Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Introduction

Journal of Sanitas et Salutem is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity, and objectivity in all stages of the publication process. A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when personal, financial, professional, or institutional relationships may influence—or be perceived to influence—the conduct, evaluation, or reporting of research.

2. Types of Conflict of Interest

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

2.1 Financial Conflicts

  • Research funding, grants, or sponsorships

  • Employment, consultancy, or advisory roles

  • Honoraria, speaker fees, or travel support

  • Stock ownership, shares, patents, or royalties

2.2 Non-Financial Conflicts

  • Personal or family relationships

  • Academic or professional competition

  • Institutional affiliations or leadership roles

  • Ideological, political, or advocacy positions related to health issues

3. Author Responsibilities

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

  • Disclosure applies to all authors and must include both financial and non-financial interests.

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

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

4. Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.

  • Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts if conflicts exist that could affect objectivity.

  • Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and not use information obtained during peer review for personal advantage.

5. Editor Responsibilities

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

  • In such cases, editorial responsibility will be reassigned to another qualified editor.

  • Editorial decisions must be based solely on scientific merit, ethical soundness, and relevance to health sciences.

6. Management of Conflicts

  • All disclosed conflicts are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief.

  • The journal may take one or more of the following actions:

    • Publish disclosed conflicts alongside the article

    • Assign independent reviewers or editors

    • Request additional disclosures or clarifications

    • Reject the manuscript if conflicts compromise integrity

7. Transparency in Publication

  • Conflict of interest disclosures are published as part of the article.

  • Transparency enables readers to assess potential influences on the research.

8. Ethical Standards

This policy follows:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines

  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations

9. Policy Review and Updates

Journal of Sanitas et Salutem reserves the right to revise this policy to align with evolving ethical standards and best practices in health and medical publishing.