CONFLICT OF INTEREST (COI) POLICY

CONFLICT OF INTEREST (COI) POLICY

Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy

The Link Medical Journal of Health and Community Research (LMJHCR) is committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, and impartiality in editorial, peer review, and publication processes.

All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgement regarding research conduct, manuscript evaluation, editorial decision-making, or publication may be influenced by financial, personal, academic, institutional, or professional relationships.

Conflicts may be:

1.1 Financial

  • Funding from commercial entities
  • Consulting fees
  • Paid speaking engagements
  • Stock ownership or equity
  • Patents or royalties

1.2 Non-Financial

  • Personal relationships
  • Academic rivalry
  • Professional competition
  • Strong intellectual or political beliefs
  • Institutional affiliations

1.3 Institutional

  • Employment at organizations with interests related to the manuscript
  • Training or supervision relationships
  • Institutional funding linked to manuscript outcomes

COI Disclosure by Authors

Authors must disclose:

  • All sources of funding
  • Past or present financial relationships
  • Personal or professional relationships that may influence interpretation
  • Institutional or departmental incentives
  • Any influence on study design or reporting

Where Disclosure Appears

All COI disclosures must appear in:

  • The manuscript (“Competing Interests”)
  • The submission system
  • The published article

No Conflict Statement

If no conflict exists, authors must state:
“The authors declare that they have no competing interests.”

COI Disclosure by Reviewers

Reviewers must decline review if they:

  • Have collaborated with the authors within the last 3 years
  • Work in the same department or institution
  • Have financial or professional ties to the study
  • Have strong personal beliefs preventing neutrality
  • Stand to gain professionally from acceptance or rejection

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts immediately to the editor.

COI Disclosure by Editors

Editors must recuse themselves when:

  • They have collaborated with the authors
  • They work at the same institution
  • They have personal relationships with authors
  • They have financial stakes in the results
  • They have academic or competitive conflicts

The manuscript will be reassigned to an independent editor without COI.

COI and the Publisher

The publisher confirms that:

  • It does not influence editorial decisions
  • Publication fee payments have no role in acceptance or rejection
  • Editorial independence is guaranteed
  • Financial operations are separate from editorial processes

Handling Undisclosed COI

If undisclosed COI is discovered after submission or publication, the journal may:

  • Reject the manuscript
  • Issue an erratum
  • Publish an expression of concern
  • Retract the article (in serious cases)
  • Notify the author’s institution
  • Restrict future submissions

COI for Special Issues / Guest Editors

Guest editors must:

  • Complete a COI declaration
  • Not handle submissions from colleagues, collaborators, or students
  • Follow journal ethical procedures

An independent editor will be assigned where conflicts exist.