Conflict of Interests Policy
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The Declaration of Conflicting Interests policy refers to the formal policy AJSET, which requires a conflict of interest statement or disclosure from a submitting or publishing author.
Many scholars, researchers, and professionals may have potential conflicts of interest that could affect—or could be seen to affect—their research. As a result, AJSET requires a formal declaration of conflicting interests, enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated published article.
Potential conflicting interests might arise from relationships, allegiances, or hostilities to particular groups, organizations, or interests, which may excessively influence one’s judgments or actions. The issue is particularly sensitive when such private interests may result in personal gain.
Articles will be evaluated fairly and not necessarily rejected when competing interests are declared.
Examples of conflicts of interest might include the following, although it is not an exhaustive list:
- Having received fees for consulting.
- Having received research funding.
- Having been employed by a related company.
- Holding stocks or shares in a company which might be affected by the publication of your paper.
- Have received funds reimbursed to you for attending a related symposium or talk.
If there are other interests that the reasonable reader might feel have affected your research, you may also wish to declare them.
*Please note that details of financial arrangements are not expected to be disclosed when a competing interest is declared.
Author Obligations Regarding Conflicting Interests
In your Journal Publishing Contributor Agreement, you will be asked to certify that:
- All forms of financial support, including pharmaceutical company support, are acknowledged in your Contribution.
- Any commercial or financial involvements that might present an appearance of a conflict of interest related to the Contribution are disclosed in a covering letter accompanying the Contribution. The editor will discuss all such potential conflicts of interest to determine whether disclosure of this information with the published Contribution is to be made in the journal.
- You have not signed an agreement with any sponsor of the research reported in the Contribution that prevents you from publishing positive and negative results or forbids you from publishing this research without the sponsor’s prior approval.
- You have checked the AJSET manuscript submission guidelines for the requirement of a Declaration of Conflicting Interests and have complied with the specified requirements.
How do I check the Manuscript Submission Guidelines to see if the journal requires a declaration?
Please refer to the Manuscript Submission Guidelines to check AJSET’s policy to ensure you comply with specific requirements.
Editor Obligations regarding Conflicting Interests
The same obligations apply to editors or guest editors writing an editorial that will be published in the journal.
How do I make a declaration?
Please include such a declaration at the end of your manuscript after any acknowledgements and before the funding acknowledgement, as well as notes (if relevant) and references under the heading ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interest’. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’.
Additional Information
The authors may find the following helpful resources to refer to for more information on Conflict of Interest policies, existing codes of practice and more general good practice about journal publication ethics:
View a Common Standard for Conflict of Interest Disclosure published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
[Last updated: May 12, 2024]
