Conflict of Interest

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Conflict of Interest

Journal of Management, Education and Communication (JMEC) is committed to transparency, impartiality, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process. All parties involved in publication are expected to disclose relevant interests that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.

1. Policy Statement

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships could improperly influence the preparation, evaluation, editorial handling, or publication of scholarly work.

The existence of a potential conflict does not necessarily indicate misconduct or invalidate research findings. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may undermine trust in the research and publication process. JMEC therefore requires authors, editors, reviewers, and other relevant contributors to disclose interests that could affect their responsibilities.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest may take several forms, including but not limited to the following:

Financial Interests

Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, paid expert testimony, investments, stock ownership, patents, royalties, or other financial relationships relevant to the submitted work.

Personal Relationships

Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may compromise or appear to compromise professional impartiality.

Professional and Academic Interests

Academic competition, collaborative research, supervisory relationships, shared publications, professional rivalry, or other circumstances that may affect objective judgment.

Institutional Interests

Affiliations, leadership positions, institutional partnerships, or organizational commitments that may influence the assessment or reporting of research.

Ideological or Other Interests

Strong personal, political, religious, theoretical, or other commitments that may reasonably be perceived as affecting the fair evaluation or presentation of scholarly arguments.

Competing Responsibilities

Other duties, commitments, or circumstances that may interfere with an author's, editor's, or reviewer's ability to act independently and fairly.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be considered relevant to their manuscript. Disclosure should be made during submission and included in the manuscript where required by the journal.

Authors are expected to:

Declare relevant financial relationships, funding, sponsorship, and other competing interests.
Identify the role of any funder or sponsor in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, or decision to submit, where applicable.
Disclose relevant professional, personal, or institutional relationships that may affect the work.
Provide a clear statement when no competing interests exist.
Notify the editorial office if a relevant conflict is identified or changes after submission.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must handle submissions objectively and independently. An editor who has a conflict of interest concerning a manuscript must disclose it and withdraw from decisions where impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

Conflicts may arise from co-authorship, recent collaboration, institutional affiliation, personal relationships, financial interests, or direct competition with the research under consideration.

When necessary, the manuscript will be reassigned to an independent editor who can manage the editorial process fairly and confidentially.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any circumstances that could affect their ability to provide an objective and impartial assessment. They should decline an invitation or notify the editor if a significant conflict exists.

Reviewers should decline or consult the editor when:

They have a close personal or professional relationship with an author.
They have recently collaborated with an author or are involved in closely related work that creates a material conflict.
They have financial or institutional interests connected with the manuscript.
They are in direct competition with the research or have another interest that could compromise impartiality.
They cannot provide an independent, fair, and confidential review.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal advantage or disclose confidential manuscript content without authorization.

6. Disclosure and Declaration

Relevant competing interests must be disclosed at the time of manuscript submission or as soon as they become known. Authors should provide a declaration that accurately reflects their circumstances.

When a Conflict of Interest Exists

Authors should describe the relevant relationship or interest clearly, including its nature and connection to the submitted work, so that editors can assess whether further action or disclosure is necessary.

Example statement:

"The authors declare that they have the following competing interests relevant to this research: [provide a clear description of the interest and its relationship to the study]."

When No Conflict of Interest Exists

If no relevant competing interests exist, authors should include a clear declaration in the manuscript.

Recommended statement:

"The authors declare that they have no competing interests that could have influenced the work reported in this article."

7. Funding and Sponsor Disclosure

Authors must acknowledge financial support and disclose the role of funders or sponsors in the research, where applicable. Funding information should identify the funding organization and grant number when available.

If the funder had no role in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decision, authors should state this when relevant. Funding disclosure does not replace the obligation to declare other competing interests.

8. Editorial Assessment and Management

JMEC will assess disclosed conflicts on a case-by-case basis. The appropriate response will depend on the nature, seriousness, relevance, and potential effect of the interest on the integrity of the publication process.

Disclosure

The relevant party declares the competing interest to the editorial office or the responsible editor.

Assessment

The editor evaluates whether the interest may affect editorial independence, research interpretation, or the credibility of peer review.

Appropriate Measures

Measures may include additional disclosure, reassignment of an editor or reviewer, independent assessment, or other proportionate safeguards.

Documentation

Relevant disclosures and decisions may be recorded to support transparency, accountability, and consistent editorial practice.

9. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a relevant conflict is identified after submission or publication, JMEC may request an explanation, additional disclosure, or supporting documentation from the authors or other relevant parties.

Depending on the circumstances and available evidence, the journal may publish a correction or clarification, issue an expression of concern, reconsider an editorial decision, or take other appropriate action consistent with its publication ethics policies.

Any action will be proportionate to the circumstances. An undisclosed conflict does not automatically establish research misconduct or require retraction; the journal will assess its significance and effect on the reliability of the scholarly record.

10. Confidentiality and Transparency

JMEC will handle conflict-of-interest disclosures with appropriate confidentiality while ensuring that relevant information is available to those responsible for editorial decisions. Where disclosure to readers is necessary, the journal may include an appropriate declaration in the published article.

The journal aims to protect editorial independence, support fair peer review, and maintain readers' confidence in the integrity of published research.

11. Contact the Editorial Office

Questions or concerns regarding competing interests should be communicated to the JMEC editorial office through the official contact details listed on the journal website. Authors, editors, and reviewers are encouraged to seek clarification whenever they are uncertain whether a relationship or interest requires disclosure.