What is a Conflict of Interest?
A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when an individual's personal, financial, or professional interests could inappropriately influence — or appear to influence — their judgment, decisions, or actions in research and publishing. IJAREST requires full disclosure of all actual and potential conflicts of interest from authors, editors, and reviewers.
Authors must disclose any relationships that might be perceived as influencing the objectivity of their research. This includes:
If no conflicts exist, authors should state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest." This statement must appear in the manuscript before the References section.
Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they have any of the following conflicts:
- They are co-authors, collaborators, or close personal associates of any of the listed authors.
- They work in the same department or institution as the authors.
- They have a financial interest in the outcome of the review.
- They have been a recent supervisor or student of the author(s).
Reviewers must inform the editor of any potential COI upon receiving the review request.
Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. If a COI is identified, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor. Editors with financial or personal conflicts with any party involved must recuse themselves and notify the Editor-in-Chief.
