Declaration/ Conflict of Interest

Special Emphasis:

A Declaration of Conflicting Interests policy refers to a formal policy, a journal may have, to require a conflict of interest statement or conflict of interest disclosure from a submitting or publishing author.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) states in its Guidelines on Good Publication Practice (2003) that:

“Conflicts of interest arise when authors, reviewers, or editors have interests that are not fully apparent and that may influence their judgments on what is published. They have been described as those which, when revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived”.

Many scholars, researchers, and professionals may have potential conflicts of interest that could affect the mindset of the readers. The author’s work and activities must be transparent during the planning, implementation, writing, submission, editing, peer review, and publication. The relationship among authors, editors, and reviewers must be clear without any perception of financial gain, for the credibility of the journal, authors, and research integrity itself.

The JLJ Policy

The Journal specifically requires all authors submitting work for publication to disclose conflicts of interest as specified in this policy and its guidelines, as follows. A conflict of interest arises from any interest that could affect or could reasonably be apprehended to adversely influence an author’s actions or judgments in a way that compromises the legitimacy, objectivity, integrity, and value of the work the author is submitting for publication. Such disclosures are valuable in all areas of interaction with the submitted work, including its initial evaluation and review, its revision process, and its reception by the readers. In deciding whether a potential conflict may be disclosed or not, the Journal advises the authors to lean on the side of disclosure. Should the Journal discover a relevant conflict after accepting a piece, its author’s initial failure to disclose can be a valid ground for the revocation of acceptance. The Journal’s prime focus, inter-alia, will be on those conflicts that are not readily apparent and the ones that may be specific to the author.