Conflict Of Interest Policy

Justicia Journal is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, independence, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. All parties involved in the submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication of manuscripts must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest.

This policy applies to authors, co-authors, corresponding authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, guest editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process. The policy follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when a personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other interest may influence, or may reasonably be perceived to influence, the objectivity, integrity, or impartiality of research, peer review, editorial decision-making, or publication.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily imply misconduct. However, undisclosed conflicts of interest may undermine trust in the research, the peer-review process, and the credibility of the journal.

When in doubt, individuals must disclose the relevant interest to the Editorial Board.

2. Types of Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial. Both types must be disclosed where relevant.

Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

Employment or contractual relationships with an organization that may benefit from the research or publication.
Consultancy, advisory board membership, or paid expert testimony.
Research funding, grants, sponsorships, or in-kind support from an entity with an interest in the research outcome.
Ownership of shares, stock options, or other financial interests in a company related to the research.
Patents, patent applications, licensing arrangements, or royalties related to the research.
Honoraria, speaking fees, travel support, or payment for manuscript preparation.
Financial relationships with parties discussed, evaluated, or analyzed in the manuscript.

Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest

Non-financial conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

Close personal relationships, family relationships, friendships, or personal rivalries with authors, reviewers, editors, or research subjects.
Academic competition or professional rivalry.
Institutional affiliations or collaborations that may affect impartial judgment.
Membership of an advocacy organization, professional association, or interest group with a stake in the research outcome.
Strongly held intellectual, ideological, political, or religious beliefs that may affect the interpretation or evaluation of research findings.
Prior or ongoing disputes with authors, institutions, or other parties involved in the research.

3. Authors’ Disclosure Obligations

At the time of submission, authors must disclose all relevant relationships, activities, funding sources, and interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their work.

Authors must disclose:

All sources of financial support for the research.
The role of the funder or sponsor, if any, in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, or decision to submit the manuscript.
Any financial relationship with an organization that may gain or lose from the publication of the article.
Any personal, professional, institutional, or ideological relationship that may create a potential conflict.
Any prior or ongoing involvement with parties, institutions, or legal matters discussed in the manuscript.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors must include the following statement in the manuscript:

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 article.

4. Conflict of Interest Statement Format

Authors must place the Conflict of Interest Statement before the References section.

If a conflict exists, the statement should identify the nature of the relationship or interest, the parties involved, and the period during which the relationship existed.

Example:

Author A received research funding from [name of institution or organization]. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing of the manuscript, or decision to submit the article for publication.

Another example:

Author B serves as a member of the advisory board of [name of organization]. This relationship did not influence the analysis or conclusions presented in this article.

5. Peer Reviewers’ Disclosure Obligations

Peer reviewers must disclose to the Editorial Board any relationship or interest that could bias their assessment of a manuscript.

Reviewers must disclose conflicts arising from:

Recent collaboration, co-authorship, or joint research with any author.
Membership in the same institution, faculty, department, or research group as any author.
Close personal or professional relationships with any author.
Financial interests related to the research, its subject matter, or the parties involved.
Competing research interests, academic rivalry, or prior disputes with the authors.
Any other circumstance that may compromise the objectivity of the review.

Reviewers who identify a potential conflict of interest must decline the review invitation or recuse themselves from the review process. If a conflict is identified after accepting the review, the reviewer must immediately inform the Editorial Board and withdraw from the review.

6. Editors’ and Editorial Board Members’ Disclosure Obligations

Editors, editorial board members, and guest editors must disclose any conflict of interest that may affect their editorial judgment.

An editor must recuse himself or herself from handling, assigning reviewers to, or making decisions on a manuscript where a conflict of interest exists.

Conflicts may arise from co-authorship, recent collaboration, close personal relationships, institutional affiliation, financial interests, or involvement in the research discussed in the manuscript.

Where an editor has a conflict of interest, the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict. The editorial decision must remain independent, fair, and based solely on the scholarly quality of the manuscript.

7. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If the Editorial Board identifies an undisclosed conflict of interest, the journal will request clarification from the relevant party.

The Editorial Board may take the following actions, depending on the nature and significance of the conflict:

Request a revised disclosure statement.
Require additional independent peer review.
Reassign the manuscript to another editor or reviewer.
Reject the manuscript where the undisclosed conflict materially affects the integrity of the work.
Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction for a published article where appropriate.

Failure to disclose a significant conflict of interest may be treated as a violation of publication ethics and may be handled in accordance with the journal’s Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy.

8. Post-Publication Disclosure

Authors must notify the Editorial Board promptly if a relevant conflict of interest is identified after publication.

The journal may publish a correction, addendum, or updated conflict-of-interest statement where necessary. In serious cases, the journal may issue an expression of concern or retract the article in accordance with COPE guidance.

9. Transparency to Readers

Relevant conflict-of-interest disclosures will be published with the article to ensure transparency and allow readers to assess the work independently.

The journal may also disclose relevant conflicts of interest involving editors, editorial board members, or guest editors where such disclosure is necessary to maintain transparency and public trust.

10. Policy Review

This Conflict of Interest Policy will be reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board of Justicia Journal to ensure alignment with developments in publication ethics, research integrity, and scholarly publishing standards.