Conflict of Interest

The International Journal of Enterprise Modelling (IEIA) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publication process. All authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence, or appear to influence, their professional judgment.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional relationships may compromise, or be perceived to compromise, the objectivity and impartiality of research, peer review, editorial decisions, or publication.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial Interests: Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, stock ownership, patents, or other financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the publication.

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

  • Professional and Academic Relationships: Collaboration, competition, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or other professional connections that may influence research evaluation.

  • Institutional Interests: Relationships with institutions or organizations that may benefit directly or indirectly from the publication.

  • Other Interests: Any other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as affecting the independence or impartiality of the research or publication process.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript. Authors must provide a clear statement describing relevant interests or explicitly declare that no conflicts of interest exist.

The disclosure must include relevant financial support, affiliations, personal relationships, and other circumstances that could influence the research, interpretation of results, or presentation of findings.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have reviewed and agreed to the conflict of interest declaration before submission.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their ability to evaluate a manuscript objectively. Reviewers should decline an invitation to review if they have a significant personal, financial, professional, or academic relationship with the authors or the research that could compromise their impartiality.

If a potential conflict arises during the review process, reviewers must promptly inform the editorial office and withdraw from the review when appropriate.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions independently, fairly, and objectively. Editors who have a conflict of interest concerning a manuscript must disclose it and recuse themselves from the editorial decision-making process.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to an independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, or other inappropriate considerations.

5. Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research, including grants, institutional funding, sponsorships, and other relevant financial contributions. The role of the funding organization, if any, in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decision must also be stated.

If the research received no specific financial support, authors should explicitly declare this in the manuscript.

6. Management of Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified during peer review or after publication, the journal will assess the circumstances and take appropriate action. Such action may include requesting additional disclosure, delaying publication, issuing a correction, publishing an expression of concern, or retracting an article when justified by the evidence and the seriousness of the issue.

7. Conflict of Interest Statement

All submitted manuscripts must include a Conflict of Interest Statement. Authors may use one of the following declarations, as applicable:

If no conflict exists:

"The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication of this article."

If a conflict exists:

"The authors declare the following conflicts of interest: [provide a clear description of the relevant interests and relationships]."

The International Journal of Enterprise Modelling (IEIA) is committed to ensuring that all conflicts of interest are appropriately disclosed and managed to preserve the credibility, transparency, and integrity of scholarly publishing.