The Editorial Board of the "Art of Justice" journal considers the possibility of conflicts of interest arising during the publication process.
A conflict of interest is any circumstance or factor that may actually or potentially affect objectivity and impartiality during peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, or presentation of a manuscript. Even the perception of such bias by third parties is considered a conflict of interest and is subject to mandatory disclosure.
Conflicts of interest may arise concerning individuals or organizations and are divided into the following main types:
Personal conflict of interest – personal relationships (e.g., friends, family members) with individuals involved in submitting or reviewing manuscripts (authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members). Personal beliefs (political, religious, ideological, or others) also constitute a personal conflict of interest if they may hinder an objective evaluation of the material.
Professional conflict of interest – a situation where previous or current scientific or working relationships between authors, reviewers, editors, or editorial board members may affect the objectivity of the manuscript evaluation. Such circumstances include: co-authorship in scientific publications or joint participation in research projects within the last few years; relationships of scientific supervision or mentorship; belonging to the same scientific institution, department, or research group; competition between researchers or scientific schools that may affect the impartiality of the evaluation.
Financial conflict of interest – any financial or property relationships capable of affecting the objectivity, impartiality, and independence of the author, reviewer, or editor during the preparation, review, or decision-making regarding the publication of a manuscript. Specifically, this includes: receiving grants, scholarships, financial support, or material resources from organizations interested in the research results; participation in consulting, expert, or commercial projects related to the topic of publication; ownership of stocks, patents, licenses, or other property rights that may directly or indirectly benefit from the published results; any form of remuneration or compensation capable of creating bias in the peer review or editorial decision process.
Authors, editors, reviewers, and readers must disclose any conflict of interest upon its discovery. The editorial board reserves the right not to publish a manuscript if an established conflict of interest poses a real threat to the objectivity and reliability of the research evaluation. If a conflict of interest is discovered during the submission of a manuscript (without being declared by the author), the manuscript may be withdrawn from consideration.