Conflict of Interest Policy

The journal operates according to principles and procedures that do not conflict with the university's interests. It is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and integrity at all stages of academic publishing. Managing conflicts of interest is an essential part of ensuring academic credibility, as personal, professional, or financial interests may influence the objectivity of research, the peer review process, or publication decisions.

Definition of Conflict of Interest:
A conflict of interest occurs when any party involved in the publishing process (whether an author, reviewer, or editor) has an interest that may or may not influence their academic conduct or decisions in an objective manner. These interests may be:
• Financial: such as direct or indirect funding, consultancies, or partial ownership of commercial rights.
• Personal or Professional: such as a personal relationship, academic competition, or affiliation with an institution directly related to the research.
• Academic: such as peer reviewing works by close friends or colleagues on the same project.

Authors' Obligations:
• Authors must fully disclose any potential conflict of interest when submitting their manuscript, whether related to funding, professional, or personal relationships that may influence the results or interpretations.
• If no conflict of interest exists, authors are required to explicitly confirm this by stating "No Competing Interests."

Reviewers' Obligations:
• Reviewers are required to decline to evaluate any scientific work if they feel a conflict exists that may affect their impartiality, whether for professional or personal reasons.
• The content of the manuscript submitted for review is not permitted to be used for personal or research purposes prior to publication.

Editorial Board Obligations:
• Editors must refrain from making decisions regarding manuscripts with which they have financial, personal, or professional relationships.
• If a conflict of interest exists, the manuscript must be transferred to another neutral editor to oversee the review process.

Conflict of Interest Management Mechanism:
• All disclosures are reviewed by the editorial board. If an undisclosed conflict is identified, the journal reserves the right to take necessary action, which may include refusing to publish or withdrawing the article after publication.
• The journal strives for transparency, and author disclosures may be published within the published article.
This policy aims to foster a fair and transparent research environment and ensure that scientific decisions are made free from undisclosed influences.