Conflict of Interest Policy

1. General Policy

Epidemiology and Society Health Review (ESHR) is committed to maintaining transparency, integrity, and impartiality throughout the scholarly publication process. The journal follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the ethical principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in managing conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest may arise when an author's, reviewer's, or editor's professional judgment concerning research, peer review, or publication decisions could be influenced, or perceived to be influenced, by financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate unethical conduct. However, all potential conflicts must be disclosed to ensure transparency and maintain public trust in scientific publications.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

ESHR recognizes that conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial interests: Research funding, employment, consultancy fees, honoraria, stock ownership, patents, royalties, or financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the research findings.

  • Personal relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may influence professional judgment.

  • Professional and academic interests: Academic competition, institutional affiliations, research collaborations, supervisory relationships, or professional rivalries.

  • Institutional interests: Relationships with organizations or institutions that may influence the conduct, interpretation, or publication of research findings.

Both actual and perceived conflicts of interest should be disclosed.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to ESHR must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could potentially influence the research or its interpretation.

Authors are required to:

  1. Declare all relevant conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.

  2. Disclose financial support, sponsorship, and other relationships relevant to the research.

  3. Clearly describe the role of funding organizations, where applicable, in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions.

  4. Ensure that the conflict of interest declaration accurately represents the circumstances of all authors.

  5. Inform the editorial office if any relevant conflicts of interest are identified or change during the editorial or publication process.

A conflict of interest statement must be included in every submitted manuscript, even when no conflicts exist.

Authors who have no conflicts of interest should explicitly declare this in the manuscript.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to provide independent, objective, and unbiased evaluations of submitted manuscripts.

Before accepting a review invitation, reviewers must disclose any relationships or circumstances that could affect their impartiality.

Reviewers should decline or withdraw from reviewing a manuscript when a significant conflict of interest exists, including close personal relationships, recent research collaborations, direct academic competition, or financial interests related to the research.

Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must ensure that editorial decisions are based on the scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical standards, and relevance of submitted manuscripts.

Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and withdraw from handling manuscripts when their impartiality could be compromised.

Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members, or individuals with close professional or personal relationships with the editorial team must be managed by an independent editor without a relevant conflict of interest.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by financial considerations, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, or other competing interests.

6. Disclosure and Management of Conflicts of Interest

ESHR requires transparency in identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest throughout the publication process.

When a potential conflict of interest is identified, the editorial team will assess its relevance and determine appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the review and publication process.

These measures may include requesting additional disclosures, assigning an independent editor or reviewer, requiring clarification from authors, or taking other appropriate editorial actions.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. Editorial decisions will be based on the nature of the conflict, its potential influence on the research, and the adequacy of the measures taken to manage it.

7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may constitute a breach of publication ethics.

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified during manuscript evaluation or after publication, ESHR may conduct an editorial assessment and request clarification from the individuals involved.

Depending on the circumstances and seriousness of the issue, appropriate actions may include requesting an updated declaration, publishing a correction, notifying the relevant institution, or considering retraction when the integrity of the published research is substantially compromised.

All cases will be evaluated fairly and in accordance with recognized publication ethics guidelines.

8. Conflict of Interest Statement in Manuscripts

All manuscripts submitted to ESHR must include a section entitled "Conflict of Interest", placed before the References section or in another location specified in the journal's manuscript template.

Authors should use one of the following declarations, as appropriate.

When no conflict of interest exists:

"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, and publication of this article."

When a conflict of interest exists:

"The authors declare the following potential conflicts of interest: [provide details of relevant financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships]. The disclosed interests have been reported to the journal to ensure transparency."

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the declaration reflects the disclosures of all co-authors.

9. References

  1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

  2. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Guidance on Publication Ethics and Conflicts of Interest. https://publicationethics.org/