Full Transparency
All authors, reviewers, editors and contributors should disclose relationships or circumstances that may influence, or may reasonably appear to influence, scholarly judgment.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
A publisher-level disclosure page of UnivColl Publications for authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors and contributors to declare financial, personal, institutional and non-financial competing interests in a transparent scholarly publishing process.
Author Declaration
Reviewer Transparency
Editorial Recusal
Publication Ethics
Purpose of Disclosure
Supporting Trust, Independence and Transparent Scholarly Decisions
A conflict of interest, also known as a competing interest, may arise when a relationship, financial arrangement, institutional role, personal connection, academic competition or non-financial commitment could influence, or could reasonably appear to influence, a person’s judgment in the publication process.
UnivColl Publications uses conflict of interest disclosures to protect editorial independence, reviewer objectivity, author responsibility and the credibility of the scholarly record. This page is designed for transparent academic publishing practice across journals, books, edited volumes, chapters and conference proceedings.
Publisher Disclosure Record
Last updated: 28 July 2026
- ✓Applicable to authors, reviewers, editors, contributors and publishing partners.
- ✓Supports fair manuscript handling, transparent review and responsible publication records.
- ✓Allows declaration of no conflict, potential conflict, perceived conflict or actual conflict.
- ✓Designed for publisher-level ethical communication without misleading indexing or acceptance promises.
Disclosure Principles
Core Principles for Competing Interest Transparency
The purpose of disclosure is not to accuse participants, but to ensure that scholarly decisions remain fair, transparent, accountable and trusted by authors, reviewers, editors, readers and institutions.
Early Declaration
Potential conflicts should be declared at the time of submission, review invitation, editorial handling, revision, acceptance or whenever a new interest arises.
Fair Editorial Handling
Disclosures help editors manage manuscripts responsibly. A disclosed interest does not automatically prevent publication, review or editorial participation.
Public Record Accuracy
Where relevant, competing interest statements may be published with the article, chapter, proceeding or scholarly record to support reader trust.
Who Must Disclose
Disclosure Applies Across the Publication Workflow
Conflict of interest transparency is relevant not only for authors, but also for reviewers, editors, guest editors, board members and contributors involved in evaluation, selection, editing or publication decisions.
Authors and Co-authors
Declare all financial, institutional, personal, academic, supervisory, collaborative or non-financial interests that may relate to the submitted work.
Peer Reviewers
Decline the review or inform the editorial office if any relationship, competition, collaboration or interest could affect impartial review.
Editors and Editorial Board Members
Avoid handling manuscripts where a conflict exists and ensure fair assignment, review coordination and decision-making.
Guest Editors and Volume Editors
Disclose interests connected with contributors, institutions, sponsors, conference organizers or thematic publication programs.
Translators, Data Contributors and Assistants
Declare relevant interests when their role may affect interpretation, presentation, reporting or publication of scholarly material.
Types of Interests
What Should Be Declared?
Participants should disclose all relevant interests that may affect, or may be perceived to affect, the submitted work, peer review, editorial decision or publication record. The following categories are examples and are not exhaustive.
| Category | Examples of interests that may require disclosure |
|---|---|
| Financial Interests | Employment, consultancy, honoraria, grants, sponsorship, paid expert testimony, stock ownership, patents, royalties, commercial relationships or funding connected with the work. |
| Institutional Interests | Current or recent affiliation, departmental relationship, institutional competition, administrative role, sponsored project or institutional benefit. |
| Personal Relationships | Family relationship, close friendship, personal dispute, supervisory relationship, student-teacher relationship or close association with an author, reviewer or editor. |
| Academic and Professional Interests | Recent collaboration, shared publication, grant competition, strong academic rivalry, advisory role, professional dependence or direct competition in the same research area. |
| Non-Financial Interests | Strong personal belief, advocacy position, public statement, membership, policy preference or ideological commitment that may affect interpretation or judgment. |
| Editorial or Review Role Conflicts | Handling a manuscript from a close colleague, former student, current collaborator, same institution or competing research group without proper editorial oversight. |
Disclosure Workflow
How Conflict of Interest Disclosure Is Managed
The disclosure process helps the editorial office identify situations that require additional transparency, recusal, reassignment, clarification or publication statement. The final handling depends on the nature of the interest and the role of the participant.
Important Transparency Note
Failure to disclose a relevant competing interest may require editorial review. If the omission is discovered after publication, UnivColl Publications may consider a correction, disclosure update, editorial note or other appropriate action to protect the scholarly record.
