Conflict of Interest Policy

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

IJAAP requires all parties involved in the publication process — authors, reviewers, and
editors — to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could inappropriately influence
their work or judgment.

FOR AUTHORS

A conflict of interest exists when an author has financial, personal, or professional
relationships that could bias their research or its interpretation. Authors must disclose
in their manuscript:

- Any funding sources for the research (grants, contracts, fellowships)
- Any financial relationships with organizations that have a financial interest in the subject
(employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony)
- Any personal relationships that could be perceived as conflicting
- Any non-financial interests (personal beliefs, academic competition, intellectual passion)

Authors with no conflicts should include the statement:
"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

FOR REVIEWERS

Reviewers must decline to review a manuscript if they have:
- A current or recent collaborative or competitive relationship with any author
- A financial interest in the outcome of the review
- Any personal relationship that could bias their assessment
- Been identified by the authors as a suggested exclusion

Reviewers who identify a potential conflict after accepting a review must notify the
Editor-in-Chief immediately.

FOR EDITORS

Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where they have:
- A collaborative relationship with any author within the past 3 years
- A financial interest in the research
- An academic rivalry with any author
- Any other relationship that could influence editorial judgment

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another editor or the Editor-in-Chief.

HANDLING UNDISCLOSED CONFLICTS

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after publication, the journal will
investigate according to COPE guidelines. This may result in publication of a correction,
expression of concern, or retraction depending on the severity.

Contact: editor.ijaap@gmail.com