Conflict of Interest Policy
Conflict of Interest Policy
Introduction
ClinSphere Journals is committed to maintaining transparency, integrity, and objectivity throughout the editorial and publication process. All authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.
Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically preclude participation in the publication process; however, all relevant conflicts must be declared to ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation.
What is a Conflict of Interest?
A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships could compromise, or appear to compromise, the impartiality or integrity of research, peer review, or editorial decision-making.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission, including but not limited to:
- Financial support or sponsorship.
- Employment or consultancy.
- Stock ownership or investments.
- Honoraria or speaker fees.
- Patents or intellectual property interests.
- Personal or professional relationships that may influence the research.
- Institutional affiliations that could affect objectivity.
If no conflicts exist, authors should include the following statement:
"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest."
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must decline a review invitation or immediately inform the Editorial Office if they have any conflict of interest, including:
- Personal relationships with the authors.
- Recent collaboration with the authors.
- Shared institutional affiliation.
- Financial interests.
- Academic competition.
- Any circumstance that may affect an impartial review.
Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal or professional advantage.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors must conduct the editorial process impartially and disclose any conflicts that may influence editorial decisions.
Editors will not handle manuscripts in which they have:
- Financial interests.
- Personal relationships with the authors.
- Collaborative relationships.
- Institutional affiliations that may compromise impartiality.
- Any other conflict that could influence editorial judgment.
Where a conflict exists, the manuscript will be reassigned to another qualified editor.
Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose all sources of financial support, grants, sponsorships, or institutional funding related to the submitted research.
The role of the funding organization in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions should also be disclosed where applicable.
Editorial Management of Conflicts
The Editorial Office will assess disclosed conflicts of interest and, where necessary, implement appropriate measures to ensure an independent, fair, and unbiased editorial process.
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in:
- Request for additional information.
- Editorial investigation.
- Rejection of the manuscript.
- Publication of a correction.
- Retraction of the published article in cases of serious nondisclosure.
Confidentiality
All conflict of interest disclosures will be handled confidentially and used solely for editorial decision-making and publication purposes.
Contact
For enquiries regarding conflicts of interest, please contact:
Editorial Office
Email: submission@clinspherejournals.com
