Conflict of Interests Policy

 

Conflict of Interest Policy

1. General Provisions

The Editorial Board adheres to the principles of publication ethics developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). A Conflict of Interest (COI) is defined as any circumstances that interfere or may interfere with the full, proper, and objective review and decision-making process regarding the publication of research articles or other materials.

2. Definition and Types of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest is considered to exist if individuals involved in the editorial process have relationships—personal or otherwise—that could potentially compromise their objectivity or influence publication-related decisions. Specifically:

  • Administrative and Professional Subordination: Authors and reviewers (or editors) work in the same structural unit (department, laboratory) or are in a "supervisor–subordinate" relationship.

  • Academic Interaction: Status of scientific supervisor/consultant (current or within the last 3 years); teacher–student (postgraduate) status; joint participation in research grants or projects.

  • Co-authorship: Existence of joint publications within the last 3 years (excluding collective monographs by large research groups).

  • Personal Ties: Family relationships or close private affiliations.

  • Financial Interests: Receiving direct material benefit from the research results.

3. Transparency of Publications by Editorial Board Members

The Journal maintains a policy of equality for all authors. In the event of a submission by the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, or a member of the Editorial Board, the Editorial Office ensures the following steps:

  1. Recusal: The author-editor is completely excluded from managing the review process of their own manuscript (has no access to assigning reviewers or selecting the evaluation system).

  2. Independent Review: The manuscript is mandatorily sent for external peer review (to experts from other higher education institutions or research organizations).

  3. Labeling: The final version of the article must include a mandatory declaration:

    "The author is a member of the Editorial Board (or Editor-in-Chief) of the publication, but did not participate in the management of the peer review process or the editorial decision-making regarding this publication. The review process was handled by an independent editor and external reviewers."

4. Responsibilities of the Parties

  • Authors: When submitting an article via the journal’s website, the corresponding author must declare any potential conflicts of interest on behalf of all co-authors.

  • Reviewers: Reviewers are obliged to decline an invitation to review if they identify the author (in the case of double-blind review) and have a conflict of interest or work in the same department.

  • Editors: Editors shall not appoint reviewers who share research interests or have administrative ties with the author.

5. Resolution Procedure

In the event of an undisclosed conflict of interest being discovered after publication, the Editorial Board acts in accordance with COPE protocols (up to the publication of a correction or retraction of the article). Disputed issues are considered at a meeting of the Editorial Board with the involvement of independent experts.