The Journal of Sustainable Science and Education Innovation (JSSEI) is committed to maintaining an objective, transparent, and trustworthy publication process. The journal recognizes that personal, professional, academic, financial, institutional, or other interests may sometimes create circumstances that could affect, or appear to affect, scholarly judgment.

A Conflict of Interest (COI) or Competing Interest refers to any relationship, responsibility, activity, or interest that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the research, interpretation of findings, peer review, editorial assessment, or publication of a manuscript.

This policy applies to Authors, Reviewers, Editors, Editorial Board members, and other individuals involved in the editorial process.

 

Authors

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived Conflict of Interest or Competing Interest that may be relevant to their manuscript.

Relevant interests may include, but are not limited to:

• financial relationships, funding, grants, sponsorship, employment, consultancy, or other monetary interests;
• professional or academic relationships;
• institutional affiliations or responsibilities;
• personal relationships that may affect the research or its interpretation;
• collaborative or competitive relationships;
• commercial interests related to the research;
• ownership of intellectual property, where relevant; and
• other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Authors must also disclose relevant financial or institutional support associated with the research.

Every manuscript submitted to JSSEI must contain a Declaration of Competing Interest, regardless of whether a relevant conflict exists.

When no relevant competing interest exists, Authors may use the following statement: “The Authors declare no Conflict of Interest.”

When a relevant interest exists, Authors must provide a clear description of the nature of the Conflict of Interest or Competing Interest.

The declaration should be consistent with the information provided in the required Statement of Manuscript Authenticity and other submission documents.

 

Peer Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived Conflict of Interest that could affect their ability to provide an independent and objective assessment.

Potential conflicts may arise from:

• personal relationships with an Author;
• academic or professional relationships;
• current or recent collaboration;
• institutional affiliation;
• financial interests;
• competitive relationships;
• research or intellectual property interests; or
• other circumstances that may affect impartiality.

A Reviewer who identifies a significant Conflict of Interest should inform the Editor promptly and decline the review when appropriate.

If a potential conflict becomes apparent after the Reviewer has accepted the assignment, the Reviewer should immediately notify the Editor. The Editor will determine whether the review should continue or be reassigned.

 

Editors and Editorial Team

Editors and Editorial Board members must disclose relevant Conflicts of Interest associated with manuscripts they are asked to handle or evaluate.

An Editor should not manage a manuscript when a personal, academic, institutional, financial, collaborative, competitive, or other relationship could reasonably compromise, or appear to compromise, impartial editorial judgment.

When a relevant conflict exists, the manuscript should be transferred to another qualified Editor who is sufficiently independent of the matter.

If the Editor-in-Chief has a Conflict of Interest concerning a submitted manuscript, the manuscript should be handled by another appropriate Editor or qualified Editorial Board member who does not have the relevant conflict.

Editors and Editorial Board members must not use confidential information obtained through editorial handling for personal, professional, academic, financial, or other advantage.

 

Editorial Independence

The disclosure of a Conflict of Interest does not automatically mean that a manuscript must be rejected or that an individual cannot participate in the publication process.

JSSEI will consider the nature, relevance, and significance of the disclosed interest and may determine whether disclosure, recusal, reassignment, additional review, or another safeguard is appropriate.

Editorial decisions must remain based on the academic quality, methodological soundness, relevance, integrity, originality, and contribution of the manuscript.

Publication fees, financial arrangements, institutional interests, sponsorship, or other commercial considerations must not influence editorial decisions or peer-review outcomes.

 

Management of Conflicts of Interest

When a Conflict of Interest is identified, JSSEI may take one or more appropriate measures depending on the circumstances, including:

• requesting additional information or clarification;
• requiring a more detailed disclosure statement;
• assigning the manuscript to another Editor;
• inviting an additional independent Reviewer;
• requiring recusal from a particular editorial activity; or
• taking another appropriate measure to protect the impartiality and integrity of the publication process.

Disclosure is intended to promote transparency and allow potential conflicts to be appropriately managed.

 

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If JSSEI identifies a potentially significant Conflict of Interest that was not disclosed during the submission or review process, the journal may request an explanation or additional information from the relevant individual.

Editorial processing may be temporarily suspended when necessary to clarify the matter.

If an undisclosed Conflict of Interest is identified after publication, JSSEI may evaluate whether a correction, additional disclosure, Expression of Concern, retraction, or another appropriate post-publication action is necessary, depending on the nature and impact of the issue.

Any action taken will be intended to maintain the transparency and reliability of the scholarly record.

 

Funding and Institutional Support

Authors must disclose relevant funding, grants, sponsorship, institutional support, or other material assistance associated with the research where applicable.

Funding information should identify the supporting institution or funding body and, where relevant, the grant, contract, or project information.

The disclosure of funding does not affect the editorial evaluation of a manuscript. However, funding relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research must be transparently reported.

 

Relationship with Peer Review

Disclosure of a Conflict of Interest is considered as part of maintaining the independence of the double-blind peer-review process used by JSSEI.

Reviewers must not allow personal, professional, academic, financial, or competitive relationships to influence their assessment.

Editors are responsible for taking reasonable measures to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated by Reviewers who can provide an independent assessment.

 

Policy Review

JSSEI may periodically review this Conflict of Interest and Competing Interests Policy to ensure that it remains appropriate for the journal's editorial practices and consistent with developments in responsible scholarly publishing.

Any revision may consider changes in publication ethics standards, research practices, editorial procedures, technological developments, and the evolving needs of the journal.

The most recently approved version of this policy applies to manuscripts and publication activities conducted under JSSEI.