Conflict of Interest
Our editors and referees are required to declare any conflict of interest related to the manuscript they are requested to evaluate. Manuscript submission by the editor/associate editor or by any member of the editorial board is not allowed as per SCOPUA policy.
For Authors
Disclosure of interests provides a more complete and transparent process and helps readers form their own judgements of potential bias. Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. This is not meant to imply that a financial relationship with an organisation that sponsored the research or compensation received for consultancy work is inappropriate.
For Reviewer
The following situations are considered conflicts and should be avoided:
- Co-authoring publications with at least one of the authors in the past two years
- Being colleagues within the same section/department or similar organizational unit in the past two years
- Supervised doctoral work of the author (s) or being supervised by the author(s)
- Received professional or personal benefit resulting from the review
- Have a personal relationship (e.g., family, close friend) with the author(s)
- Have a direct or indirect financial interest in the paper being reviewed
- It is not considered a Conflict of Interest if the reviewers have worked together with the authors in a collaborative project or if they have co-organized an event.
