Conflict of Interest

The journal strives to ensure objectivity and transparency in the publication process, that is why, the authors, reviewers and editors must declare the potential conflict of interests. This policy is aimed at preventing the impact of conflict of interests on research results and the publication decision-making process.

 

Conflict of interests on the part of the authors

Authors should disclose all possible conflicts of interests when submitting an article. This applies to both financial relationships, such as direct employment, honoraria, participation in companies, or patent authorship, and non-financial relationships, such as personal relationships, academic rivalries, and ideological or religious beliefs. All conflicts should be clearly identified so that readers can judge whether the authors may have been subject to a particular bias and how this may have affected the work. The article should include a ‘Conflict of Interests’ note at the end. If there is none, the note will say ‘None’.

 

Conflict of interests on the part of reviewers

Reviewers should declare any conflict of interests that may affect their ability to objectively evaluate the manuscript. Reviewers should immediately inform the editorial board if:

  1. They have financial or personal ties to the author(s) or organizations involved in the study.
  2. There is direct competition between their own research and the manuscript they are reviewing.
  3. There is a personal interest or bias (friendship, rivalry, etc.) that may affect the objectivity of the review.

In case of a conflict, reviewers should refuse to review the manuscript.

 

Conflict of interests on the part of editors

Editors are also obliged to declare potential conflict of interests that may affect their ability to make unbiased decisions about articles. Editors should recuse themselves from reviewing articles if:

  1. They have financial, personal, academic or other ties to the author(s) or organization that may create a conflict of interests.
  2. They are co-authors of the article or work in the same institution as the author(s).
  3. Their participation in the process may be perceived as biased.

In such cases, the editor should refer the article to another editor or engage an independent expert.

The journal guarantees transparency in disclosing conflict of interests, which are published as a note at the end of each article. All participants in the publication process (authors, reviewers, editors) are obliged to comply with this policy to ensure the honesty and objectivity of scientific communication.