The Asian Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences (AJPSci) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in scientific publishing. To ensure objectivity, transparency, and trust within the scientific community, AJPSci has established a clear policy for managing competing interests. A competing interest, also known as a conflict of interest, arises when personal, professional, or financial considerations may compromise or appear to compromise the integrity or impartiality of research, review, or editorial decisions.
Competing interests are not limited to financial relationships. They can also include non-financial matters such as personal relationships, professional rivalries, academic competition, or affiliations with organizations that may benefit from the publication of the manuscript. These conflicts can negatively impact the reliability of scientific research and reduce public trust in scholarly publishing. Therefore, AJPSci aims to identify and address the root causes of competing interests to uphold transparency, fairness, and accountability.
Authors submitting manuscripts to AJPSci are required to disclose all actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the content or interpretation of their work. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Relationships between the author(s) and commercial entities that provided support for the research.
- Relationships with other commercial bodies or institutions that may have a direct or indirect interest in the manuscript’s subject.
- Financial ties involving immediate family members, such as a spouse or children.
- Any non-financial relationships that could affect objectivity, including personal or institutional affiliations.
Authors must assess their manuscripts for any competing interests prior to submission. If any such interests are identified, they must be clearly disclosed within the manuscript and explained in detail. In cases where no competing interests are found, authors are required to include the following standardized statement in the manuscript, prior to the acknowledgments section:
“After successful assessment of the manuscript, the author(s) found no conflict of interest and declare that this manuscript is free from all possible competing interests.” or
“Author(s) have no Conflict of Interest.”
This statement helps reinforce transparency and ensures that all authors have actively considered potential conflicts before submission. AJPSci emphasizes that it does not reject manuscripts solely because they contain disclosed competing interests. Instead, any such interests are evaluated in context, and the disclosures are published alongside the manuscript to ensure transparency for readers and reviewers.
To maintain consistency and meet international publishing standards, AJPSci requires that all authors download, complete, and submit the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form during manuscript submission. This form facilitates the clear declaration of any potential conflicts and helps standardize disclosures across all submitted works.
Editors, Reviewers, and Members of the Journal’s Management Team
In addition to authors, editors, reviewers, and members of the journal’s management team are also expected to disclose any conflicts of interest. Editorial and peer review decisions must be made independently and objectively. If an editor, reviewer, or journal staff member has a competing interest whether financial, personal, or professional that could affect their impartiality, they are required to disclose this information promptly. In such cases, they should recuse themselves from handling the manuscript or suggest replacement by an unbiased individual. If recusal is not feasible, their specific role and potential conflict must be clearly described and transparently disclosed in relation to the manuscript.
When needed, AJPSci may invite external reviewers from related but neutral fields to evaluate manuscripts objectively and avoid bias. This helps uphold the scientific integrity of the review process, especially for interdisciplinary or niche subjects where conflicts are more likely to arise.