Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity, and objectivity in the publication process. All participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, and editors—must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their work.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as the validity of research) may be influenced by a secondary interest. Conflicts may be financial, personal, academic, or institutional.

2. Author Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including but not limited to:

• Financial relationships (grants, funding, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents)
• Personal or professional relationships that could influence the work
• Institutional affiliations or competing academic interests

Disclosure Requirement:
All authors must include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript. If no conflicts exist, authors should state:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in rejection or retraction of the article.

3. Reviewer Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment, including:

• Recent collaboration with the authors
• Shared institutional affiliation
• Financial or personal relationships with the authors
• Any circumstance that may compromise objectivity

Reviewers with conflicts must decline the review invitation. All review activities are conducted confidentially.

4. Editor Conflicts of Interest

Editors must avoid handling manuscripts in which they have:

• Personal or professional relationships with the authors
• Financial or institutional interests related to the manuscript

In such cases, editorial responsibility is reassigned to another qualified editor to ensure an unbiased decision-making process.

5. Transparency and Editorial Decisions

• Disclosed conflicts do not automatically disqualify a manuscript.
• Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance.
• All disclosed conflicts are considered during the editorial and peer review process.

6. Undisclosed Conflicts

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered at any stage:

• During review: the process may be suspended and clarification requested.
• After publication: the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity.

All actions follow COPE guidelines.

7. Compliance with International Standards

This policy aligns with the recommendations and best practices of:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)

8. Responsibility

The responsibility for accurate and complete disclosure rests with:

• Authors for their submitted work
• Reviewers for their assessments
• Editors for editorial decisions