The journal adheres to the principles of objectivity, transparency and impartiality at all stages of the editorial and publishing process. To this end, authors, reviewers, editors, the Editor-in-Chief and the Deputy Editor-in-Chief are required to disclose in a timely manner any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.
This policy is intended to prevent situations in which personal, financial, professional, academic or other interests may influence, or may be perceived as influencing, the results of research, the quality of expert evaluation or the editorial decision-making process concerning publication.
Conflicts of Interest on the Part of Authors
Authors must inform the editorial office of all possible conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript. This applies both to financial relationships, including employment, fees, participation in company activities, receipt of grants, consultancy services, share ownership or authorship of patents, and to non-financial circumstances, including personal connections, academic rivalry, professional dependency, ideological, political, religious or other beliefs that may affect the interpretation of results.
All such circumstances must be clearly stated so that the editorial office, reviewers and readers can assess whether they may have influenced the content of the research, the presentation of results or the authors’ conclusions. A “Conflict of Interest” statement is placed at the end of each published article. If there is no conflict of interest, this section states: “None”.
Conflicts of Interest on the Part of Reviewers
Reviewers are required to inform the editorial office of any circumstances that may call into question their impartiality or their ability to assess a manuscript objectively.
A reviewer must immediately inform the editorial office and decline to review the manuscript if they have financial, personal, professional, academic or other connections with the authors or organisations related to the research; if there is direct competition between their own research and the submitted manuscript; or if they have a relationship of friendship, rivalry, subordination or other interest that may affect the objectivity of the expert evaluation.
If a conflict of interest is identified, the reviewer must not participate in the evaluation of the relevant manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest on the Part of Editors
Editors are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to make impartial decisions concerning submitted materials.
An editor must recuse themselves and must not participate in the consideration of a manuscript if they have financial, personal, academic, professional or other connections with the authors or institutions related to the research; if they are a co-author of the article or work at the same institution as the authors; or if their participation in the editorial process may reasonably be perceived as biased.
In such cases, the manuscript is transferred to another editor, a member of the editorial board or an independent specialist who has no conflict of interest.
Conflicts of Interest on the Part of the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief is required to declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest concerning submitted manuscripts. If the Editor-in-Chief is the author or co-author of an article, has family, personal, professional, academic, financial or institutional connections with the authors, works with them at the same institution, department or research group, or has any other interest in the outcome of the manuscript’s consideration, the Editor-in-Chief is fully excluded from the editorial process concerning that material.
In such cases, the Editor-in-Chief does not participate in the initial assessment of the manuscript, the selection of reviewers, correspondence with authors or reviewers, discussion of the review results or the final decision on publication.
The consideration of such a manuscript is organised by the Deputy Editor-in-Chief or another authorised member of the editorial board who has no conflict of interest. The final decision on acceptance, revision or rejection of the article is made without the involvement of the Editor-in-Chief or persons connected with them.
Conflicts of Interest on the Part of the Deputy Editor-in-Chief
The Deputy Editor-in-Chief is also required to disclose any circumstances that may create or give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest. If the Deputy Editor-in-Chief is the author or co-author of a manuscript, has personal, family, official, academic, financial or other connections with the authors, works with them at the same institution, or is involved in joint research, educational or professional projects with them, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief must not participate in the consideration of the relevant article.
In the event of a conflict of interest, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief is excluded from the initial screening of the manuscript, the organisation of peer review, communication with reviewers and authors, analysis of the reviews and the editorial decision-making process.
If a conflict of interest concerns both the Editor-in-Chief and the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, consideration of the manuscript is transferred to another member of the editorial board or to an independent editor who has the appropriate professional competence and is not connected with the authors or the institutions involved in the research.
General Provisions on the Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
The journal ensures transparent disclosure of conflicts of interest in the form of a separate statement at the end of each published article. All participants in the publication process — authors, reviewers, editors, the Editor-in-Chief, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief and members of the editorial board — are required to comply with this policy.
The declaration of a conflict of interest is not necessarily grounds for rejecting a manuscript; however, concealment of such circumstances is regarded as a violation of publication ethics. If an undeclared conflict of interest is identified, the editorial office has the right to suspend consideration of the manuscript, request explanations, refer the material for independent evaluation, publish an appropriate clarification or take other measures in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy.