Conflict of Interest Policy

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems (NSS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the publishing process. Identifying and properly managing conflicts of interest (COIs) is essential to ensuring trust in peer-reviewed literature and maintaining academic credibility.

This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members regarding conflicts of interest, as set by COPE, ICMJE, and Elsevier Publishing Ethics.

  1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when a person’s objectivity, judgment, or actions may be influenced or perceived to be influenced by personal, financial, professional, or academic relationships. COIs may be:

  • Financial: funding, paid consultancies, stock ownership, royalties, or honoraria
  • Non-financial: personal relationships, academic competition, ideological beliefs, or institutional affiliations
  • Professional: employment, board membership, or advisory roles

Perceived conflicts are just as essential to declare as actual ones.

  1. Authors' Responsibilities

All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to the submitted work, including:

  • Funding sources
  • Affiliations or relationships with organizations that may benefit from the publication
  • Any financial or personal interest that could be seen as influencing the content

This disclosure must be made at the time of submission and included in a dedicated “Conflict of Interest Statement” in the manuscript.

If no conflicts exist, the authors must explicitly state:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

  1. Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Declare any conflict of interest before agreeing to review a manuscript (e.g., personal relationships with authors, competitive research, or financial interests)
  • Decline the review if objectivity is compromised
  • Maintain confidentiality and do not use manuscript content for personal gain

If a reviewer identifies a COI after agreeing to review, they must notify the editorial office immediately and recuse themselves if needed.

  1. Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors involved in decision-making must:

  • Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a COI (e.g., authored by a colleague, former student, or co-investigator)
  • Ensure that all editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, unaffected by any external interest
  • Not use unpublished manuscript information for personal advantage

Editorial board members must also declare potential conflicts related to their advisory role in the journal.

  1. Institutional or Funder Conflicts

If a study is funded or supported by an entity with commercial or political interests in the outcomes, this must be disclosed transparently.

Authors must indicate the role of the funder in:

  • Study design
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Decision to publish
  • Manuscript preparation
  1. Managing Undisclosed COIs

Failure to disclose a conflict of interest may result in:

  • Rejection of the manuscript
  • Retraction of published work
  • Notification to the authors’ institutions
  • Restriction on future submissions

If a COI is discovered post-publication, an editorial note or correction will be issued, or the article may be retracted in serious cases.

  1. Public Accessibility

All conflict of interest statements are published alongside the article to ensure full transparency for readers.

  1. Contact and Reporting

For questions about potential COIs or to report undisclosed conflicts, contact the editorial office at: smarand@unm.edu