Conflicts of Interest Policy

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
Conflict of Interest Policy
 
1. General Principles

The Da Nang Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy (DJMP) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and independence throughout research, peer review, editorial handling, and publication.

A conflict of interest may exist when an individual’s relationships, activities, or interests could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, the objectivity of conducting, evaluating, interpreting, or publishing scientific work.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not in itself constitute misconduct. The essential requirement is that relevant interests are fully disclosed, transparent, and appropriately managed.

2. Scope
• Authors and co-authors;
• Reviewers;
• Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editors-in-Chief, and editors;
• Editorial Board members;
• Individuals involved in editorial decision-making;
• Other individuals involved in manuscript handling where relevant.
3. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial.

3.1. Financial Conflicts of Interest
• Employment or employment relationships;
• Consultancy or professional contracts;
• Consulting fees, speaker fees, or honoraria;
• Research funding;
• Scholarships or research support;
• Share ownership or other financial interests;
• Patents or royalties;
• Gifts or material support;
• Travel, conference, or training sponsorship;
• Other financial relationships relevant to the subject of the work.
3.2. Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest
• Personal or family relationships;
• Professional or academic relationships;
• Research collaborations;
• Professional or academic competition;
• Management positions or roles in relevant organizations;
• Beliefs, views, or personal interests directly related to the research topic;
• Other relationships that may affect objectivity.

This list is not exhaustive. When uncertain whether a relationship should be disclosed, individuals are encouraged to disclose it for consideration by the Journal.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose relevant relationships or activities that could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, the work.

Disclosure must be made at manuscript submission and updated if circumstances change during review or before publication.

• Financial interests;
• Relationships with funders;
• Relationships with companies or organizations whose products, services, or interests relate to the research;
• Patents, copyright, or other intellectual property interests;
• Personal, professional, or academic relationships that may create a conflict;
• Other interests that could influence interpretation or publication of the results.

All authors must provide a conflict-of-interest statement, including when there are no relevant conflicts to disclose.

5. Statement When No Conflict of Interest Exists
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this research and article.
6. Statement When a Conflict of Interest Exists

Where relevant interests exist, authors must describe them briefly, specifically, and transparently.

Conflicts of Interest: Author A received research funding from [organization]. Author B received consultancy fees from [organization]. The remaining authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection.

7. Distinguishing Conflicts of Interest from Funding

Funding and Conflicts of Interest are related but distinct disclosures.

Authors must disclose research funding in the Funding Statement regardless of whether that funding creates a conflict of interest.

• Study design;
• Data collection;
• Data analysis;
• Interpretation of results;
• Manuscript preparation;
• Decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Where the funder had no role in these activities, this may also be stated explicitly.

8. Conflicts of Interest for Reviewers

When invited to review a manuscript, reviewers must consider whether they have any relationship or interest that could affect the independence and objectivity of their assessment.

• Close personal relationships with an author;
• Current or recent research collaboration;
• Direct competitive relationships;
• Financial interests related to the research outcome;
• Relationships with an organization or product evaluated in the manuscript;
• Other circumstances that could compromise objectivity.

Reviewers should not independently decide that a conflict is “not important” and therefore need not be disclosed. Where there is uncertainty, the reviewer should inform the Journal.

9. Conflicts of Interest for Editors

The Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editors-in-Chief, editors, and other individuals involved in editorial decisions must disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

Editors must not directly handle or make decisions on manuscripts when a conflict of interest could compromise objectivity.

In such cases, the manuscript must be assigned to another editor or authorized decision-maker without the relevant conflict of interest.

10. Manuscripts Submitted by DJMP Editorial Board Members

Authorship by the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Board members, staff of the governing institution, or individuals with relationships to DJMP does not automatically exclude a manuscript from consideration for publication.

However, such manuscripts must be handled through an editorial process that preserves independence. An individual who is an author or has a relevant conflict of interest must not:

• Select reviewers;
• Access reviewer identities beyond what is permitted;
• Participate in manuscript assessment;
• Participate in the decision to accept or reject the manuscript.

DJMP must assign the manuscript to an independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.

11. Management of Conflicts of Interest

Depending on the nature and extent of the conflict, DJMP may:

• Publish a conflict-of-interest statement with the article;
• Request additional information or clarification;
• Replace a reviewer;
• Replace the handling editor;
• Exclude an individual from the decision-making process;
• Apply other management measures necessary to preserve objectivity.
12. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If DJMP identifies a conflict of interest that should have been disclosed but was not disclosed, the Journal may:

• Request an explanation from the individual concerned;
• Require an additional or corrected disclosure statement;
• Suspend manuscript processing;
• Reconsider an editorial decision;
• Issue a post-publication correction;
• Apply other measures under DJMP’s ethics policies where necessary.

Serious cases or deliberate concealment may be handled under DJMP’s Publication Ethics Policy and Research and Publication Misconduct Policy.