Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Human Sciences (YZIB) is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, fairness, and integrity throughout the research, peer-review, and publication processes.

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, exists when personal, professional, financial, institutional, academic, intellectual, or other relationships could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's judgment or actions in relation to a manuscript.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily imply misconduct. However, all relevant competing interests must be transparently disclosed so that editors, reviewers, authors, and readers can appropriately evaluate their potential influence.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals involved in the publication process.

1. Conflicts of Interest for Authors

Authors must disclose all relationships, circumstances, or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the design, conduct, interpretation, reporting, or publication of their research.

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

  • employment or consultancy relationships;

  • financial interests;

  • grants, funding, sponsorship, or other financial support;

  • stock ownership, shares, or other financial investments;

  • patents, patent applications, licenses, or intellectual property interests;

  • paid advisory or board memberships;

  • honoraria or speaker fees;

  • institutional affiliations;

  • close professional relationships;

  • personal or family relationships;

  • academic rivalry or competition;

  • supervisory or mentoring relationships;

  • collaborative relationships;

  • political, ideological, or organizational affiliations relevant to the work; and

  • any other relationship that could reasonably be perceived as affecting impartiality.

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts regardless of whether they believe those interests actually influenced the research.

2. Conflict of Interest Statement

All manuscripts submitted to YZIB should include a Conflict of Interest Statement.

If no conflict exists, authors should state:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

If one or more conflicts exist, authors should provide a clear and sufficiently detailed statement describing the nature of the relationship or interest.

For example:

Conflict of Interest: Author A has received research funding from [organization]. Author B serves as a consultant for [organization]. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that declarations from all authors are accurate and complete.

3. Funding and Financial Support

Authors must disclose all sources of funding and financial support associated with the research.

Funding information should include, where applicable:

  • funding organization;

  • grant or project number;

  • institutional support;

  • commercial sponsorship; and

  • other relevant financial contributions.

Authors should also explain the role of the funding body in:

  • study design;

  • data collection;

  • data analysis;

  • interpretation of results;

  • manuscript preparation; and

  • the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

If the funder had no role in these processes, this should be stated when appropriate.

4. Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest are not limited to financial relationships.

Non-financial competing interests may include:

  • close personal relationships;

  • professional rivalry;

  • academic competition;

  • institutional disputes;

  • intellectual or ideological commitments;

  • membership in organizations with an interest in the research topic;

  • prior involvement in the research or manuscript;

  • supervisory relationships; or

  • other circumstances that may affect, or appear to affect, impartial judgment.

Relevant non-financial interests should also be disclosed.

5. Conflicts of Interest for Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment.

A reviewer should normally decline the invitation to review when:

  • the reviewer has a close personal or professional relationship with one of the authors;

  • the reviewer has recently collaborated with one or more authors;

  • the reviewer is currently working on a closely competing project;

  • the reviewer has a direct financial interest in the outcome of the manuscript;

  • the reviewer has a significant academic or professional dispute with an author;

  • the reviewer has previously been substantially involved in the manuscript;

  • the reviewer's institutional relationship could reasonably compromise impartiality; or

  • any other circumstance exists that may prevent an objective and independent evaluation.

If a conflict becomes apparent after the reviewer has accepted the assignment, the reviewer must promptly notify the editorial office.

The editor will determine whether the reviewer should continue or withdraw from the review process.

6. Conflicts of Interest for Editors

Editors and editorial board members must maintain impartiality and disclose any conflicts of interest relating to manuscripts under consideration.

An editor must not handle a manuscript when the editor:

  • is an author or co-author of the manuscript;

  • has a close personal or professional relationship with an author;

  • has recently collaborated with an author;

  • has a direct financial or institutional interest in the manuscript;

  • is involved in a significant academic dispute with an author;

  • has participated substantially in the research; or

  • has another relationship that could reasonably call the editor's impartiality into question.

In such cases, responsibility for the manuscript must be transferred to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.

7. Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, or individuals closely associated with YZIB will not receive preferential treatment.

Such manuscripts will be handled independently by an editor who has no conflict of interest with the authors.

The authors concerned will not participate in:

  • the selection of reviewers;

  • access to confidential reviewer information;

  • editorial discussion concerning the manuscript; or

  • the final publication decision.

The same peer-review and publication standards applied to all other submissions will be followed.

8. Institutional Conflicts

Institutional affiliation alone does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest.

However, where an editor, reviewer, and author are affiliated with the same institution, department, research group, project, or closely related organizational structure, the editorial office will evaluate whether the relationship may compromise or reasonably appear to compromise independent judgment.

Where necessary, another editor or reviewer will be assigned.

9. Reviewer Suggestions

Authors may be permitted to suggest potential reviewers where the journal's submission system allows this.

Authors must not suggest reviewers with whom they have relationships that could compromise independent peer review.

Authors must not:

  • provide false reviewer identities;

  • provide fabricated or misleading reviewer contact information;

  • suggest reviewers whose independence is compromised;

  • create or use fraudulent reviewer accounts; or

  • attempt to influence the peer-review process improperly.

Any attempt to manipulate reviewer selection or peer review may be treated as a serious publication ethics violation.

10. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on:

  • scientific quality;

  • originality;

  • methodological rigor;

  • relevance to the journal's aims and scope;

  • ethical compliance; and

  • the overall contribution of the manuscript.

Editorial decisions will not be influenced by commercial interests, institutional pressure, personal relationships, political considerations, or other inappropriate external factors.

11. Disclosure After Publication

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after publication, YZIB will evaluate whether the omission affects the reliability, interpretation, or integrity of the published work.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • request clarification from the authors;

  • publish a correction;

  • issue an editorial notice;

  • publish an Expression of Concern; or

  • consider retraction in serious cases where the undisclosed conflict materially undermines the integrity of the publication.

12. Failure to Disclose a Conflict of Interest

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may constitute a breach of publication ethics, particularly when the omission is intentional or materially affects the evaluation or interpretation of the work.

YZIB may request supporting information or documentation when necessary to evaluate a potential conflict.

Cases will be assessed in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and internationally recognized principles of publication ethics.

13. Responsibility for Disclosure

Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant conflicts of interest.

When there is uncertainty as to whether a relationship constitutes a conflict, disclosure is preferred.

Disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically prevent publication, review, or editorial participation. The purpose of disclosure is to ensure transparency and allow appropriate management of potential conflicts.

14. Policy Updates

YZIB reserves the right to review and update this policy in response to developments in publication ethics, research integrity, and scholarly publishing standards.