiliations: Any connections with organizations that may have an interest in the research outcomes.

Disclosure Requirements for Reviewers

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest that may impair their ability to conduct themselves when evaluating a manuscript, which may include the following:

Competing interests: Any financial, professional, or personal relationships of any kind with the authors or affiliated institutions.
Potential Bias: Reviewers should avoid bias in reviewing the manuscript objectively.
If a reviewer appears to have a conflict of interest in manuscript evaluation, they should decline the review request.

Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Editorial board members and staff must disclose any potential conflicts that could impact their handling of manuscripts, including:

Editorial Decisions: Editors must avoid involvement in the review or decision-making process for manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.
Transparency: Editorial decisions must be based solely on the merit of the research and not on personal or financial considerations.
Managing Conflicts of Interest

When conflicts of interest appear, the Journal will take appropriate measures to control or manage the situation. This may include:

Rejection: Editors or reviewers with conflicts of interest will be recused from handling the manuscript.
Independent review: The manuscript will be assigned to impartial and unbiased reviewers or editors.

Transparency and Integrity
All conflict-of-interest disclosures will be made publicly available where applicable, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust in the publication process.
Authors are encouraged to include a Conflict of Interest Statement within their manuscript.
Handling Unreported Conflicts
If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including issuing a correction, retraction, or editorial notice.
The integrity of the research and the journal’s reputation is of utmost importance.