Journal of Physical Science Advances (JPSA) expects authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process to disclose interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgement.
A conflict of interest may arise when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or academic considerations interfere with an individual's ability to act objectively. Such interests may be direct or indirect and may exist even when the individual believes that their judgement has not actually been affected.
The purpose of disclosure is to ensure transparency and allow potential conflicts to be assessed and managed appropriately. The existence of a declared conflict does not automatically imply misconduct or invalidate a research contribution.
A conflict of interest exists when an individual's interests or relationships could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their independence and impartiality in relation to a manuscript or editorial decision.
Financial relationships that may influence or appear to influence research or editorial judgement. These may include employment, consultancy, honoraria, paid advisory roles, shareholdings, patents, royalties, research grants, or other financial benefits connected with the subject of the manuscript.
Personal relationships, family connections, close friendships, personal disputes, or other circumstances involving individuals connected with a manuscript that may affect impartial assessment.
Current or recent employment, institutional affiliation, supervisory relationships, collaborative arrangements, or professional dependencies involving an author, reviewer, editor, or another person participating in the publication process.
Strong academic positions, direct competition, intellectual commitments, or ongoing research disputes that could affect an individual's ability to assess a manuscript objectively.
Any other circumstance that could reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgement, even where no direct financial or personal benefit is involved.
The categories above are illustrative rather than exhaustive. Individuals should disclose any other relevant circumstance where a reasonable reader might question the independence of their judgement.
Authors must disclose relevant competing interests at the time of manuscript submission. The declaration should be complete, accurate, and applicable to all authors listed on the manuscript.
Relevant disclosures may include:
Where no competing interests exist, authors should provide an explicit declaration stating that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Authors should not assume that a relationship is irrelevant merely because it did not directly influence the research. If the relationship could reasonably be perceived as relevant, it should be disclosed for editorial assessment.
Financial conflicts may arise from relationships involving funding, employment, consultancy, commercial interests, intellectual property, or other forms of financial benefit.
Non-financial conflicts may arise from personal relationships, academic competition, professional rivalries, institutional responsibilities, or strongly held intellectual positions.
Both forms of conflict are relevant to the journal's assessment. A conflict does not need to involve direct financial compensation to require disclosure.
Reviewers must be able to assess a manuscript independently and without inappropriate influence. Before accepting a review invitation, reviewers should consider whether any existing relationship or competing interest could affect their impartiality.
Reviewers are expected to:
A reviewer who identifies a potential conflict should inform the handling editor promptly rather than making an independent assumption that the conflict is insignificant.
Editors must exercise independent judgement when evaluating manuscripts and making editorial recommendations or decisions. They should disclose any interest or relationship that could compromise their ability to handle a submission impartially.
Editors should not handle manuscripts involving close personal relationships, direct research collaborations, financial interests, or other circumstances that create a significant competing interest.
Where a conflict is identified, the manuscript should be reassigned to an appropriate editor who can conduct the assessment independently. An editor must not use confidential manuscript information for personal research or advantage.
Disclosure allows the journal to evaluate a potential conflict before it affects the editorial process or the interpretation of published research.
The relevant individual should disclose the interest to the editorial office as soon as it becomes apparent. The editor will consider the nature of the relationship, its relevance to the manuscript, and whether it could affect impartiality.
Where a reviewer has a significant conflict, the editor may decline the review or appoint another suitably qualified reviewer. A replacement reviewer should be selected without the same relevant conflict wherever reasonably possible.
An editor with a relevant competing interest should not participate in the assessment or decision-making process for the affected manuscript. The manuscript may be assigned to another editor who can handle it independently.
Where a declared interest is relevant to readers' interpretation of the research, the journal may require an appropriate conflict-of-interest statement to appear in the published article.
The appropriate response depends on the nature, seriousness, and relevance of the conflict. Some interests may be managed through disclosure, while others may require reassignment or withdrawal from a particular editorial role.
Authors may be required to include a conflict-of-interest declaration in the manuscript. Where relevant, the statement should identify the nature of the interest and provide sufficient information for readers to understand its relationship to the work.
Where no competing interests are declared, an appropriate statement may read:
The authors declare that they have no competing interests relevant to this work.
Where funding or sponsorship has been received, the relevant information should also be reported accurately in the appropriate funding or acknowledgement statement.
Failure to disclose a relevant competing interest, whether intentional or arising from an oversight, may require editorial examination. The journal may request clarification or supporting information from the individuals concerned.
Depending on the circumstances and the stage of publication, appropriate action may include requesting a revised disclosure, replacing a conflicted reviewer or editor, delaying editorial processing, rejecting a submission, or publishing a correction to an existing article.
Deliberate concealment or misrepresentation of a material competing interest may be treated as a publication-ethics concern.
If a previously undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal may assess whether the interest is relevant to the published work and whether readers require additional information.
Depending on the findings, the journal may publish an additional disclosure, issue a correction, or take other appropriate action to maintain transparency in the scholarly record.
JPSA considers transparency in competing interests essential to maintaining confidence in scientific publication. The journal expects all participants to disclose relevant relationships honestly and cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification.
The disclosure and management of conflicts are intended to protect the independence of peer review, the fairness of editorial decisions, and the credibility of published research.
Authors and reviewers should also consult the journal's Publication Ethics Policy, Authorship Policy, and Plagiarism Policy.
