Conflict of Interest Policy — IJCITE

📋 Overview

IJCITE requires all authors, reviewers, and editors to declare any personal, financial, institutional, or intellectual interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence their conduct in relation to a manuscript. Transparent disclosure protects the integrity of the editorial process and supports informed reading of the published literature.

This policy aligns with the guidance of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

📋 1. What Counts as a Conflict of Interest

The journal recognises the following categories of conflicts of interest, in line with ICMJE guidance. When in doubt, err on the side of disclosure.

💰

Financial Interests Employment, consultancy, stock ownership, honoraria, grants, patents, expert testimony, or other financial relationships with any organisation that could be perceived as having an interest in the work.

👤

Personal Relationships Close personal, familial, or romantic relationships with another individual involved in the manuscript, its submission, or its review.

🏛️

Institutional Relationships Shared institutional affiliations between authors and reviewers or editors at the time of the work, or prior institutional affiliations that may introduce bias.

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Intellectual Relationships Recent co-authorship within the last five years, supervisory relationships (current or former), mentorship, or sustained academic disputes that could compromise impartial judgement.

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Other Interests Any other relationship or activity that the individual believes a reasonable, independent observer might consider relevant to their participation in the editorial process.

✍️ 2. Declarations by Authors

All authors must disclose any conflicts of interest in the manuscript itself. The declaration must cover all authors individually and is published alongside the article. If there are no conflicts to declare, the statement must say so explicitly.

📌 Required Declaration Format

"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

— OR —

"[Author A] has received research funding from [Organisation]. [Author B] is a consultant for [Company]. All other authors declare no conflict of interest."

✓ The Conflicts of Interest section must appear in the manuscript before the References section.
✓ Authors uncertain whether to declare a particular interest should err on the side of disclosure.
✓ Failure to declare a known conflict of interest is a breach of publication ethics and may result in retraction.
✓ Funding sources must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section and cross-referenced with the conflict declaration.

🔍 3. Declarations by Reviewers

Reviewers must decline invitations to review manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists. The following situations require immediate notification to the handling editor:

⚠ Current or recent (within 5 years) co-authorship with any of the manuscript's authors.
⚠ Current or prior employment, collaboration, or supervisory relationship with any author.
⚠ Financial interest in the outcome of the research (e.g., stock in a company whose product is evaluated).
⚠ Personal relationships (close friendship or enmity) with any author.
⚠ Prior knowledge of the manuscript from having reviewed it at another journal.
⚠ A conflict of interest that becomes apparent after the review has begun.

Reviewers who identify a conflict after accepting to review must immediately notify the handling editor and return the manuscript without retaining any copy of it.

📋 4. Declarations by Editors

Editors complete an annual conflict-of-interest declaration covering personal, financial, institutional, and intellectual interests. In addition:

Recusal

Editors recuse themselves from any submission in which they have a competing interest. Recusal is recorded in the editorial log and the Editor-in-Chief assigns an alternative editor.

Editor Submissions

Manuscripts authored by members of the editorial team receive double-blind review by external editors with no institutional overlap with the author-editor, who is fully recused.

Annual Declarations

All editors complete and update their conflict-of-interest declaration at least annually, disclosing any new interests that arise.

Publisher Independence

KG Publication plays no role in editorial decisions on individual manuscripts. Editorial independence is fully maintained.

📝 5. How and Where to Declare

📄

Authors In the manuscript

Include a dedicated Conflicts of Interest section in the manuscript body, before the References. This section is published alongside the article.

📋

Reviewers On the review form

Declare on the acceptance / review submission form. If a conflict emerges mid-review, email the handling editor immediately.

📧

Editors To the Editor-in-Chief

Submit annual declarations to the Editor-in-Chief and notify immediately of any new conflict arising in relation to a specific manuscript.

⚖️ 6. Consequences of Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose a conflict of interest is a serious breach of publication ethics. Depending on the stage at which the undisclosed conflict is discovered, the journal may take the following actions:

Pre-publication
Return the manuscript for a mandatory conflict declaration before further processing.
During Review
Re-assign the manuscript to a new editor or reviewer. Delay the review timeline.
Post-Acceptance
Suspend publication until the conflict is properly disclosed and assessed.
Post-Publication
Issue a correction or expression of concern, or proceed to retraction if the conflict materially affected the published findings.
Repeat Offences
Report the matter to the author's institutional research integrity office.

This Conflict of Interest Policy is effective from January 2026. IJCITE reviews this policy annually and updates it as practices evolve. If you have questions about this policy, please contact the editorial office.

⛔ Conflict of Interest Policy