International journal of engineering science and management (IJESM)
Conflicts of interest
Sometimes called “competing interests,” a conflict of interest is when something from the outside affects or is thought to affect the neutrality or objectivity of study. This can happen at any point in the study cycle, including when doing experiments, writing a manuscript, or turning a manuscript into a published article.
Conflicts of interest don’t always mean that a piece of work can’t be released or that someone can’t help review it. But they must be reported. Others can make decisions about the work and the review process that are based on what they know. This is true whether or not the possible conflicts actually had an effect.
If conflicts of interest are found after release, it could be embarrassing for the authors, the editor, and the journal. It might be necessary to post a correction or rethink how reviews are done.
- # Personal – a pre-existing relationship induces an individual to act inappropriately.
- # Financial – an individual receives payment relating to the subject of the research, or from connected organizations.
- # Intellectual property – an individual puts undue emphasis on patents or trademarks that they own, or are owned by their organization.
- # Affiliations – an individual is employed by, or is a member of, an organization with an interest in the outcome of the research.
- # Ideology – an individual is influenced by beliefs or associations relating to the subject of the research.
You should carefully consider how these and other similar topics may affect you, and how they could affect others involved in the handling of the manuscript.
Conflicts for authors are most often associated with the risk of bias in a manuscript. As an author, if you have any interest or association that could be seen to have influenced your decision-making process, you should ensure that it is declared at the time of submission. You may be asked to make certain changes to your manuscript as a result of your declaration. These requests are not an accusation of impropriety. The Editor or reviewer is helping you to protect your work against potential criticisms. If you are in any doubt about declaring a potential conflict, remember that if it is revealed later – especially after publication – it could cause more problems than simply declaring it at the time of submission. Undeclared conflicts of interest could lead to a corrigendum or, in the most serious cases, a retraction. Whether or not you believe a conflict of interest exists, you will be asked to include a statement in your manuscript. If you believe no conflicts exist, you will be asked to confirm this in writing.
As a member of a journal’s Editorial Board, you need to be very aware of the risk of conflicts when handling a manuscript.
Firstly, you should assess your own potential conflicts. If you have recently coauthored with the author of the manuscript, you could be perceived to be influenced by your relationship. Similarly, if you have recently shared an affiliation or employment history with the author, it could also be seen to be inappropriate for you to handle their work. IJETT aims to avoid assigning papers to Editors who might have conflicts, but we also expect our Editors to declare any conflicts. If you believe a conflict exists, you should refuse to handle the manuscript.
As a subject expert, the journal relies on your knowledge of the discipline to assess any conflicts declared by a submitting author. You are also uniquely placed to be able to identify any undeclared conflicts that an author might have. You should think about these factors when making a recommendation on the manuscript.
You should also consider potential conflicts when assigning the manuscript to reviewers. IJETT performs conflict of interest checks on all reviewers before they receive the manuscript for review, but you should also rely on your knowledge of the sector to inform assignments you make. Typically, you should not select a referee who:
- works or has recently worked at the same institution as the author or authors; or.
- has recently coauthored a paper with the author or authors; or
- has a recent or current collaboration with the author.
- # Affiliations – an individual is employed by, or is a member of, an organization with an interest in the outcome of the research.
- # Ideology – an individual is influenced by beliefs or associations relating to the subject of the research.
Discretion may be applied when publications are authored by a consortium.
If you have concerns about a potential reviewer, consider appointing someone else. If you believe a reviewer’s recommendation on a manuscript was made to further their own interests, you may tell the authors they do not need to address that point.
We are aware that certain specialist areas may involve a higher likelihood of association and overlap between researchers. In some instances, you may be the best-placed individual to act as Editor despite a connection with the author or authors. In this case, you should inform your IJETT editorial contact. They can then refer the case for review by our Research Integrity team.
By agreeing to peer review a manuscript you are providing essential neutral assessment. As such, you should ensure that you have no conflicts of interest that could be seen to prevent you from acting in an impartial manner.
You should ensure that you have no recent association with the author and that you have not previously coauthored with them. You should also not have a recent shared employment history.
IJESM operates a ‘double blind’ approach to peer review. Your name will not be made available to the authors. This allows you to provide honest, pertinent feedback.