Conflict of Interest Policy
The Journal of Community Empowerment for Multidisciplinary (JCEMTY) is committed to transparency, impartiality, and integrity throughout the publication process. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence their judgment or responsibilities.
1. Definition of Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the objectivity of research or editorial decisions. Conflicts of interest may include:
- Financial interests: Funding, employment, consultancy, honoraria, investments, or other financial relationships.
- Professional relationships: Collaboration, supervision, competition, or employment relationships.
- Personal relationships: Family, friendship, or other close relationships that may affect impartiality.
- Institutional interests: Affiliations or institutional relationships that may influence research or publication decisions.
The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may compromise the integrity of the publication process.
2. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence their research, interpretation of findings, or manuscript preparation. All sources of funding and relevant institutional support must also be acknowledged. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must include the following statement in their manuscript:
"The authors declare no conflict of interest."
If a conflict exists, authors must clearly and transparently describe its nature.
3. Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their ability to evaluate a manuscript objectively. Reviewers should decline an invitation when they have a significant personal, professional, financial, or collaborative relationship with the authors or institutions involved. Information obtained during peer review must remain confidential and must not be used for personal or professional advantage.
4. Responsibilities of Editors
Editors must make editorial decisions based on scholarly quality, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, and compliance with publication ethics. Editors must not handle manuscripts when a conflict of interest could compromise their impartiality. In such cases, the manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor. Editorial decisions must remain independent of personal relationships, institutional interests, financial considerations, or external pressure.
5. Management of Conflicts of Interest
JCEMTY assesses disclosed conflicts of interest to determine whether additional measures are necessary to protect the integrity of the editorial process. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:
- Request additional disclosure or clarification.
- Reassign a reviewer or editor.
- Require a more transparent statement in the published article.
- Take appropriate editorial action if a relevant conflict was concealed or misrepresented.
6. Disclosure and Publication
Conflict-of-interest declarations must be provided during manuscript submission and included in the published article, as applicable. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their declarations are accurate and complete. Any significant undisclosed conflict identified after publication will be assessed, and the journal may issue a correction or take other appropriate action when necessary. JCEMTY is committed to ensuring that conflicts of interest are managed transparently and that editorial decisions remain fair, independent, and evidence-based.