Competing Interests Policy

A competing interest is any circumstance that could interfere with, or reasonably be perceived as interfering with, the full, objective, and unbiased presentation, peer review, editorial decision-making, or publication of research or non-research articles submitted to IJAHEE.

Competing interests can be:

  • Financial or non-financial
  • Professional or personal
  • Related to any institution, organisation, or individual.

Declaration Requirement

Declaring all potential competing interests is mandatory for authors, editors, and reviewers involved with IJAHEE. This ensures transparency and integrity in the publication process.

  • Failure to declare any relevant competing interest will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.
  • If an undisclosed competing interest is discovered post-publication, IJAHEE will follow the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines, which may include:
    • Issuing a public statement or correction.
    • Retraction of the article, if warranted.

What to Declare

All involved parties must declare any potential competing interest that occurred within the past 5 years prior to:

  • Conducting the research
  • Preparing the manuscript
  • Participating in the editorial or review process

Additionally, any interest outside the 5-year period must be declared if it could reasonably be perceived as competing.

Financial Competing Interests

Examples of financial competing interests include, but are not limited to:

  • Paid employment or consultancy
  • Board or advisory committee memberships
  • Research grants or funding (from any source, restricted or unrestricted)
  • Travel grants, honoraria, or speaker fees
  • Gifts or in-kind benefits
  • Equity interests or shareholding in relevant organizations

Non-Financial Competing Interests

Examples of non-financial competing interests include:

  • Personal relationships that could influence judgment (e.g., family, close friendship, or rivalry)
  • Academic or professional rivalry
  • Intellectual passion or ideological beliefs that may affect neutrality
  • Political affiliations that could shape research perspectives
  • Institutional affiliations that may bias interpretation or reporting

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of all authors, reviewers, and editors to:

  • Disclose any actual, potential, or perceived competing interests during manuscript submission, review, or decision-making stages.
  • Update the disclosure if a new competing interest arises.

Contact and Further Clarification

If unsure whether a situation constitutes a competing interest, please contact:
Email: ijvocter@gmail.com