A Conflict of Interest policy is a formal protocol that journals implement, requiring authors to submit or disclose a Conflict of Interest statement when submitting or publishing their work.
The Economic Sustainability and Business Practices journal follow the principles which outline in:
- Common Standard for Conflict of Interest Disclosure published by Center for Science in the Public Interest.
- Guidelines published on good publication and the Code of Conduct by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE).
- Guidelines published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Authors
Authors must disclose any interests directly or indirectly related to the manuscript submitted for publication. This disclosure should include any relevant interests from the last three years, starting from the initiation of the research and manuscript preparation. Also, any interests beyond this three-year period must be shared if they could potentially affect the submitted paper. This comprehensive disclosure aims to ensure transparency, enabling readers to assess potential biases independently. It is crucial to recognise that disclosing financial relationships with organisations that have sponsored the research or provided consultancy compensation is not inherently inappropriate.
Reviewers
Reviewers at the Economic Sustainability and Business Practices journal play a vital role in ensuring the unbiased scientific evaluation of manuscripts. They are tasked with reviewing any conflicts of interest disclosed by the authors and are also required to self-report any personal situations or relationships to the Editor that might influence or appear to influence their impartiality. These could include personal relationships with the authors, ongoing competitive research on the same subject, or professional and financial ties to an organisation interested in the manuscript’s topic. When a real or perceived conflict of interest emerges, the decision on whether to proceed with the review rests with the Editor.
Editorial Board
Editorial Board Members and Managing Editors of the Journal of Economic Sustainability and Business Practices must disclose any potential conflicts of interest. They are to step back from participating in the peer review process if a conflict arises. Additionally, they must recuse themselves from managing manuscripts where conflicts exist, such as prior collaborations with the authors or shared institutional affiliations.
If an Editorial Board Member or Managing Editor is listed as an author, they must declare this in the competing interests section of the manuscript. In situations where they are authors or have other conflicting interests related to a manuscript, another member of the Editorial Board or a different Managing Editor will be appointed to oversee the peer review process. These manuscripts are subjected to the same stringent review standards as those submitted to the journal.
Although Editorial Board Members and Managing Editors are encouraged to submit papers, their submissions are treated with the same impartiality as those from other contributors, ensuring no preferential treatment based on their editorial roles.