Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies (JECS) requires all authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing their work or decisions. This policy is in accordance with COPE guidelines on conflicts of interest.

1. For Authors

Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest at the time of submission, including:

Financial support (grants, funding sources)
Employment or consultancies
Stock ownership or equity interests
Honoraria or speaking fees
Personal or professional relationships that may have influenced the research

This information must be included in the manuscript under a "Conflict of Interest" or "Competing Interests" statement. If no conflict exists, authors must state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

2. For Reviewers

Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including:

Prior or ongoing collaborations with the authors
Close personal relationships (family, friends, or professional rivals)
Institutional affiliations that may compromise objectivity
Financial or competitive interests related to the work

If a conflict of interest becomes apparent during the review process, the reviewer must notify the Editor-in-Chief immediately and withdraw from the review.

3. For Editors

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including:

Manuscripts submitted by close colleagues, former students, or recent co-authors
Submissions from their own institution or department
Works where they have a financial or personal interest

In such cases, another member of the editorial board will handle the submission independently. The Editor-in-Chief must also ensure that editorial decisions are not influenced by commercial or financial interests.

4. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest may arise from the following situations:

Financial relationships: Funding, employment, consultancy, stock ownership, patents, honoraria
Personal relationships: Family members, close friends, or romantic partners
Academic relationships: Supervisor-student relationships, recent co-authorship (within the past three years)
Intellectual or ideological beliefs: Strong views that may bias evaluation of the work
Institutional affiliations: Competing interests arising from organizational roles or affiliations

5. Editorial Independence

JECS operates as a diamond open access journal with no article processing charges (APCs) or submission fees. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope. Decisions are completely independent of any financial considerations, institutional support, or revenue sources. The journal's funding sources do not influence editorial decision-making in any way.

6. Disclosure Requirements Summary

Authors must declare all conflicts of interest at submission
If no conflict exists, this must be explicitly stated in the manuscript
Reviewers must notify the editor of any conflict before or during review
Editors must recuse themselves from manuscripts with conflicts
Undisclosed conflicts discovered post-publication will be handled per COPE guidelines