Conflict of Interest

Intechno Journal: Information Technology Journal is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process. All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or appear to influence, the research, its evaluation, or editorial decisions.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships may compromise or appear to compromise an individual's impartiality in conducting, reviewing, editing, or publishing scholarly research.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial interests: Employment, consultancies, honoraria, research funding, grants, stock ownership, patents, or other financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the research.

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

  • Professional or academic relationships: Current or recent collaborations, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or professional rivalries that may influence impartiality.

  • Institutional interests: Relationships or responsibilities that may create competing interests between an individual's institution and the research or publication.

  • Intellectual or ideological interests: Strong personal, academic, or theoretical commitments that could affect the objective assessment or interpretation of research findings.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript. Disclosures should include any financial or non-financial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of results.

Authors must also disclose the sources of research funding and describe the role of funders, where applicable, in the study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to publish.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include the following statement in their manuscript:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

All relevant disclosures must be accurate, complete, and updated if circumstances change during the review or publication process.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their ability to provide an objective and impartial assessment of a manuscript. Such conflicts may arise from personal relationships, recent collaborations, institutional affiliations, professional competition, financial interests, or other circumstances that could compromise their judgment.

Reviewers should decline the review assignment if a conflict cannot be adequately managed. They must also maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and must not use unpublished information for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions based on the manuscript's scientific quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field, without inappropriate influence from personal, financial, or professional interests.

Editors who have a conflict of interest involving a submitted manuscript must disclose it and withdraw from handling the manuscript. The manuscript should then be assigned to another qualified editor who can manage the editorial process independently and impartially.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, institutional relationships, personal considerations, or pressure from authors, reviewers, sponsors, or other parties.

5. Management of Conflicts of Interest

When a conflict of interest is identified, Intechno Journal will assess its nature and potential impact on the integrity of the research or editorial process. Depending on the circumstances, appropriate measures may include:

  1. Requesting additional disclosure or clarification from the relevant parties.

  2. Assigning an alternative reviewer or editor.

  3. Implementing additional safeguards to ensure an impartial review.

  4. Requiring corrections to the conflict-of-interest statement before publication.

  5. Taking further editorial action if a significant undisclosed conflict is identified after publication.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity and impact of the omission.

6. Disclosure and Transparency

Conflict-of-interest statements must be included in submitted manuscripts as required by the journal's author guidelines. The editorial team may request additional information whenever necessary to ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the publication process.

Disclosures will be handled appropriately, taking into account confidentiality requirements and the need for transparent scholarly communication.

7. Commitment to Publication Integrity

Intechno Journal is committed to ensuring that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly and independently. The disclosure and appropriate management of conflicts of interest are essential to maintaining trust among authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and the wider research community.

All parties involved in the publication process are expected to act honestly, disclose relevant competing interests, and cooperate with the journal in resolving any circumstances that may compromise the integrity of scholarly publishing.