Conflict of Interest Policy

Intermestic: Journal of International Studies seeks to ensure that editorial decisions and published research are not inappropriately influenced by financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other competing interests.

Definition

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's relationships, commitments, or interests could reasonably be perceived to influence, or appear to influence, their judgment concerning a manuscript.

Conflicts may be financial or non-financial and may arise from employment, consultancy, funding, personal relationships, academic competition, institutional affiliations, professional commitments, or other relevant circumstances.

The existence of a conflict does not necessarily indicate misconduct. Transparency and appropriate management are essential.

Authors' Responsibilities

All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript. They must also declare funding sources and explain the role of funders in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decision, where applicable.

If no competing interests exist, authors should provide a clear declaration stating that they have no competing interests to declare.

Editors' Responsibilities

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts and recuse themselves from handling a manuscript when a conflict could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality.

A manuscript submitted by an editor or an individual with a close professional or personal relationship to an editor must be handled by an independent editor who is not involved in the work. The responsible editor will make decisions based on scholarly merit and the journal's established procedures.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review. They should decline the assignment if their impartiality may be compromised by financial interests, close collaboration, personal relationships, direct competition, or other relevant circumstances.

Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal or professional advantage.

Disclosure and Management

The journal may request additional information when a potential conflict is identified. Depending on the circumstances, it may appoint an alternative reviewer or editor, require an additional declaration, or take other reasonable measures to protect editorial independence.

Relevant disclosures will be published with the article when appropriate and consistent with privacy and confidentiality requirements.

Failure to Disclose

Failure to disclose a material conflict may result in further editorial inquiry. Depending on the circumstances and the stage of publication, the journal may request a correction, reconsider an editorial decision, or take other proportionate action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that conflicts are assessed consistently and that editorial decisions remain independent of commercial, personal, and institutional pressures.