Conflict of Interest

Introduction

Accesso Journal is committed to ensuring the integrity, objectivity, and credibility of the research it publishes. Transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest (also known as competing interests) is crucial for maintaining trust in the scientific publication process. This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff in disclosing and managing any interests that could be perceived as affecting their professional judgment or actions. Accesso Journal adheres to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in formulating and implementing this policy.

Description

A Conflict of Interest occurs when an individual's professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as research validity, manuscript quality, or the integrity of the peer review process) could be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. These secondary interests can include:

  • Financial: Including employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options, honoraria, received or pending grants, patents or patent applications (pending or actual), royalties, advisory board membership, paid expert testimony, or travel grants related to the work under consideration.

  • Non-Financial: Including personal relationships (e.g., family, close friends), professional relationships (e.g., recent or current collaborators, mentor/mentee relationships, past or present doctoral students), institutional affiliations, intellectual property rights (e.g., an unpublished competing manuscript), personal beliefs or commitments (e.g., religious, political) directly relevant to the subject matter or individuals involved in the submitted work, or other interests that could reasonably be considered to influence their work.

The existence of a conflict of interest is not inherently unethical. However, failure to disclose such interests can damage the credibility of the research and the publication process. This policy applies to all individuals involved with Accesso Journal, including authors, peer reviewers, editors (Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board Members), and journal staff.

Policy

  • Principle of Full Disclosure: All individuals participating in the Accesso Journal publication process must proactively and fully disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest deemed relevant to their roles and responsibilities. If no conflicts of interest exist, this must also be explicitly stated.

  • Timing of Disclosure:

    • Authors: Must declare all potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. This statement must be updated if new conflicts of interest arise during the review or revision process.

    • Peer Reviewers: Must disclose potential conflicts of interest to the editor when invited to review a manuscript and before agreeing to review. If a new conflict of interest is identified after the review has begun, the reviewer must immediately notify the editor.

    • Editors and Journal Staff: Must disclose any conflicts of interest relevant to their editorial duties and decision-making processes to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher. They must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a significant conflict of interest exists

  • Management and Assessment of Disclosed Conflicts of Interest:

    • Publishing the authors' conflict of interest statement alongside the article.

    • Requesting that a peer reviewer or editor recuse themselves from involvement with a specific manuscript.

    • In exceptional cases where a conflict is deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the work or its evaluation, the journal may decide not to consider the manuscript for publication.

    • Accesso Journal will carefully evaluate all disclosed conflicts of interest to determine their potential to introduce bias into the research, its review, or editorial decisions.

    • Depending on the nature and severity of the conflict, the journal may take various actions, such as:

  • Publication of Conflict of Interest Statement: For all published articles, Accesso Journal will include a statement detailing any relevant conflicts of interest declared by the authors. Information regarding research funding sources must also be published. If authors have no conflicts of interest to declare, this will be explicitly stated (e.g., "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.").

  • Post-Publication Identified Conflicts of Interest: If a significant and undisclosed conflict of interest is reported to the journal after publication, Accesso Journal will thoroughly investigate it. Appropriate action will be taken in accordance with COPE guidelines, which may include publishing a formal correction, an expression of concern, or, in severe cases where the work's integrity is compromised, retraction of the article.

Technical Measures to Achieve and Implement the Policy

A. For Authors

  1. What to Disclose: Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships and activities that could potentially or be perceived to bias their work. This includes, but is not limited to:

    • Financial Interests: Direct or indirect financial support for the research; employment or consultation with organizations having a financial interest in the research outcomes; stock ownership in such organizations; patents (filed, pending, or granted) or royalties related to the research; honoraria, grants, or other forms of payment received from interested parties.

    • Non-Financial Interests: Affiliation with or involvement in any organization or entity with an interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript; personal, academic, or professional relationships with individuals or organizations that could influence the work; strong personal beliefs related to the topic that could interfere with objectivity.

    • Funding Sources: All sources of funding for the submitted research must be explicitly declared. The role of the funding institution (if any) in study design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; report writing; and the decision to submit the article for publication must be clearly stated. If the funding source was not involved, this should also be stated.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Authors are required to complete and submit a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form along with the submitted manuscript. 

    • A summary disclosure statement (or declaration of absence of conflicts) must be included within the manuscript, typically before the references section.

  3. Consequences of Non-Disclosure: Failure to fully disclose potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission or during the review process may result in delays in publication, rejection of the manuscript, or, if discovered post-publication, further action including correction or retraction of the article.

B. For Peer Reviewers

  1. What to Disclose: Reviewers must declare any interests that could affect their ability to provide an objective and unbiased assessment of a manuscript. This includes:

    • Recent collaboration (e.g., within the past 3 years) or current collaboration with any of the authors.

    • Close personal relationships or professional rivalry with any of the authors.

    • Financial interests (e.g., employment, stock ownership, grants) in the research outcomes or in competing work.

    • Having reviewed a previous version of the manuscript for another journal or being involved in its development.

    • Holding strong opinions or beliefs about the topic that would hinder an objective review.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Reviewers must inform the editor of potential conflicts of interest when they are invited to review a manuscript, preferably before declining or accepting the invitation.

    • If a conflict of interest is identified after accepting the invitation or during the review process, the reviewer must immediately notify the editor.

  3. Action upon Disclosure: If a reviewer declares a significant conflict of interest, they will generally be asked to recuse themselves from the review. The editor will make the final decision based on the nature and extent of the declared interest.

C. For Editors and Journal Staff (including Editorial Board Members)

  1. What to Disclose: All editors (Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board Members) and journal staff must disclose any interests that could affect, or be perceived to affect, their editorial responsibilities and decisions. This includes:

    • Financial relationships with companies or organizations whose products or services are relevant to the journal's scope.

    • Close personal or professional relationships with authors or peer reviewers of manuscripts they are handling.

    • Their own research interests if they significantly overlap with the manuscript under consideration.

    • Any manuscript submitted to Accesso Journal is written by themselves or their close associates.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Editors and journal staff must proactively report any relevant conflicts of interest to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher.

    • Accesso Journal may maintain a public record of its editors' relevant interests, updated periodically.

  3. Management and Recusal:

    • Editors or journal staff members with a significant conflict of interest regarding a specific manuscript must recuse themselves from any involvement in the peer review and editorial decision-making process for that manuscript.

    • An alternative editor or designated editorial board member without a conflict will be assigned to manage the manuscript.

    • For manuscripts submitted by Accesso Journal editors, editorial board members, or journal staff, a rigorous and independent peer review and decision-making process will be applied and managed transparently to ensure objectivity. This may involve oversight by external editors or a dedicated subcommittee.

D. Journal Conflicts of Interest

Accesso Journal is committed to editorial independence. The journal and its publisher, Rancak Publik will manage their affairs to ensure that commercial, institutional, or other non-scientific interests do not compromise the integrity of editorial decisions. Any relationships potentially creating conflicts of interest at the journal level will be managed transparently.

E. Record Keeping

Accesso Journal will maintain confidential records of all conflict of interest disclosures made by authors, peer reviewers, and editorial personnel.

This policy aims to promote transparency and maintain public trust in the research published by Accesso Journal. The policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to align with best practices in scholarly publishing.