Conflict of Interest Policy

Albahit Journal of Applied Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

A conflict of interest is defined as any relationship, commitment, personal interest, financial interest, or professional affiliation that may influence, or may reasonably be perceived to influence, the objectivity and independence of decisions related to research preparation, manuscript evaluation, peer review, or editorial decision-making.

This policy applies to all participants involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members.

1. Conflict of Interest for Authors

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the research results, interpretation, or manuscript evaluation.

Potential conflicts include, but are not limited to:

Financial Interests

Including:

  • Employment or consultancy relationships with organizations that may benefit from the research outcomes.
  • Ownership of shares or financial interests in organizations related to the study.
  • Research funding, grants, or financial support from organizations with an interest in the results.
  • Patents or intellectual property applications related to the research.
  • Any direct or indirect financial benefit.

Personal or Professional Relationships

Including:

  • Close personal or family relationships that may influence research objectivity.
  • Professional relationships that may affect the independence of the researcher or evaluation process.

Academic or Competitive Interests

Including:

  • Direct competition with researchers or research groups in the same field.
  • Academic affiliations that may affect scientific impartiality.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Disclose all potential conflicts of interest at manuscript submission.
  • Include a clear Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript.
  • Declare all funding sources and research support.
  • Provide additional information requested by the editorial office to verify research independence.

If no conflict exists, authors should include:

"The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest."

2. Conflict of Interest for Reviewers

The journal ensures an independent and confidential peer-review process. Reviewers must disclose any circumstances that may affect their impartiality.

Reviewers should decline review when conflicts exist, including:

  • Recent collaboration with any of the authors.
  • Current or previous supervisory relationships with authors.
  • Direct academic competition or personal interest in the research outcomes.
  • Financial interests related to the study.
  • Personal relationships that may influence scientific judgment.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Inform the editorial office immediately of any potential conflict.
  • Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and review reports.
  • Avoid using unpublished information for personal or research purposes.
  • Provide objective and independent evaluations based solely on scientific quality.

3. Conflict of Interest for Editors and Editorial Board Members

The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members must maintain editorial independence and avoid conflicts that may affect publication decisions.

Editors must:

  • Avoid handling manuscripts where they have direct or indirect conflicts of interest.
  • Assign manuscripts to alternative editors when personal or professional relationships exist.
  • Base publication decisions solely on scientific merit, originality, and methodology.
  • Avoid using unpublished information obtained during editorial processes for personal benefit.
  • Ensure that decisions are not influenced by commercial, personal, or institutional interests.

4. Management of Conflicts of Interest After Publication

Albahit Journal of Applied Sciences reviews all disclosed conflicts of interest and takes appropriate actions to ensure publication integrity.

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal follows COPE guidelines, which may include:

  • Publishing a correction or editorial clarification.
  • Reassessing the published article.
  • Retracting the article when necessary.