Competing Interests Policy

Purpose

A competing interest exists when a financial, professional, personal, academic, institutional, ideological or other relationship could reasonably be perceived as influencing an author's, reviewer's or editor's judgment.

The existence of a competing interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript. The central requirements are transparent disclosure and appropriate management.

Authors

Authors must disclose relevant competing interests at submission. Where no relevant competing interest exists, authors should state that they have no competing interests to declare.

Relevant interests may include, where applicable:

·        financial support or relationships connected to the work;

·        employment, consultancy, ownership or other financial interests;

·        close personal or professional relationships;

·        recent collaboration or direct academic competition;

·        institutional relationships that may affect interpretation; or

·        other circumstances a reasonable reader might consider relevant to impartiality.

Funding should be disclosed even where the funder had no role in the study or publication decision.

Reviewers

Reviewers must consider whether they can evaluate a manuscript objectively. A reviewer should decline the invitation or inform the editor where a relationship, collaboration, competition, personal dispute, financial interest or other circumstance could reasonably compromise impartiality.

Reviewers must not use confidential manuscript content for personal, academic or commercial advantage.

Editors

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

A manuscript submitted by an editor, editorial-board member, guest editor or a close collaborator must be handled through an independent editorial and review process. The conflicted person must not select reviewers, access confidential deliberations unnecessarily, or determine the decision.

Management of Disclosed Interests

Where a competing interest can be managed, the journal may proceed with safeguards such as reassignment to an independent editor, replacement of a reviewer, or publication of a disclosure statement.

A disclosed competing interest is not, by itself, evidence of misconduct.

Undisclosed Interests

If a significant undisclosed interest is discovered during review or after publication, the journal will assess whether it affected the integrity of the process or interpretation of the work. Appropriate action may include obtaining a declaration, changing editorial responsibility, publishing a correction or other notice, or taking further action under the journal's publication-ethics policies.

Concerns may be sent to the journal at editor@dsjhss.gdscl.com.pk.