Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

1. Introduction

Agroindustrial Journal is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the publication process. A conflict of interest may arise when personal, financial, professional, or institutional relationships could influence, or be perceived to influence, the judgment of authors, reviewers, editors, or other parties involved in the publication process.

All parties involved in the publication process are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest and ensure that editorial and peer-review decisions are made fairly, independently, and based on the academic quality of the manuscript.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional interests may compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality in conducting research, reviewing manuscripts, or making editorial decisions.

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived and must be disclosed even when the individual believes that the conflict has not affected their judgment.

3. Types of Conflict of Interest

Potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial interests: Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, or other financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the publication.

  • Personal relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that could affect impartiality.

  • Academic and professional relationships: Recent collaboration, shared research projects, supervisory relationships, or direct competition between researchers.

  • Institutional or commercial interests: Affiliations with universities, research institutions, agroindustrial companies, food manufacturers, suppliers, or other organizations that may have an interest in the research findings.

  • Intellectual property interests: Patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights that may be affected by the publication.

4. Responsibilities and Procedures

4.1 Authors

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest during manuscript submission. Relevant funding sources and the role of funders or sponsors in the research, manuscript preparation, or decision to publish must also be stated.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must explicitly declare that there are no conflicts of interest to disclose. Authors must notify the editorial office if a relevant conflict is identified after submission or publication.

4.2 Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and confidentially. Reviewers who identify a conflict of interest that could affect their impartiality must inform the editor and decline the review when appropriate.

If a potential conflict becomes apparent during the review process, reviewers must notify the editor promptly so that appropriate action can be taken.

4.3 Editors and Journal Staff

Editors and journal staff must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence their handling of a manuscript. Individuals with such conflicts must recuse themselves from the editorial process, and the manuscript must be assigned to an independent editor when necessary.

Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, relevance, originality, and compliance with the journal’s publication standards, rather than personal, financial, or institutional interests.

Editors and reviewers who are authors or co-authors of a manuscript must not be involved in handling or evaluating that manuscript. An independent editor and, where appropriate, independent reviewers must be appointed.

4.4 Publisher

The publisher must support editorial independence and ensure that financial, commercial, or institutional interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions or the peer-review process.

5. Disclosure and Transparency

Authors are required to include a clear conflict-of-interest statement in their manuscript. Where no conflict exists, the statement should explicitly indicate this.

Relevant disclosures may be published alongside the article when appropriate to ensure transparency for readers. The journal may request additional information or clarification when a potential conflict of interest is identified.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in further investigation and appropriate action in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics procedures.

6. Policy Review

Agroindustrial Journal will periodically review this policy to ensure that it remains consistent with recognized publication ethics standards and best practices. Any revisions will be made available on the journal website.