Conflict of Interest Policy

Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (JOPAS)

1. Purpose

The Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (JOPAS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, objectivity, and transparency in all aspects of scholarly publishing. This policy outlines the requirements for disclosing and managing conflicts of interest (COI) for all parties involved in the publication process: authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when external relationships, personal interests, financial considerations, or professional affiliations could reasonably be perceived to influence, or appear to influence, the objectivity, impartiality, or integrity of research work or its evaluation. COI may be financial, professional, or personal in nature.

3. Authors' Responsibilities

3.1 Disclosure Requirement

All authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. This declaration should be included in a dedicated "Conflict of Interest" section within the manuscript, placed before the references section.

3.2 What to Disclose

Authors should disclose:

Financial interests: Funding sources, research grants, employment, consultancy fees, honoraria, stock ownership, patents, or other financial benefits related to the work
Professional interests: Membership in advisory boards, expert testimony, or leadership roles in organizations relevant to the work
Personal interests: Personal relationships, academic rivalries, or other non-financial interests that could influence the work
Institutional affiliations that could be perceived to influence the research outcomes

3.3 No-Conflict Statement

If no conflicts exist, authors should explicitly state: "The author(s) declare(s) that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper."

3.4 Failure to Disclose

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in:

Rejection of the manuscript
Publication of a correction or retraction
Notification to the authors' employing institutions
Temporary or permanent ban from submitting to JOPAS

4. Reviewers' Responsibilities

4.1 Declination

Reviewers should decline to review a manuscript if they have:

Recent publications or collaborative projects with any of the authors (within the past 3 years)
Current or past institutional affiliation with any author
Personal relationships with any author
Financial interests in the outcome of the review
Competitive or adversarial academic relationships with any author

4.2 COI Notification

If a potential COI arises during the review process, the reviewer must immediately notify the editor and either decline to review or seek guidance on how to proceed.

4.3 Confidentiality

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and must not use any part of the work for their own benefit before publication.

5. Editors' and Editorial Board Responsibilities

5.1 Recusal

Editors and editorial board members must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have:

A personal or professional relationship with any author
An affiliation with the same institution as any author
A financial interest in the manuscript's outcome
Participated in the research as a co-author or supervisor

5.2 Substitute Handling

When an editor recuses themselves, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated alternative editor will assume responsibility for the manuscript's review process.

5.3 Impartiality

Editors must evaluate manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope, without regard to the authors' gender, nationality, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or personal connections.

6. Management of Conflicts

JOPAS follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for managing conflicts of interest. The journal reserves the right to:

Request additional disclosures from any party at any stage of the publication process
Publish disclosed COI information alongside the article
Take corrective action, including issuing corrections or retractions, if undisclosed COI is discovered after publication

7. Funding Statement

Authors must include a funding statement in their manuscript that acknowledges all sources of financial support for the research, including grant numbers and funding agency names. If no funding was received, authors should state: "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

8. Questions and Concerns

Any questions or concerns regarding this policy should be directed to the JOPAS Editorial Office at the contact details provided on the journal's website.

Last Updated: June 2026
JOPAS Editorial Team