Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Purpose of the Policy

The Conflict of Interest Policy aims to ensure transparency and maintain integrity and credibility in the Delalat Journal of Humanities and Educational Sciences. This policy provides clear guidelines for identifying, clarifying, and managing conflicts of interest during all stages of the scientific publication process.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's personal, financial, or professional interests conflict (or potentially conflict) with their objectivity in conducting or evaluating scientific research. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Financial Ties: Such as funding, employment, consultancies, or stock ownership.
  • Personal Relationships: Family ties, close friendships, or rivalries.
  • Academic Competition: Or intellectual bias toward a specific topic.
  • Institutional Affiliations: That may affect objectivity and independence.

3. Scope of Application

This policy strictly and mandatorily applies to all parties involved in the journal's scientific publication process, including:

  • Authors and Co-authors.
  • Peer Reviewers.
  • Associate and Copy Editors.
  • The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board members.

4. Disclosure Requirements

Authors must clearly disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest in a separate statement inserted at the end of the research (immediately before the reference list).

If there are no conflicts, the following exact statement must be included:

"The authors declare that there is no actual or potential conflict of interest regarding this research."

Note for Reviewers and Editors: You must immediately recuse yourself from handling or evaluating any research if there is an actual or potential conflict of interest with an author or the research topic.

5. Managing Conflicts of Interest

The editorial board is responsible for evaluating conflicts of interest and taking appropriate actions, which may include:

  • Requesting additional information or clarification from the involved parties.
  • Reassigning the manuscript to a different editor or reviewer to ensure neutrality.
  • Transparently disclosing the conflict to the public in the published article.
  • Rejecting the research entirely if the conflict cannot be appropriately managed.

6. Failure to Disclose

Concealing information regarding a conflict of interest is a serious violation of publication ethics. Failure to disclose may lead to corrective and disciplinary actions, including:

  • Immediate rejection of the submitted research.
  • Retraction of the article if it has already been published.
  • Notifying the author's affiliated academic or research institution to take necessary action.

7. Periodic Review

This policy is subject to periodic review and updates to ensure its continuous alignment with best practices and globally recognized ethical standards in scientific publishing.