Conflict of Interest Policy

PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES

The editorial policy of the Eastern Ukrainian Medical Journal (EUMJ) is aimed at publishing high-quality and scientifically sound research results, as well as maintaining the journal’s credibility.
Identifying, preventing, and properly managing conflicts of interest is a necessary condition for the transparency and objectivity of the editorial process.

The journal's editorial board adheres to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and COPE Core Practices, as well as the ICMJE Recommendations and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

DEFINITION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Conflict of Interest (COI) is any financial or non-financial factor that may actually affect or be perceived as affecting the objectivity of:

manuscript preparation;
review process;
editorial decision;
post-publication support of the article.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest is not grounds for automatically rejecting the paper, but it is a prerequisite for transparency and adherence to ethical standards.

POLICY APPLICATION SCOPE

This policy applies to all participants of the editorial and publishing process:

authors and co-authors;
reviewers;
editors and members of the editorial board;
experts involved.

TYPES OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Financial conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

research grants or other funding from governmental, non-governmental, or private organizations;
patent applications (existing or pending), licensing agreements, royalties;
fees, gifts, rewards, or paid travels;
financial interest of the author or institution in the results of the research.

Non-financial (personal and professional)

personal or family relationships with authors, reviewers, or editors;
academic rivalry or dependence;
political, ideological, or religious beliefs related to the subject matter of the manuscript.

Institutional

association with institutions or organizations interested in the results of the publication;
membership in the governing bodies or expert councils of the corresponding institutions.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Authors

When submitting a manuscript to the Eastern Ukrainian Medical Journal, all authors and co-authors are required to fully and truthfully disclose information about potential or actual conflicts of interest (COI).

Authors must:

Declare a conflict of interest, if any.
Indicate all sources of research funding (grants, contracts, institutional support, etc.)
Clearly describe the role of sponsors (if any) in:
- developing a research design;
- data collection, analysis, and interpretation;
- writing a manuscript;
- making a decision on the submission and publication of an article.
Report any non-financial conflicts of interest, including personal, professional, or institutional relationships that may affect or be perceived as affecting the objectivity of the research.

If there is no conflict of interest to declare, the manuscript must include a standard declaration: “The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.”

At the request of the editorial office, authors may be required to complete the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Incomplete or untimely disclosure of a conflict of interest may result in editorial measures in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including paper rejection, publication of a correction, or retraction of the article.

Reviewers

Reviewers must inform the editorial board of any circumstances that may affect their impartiality. In case of a conflict of interest, the reviewer must refuse to review the relevant manuscript.

Editors and editorial board members

Editors and members of the editorial board are obliged to:

disclose potential or actual conflicts of interest;
to recuse from making editorial decisions regarding the relevant manuscript.

MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The editorial board evaluates each case of conflict of interest individually and may apply the following measures:

assigning another editor or independent reviewer;
requiring additional disclosure in the manuscript;
rejection of the paper if the conflict of interest compromises the objectivity and credibility of the research.

MANUSCRIPTS BY EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

If the author or co-author of the manuscript is a member of the editorial board or editor of the journal, the article:

undergoes standard editorial screening;
is reviewed in double-blind peer review mode;
is not processed by this editor.

The editor-in-chief or an authorized independent editor makes the final decision.

VIOLATIONS AND POST-PUBLISHING ACTIONS

If an undeclared conflict of interest is identified after submission or publication of the article, the editorial board will act in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines and COPE Flowcharts.

Possible actions include: