Conflict of Interest Policy for Editorial Board Members

Conflict of Interest Prevention Policy

The Editorial Board of this journal is guided by the principles of academic integrity and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We implement rigorous procedures to identify and manage conflicts of interest to ensure the objectivity and transparency of the scientific peer-review process.

  1. Submission of Manuscripts by Members of the Editorial Board

Every editor (Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, or member of the Editorial Board) has the right to submit their own scientific works to the journal. However, special review rules apply to such manuscripts:

  • Recusal from Management: An editor-author is completely recused from any participation in the editorial process regarding their own manuscript.
  • Independent Oversight: If the author is a member of the Editorial Board, the process is managed by the Editor-in-Chief. If the author is the Editor-in-Chief, the review is managed by a Deputy Editor or an invited independent editor.
  • Volume Control: No more than one article by a single author (including co-authorship) may be published in a single issue of the journal.
  1. Peer Review and Decision-Making
  • Prohibition of Influence: Any attempts by an author to influence the publication decision due to their status on the Editorial Board are considered a violation of publication ethics.
  • Final Decision: The final decision to accept a paper for publication is made by an individual who has no real or potential conflict of interest with the author.
  1. Transparency and Retraction
  • Disclosure: Every published article authored by an Editorial Board member must include information specifying who provided the editorial oversight and how the conflict of interest was avoided.
  • Retraction of Articles: In cases where a hidden conflict of interest is discovered that could have affected the objectivity of the results or the review process, the article is subject to official retraction. The decision to retract is made by the Editorial Board, and the article is preserved in the archive with a clear indication of its retraction status.
  1. Restrictions on International Cooperation

In accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, individuals are not recruited for the Editorial Board or as reviewers if they:

  • Are residents of a state recognized as an aggressor state or an occupying state, or the republic of belarus;
  • Have confirmed facts of scientific and technical cooperation (specifically through co-authorship) with representatives of the aforementioned states in publications submitted for print after February 24, 2022.

5.CONFLICT OF INTEREST PREVENTION:

  • Mandatory Declaration: All individuals involved in the manuscript process, including those who comment on or evaluate the material (authors, editors, reviewers, and readers), must declare any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Editorial Affiliation: Authors must indicate whether they are members of the journal's editorial board when submitting materials.
  • Editorial Oversight: If the editors believe that certain circumstances may compromise an unbiased review, the editorial office will not engage such a reviewer.
  • Right to Reject: The editorial office reserves the right not to publish a manuscript if a declared conflict of interest jeopardizes the objectivity and reliability of the research evaluation.
  • Undisclosed Conflicts (Pre-publication): If the editorial office discovers a conflict of interest that was not declared during the submission process, the manuscript may be rejected.
  • Post-publication Discovery: If an undeclared conflict of interest is discovered after publication, the article may be subject to correction or official retraction (removal).