Conflict of Interest

Guidelines for the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest for authors, reviewers, and editors of SJME.

A conflict of interest occurs when financial or personal relationships influence, or appear to influence, an individual's judgment regarding a manuscript. SJME requires all parties involved in the publication process to disclose potential conflicts of interest.

1. Authors

• Authors are required to disclose all research funding sources, including grant numbers, as well as any financial or non-financial relationships that could influence the research. This may include employment, consultancy, sponsorships, or personal and professional relationships with schools, institutions, or organizations involved.

• Authors must include a Conflict of Interest statement within the manuscript. If there is no conflict of interest, use the following statement:

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

2. Reviewers

• Reviewers must decline a review invitation if they have a competitive, collaborative, or personal relationship with the authors or institutions associated with the manuscript, or if they are unable to evaluate the manuscript objectively.

• Reviewers must not use unpublished information from a manuscript for personal gain.

3. Editors

• Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including manuscripts from close collaborators. Such manuscripts must be assigned to another editor.

• Manuscripts submitted by editors or members of the editorial board must undergo the same peer-review process as other manuscripts. The editor submitting the manuscript must not be involved in any decisions regarding their own manuscript.