The RDC is committed to ensuring high standards of ethics in publishing. As for the conflict of interest policy in publications, we defend the following understandings:

DEFINITION

 

A conflict of interest exists when there is a divergence between an individual's private interests (competing interests) and their scientific and editorial responsibilities in such a way that a reasonable observer may wonder whether the individual's behavior or judgment was motivated by objective considerations or competing interests.

In this way, the following types of relationship are considered as potentially conflicting and must be necessarily stated:

Types of competing interests:

 

Financial ties: This conflict is present when a participant in the publication process has received or expects to receive money (or other financial benefits, such as patents or shares), or gifts, or services that may influence the work related to a specific publication.

 

Academic commitments: Participants in the publishing process may have strong beliefs (intellectual passion) that link them to a particular explanation, method, or idea. They may, as a result, be biased in carrying out research that tests their commitment or in reviewing work by other authors who are for or against their beliefs.

 

Political or religious beliefs: Strong commitment to a particular political view (e.g., political position, agenda, or affiliation) or a strong religious conviction can pose a conflict of interest for a particular publication, if those political or religious issues are asserted or denied in the publication.

 

Institutional affiliations: A Conflict of Interest exists when a participant in the publication process is directly associated with an institution and that may influence their assessment in the face of the possibility of being able to obtain a position or interest in a publication.

 

Statement and management of conflict of interest

Conflicts of Interest are ubiquitous and cannot be completely eliminated from the editorial and/or writing process. However, they can be managed constructively so that they have the least possible effect on the journal, its content, and its credibility.

All statements of Conflict of Interest by the author are requested in writing – in the ‘notes to editor’ field – as a condition for reviewing a paper.

Any conflict of interest will be handled based on flowcharts used by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The charts can be downloaded and accessed from the link (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts).

 

 

Does an identified conflict of interest lead to the direct rejection of the text?

No. If any of the types of conflict of interest mentioned are detected in any reviewed or approved text, the paper will be suspended until the conflict of interest has been resolved.

Responsibilities of the participants

 

1. Authors: All authors must report to the editor any Conflict of Interest related to their research.
2. Reviewers: All contributors must report to the editor any Conflicts of Interest related to their review tasks.
3. Editors: Editors must not make any editorial decisions or be involved in the editorial process if they or a close family member has a Conflict of Interest (financial or otherwise) in a particular paper submitted to the journal.