Conflicts of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest (COI) arises when personal, professional, or financial relationships could influence, or be perceived to influence, the judgment of authors, reviewers, or editors during the publication process.

JOMEINO is committed to identifying and managing conflicts of interest in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices to ensure transparency, objectivity, and integrity in editorial decision-making.

Author Conflicts of Interest

Authors are required to:

  • Declare all actual or potential conflicts of interest (financial, personal, or professional) both within the manuscript and to the Editor-in-Chief at the time of submission.
  • Confirm that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and approve the final version of the manuscript.
  • Acknowledge individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria in the Acknowledgements section.
  • Cooperate fully with editors during any investigation, correction, or inquiry related to conflicts of interest.

Reviewer Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers are required to:

  • Declare any potential or actual conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation.
  • Decline the review if the conflict could compromise objectivity.
  • Inform the Editor-in-Chief if a conflict becomes apparent during the review process.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality and not use unpublished manuscript content for personal or professional benefit.

Editor Conflicts of Interest

Editors are required to:

  • Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
  • Ensure that another qualified editor independently manages the peer review and editorial decision process in such cases.
  • Refrain from using unpublished material obtained through editorial activities for personal or professional advantage.

Management of COI Cases

  • All declared conflicts of interest are evaluated by the editorial team.
  • Decisions are made to ensure fairness, transparency, and independence of the review process.
  • Complex or unresolved cases may be referred to COPE for guidance, and COPE flowcharts may be applied where appropriate.