Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, objectivity, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. This policy defines conflicts of interest and establishes procedures for identifying, disclosing, and managing competing interests involving authors, reviewers, editors, journal staff, and publishers, whether identified before or after publication.

The Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology follows the Core Practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when financial, personal, professional, institutional, or academic relationships or interests could improperly influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's objectivity, judgment, or decision-making in research, peer review, editorial assessment, or publication.

Conflicts of interest do not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage relevant competing interests may undermine the credibility and integrity of the scholarly publication process.

Identification of Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, journal staff, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to the work they submit, review, edit, or publish.

Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Financial Interests: Research funding, grants, employment, consultancy, honoraria, stock ownership, or other financial relationships relevant to the research.

  • Personal Relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that could affect impartial judgment.

  • Academic and Professional Relationships: Recent or ongoing collaborations, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or professional dependencies that may influence objectivity.

  • Competing Institutional Affiliations: Relationships with institutions, organizations, or entities that may have competing interests in the research or its outcomes.

  • Intellectual Property: Patents, copyrights, licensing arrangements, or other intellectual property rights that may be affected by the research or publication.

  • Ideological or Other Competing Interests: Strong personal, religious, philosophical, or theoretical commitments that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the assessment or interpretation of the work, where relevant to the subject matter.

Individuals are responsible for disclosing relevant interests even when they believe those interests will not affect their judgment.

Handling Conflicts of Interest

Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology will assess and manage conflicts of interest fairly, consistently, and transparently. Appropriate measures will depend on the nature and severity of the conflict and may include disclosure, reassignment of editorial responsibilities, appointment of an alternative reviewer, or other measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the publication process.

For Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest during manuscript submission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have provided accurate and complete disclosures.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must provide an explicit declaration stating that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

If a conflict of interest is identified after submission or publication, the authors must promptly notify the editorial office. The journal will assess the matter and determine whether a disclosure, correction, expression of concern, or other editorial action is necessary.

For Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, their impartiality. Reviewers should decline review invitations when significant conflicts exist, including relevant personal relationships, competing interests, or close professional collaborations with the authors.

If a reviewer identifies a conflict of interest after accepting an invitation or during the review process, they must promptly inform the editorial office. The editor will determine whether the reviewer should continue or be replaced.

For Editors and Journal Staff

Editors and journal staff must disclose any conflicts of interest related to manuscripts they are assigned to handle. They must not participate in editorial decisions concerning submissions in which they have a competing interest.

When a conflict exists, responsibility for handling the manuscript must be transferred to an independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest. If the Editor-in-Chief is involved in the conflict, an appropriately qualified independent editor or another authorized person will oversee the editorial process.

Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, relevance, methodological rigor, and compliance with publication ethics, rather than personal relationships, institutional affiliations, financial interests, or other competing considerations.

For Publishers

The publisher must establish appropriate safeguards to ensure that commercial, financial, institutional, or other competing interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions.

The editorial independence of the Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology must be protected. Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, rejection, peer review, and publication must remain under the authority of the journal's designated editorial decision-makers in accordance with its editorial policies.

Transparency and Disclosure

Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology will clearly communicate its conflict-of-interest requirements to authors, reviewers, editors, and other relevant stakeholders.

Relevant author declarations will be published alongside the associated articles when appropriate. Funding information and other material disclosures will also be provided where required by the journal's policies.

Confidential disclosures from reviewers and editors will be handled appropriately and will not ordinarily be published unless disclosure is necessary, justified, and consistent with applicable confidentiality obligations.

Individuals with conflicts of interest must not participate in editorial assessment, peer review, or publication decisions when their involvement could compromise the integrity of the process.

In particular, editors and reviewers who are co-authors of a manuscript submitted to the Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology must not participate in the editorial handling or peer review of that manuscript. Appropriate safeguards will be implemented to restrict their access to confidential editorial information and decision-making processes related to the submission.

Post-Publication Conflicts of Interest

If a previously undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology will assess whether the omission affects the transparency, interpretation, or credibility of the published work.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request a disclosure statement, publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or take other appropriate editorial action in accordance with its publication ethics policies and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Review of the Policy

The Journal of Asian Orientation in Theology will periodically review and update this policy to ensure that it remains effective and aligned with evolving standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Any revisions will be approved through the journal's editorial procedures and made publicly available on the official journal website. Relevant stakeholders will be informed of substantive changes where appropriate.