Conflict of Interest Policy
SAER Journal · Editorial Policies
SAER Journal upholds the principles of transparency, impartiality, and editorial independence in scholarly publishing.
Authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the publication process are responsible for disclosing financial, academic, institutional, personal, or other relationships that may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, evaluation, interpretation, or publication decisions.
Policy No. SAER-POL-COI-08 · Version 1.0 · Effective 2026 · Last Updated 14 September 2026 · Responsible Body SAER Journal Editorial Board
1. Scope of Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest refers to any relationship, activity, or interest that may affect a person's scientific judgment, decision-making, or professional responsibility, or that could reasonably be perceived by a third party as having such an influence.
Conflicts of interest may arise in areas including, but not limited to, the following:
- Financial relationships and financial interests,
- Employment, consultancy, or institutional affiliations,
- Research funding, grants, or sponsorships,
- Patents, licenses, or other intellectual property rights,
- Academic competition or close collaborative relationships,
- Personal, family, or professional relationships,
- Strong pre-existing views or interests concerning the work under review.
2. Responsibilities of Authors
Authors must disclose all actual or potential conflicts of interest that may be related to the preparation, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or publication of the work.
Where no conflict of interest exists, an appropriate statement indicating that there is no conflict of interest may also be provided. Financial support or sponsorship should additionally be disclosed under funding information.
3. Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must inform the editor of any relationship or circumstance that may affect their ability to provide an impartial evaluation and should withdraw from the review where appropriate.
Reviewers should pay particular attention to their independence when evaluating manuscripts involving close academic collaboration, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, direct competition, or another significant competing interest.
4. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members
Editors and editorial board members withdraw from the evaluation and decision-making processes for manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. Such manuscripts are handled, as far as possible, by an independent editor or another authorized editorial officer.
Where an editor, editorial board member, or another individual involved in the journal's decision-making processes is an author, that person does not participate in the manuscript's evaluation or final decision.
5. Independence from Institutional and Financial Influence
SAER Journal's editorial decisions are made independently of the commercial or institutional interests of funders, sponsors, institutions, advertisers, publishers, or other external parties.
The fact that a study has received financial support does not by itself determine acceptance or rejection. However, the source of support and the role of the supporter in the research must be disclosed transparently.
6. Evaluation of a Disclosed Conflict of Interest
The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically constitute an ethical violation or require rejection of a manuscript. The editor evaluates the nature of the relationship and its possible effect on the scientific independence of the work. Where necessary, additional disclosure, independent review, or other editorial measures may be applied.
7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
If a significant undisclosed conflict of interest is identified during evaluation or after publication, the editor may request an explanation from the relevant individuals.
Depending on the nature of the issue, the editorial decision may be reconsidered and, for published articles, a correction, clarification, or another appropriate post-publication action may be taken where necessary.
8. Confidentiality
Disclosures concerning conflicts of interest are used only to the extent necessary for editorial evaluation. However, conflict-of-interest or funding statements that should be published may be made publicly available with the article in order to ensure transparency.
9. Principle of Transparency
For SAER Journal, the primary objective is not to eliminate all conflicts of interest, but to ensure transparent disclosure of relevant relationships and to protect the independence of scientific evaluation and editorial decision-making.
10. Policy Review and Updating
This policy may be reviewed and updated as necessary in line with current good practices in scholarly publishing and research ethics.
