Conflict of Interest Disclosure

JOECSA requires all authors, editors, and reviewers to disclose any financial, commercial, professional, or personal relationships that could potentially bias their work or the evaluation process. hsls.libguides+2

Authors must submit a Conflict of Interest (COI) Statement at the time of manuscript submission, detailing any grants, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents, or other financial ties relevant to the submitted work. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state: "The authors declare no competing interests. hsls.libguides+1

Editors must declare any conflicts related to manuscripts they handle and recuse themselves from decision-making when a conflict is identified. Editorial board members are required to update their COI disclosures annually. hsls.libguides+1

Reviewers must declare any conflicts (e.g., institutional affiliation, collaboration history, personal relationships) upon receiving a review invitation and decline to review if a conflict exists.sajip.co

All disclosed conflicts are published alongside the article to ensure transparency for readers and the scientific community. Undisclosed conflicts discovered post-publication may result in corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity and impact on the findings. hsls.libguides+2

This policy aligns with COPE and ICMJE recommendations and meets PMC's expectations for transparency in editorial and authorial relationships.