Conflict of Interest
Conflict of Interest and Competing Interest Policy
The Independent Journal of Economics is committed to ensuring that research, peer review, editorial handling, and publication are conducted transparently, objectively, independently, and with integrity.
A Conflict of Interest (COI) or Competing Interest is a relationship, activity, interest, or circumstance that may influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, the assessment, interpretation, peer review, editorial handling, or publication of a scientific work.
Authors
All authors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived Conflict of Interest or Competing Interest relevant to the submitted manuscript.
Such interests may include, but are not limited to:
- financial interests, grants, funding, sponsorships, employment, consultancies, honoraria, or commercial relationships;
- personal or family relationships;
- academic, professional, institutional, or collaborative relationships;
- competitive or professional interests;
- political, ideological, or organizational interests; and
- other relationships or circumstances that could reasonably be perceived to influence the research.
All relevant financial and non-financial support, including funding sources, sponsorships, institutional support, or other forms of assistance related to the research, must also be disclosed.
Each manuscript must include a Declaration of Competing Interest, whether or not there are any competing interests. If there are no relevant Conflicts of Interest or Competing Interests, the Author must explicitly state this, for example: "The Authors declare no Conflict of Interest."
Authors must also ensure that all relevant financial and non-financial interests have been disclosed through a signed Statement of Manuscript Authenticity uploaded with the manuscript in accordance with the submission requirements of independent journals of economics.
Reviewers
Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived Conflicts of Interest or Competing Interests that could affect their independence and objectivity in conducting peer review.
Such interests may include personal, financial, academic, institutional, professional, collaborative, competitive, or other relevant relationships with the authors, institutions, funders, or organizations connected to the manuscript.
If a significant conflict of interest exists, the reviewer should inform the editor and, if appropriate, decline the review assignment. If a potential conflict of interest becomes known after the reviewer has accepted the assignment, the reviewer should promptly notify the editor so that appropriate action can be taken.
Editor and Editorial Team
The editor and editorial team should not consider manuscripts in which they have an unmanageable conflict of interest resulting from personal, academic, financial, institutional, competitive, collaborative, commercial, or other relevant relationships with the authors, reviewers, institutions, funders, or organizations connected to the manuscript.
If an editor has a relevant conflict of interest, the manuscript should be transferred to another editor who is qualified and free of such conflicts.
If the Editor-in-Chief has a Conflict of Interest in a manuscript, the handling and decision regarding the manuscript must be made independently by another Editor or an appropriate member of the Editorial Board who is free from such conflict of interest.
Editorial Independence
Disclosure of a Conflict of Interest or Competing Interest does not, in itself, constitute an ethical violation and does not automatically result in rejection of the manuscript or removal from the editorial process. The Editorial Team will assess the nature and significance of the disclosed interest and determine whether additional disclosure, withdrawal from the review process, transfer of manuscript handling, additional review, or other appropriate action are necessary.
Editorial decisions should not be influenced by Manuscript Processing Fees, Article Publication Fees, Fast-Track Review fees, requests for fee reductions or waivers, sponsorships, institutional relationships, commercial interests, or other considerations unrelated to the scientific and ethical assessment of the manuscript.
Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
If a potentially significant and previously undisclosed Conflict of Interest or Competing Interest becomes known during the editorial process, the Independent Journal of Economics may request clarification or additional disclosure and, if necessary, suspend the editorial process until the matter is adequately clarified.
If an undisclosed Conflict of Interest becomes known after publication, the Independent Journal of Economics may take appropriate action under the Research Misconduct and Post-Publication Policy, including issuing a Correction, disclosure statement, or other appropriate editorial notice, if necessary.
Policy Review
The Independent Journal of Economics may periodically review and update this policy in accordance with developments in publication ethics, editorial practices, scholarly publishing standards, or other relevant regulations.
