Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest (also called a competing interest) exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest — such as the validity of research — may be influenced by a secondary interest. Conflicts of interest can be financial, non-financial, professional, or personal, and can involve an organization or another individual. This policy follows COPE's guidance on handling conflicts of interest.

Conflicts of interest are not inherently wrong or improper — they are common in research. What matters is that they are disclosed, so that editors, reviewers, and readers can judge the work with that context in mind.

 

Examples of Conflicts of Interest

Financial
Funding, employment, consulting fees, patents, stock ownership, or honoraria related to the subject of the manuscript
Non-financial
Personal relationships, academic rivalry, advocacy for a particular outcome, or shared institutional affiliation
 

For Authors

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest at the time of submission
A Conflict of Interest / Competing Interest statement must be included in the manuscript, even if there is nothing to declare ("The authors declare no conflict of interest")
Funding sources for the research must be identified in the Acknowledgments or a dedicated Funding statement
 

For Reviewers

Reviewers must decline a review invitation, or disclose the conflict to the editor before proceeding, if they:

Have collaborated with any of the authors within the past three years
Are currently at the same institution as an author, or have a close personal relationship with one
Have a financial interest in the outcome of the research (e.g., a competing product, patent, or funding relationship)
Feel, for any other reason, that they cannot provide an objective and impartial review
 

For Editors

⚠ When an editor or editorial board member is an author on a manuscript submitted to JOSEIT, they must recuse themselves from all editorial decisions on that manuscript. The submission is handled by another member of the editorial board, following the normal double-blind review process, and the editor's conflict is disclosed alongside the published article.
Editors must not use unpublished information from a submitted manuscript for their own research without the authors' written consent
Editors must select reviewers who are free from disqualifying conflicts of interest with the authors
 

Undisclosed Conflicts Found After Publication

If a conflict of interest is identified after publication that was not disclosed, JOSEIT will assess whether it is likely to have influenced the interpretation or conclusions of the article. Depending on the outcome, this may result in a published correction, following the process described on the Correction and Retraction Policy page.