Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and ethical conduct in all aspects of the publication process. In line with this commitment, we require all authors, reviewers, and editors involved with the journal to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the outcome of their research or the publication process.

Authors

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could be perceived as a conflict of interest with regard to the research they are submitting. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Financial support from organizations that may benefit from the publication of the research (e.g., grants, consulting fees, industry sponsorship).

• Employment, consultancy, or any financial interest in organizations that may have a vested interest in the research findings.

• Personal or professional relationships that could potentially bias the interpretation of the research.

Authors are required to submit a completed conflict of interest disclosure statement at the time of manuscript submission. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must explicitly state this in the disclosure statement.

Reviewers

All reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest that may affect their objectivity in evaluating a manuscript. Reviewers should recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which they have a personal, professional, or financial interest, or if they have a close relationship with the authors that may influence their review.

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts during the review invitation process and are expected to decline reviewing if a conflict is identified.

Editors

Editors are required to uphold the same standards of transparency. They must disclose any conflicts of interest in relation to any manuscripts they handle. Editors should ensure that any potential conflicts do not influence the decision-making process, maintaining impartiality and fairness.

If an editor has a conflict of interest in a particular manuscript, they will recuse themselves from the decision-making process for that submission, and a different editor will be assigned to handle the manuscript.

Managing Conflicts of Interest

In the event that a conflict of interest is disclosed by an author, reviewer, or editor, the editorial board will evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis. If necessary, the manuscript may be reassigned to a different reviewer or editor to ensure the integrity and objectivity of the review process.

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences adheres to the ethical guidelines provided by international organizations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in managing conflicts of interest.

Transparency and Accountability

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences prioritizes transparency in all aspects of the publication process. We encourage authors, reviewers, and editors to communicate any potential conflicts as early as possible to prevent any bias in the publication process.