Situations in which economic or personal benefits are gained constitute a conflict of interest. The reliability of the scientific process and of published articles is directly related to the objective handling of such conflicts throughout the planning, execution, writing, evaluation, editing, and publication stages of the research.

Financial relationships are the most easily identifiable type of conflict of interest and can inevitably undermine the credibility of the journal, the authors, and the scientific community. Such conflicts may arise from personal relationships, academic competition, or intellectual perspectives. Authors should avoid agreements with sponsors—whether commercial or non-profit—that limit access to all data of the study or interfere with their ability to analyze, interpret, write, or publish the manuscript.

Editors should also avoid assigning reviewers who may have any personal or professional relationship with the authors. Editors making final decisions must have no personal, professional, or financial ties to the topics they are handling. To ensure an independent and ethical review process, all potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the editorial board.

Our Editorial Board diligently follows these principles to ensure an impartial and transparent evaluation process.

Sources Referenced in Policy Development

• Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI)
• Creative Commons
• COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics
• DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (Version 3)