The International Journal of Studies in Psychology (IJSPSY) and GAERPSY Publishing are committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial independence, transparency, and integrity. All individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors, editorial board members, and the publisher, must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflict of interest that could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.
This policy is informed by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, OASPA, and Directory of Open Access Journals.
The journal recognises that the existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily constitute misconduct. However, such interests must be disclosed and appropriately managed to protect the integrity, independence, and credibility of the editorial and peer-review process.
- Definition of a conflict of interest
A conflict of interest (COI), also referred to as a competing interest, exists when an individual's personal, professional, financial, academic, institutional, or other interests could interfere with, or could reasonably be perceived as interfering with, their objective responsibilities in the publication process.
Conflicts may include, but are not limited to:
- Financial interests, including employment, consultancy, grants, research funding, honoraria, paid expert testimony, royalties, patents, equity or share ownership, or other financial relationships,
- Personal relationships, including close family, friendship, or other relationships with authors, reviewers, editors, or other individuals involved in a manuscript,
- Academic or professional relationships, including close collaboration, supervision, mentorship, competition, or disputes,
- Institutional interests, where an individual is affiliated with an institution that may benefit or be adversely affected by publication of the work,
- Editorial interests, including situations in which an editor or editorial-board member has authored, co-authored, supervised, or otherwise substantially contributed to the manuscript,
- Political or ideological interests, where such interests have a direct and material connection to the subject or outcome of the research, and
- Other interests that a reasonable reader might consider capable of influencing the individual's judgment.
The IJSPSY expects individuals to disclose relevant interests even where they believe that the interest has not influenced their judgment.
- Responsibilities of authors
All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.
Authors should disclose, where applicable:
- Sources of research funding and financial support,
- Employment, consultancies, honoraria, or other financial relationships,
- Patents, intellectual property, or commercial interests related to the research,
- Personal or professional relationships that could influence the research,
- Institutional affiliations that could benefit from the publication,
- Relevant academic or professional relationships, including close collaboration or competition, and
- Any other interest that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation of findings, or reporting of results.
Authors must also disclose any relationship between the research and an organisation that may have a financial or other interest in the findings.
If no relevant conflict exists, authors must include the following statement: “The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.”
Where a conflict exists, authors should provide a clear description of its nature.
The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically prevent publication. The Editor-in-Chief will determine whether the conflict can be appropriately managed through disclosure, editorial safeguards, independent review, or other measures.
- Funding and financial interests
Authors must provide accurate information about the sources of financial support for the research.
The journal's editorial decisions must be based on the scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigour, relevance, and ethical standards of the manuscript, and must not be influenced by publication fees, funding arrangements, commercial interests, institutional affiliations, or other financial considerations.
Where the journal charges publication or article-processing fees, the payment or waiver status of an author must not influence the editorial decision. This principle is consistent with DOAJ transparency requirements (Directory of Open Access Journals).
- Responsibilities of reviewers
Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflict of interest before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript. A reviewer should decline the assignment where, for example:
- They have a close personal or professional relationship with an author,
- They have recently collaborated with an author,
- They are currently supervising or being supervised by an author,
- They are employed by the same institution as an author, where this could compromise impartiality;
- They have a significant academic or professional competition with an author,
- They have a financial or commercial interest related to the manuscript,
- They were directly involved in the research being evaluated, or
- They believe they cannot provide an impartial and objective assessment.
Reviewers must not use information obtained through peer review for personal, academic, financial, or professional advantage. They must also maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and associated information.
Where a conflict is identified after a review has commenced, the reviewer must immediately notify the editorial office and discontinue the review unless the editor determines that the conflict can be appropriately managed.
- Responsibilities of editors and editorial board members
Editors and editorial board members must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and must not participate in editorial decisions where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned. An editor must not handle a manuscript where:
- They are an author or co-author,
- A close family member is an author,
- They have a close personal or professional relationship with an author,
- They have recently collaborated with an author,
- They have a significant academic or professional conflict with an author,
- The manuscript concerns research in which they have a direct personal or financial interest, or
- Another circumstance exists that could reasonably compromise their impartiality.
In such circumstances, the manuscript must be assigned to an independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.
Editors must not use unpublished information, data, ideas, or findings obtained through the editorial or peer-review process for their own research or personal advantage. Editorial confidentiality must be maintained. These principles are consistent with established publishing-ethics practices (www.elsevier.com).
- Editor-authored and institutionally affiliated manuscripts
When an Editor-in-Chief, Deputy/Associate Editor, editorial-board member, or other individual with editorial authority submits a manuscript to IJSPSY, that individual must have no involvement in the editorial decision or peer-review management of their own manuscript.
The manuscript must be handled by an independent editor and evaluated through the journal's normal peer-review process.
Where appropriate, the journal will use reviewers who are independent of the authors and their immediate institutional or professional networks.
This safeguard is particularly important for maintaining editorial independence and limiting editorial endogeneity. DOAJ also emphasises the importance of minimising endogeny and maintaining independent peer review.
- Guest editors and special issues
Guest editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before participating in a special issue.
Guest editors must not make decisions concerning manuscripts with which they have a conflict. Such manuscripts must be assigned to an independent editor.
All special-issue manuscripts must remain subject to the journal's established editorial and peer-review standards. DOAJ specifically expects special issues to receive the same editorial oversight and external peer review as regular journal content.
- Disclosure, transparency, and publication
Relevant conflicts of interest should be disclosed in the manuscript's Conflict of Interest/Competing Interests statement.
Where appropriate, the disclosed information will be published with the article so that readers can assess the circumstances surrounding the research and its publication. The IJSPSY will distinguish between:
- No conflict of interest declared,
- A disclosed conflict that has been appropriately managed, and
- An undisclosed conflict that may have affected the integrity of the publication process.
The presence of a declared conflict does not, by itself, imply that the research is unreliable or that the manuscript should be rejected.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest
If an undisclosed conflict is identified before publication, the Editor-in-Chief will assess the matter and may take appropriate action, including:
- Requesting clarification or disclosure from the author, reviewer, or editor,
- Obtaining an independent editorial assessment,
- Oppointing new reviewers,
- Requiring additional disclosure,
- Reconsidering an editorial decision where appropriate, or
- Referring the matter to the relevant institution or organisation when necessary.
If an undisclosed conflict is discovered after publication, the IJSPSY will assess its potential effect on the integrity of the published work. Depending on the circumstances, the IJSPSY may publish a correction, clarification, editorial note, expression of concern, or retraction, in accordance with applicable COPE guidance.
- Responsibility for disclosure
Disclosure is the responsibility of each participant in the publication process. Individuals should disclose relevant conflicts as soon as they become aware of them, including when a conflict arises after initial submission or during peer review.
Failure to disclose a relevant conflict may constitute a breach of the journal's publication-ethics policy and may result in appropriate editorial action.
- Editorial independence
IJSPSY and GAERPSY Publishing maintain that editorial decisions must be independent of:
- Commercial interests,
- Publication fees or waiver decisions,
- Funding sources,
- Advertisers or sponsors,
- Institutional affiliations,
- Personal relationships,
- Political interests, and
- Other non-scholarly considerations.
Editorial decisions should be based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal's scope, and contribution to psychological scholarship. This is consistent with the transparency principles emphasising that editorial decisions should be based on scholarly merit (Directory of Open Access Journals).
- Policy review and transparency
IJSPSY and GAERPSY Publishing will periodically review this policy to ensure that it remains consistent with recognised international standards in scholarly publishing, including relevant COPE, ICMJE, DOAJ, and Scopus requirements.