Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of Advanced Computer Science (JACS) is committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and integrity in scholarly publishing. A Conflict of Interest (COI) may arise when professional judgment regarding a primary interest (such as research validity or editorial decision-making) is influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain, personal relationships, or institutional affiliations).

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members, and is aligned with the ethical recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual’s objectivity may be compromised or perceived to be compromised due to:

  • financial relationships

  • personal relationships

  • academic competition

  • institutional or organizational affiliations

  • intellectual property or commercial interests

Even the appearance of a conflict is considered significant and must be disclosed.

2. Disclosure Requirement

All participants in the publication process must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Disclosure must be made:

  • at the time of submission (for authors)

  • when accepting a review invitation (for reviewers)

  • before handling an assigned manuscript (for editors)

3. Conflict of Interest for Authors

Authors must disclose any relationships or interests that may affect the research, including:

3.1 Financial Conflicts

  • grants or funding from commercial entities

  • paid consultancy

  • patents or patent applications

  • stock ownership or financial benefits

3.2 Personal / Professional Conflicts

  • relationships with editors or reviewers

  • close collaboration with editorial members

  • employment in competing institutions

3.3 Institutional Conflicts

  • affiliation-based interests that could influence outcomes

  • sponsored research agreements

Authors must also declare:

  • funding sources

  • sponsorships

  • any role of the funder in study design or results interpretation

4. Conflict of Interest for Reviewers

Reviewers must decline review invitations if they:

  • have co-authored with authors recently

  • work in the same institution as authors

  • have personal relationships with authors

  • have financial or professional interests in the outcome

  • are in direct scientific competition

Reviewers must:

  • inform editors immediately if conflicts are discovered after accepting review

  • avoid using any unpublished information for personal advantage

5. Conflict of Interest for Editors

Editors and editorial board members must not handle manuscripts if they:

  • have a close relationship with any author

  • have collaborated with authors recently

  • work in the same institution

  • have any financial or personal interest in the decision

In such cases:

 the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor or Editor-in-Chief.

6. Managing Conflicts of Interest

When conflicts are identified, JACS may take actions including:

  • requesting a formal written disclosure statement

  • replacing reviewers/editors

  • reassigning the manuscript to independent editors

  • increasing review independence (additional reviewers)

  • rejecting the manuscript if undisclosed COI is found

Failure to disclose conflicts may be considered misconduct.

7. Conflict of Interest Statement in Published Articles

All accepted papers must include a Conflict of Interest statement in the manuscript, such as:

Example 1:
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Example 2:
Author A has received research funding from (Company/Organization). The funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.