Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Definition and Types of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest, also known as a competing interest, arises when a financial, institutional, professional, personal, academic, political, or other relevant relationship could compromise, or reasonably be perceived as compromising, impartiality, objectivity, or independent scholarly judgment.

A. Financial Conflicts

Research grants, sponsorships, and external funding.
Employment, consultancy agreements, or paid advisory roles.
Honoraria, speaking fees, and paid expert testimony.
Stock ownership, financial investments, or commercial interests.
Financial relationships with institutions or organizations connected to the subject of research.

B. Non-Financial Conflicts

Personal, family, or close professional relationships.
Institutional affiliations and organizational responsibilities.
Academic rivalry or direct professional competition.
Supervisory, collaborative, or editorial relationships.
Relevant political, professional, or ideological commitments.
Other relationships that could reasonably affect independent scholarly judgment.

Relevance to MPR: Research involving government institutions, political organizations, public policies, international organizations, or diplomatic activities may require disclosure of relevant employment, advisory positions, political responsibilities, funding relationships, or direct involvement in the subject under investigation.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for identifying and declaring any relevant competing interests that may influence the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of their research.

Author Requirements

Disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.
Include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript.
Identify relevant funding sources and the role of funders where applicable.
Ensure that the disclosure covers the interests of all authors.
Update the declaration when relevant circumstances change.
Complete and sign the official Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form after manuscript acceptance.
Submit the signed form through the journal's OJS system during the Production stage.

When No Conflict Exists

"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

When a Relevant Conflict Exists

"The authors declare that [author name or initials] received research funding from [organization]. The funder had [describe its role, if any] in the research. The remaining authors declare no relevant competing interests."

All declarations must accurately reflect the authors' circumstances. Disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically prevent manuscript consideration or publication.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must maintain independence, objectivity, and confidentiality in evaluating submitted manuscripts.

Disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts before accepting a review invitation.
Decline review assignments where relevant interests or relationships could compromise impartiality.
Inform the editor of personal, institutional, collaborative, financial, or competing interests related to the manuscript.
Notify the Editorial Office if a relevant conflict becomes apparent during the review process.
Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and unpublished research.
Refrain from using privileged manuscript information for personal, institutional, political, or commercial advantage.

Reviewer Independence: Where a relevant competing interest is identified, the Editorial Team determines whether the reviewer should be replaced to protect the integrity and independence of the peer-review process.

4. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and Editorial Board members must disclose competing interests and ensure that editorial decisions remain independent of financial, institutional, personal, professional, or political influence.

Declare relevant conflicts before handling a manuscript.
Withdraw from editorial handling when impartiality may be compromised.
Avoid participating in decisions involving close collaborators, personal associates, or other conflicting relationships.
Maintain the confidentiality of submissions, reviews, and editorial correspondence.
Ensure that reviewer selection and manuscript decisions are based on scholarly merit.
Arrange independent editorial handling when a conflict requires reassignment.

Editorial Recusal: An editor with a relevant conflict of interest must not make decisions concerning the affected manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief may appoint another qualified editor. Where the Editor-in-Chief is conflicted, an appropriately authorized independent editorial representative should handle the matter.

5. Evaluation and Management of Conflicts

All disclosed conflicts are reviewed confidentially by the Editorial Office. Appropriate management measures depend on the nature, relevance, and potential influence of the competing interest.

Possible Editorial Measures

Requesting clarification or additional disclosure.
Reassigning a manuscript to another editor.
Replacing a reviewer where impartiality may be compromised.
Obtaining an independent assessment where necessary.
Publishing relevant conflict-of-interest information with the article.
Taking proportionate corrective action when an undisclosed conflict is identified.

If a significant undisclosed conflict is discovered after publication, the journal may investigate the matter and determine whether a correction or other action is necessary.

Post-Publication Action: An undisclosed conflict does not automatically require retraction. Where the omission materially affects research credibility or publication integrity, the journal may issue a correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction, as appropriate and in accordance with relevant COPE guidance.

6. Submission of the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form

Following manuscript acceptance, each author must complete and sign the official Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.

The completed form must be uploaded through Open Journal Systems (OJS) in the manuscript's Production stage.

Submission Procedure

Download the Form

Obtain the official disclosure form from the journal website.

Complete and Sign

Each author provides an accurate declaration and signs the form.

Open Production Discussion

Access the accepted manuscript in OJS and open Production → Discussion.

Upload the Signed Form

Submit the signed document under the discussion titled Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form, following the Editorial Office's instructions.

Official Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form

Required for accepted manuscripts during the production stage.

↓ Download Disclosure Form

7. Transparency and Editorial Independence

Conflict of Interest Statements are published alongside accepted articles to inform readers of relevant relationships or interests that may affect the interpretation of published research.

If no conflicts are declared, the published article may include the following statement:

Published Declaration "No conflicts of interest were declared."

The Editorial Board and Publisher maintain editorial independence. Advertising, sponsorship, publication charges, funding relationships, or other commercial arrangements must not determine manuscript acceptance, reviewer recommendations, editorial decisions, or published research findings.

All editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, and compliance with publication ethics.