Conflict of Interest

International Humanities Research Nexus (IHRN)

The International Humanities Research Nexus (IHRN) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in its peer-review and publication processes. To achieve this, it is essential that all participants—including editors, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members—disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence their judgment or decisions.

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when an individual’s professional judgment regarding a primary interest—such as the validity of research—is unduly influenced by a secondary interest, such as personal relationships, financial gain, or academic competition. Both perceived and actual conflicts of interest must be disclosed to maintain the credibility and integrity of the journal.

Types of Conflicts of Interest

  1. Personal Conflicts
  • Editors must avoid handling manuscripts from their own institution or those authored by their collaborators, co-authors, competitors, or individuals with whom they have a personal relationship.
  • Editors should recuse themselves if they have co-authored or collaborated with any of the manuscript’s contributors within the past three years.
  1. Financial Conflicts
  • Financial conflicts include, but are not limited to, employment, consulting arrangements, honoraria, stock ownership, intellectual property rights, or research funding from entities with a vested interest in the work.
  • Editors or reviewers must disclose any financial relationships that could create a bias or the perception of bias.
  1. Non-Financial Conflicts
  • Non-financial conflicts, such as personal biases, rivalries, or academic competition, must also be disclosed.
  • Editorial decisions must be based solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance—regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or citizenship.

Policies for Specific Scenarios

  • Submission by an Editor
  • If an editor submits a paper to IHRN, the manuscript will be handled by another editor who has no conflict of interest.
  • The handling editor will independently oversee the review process, and the submitting editor will have no access to the review records or decisions.
  • Submission from the Same Institution
  • Manuscripts submitted by authors affiliated with the same institution as one of the editors will be handled by a different editor.
  • If the Editor-in-Chief’s institution is involved, the manuscript will be assigned to an editor from an external institution.
  • Personal Relationships
  • Manuscripts submitted by family members, close friends, or individuals with known rivalry or association with an editor will be handled by a neutral editor to ensure impartiality.
  • In such cases, the Editor-in-Chief may provide oversight and final guidance.
  • Previous Review Involvement
  • Editors must disclose if they have previously reviewed the manuscript for another journal and should recuse themselves from handling the submission.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review.
  • They should not use privileged information obtained during the review process for personal or professional gain.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in:

  • Reassignment of the manuscript to another editor or reviewer.
  • Retraction of published articles if conflicts are discovered post-publication.
  • Blacklisting of authors or reviewers for future submissions.

Appeals

Authors, editors, and reviewers may appeal decisions related to conflicts of interest by submitting a formal request to the editorial office along with supporting documentation.

Periodic Review

This policy will be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure alignment with evolving best practices and the ethical standards of scholarly publishing.