Conflict of Interest Policy

Innovative Research in Applied, Biological and Chemical Sciences (IRABCS) is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and independence throughout the publication process. Conflicts of interest may occur when personal, professional, institutional, or financial relationships could influence or appear to influence the objectivity of research, peer review, or editorial decisions.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest allows readers, editors, and reviewers to evaluate potential influences on published research and supports trust in scientific communication.

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual involved in the research or publication process has relationships, commitments, or interests that could affect their judgment, interpretation, or decision-making.

Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived. Even when individuals believe that a relationship does not influence their judgment, transparency is required to allow appropriate assessment.

Author Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors submitting manuscripts to IRABCS must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest at the time of submission.

Conflicts may include, but are not limited to, financial relationships, employment, consultancy arrangements, research funding, institutional affiliations, ownership interests, intellectual property rights, personal relationships, or professional competition.

Authors must also disclose all sources of financial support, grants, sponsorships, and material assistance received for the research.

If no conflicts exist, authors should provide a clear statement confirming the absence of conflicts of interest.

Reviewer Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently. Reviewers should decline invitations when any relationship or circumstance may affect their ability to provide an unbiased assessment.

Potential reviewer conflicts may include recent collaboration with authors, institutional relationships, direct competition, personal relationships, financial interests, or strong academic disagreements related to the submitted work.

Reviewers must inform the editorial office immediately if a conflict becomes apparent during the review process.

Editor Conflict of Interest

Editors must avoid handling manuscripts where personal, professional, institutional, or financial relationships may compromise impartiality.

When an editor has a conflict of interest, the manuscript should be assigned to an alternative editor who can manage the review process independently.

Editors must not use unpublished information obtained through editorial activities for personal advantage or research benefit.

Management of Conflicts

The editorial office evaluates disclosed conflicts and determines appropriate actions to protect the integrity of the publication process.

Possible actions may include reassignment of reviewers or editors, additional editorial oversight, disclosure statements, or other measures necessary to maintain transparency.