Conflict of Interest

The International Journal of Economics, Business, and Entrepreneurship (IJEBE) requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any interests that may influence, or be perceived to influence, the objectivity of research and the publication process. The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection; however, it must be disclosed and managed transparently.

1. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial, including employment relationships, paid consultancy, share ownership, patents, personal relationships, academic competition, or institutional interests relevant to the manuscript.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose relevant relationships and interests at the time of submission and update their disclosures if any changes occur. A *Conflict of Interest* statement must be included in the manuscript. Sources of funding and the role of sponsors in the research and publication process must be declared separately under the *Funding* section. The corresponding author is responsible for collecting the disclosures of all co-authors.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest to the editor before accepting a review assignment and decline or withdraw from the assignment if their objectivity may be compromised. Information contained in unpublished manuscripts must not be used for personal gain.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors with conflicts of interest must recuse themselves from handling and making decisions on the relevant manuscripts. Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members must be handled by an independent editor and undergo the same peer review process.

5. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed interest is identified, the journal will request clarification and assess its potential impact. Actions may include replacing a reviewer or editor, conducting a further review, or issuing a correction to the disclosure statement after publication. Further action will be determined based on the available evidence and its impact on the integrity of the article.

6. Examples of Statements

If no conflict of interest exists:

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the research and publication of this article.”

If a conflict of interest exists:

“Author [initials] received consultancy fees from [organization name], which operates in a field related to this research. This relationship is disclosed in the interest of transparency.”

The statement must accurately reflect the circumstances and be approved by all authors.