Conflict of Interest Policy

General Provisions

All authors, peer reviewers, and editorial team members are required to disclose any association that may pose a conflict of interest concerning manuscripts submitted to Turath Journal.

A conflict of interest refers to any financial, professional, or personal relationship that could influence or appear to influence the objectivity, integrity, or impartiality of the research, review, or publication process. Examples include:

  • Financial interests such as employment, consultancy, honoraria, or paid expert testimony.
  • Intellectual property rights, including patent applications or registrations relevant to the subject matter.
  • Close personal relationships, such as family ties, partnerships, or mentor-mentee associations.
  • Recent collaborations, defined as coauthorship or shared research projects within the past three years.

When a conflict of interest is disclosed, a statement describing the conflict will be included with the published article to maintain transparency and uphold ethical standards.

Conflict of Interest Policy: Authors

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest during the manuscript submission process. This includes financial support, affiliations, or any other relationships that might influence the research.

  • The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all authors have disclosed any potential conflicts.
  • Acknowledgment of funding sources and any relevant affiliations should be clearly stated in the manuscript's Acknowledgments section.
  • Authors must exclude recent collaborators (within three years) or individuals with potential conflicts from being suggested as reviewers.

Conflict of Interest Policy: Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers:

  • Reviewers must recuse themselves if they have any conflict of interest that could compromise their ability to provide an impartial evaluation.
  • If a reviewer suspects they know the author’s identity and believes a conflict exists, they must notify the editorial team immediately.
  • The invitation letter to reviewers will include a statement: 

    “If you are aware of any conflict of interest or personal relationship with the author(s) that may affect your objectivity, please inform us before accepting this invitation.”

Editors:

  • Editors are required to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists, such as submissions from their institution, close collaborators, or family members.
  • In such cases, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor without any potential bias.
  • Editorial decisions for manuscripts solicited by the Editor-in-Chief will be made by an independent editor.

Special Cases

  1. Submission by an Editor:

    • Manuscripts authored by an editor of Turath Journal will be handled by another editor without any conflicts of interest.

  2. Submission by Authors from the Same Institution:

    • Submissions from authors affiliated with the same institution will be managed by an independent editor to avoid any perceived bias.

  3. Submission by Family Members or Close Associates of an Editor:

    • Manuscripts from family members or individuals with close personal relationships to an editor will be reassigned to another editor.

Failure to Disclose Conflicts

Turath Journal reserves the right to take corrective actions if conflicts of interest are not disclosed, including:

  • Publishing an erratum or retraction to address undisclosed conflicts.
  • Implementing sanctions, such as banning authors, reviewers, or editors from contributing to the journal for a specified period.

This policy applies to all submissions, reviews, and editorial decisions to ensure the integrity and credibility of Turath Journal’s publications