Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, or other interests of an author, reviewer, or editor may influence, or be perceived as influencing, the objectivity of the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of scientific material. Conflicts can be actual or potential, and both direct and indirect interests must be considered.

2. Author Responsibilities
Authors are strictly required to disclose all existing, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.
a) Financial Interests: Authors must declare any financial support, grants, sponsorships, consulting fees, honoraria, or employment related to the research subject.
b) Non-Financial Interests: Authors must also disclose personal relationships, advisory positions, or academic affiliations that could reasonably be perceived as relevant to the submitted work.
c) Declaration: If there are no conflicts, authors must explicitly state: "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper."
 
3. Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers must decline the review request if they have a material conflict or significant competing interest that could compromise their impartiality. Reviewers must inform the editorial board of any potential conflict—such as recent collaborations, shared affiliations, or direct competition with the authors—before accepting the assignment.
 
4. Editor and Editorial Board Responsibilities
Editors and editorial board members must recuse themselves from the handling, review, or decision-making process of any manuscript in which they have an actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. In such cases, editorial authority is entirely delegated to another independent editor. Editors are prohibited from using unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for their own research advantage.
 
5. Management of Undisclosed Conflicts
If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified during the review process or after publication, the journal follows the COPE guidelines. The editorial board may request additional explanations, publish a formal correction, issue an expression of concern, or, in severe cases, retract the publication.