Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy is to ensure transparency and uphold the integrity and credibility of the Journal. This policy provides guidelines to identify, disclose, and manage conflicts of interest throughout the research publication process.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s personal, financial, or professional interests may compromise or appear to compromise their objectivity in conducting or evaluating research. This includes, but is not limited to:

- Financial ties (e.g., funding, employment, consultancy, stock ownership)
- Personal relationships or rivalries
- Academic competition or intellectual bias
- Institutional affiliations that may affect objectivity

3. Scope

This policy applies to all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board.

4. Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest in a separate statement included at the end of the manuscript before the reference list. If there are no conflicts, the following statement should be included: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."
Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves from handling submissions where a conflict exists or could be reasonably perceived.

5. Management of Conflicts

The editorial board is responsible for evaluating disclosed conflicts and taking appropriate action, which may include:
- Requesting additional information
- Reassigning manuscripts to another editor or reviewer
- Publicly disclosing conflicts within the published article
- Rejecting submissions where the conflict cannot be appropriately managed

6. Undisclosed Conflicts

Failure to disclose a conflict of interest may result in corrective actions, including manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, or notification to the author’s institution.

7. Periodic Review

This policy will be periodically reviewed and updated in line with best practices and ethical standards in scientific publishing.