Competing Interests

SYNERIS is committed to transparency, integrity, and ethical conduct in all aspects of the publication process. All individuals involved in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members—are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, the objectivity, integrity, or interpretation of scholarly work. This policy ensures that all contributions are evaluated fairly and that the scholarly record remains trustworthy and credible.

What Is a Competing Interest?

A competing interest arises when an individual's personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships could influence their judgment, decisions, or actions in relation to a manuscript, review, or editorial decision. Competing interests may be financial, professional, personal, academic, institutional, or related to other affiliations. The existence of a competing interest does not necessarily imply misconduct, but it must be disclosed so that appropriate measures can be taken to preserve transparency and integrity.

Types of Competing Interests

Competing interests may include, but are not limited to:

Financial Interests: These include employment or institutional affiliations, research grants or other sources of funding, consultancies and advisory relationships, honoraria or other payments, ownership of stocks, shares, or stock options, patents filed, granted, or pending, royalties or licensing arrangements, and expert testimony.

Professional Interests: These include relationships with organizations or individuals that could influence the research or its evaluation, such as collaborations, professional affiliations, or competing projects.

Personal Interests: These include personal relationships, family connections, or other personal circumstances that could be perceived as influencing the work or its evaluation.

Institutional Interests: These include affiliations with institutions that could benefit from the research or its publication.

Academic Interests: These include academic rivalries, competing theories, or other academic considerations that could influence objectivity.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must disclose all relevant competing interests at the time of submission. This includes any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, its interpretation, or the decision to submit the manuscript. Authors should provide this information on the Title Page or in a dedicated conflict of interest statement as part of the submission process. If there are no competing interests, authors must explicitly state this by including a statement such as: "The authors declare that they have no known financial, professional, personal, or institutional conflicts of interest that could have influenced the work reported in this manuscript."

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must disclose any circumstances that could compromise their impartiality in evaluating a manuscript. Reviewers should decline the invitation if they have a personal or professional relationship with an author that could affect objectivity, have recently collaborated with an author, work at the same institution as an author, have a financial or other interest that could influence their judgment, or believe that they cannot provide an impartial assessment. If a competing interest becomes apparent after accepting a review invitation, the reviewer should contact the editorial team immediately.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors and editorial board members must also disclose any competing interests that could influence their editorial decisions. Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a competing interest, such as a personal relationship with an author, a financial interest in the research, or a professional affiliation that could affect objectivity. The journal's editorial team is committed to maintaining independence and transparency in all editorial decisions.

How to Declare a Competing Interest

Competing interests are declared during the submission process. Authors are asked to provide a conflict of interest statement as part of the manuscript metadata. This statement should clearly describe any relevant relationships or interests. For example:

  • "The authors declare the following competing interests: [Description of the relationship or interest]."

  • "The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

Reviewers are asked to declare any competing interests before accepting a review assignment. If a competing interest arises during the review process, reviewers should contact the editorial team immediately.

 

Sample Disclosure Form

Authors, reviewers, and editors may use the following form to declare competing interests:

I hereby declare all actual, potential, or perceived competing interests relevant to my submission to SYNERIS – Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Science, including financial interests, professional relationships, institutional affiliations, funding, employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, patents, or other interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work.

I understand that I must disclose any relevant competing interest and, where appropriate, recuse myself from reviewing, editing, or participating in editorial decisions concerning manuscripts in which I have a direct or competing interest.

I agree to maintain the confidentiality of information obtained through my activities with SYNERIS and will not use confidential editorial or peer-review information for my own benefit or for the benefit of any other individual or organization.

I confirm that the information provided in this declaration is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

 

What Happens if a Competing Interest Is Discovered?

If a competing interest is discovered after submission or publication, the journal will take appropriate action. This may include requesting clarification from the authors, reviewers, or editors; publishing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction; or taking other editorial actions as warranted. The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing competing interests and other ethical concerns.

Confidentiality

All competing interest disclosures are treated confidentially by the editorial team. The information is used to ensure the integrity of the review and publication process and is not shared unnecessarily with individuals outside the editorial and publishing processes.