Conflict of Interest Policy

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the research, editorial, peer-review, and publication processes.

A conflict of interest (COI) exists when personal, professional, financial, institutional, academic, or other interests could reasonably be perceived as influencing, or potentially influencing, the objectivity or integrity of a person's responsibilities.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, relevant conflicts should be disclosed and appropriately managed.

1. General Principle

Authors, editors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant conflicts of interest.

The journal expects all individuals involved in the publication process to act transparently and to avoid situations in which a conflict could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, independent scholarly judgment.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts may be:

  • Financial.
  • Personal.
  • Professional.
  • Institutional.
  • Academic.
  • Familial.
  • Competitive.
  • Intellectual.
  • Political or other relevant interests that could reasonably affect editorial judgment.

The following examples are illustrative and are not exhaustive.

3. Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial conflicts may include:

  • Employment.
  • Consultancy.
  • Honoraria.
  • Grants or research funding.
  • Patents or patent applications.
  • Royalties.
  • Stock ownership.
  • Commercial interests.
  • Paid expert testimony.
  • Other financial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as relevant to the work.

Authors should disclose relevant financial relationships associated with the research or manuscript.

4. Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest

Relevant non-financial conflicts may include:

  • Personal relationships.
  • Professional relationships.
  • Academic competition.
  • Strong intellectual or ideological commitments directly related to the manuscript.
  • Institutional interests.
  • Membership in organizations relevant to the research.
  • Previous disputes or collaborations that could affect impartiality.

A non-financial conflict should be disclosed when it could reasonably be perceived as influencing scholarly judgment.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

Authors should disclose conflicts involving:

  • The research itself.
  • The interpretation of the results.
  • The manuscript.
  • Funding or financial relationships.
  • Patents or intellectual property.
  • Relevant personal or professional relationships.

If no relevant conflict exists, authors should provide an appropriate declaration, such as:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this work.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have been given an opportunity to disclose relevant conflicts.

6. Funding Disclosure

Authors must accurately disclose financial support related to the research.

Funding information should identify, where applicable:

  • Funding organization.
  • Grant or award number.
  • Recipient of the funding.
  • Role of the funder in the study.

If the funder had no role in the research, authors should state this where appropriate.

For example:

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Authors must not falsely claim that research was funded or sponsored.

7. Journal's Current Financial Position

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences currently operates as a Diamond Open Access journal.

The journal:

  • Does not charge authors submission or publication fees.
  • Does not charge readers for access, reading, or downloading.
  • Does not currently receive external financial support or sponsorship.
  • Does not currently generate income from advertising.
  • Operates through voluntary editorial and scholarly contributions.
  • Has website hosting and domain registration costs currently covered through personal support provided by the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor.
  • Does not currently provide full-time or part-time salaries or remuneration to members of the editorial or publishing team.

These arrangements are disclosed for transparency and do not influence editorial decisions.

8. Conflicts Involving Editors

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should not participate in editorial decisions when they have a significant conflict.

An editor should normally recuse themselves when a manuscript involves:

  • Their own research.
  • A close collaborator.
  • A family member or close personal relationship.
  • A significant academic competitor.
  • Their own institution where the circumstances create a meaningful conflict.
  • A financial interest.
  • Any other situation that could reasonably compromise impartiality.

When appropriate, the manuscript should be assigned to another qualified editor.

9. Manuscripts Submitted by the Editor-in-Chief

If the Editor-in-Chief submits a manuscript to the journal, they must not make the editorial decision on their own manuscript.

The manuscript should be handled by another qualified editor who is independent of the submission.

The submitting Editor-in-Chief should not have access to confidential editorial information beyond what is appropriately available to authors.

The manuscript should undergo the journal's standard editorial and peer-review procedures.

10. Editorial Board Members as Authors

Editorial Board members may submit manuscripts to the journal.

Their position on the Editorial Board must not provide preferential treatment.

When an Editorial Board member submits a manuscript:

  • Another qualified editor should handle the manuscript.
  • The submitting editor should not participate in the editorial decision.
  • The manuscript should undergo the normal editorial assessment and peer-review process.
  • Any relevant conflict should be appropriately managed.

11. Reviewer Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any conflict that could affect their ability to provide an impartial assessment.

Reviewers should decline an invitation when they have:

  • A close personal relationship with an author.
  • A recent collaboration with an author.
  • A direct academic or professional conflict.
  • A financial interest related to the manuscript.
  • A competitive interest that could affect impartiality.
  • A significant institutional conflict.
  • Any other circumstance that could reasonably compromise objectivity.

12. Suggested Reviewers

Authors may be invited to suggest potential reviewers.

However, the journal retains full discretion over reviewer selection.

Suggested reviewers should not be selected when there is a significant conflict of interest.

