A conflict of interest refers to any situation in which personal, professional, financial, institutional, or other relationships or circumstances may directly or indirectly influence the objectivity, impartiality, or independence of judgement of a participant in the publication process. Such influence may be actual, potential, or even perceived by others, and may call into question the credibility of research findings or the fairness of editorial decisions.
The Journal of Kryvyi Rih National University places particular emphasis on ensuring transparency and impartiality at all stages of the publication process. For this reason, authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any circumstances that could be regarded as a conflict of interest. This policy is designed to minimise the potential impact of external factors on research outcomes and editorial decision-making.
Conflicts of Interest: Authors
At the time of submission, authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest.
These may include:
- financial interests, such as employment, grants, fees, honoraria, participation in commercial entities, or ownership of patents and other forms of material interest;
- non-financial interests, including personal or professional relationships, academic competition, as well as ideological or religious beliefs that could influence the interpretation of results.
All such circumstances must be clearly declared so that readers can independently assess whether any bias may have affected the research.
Information on conflicts of interest is published at the end of the article in a dedicated statement. If no conflicts exist, the statement should read: “None”.
Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers
Reviewers are expected to assess manuscripts solely on the basis of academic merit. If any factors arise that may compromise their impartiality, they must promptly inform the editorial office.
A conflict of interest may arise where:
- there are financial or personal relationships with the author(s) or affiliated organisations;
- there is direct academic competition or overlap in research interests;
- personal relationships (whether collaborative or adversarial) may influence objective judgement.
In such cases, the reviewer must decline to review the manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest: Editors
Editors are equally responsible for maintaining impartiality and must disclose any circumstances that could affect their editorial judgement.
An editor must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript if:
- they have personal, financial, academic, or institutional relationships with the author(s) or affiliated organisations;
- they are a co-author of the submission or are affiliated with the same institution as the author(s);
- their involvement could reasonably be perceived as biased.
In such situations, the manuscript must be reassigned to another editor or an independent expert to ensure an objective evaluation.
Transparency and Compliance
The journal ensures full transparency in the disclosure of conflicts of interest by publishing relevant statements in all articles.
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all participants in the publication process. Adherence to these principles safeguards integrity, trust, and fairness in scholarly communication.
