Introduction

The Journal of Islamic Thought and Philosophy (JITP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, objectivity, and transparency in the scholarly works it publishes. Ensuring openness regarding actual or potential conflicts of interest—also referred to as competing interests—is essential to sustaining trust in the scholarly communication process.

Conflicts of interest may arise when personal, financial, professional, or ideological considerations have the potential to influence an individual’s judgment in conducting, evaluating, or publishing research. Transparent disclosure allows editors, reviewers, and readers to assess the research process and its findings with appropriate awareness of such interests.

This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff in identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest throughout the publication process. The policy follows internationally recognized publication ethics standards and aligns with the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI), or competing interest, exists when an individual’s professional judgment regarding primary scholarly responsibilities—such as the evaluation of research quality, interpretation of findings, editorial decisions, or peer review—may be influenced by secondary interests.

These interests may include, but are not limited to:

Financial Interests

Financial relationships that may influence professional judgment, including:

• Employment or consultancy relationships

• Stock ownership or equity interests

• Honoraria or paid advisory roles

• Research funding or sponsorship

• Patent ownership or pending patent applications

• Royalties or licensing agreements

• Paid expert testimony

• Travel grants or other financial support related to the research

Non-Financial Interests

Non-financial relationships or circumstances that may affect objectivity, including:

• Personal relationships (e.g., family members or close associates)

• Academic collaborations or supervisory relationships

• Institutional or organizational affiliations

• Participation in competing or related unpublished research

• Strong personal, religious, philosophical, or political beliefs directly related to the research topic or the individuals involved

The existence of a conflict of interest is not inherently unethical. However, failure to disclose such conflicts may compromise the credibility of the research and the integrity of the publication process.

This policy applies to all participants involved in the publication process at JITP, including authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff.

Policy

Principle of Full Disclosure

All individuals involved in the publication process at JITP are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest relevant to their roles. When no conflicts exist, contributors must provide a clear statement confirming the absence of competing interests.

Timing of Disclosure

Authors
Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission and update the disclosure if any new conflicts arise during the review, revision, or publication stages.

Peer Reviewers
Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts when invited to review a manuscript and before accepting the assignment. If a conflict becomes apparent during the review process, reviewers must notify the editor immediately.

Editors and Journal Staff
Editors and editorial staff must disclose any interests that could affect—or appear to affect—their editorial responsibilities. Individuals with significant conflicts must refrain from participating in editorial decisions related to the affected manuscript.

Assessment and Management of Disclosed Conflicts

All disclosed interests will be evaluated by the editorial team to determine whether they may compromise the integrity of the editorial or review process.

Possible management actions include:

• Publishing authors’ conflict-of-interest statements alongside the article

• Reassigning peer reviewers or editors where impartiality may be compromised

• Requesting additional disclosures or clarification from contributors

• Rejecting submissions where conflicts pose a serious risk to research integrity

Publication of Disclosure Statements

All articles published in JITP must include a Conflict of Interest Statement.

If no competing interests exist, the article will include a statement such as:

“The authors declare that they have no known competing interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.”

Authors must also disclose all funding sources that supported the research. If funders had any role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions, this involvement must be explicitly stated. If funders had no role, this must also be clearly declared.

Post-Publication Discovery of Undisclosed Conflicts

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, JITP will investigate the matter following the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Depending on the severity and impact on the research record, appropriate corrective actions may include:

• Publishing a correction or clarification

• Issuing an expression of concern

• Retracting the article when necessary to preserve research integrity

Implementation Procedures

For Authors

Disclosure Requirements
Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their research or its interpretation.

Examples include:

• Research sponsorship or funding

• Employment or consultancy with organizations that may benefit from the research outcomes

• Equity ownership or financial investments

• Royalties, patents, or intellectual property interests

• Personal, academic, or institutional relationships connected to the study

Funding Transparency
All sources of research funding must be clearly identified, including any involvement of funders in the research process. If funders had no influence on the study, this must be explicitly stated.

Submission Process
Authors are required to complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form during manuscript submission. JITP may adopt the disclosure format recommended by the ICMJE or an equivalent journal-specific form.

A summary disclosure statement must also be included in the manuscript, typically placed before the reference section.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may lead to:

• Delays in editorial processing

• Rejection of the manuscript

• Publication of a correction or retraction if the omission is discovered after publication

For Peer Reviewers

Disclosure Requirements
Peer reviewers must disclose circumstances that could compromise their objectivity, such as:

• Recent or ongoing collaboration with the authors

• Personal relationships or professional conflicts

• Financial interests related to the research topic

• Prior involvement with the manuscript or closely related work

• Strong views that could prevent an impartial assessment

Reporting Procedure
Reviewers must report potential conflicts when responding to a review invitation. If a conflict becomes apparent during the review process, they must inform the editor immediately.

Editorial Action
If a conflict is deemed significant, the reviewer will be asked to decline or withdraw from the review assignment.

For Editors and Journal Staff (Including Editorial Board Members)

Disclosure Requirements
Editors and editorial staff must disclose any relationships or interests that could influence their editorial responsibilities, including:

• Financial relationships with relevant organizations

• Personal or professional relationships with authors or reviewers

• Manuscripts submitted by themselves or close collaborators

• Directly overlapping research interests

Management and Recusal
Editors with significant conflicts must recuse themselves from editorial involvement in the affected manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief will assign another independent editor to oversee the review process.

Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members will undergo independent peer review to ensure impartial evaluation.

Journal-Level Conflicts of Interest

JITP and its publisher are committed to safeguarding editorial independence. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of scholarly merit, without influence from commercial, institutional, or ideological interests.

Any potential conflicts at the journal or institutional level will be managed with full transparency.

Record Keeping

JITP maintains confidential records of all disclosed conflicts of interest submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff.

This policy supports transparency, ethical publishing practices, and the integrity of scholarship in the Journal of Islamic Thought and Philosophy. The policy will be periodically reviewed and updated to remain aligned with evolving best practices in academic publishing.