Authors should not suggest:

  • Close collaborators.
  • Individuals with personal relationships with the authors.
  • Individuals from the same immediate research group where this creates a conflict.
  • Individuals with a direct financial interest.
  • Fabricated or unverifiable reviewer identities.

The journal may independently verify reviewer identities and affiliations.

13. Peer-Review Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts and associated information as confidential.

Reviewers should not:

  • Share manuscripts without authorization.
  • Use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.
  • Contact authors directly about the manuscript unless authorized.
  • Use confidential data or ideas from the manuscript for their own research.

14. Conflicts Among Authors

Authors should disclose relevant conflicts affecting individual authors.

Where appropriate, the manuscript may include author-specific declarations.

Changes to conflict-of-interest declarations after submission should be communicated promptly to the editorial office.

15. Conflicts Related to Funding Organizations

Funding organizations must not improperly influence:

  • Study design.
  • Data collection.
  • Data analysis.
  • Interpretation.
  • Manuscript preparation.
  • Editorial decisions.
  • Publication decisions.

Where relevant, authors should disclose the role of the funder.

16. Institutional Conflicts

Institutional affiliations may create potential conflicts when an institution has a direct interest in the research findings.

Authors, editors, and reviewers should disclose relevant institutional conflicts when they could reasonably affect impartiality.

17. Intellectual Conflicts

Strong academic or intellectual positions may sometimes create a potential conflict when an individual has a substantial personal or professional interest in a particular outcome.

Such circumstances should be disclosed when they could reasonably affect objective evaluation.

18. Management of Conflicts

Disclosure does not automatically prevent participation in the publication process.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • Require disclosure in the manuscript.
  • Assign another editor.
  • Assign alternative reviewers.
  • Request additional clarification.
  • Require an updated declaration.
  • Take other appropriate measures to protect editorial independence.

The appropriate response will depend on the nature and significance of the conflict.

19. Undisclosed Conflicts

If a relevant conflict is discovered after submission or publication, the journal may assess the circumstances and take appropriate action.

Possible actions may include:

  • Requesting a revised disclosure.
  • Publishing a correction to the conflict-of-interest statement.
  • Reassigning editorial responsibility.
  • Re-reviewing a manuscript where necessary.
  • Notifying relevant institutions where appropriate.
  • Taking further action under the journal's publication ethics policies.

20. Conflicts Discovered After Publication

If a significant undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction or other appropriate editorial notice.

Where the conflict materially affects the reliability or interpretation of the published work, additional action may be considered under the journal's Retraction & Correction Policy.

21. Editorial Independence

Disclosure and management of conflicts are intended to protect editorial independence.

Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly considerations rather than:

  • Financial interests.
  • Personal relationships.
  • Institutional pressure.
  • Commercial considerations.
  • Academic prestige.
  • Political considerations.
  • Other inappropriate influences.

Further information is provided in the Editorial Independence & Journal Governance Policy.

22. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author should ensure that:

  • All authors are aware of the journal's conflict-of-interest requirements.
  • Relevant conflicts have been disclosed.
  • Funding information is accurate.
  • Any changes to disclosures are communicated to the journal.

The corresponding author should not conceal a conflict on behalf of another author.

23. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors should:

  • Identify potential conflicts.
  • Recuse themselves when appropriate.
  • Protect confidentiality.
  • Ensure that conflicts do not improperly influence editorial decisions.
  • Assign alternative editors or reviewers where necessary.
  • Maintain transparent records of relevant decisions.

24. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers should:

  • Disclose relevant conflicts.
  • Decline review when impartiality cannot reasonably be maintained.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Avoid using confidential information for personal advantage.
  • Provide objective and evidence-based assessments.

25. Transparency of Declarations

Where appropriate, conflict-of-interest and funding declarations will be published with the article.

The journal may require authors to provide additional information when necessary to ensure transparency.

26. No Conflict Declaration

Where no relevant conflict exists, authors should provide a clear declaration.

Recommended wording:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this article.

Where appropriate:

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Authors should use wording that accurately reflects their circumstances.

27. Relationship With Publication Ethics

Conflict-of-interest management forms part of the journal's broader commitment to research and publication integrity.

Concerns involving undisclosed or intentionally misrepresented conflicts may be considered under the journal's Research Misconduct Policy and Publication Ethics framework.

28. Policy Review

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences periodically reviews this policy to ensure that it remains consistent with developments in publication ethics, research integrity, and recognized international publishing standards.

The policy may be updated when necessary.

Related Policies

For related information, please refer to:

  • Publication Ethics
  • Editorial Independence & Journal Governance Policy
  • Research Misconduct Policy
  • Ethical Oversight Policy
  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy
  • Peer Review Policy
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Complaints & Appeals Policy
  • Retraction & Correction Policy
  • Funding & Support Disclosure (if separately published)