Conflict of interest policy

Zakariya Journal of Social Sciences (ZJSS) is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and integrity throughout the research and publication process. The journal requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence or appear to influence the research, peer review process, or editorial decisions.

ZJSS follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and Guidelines to ensure ethical handling of conflicts of interest.

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships may affect the objectivity, independence, or integrity of research evaluation and publication decisions.

Conflicts may include:

  • Financial relationships or funding sources.
  • Personal relationships or professional affiliations.
  • Institutional or academic interests.
  • Employment or consultancy relationships.
  • Any other circumstances that may influence impartial judgment.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.
  • Declare funding sources and institutional support related to the research.
  • Provide accurate information about any relationship that may affect the interpretation of research findings.
  • Update the journal if any conflict is identified after publication.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in editorial action, including correction or retraction of the published article.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Declare any potential conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment.
  • Decline to review manuscripts where personal, professional, financial, or academic relationships may affect their impartiality.
  • Maintain confidentiality and provide unbiased evaluations.

Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors must:

  • Avoid handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
  • Ensure that editorial decisions are based solely on academic quality, originality, relevance, and ethical standards.
  • Assign independent editors or reviewers when necessary.
  • Maintain transparency and fairness throughout the editorial process.

Disclosure and Management

All disclosed conflicts of interest are reviewed and managed appropriately by the editorial team. The existence of a conflict does not automatically prevent publication; however, it must be transparently disclosed and properly addressed.

Post-Publication Conflicts

If a conflict of interest is discovered after publication, ZJSS will take appropriate action, which may include:

  • Publishing a correction.
  • Issuing an expression of concern.
  • Retracting the article when necessary.