Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Introduction

The Journal of Educatio et Didactica is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity in scholarly publishing. A conflict of interest (COI) exists when personal, financial, or professional relationships may influence or appear to influence the research, review, editorial, or publication process. This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher in identifying and managing conflicts of interest.

2. Types of Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

2.1 Financial Conflicts

  • Employment, consultancies, honoraria, or grants

  • Stock ownership or other equity interests

  • Paid expert testimony or patent ownership

2.2 Non-Financial Conflicts

  • Personal relationships or academic competition

  • Institutional affiliations or rivalries

  • Political, ideological, or religious beliefs influencing judgment

3. Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

  • If no conflict exists, authors must clearly state:
    “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

  • Disclosure includes financial and non-financial interests that could affect the interpretation of the research.

  • Failure to disclose conflicts may result in rejection, correction, or retraction of the article.

4. Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest before accepting a manuscript for review.

  • Reviewers should decline the review if:

    • They have a personal or professional relationship with the authors

    • They have competing research or financial interests

  • All information obtained during peer review must be treated as confidential.

5. Editor Responsibilities

  • Editors must avoid handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

  • Editors with potential conflicts must delegate editorial decisions to another qualified editor.

  • Editorial decisions must be based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

6. Management of Conflicts

  • Disclosed conflicts will be evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief.

  • Appropriate actions may include:

    • Disclosure of the conflict in the published article

    • Reassignment of editors or reviewers

    • Rejection of the manuscript if the conflict compromises integrity

7. Transparency in Publication

  • All relevant conflicts of interest will be published alongside the article.

  • The journal ensures that disclosure statements are clear and accessible to readers.

8. Ethical Standards

This policy follows:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines

  • International standards of research and publication ethics

9. Policy Review and Updates

The Journal of Educatio et Didactica reserves the right to revise this policy in line with evolving ethical standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.