01
Identify Possible Interests
Before submission, review or editorial handling, the participant should consider whether any financial, personal, institutional or professional relationship could affect impartial judgment.
02
Complete the Disclosure Statement
The participant should complete the conflict of interest disclosure statement clearly, even when there is no conflict to declare.
03
Submit to the Editorial Office
The completed disclosure may be submitted with the manuscript, review response, editorial assignment or any other publication-related communication.
04
Editorial Assessment
The editorial office reviews the disclosure and decides whether additional management is required, such as reassignment, added transparency statement or further clarification.
05
Record and Publication Transparency
Where relevant, the declaration may be recorded in the publication file and included in the article, chapter or proceeding as a competing interest statement.
Official Disclosure Template
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
This template may be used by authors, reviewers, editors and contributors when submitting a declaration to the editorial office of UnivColl Publications. Complete the applicable fields, describe any interest clearly and sign the declaration before submission.
Print this page or copy the declaration text into your manuscript, review response or editorial communication. Completed disclosure statements may be sent to: editor@univcollpublications.com
A. Participant and Manuscript Details
B. Disclosure Status
I declare that I have no known conflict of interest related to this scholarly work.
I declare that I have a potential, perceived or actual conflict of interest and I have described it fully below.
I am unsure whether a relationship or circumstance may be considered a conflict and request editorial guidance.
C. Details of Conflict or Competing Interest, if any
D. Participant Declaration
I confirm that the information provided in this disclosure is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that disclosure supports transparent scholarly publishing and that failure to disclose a relevant competing interest may require editorial review, correction or further action according to publisher policy.
Signature
Participant signature / typed name
Date
Day / Month / Year
Role
Author / Reviewer / Editor / Contributor
Editorial Management
How Disclosures May Be Handled
Disclosures are assessed in context. The aim is to manage risk, protect independence, maintain fair review and communicate relevant information where necessary.
For Authors
The disclosure may be included in the manuscript declaration section or publication record. Editors may request clarification before review, acceptance or publication.
For Reviewers
The reviewer may be asked to decline the review, or the editor may decide whether the disclosure can be managed without compromising fairness.
For Editors
An editor with a relevant conflict should normally recuse themselves from handling the manuscript and transfer responsibility to another qualified editor.
For Published Material
If a missing or inaccurate disclosure is identified after publication, the publisher may consider correction, update, editorial note or other appropriate action.
Sample Statements
Suggested Wording for Competing Interest Statements
The following examples are provided for guidance only. Authors, reviewers and editors should use wording that accurately reflects the actual situation and should not copy a statement if it does not match the facts.
No competing interest
The author(s) declare that there are no financial, personal, institutional or professional conflicts of interest related to this work.
Funding-related disclosure
The author(s) received funding or support from the disclosed organization. The funding source had no role in the editorial decision unless otherwise stated.
Institutional relationship
A relevant institutional or professional relationship has been disclosed to the editorial office and managed according to publisher policy.
Reviewer or editor recusal
A potential conflict was identified and the affected reviewer or editor did not participate in the evaluation or decision process.
Disclosure Checklist
Before You Submit a Declaration
Use this checklist to make sure the disclosure statement is complete, accurate and suitable for editorial consideration. When in doubt, disclosure is usually safer than silence.
- ✓ Have I considered financial, personal, institutional, academic and non-financial interests?
- ✓ Have I disclosed recent collaborations, grants, employment, consultancy or supervisory relationships?
- ✓ Have I checked whether my role may create a perceived conflict, even if I believe I can remain objective?
- ✓ Have I clearly stated either ‘no conflict’ or provided a complete explanation of the conflict?
- ✓ Have I informed the editorial office if a new interest arises after submission, review or acceptance?
- ✓ Have I avoided hiding or minimizing relevant relationships that readers or editors should know?
- ✓ Have I provided truthful information suitable for editorial record and possible publication statement?
Frequently Asked Questions
Conflict of Interest Disclosure FAQ
These questions explain how competing interest disclosure supports transparent academic publishing and responsible editorial decision-making.
Is every relationship a conflict of interest?
No. Many relationships are normal in academic work. However, relationships that may influence, or appear to influence, scholarly judgment should be disclosed so that the editorial office can manage them fairly.
Does disclosure mean that a manuscript will be rejected?
No. Disclosure supports transparency and responsible editorial handling. A declared interest does not automatically lead to rejection, but undisclosed or misleading information may raise ethical concerns.
When should a reviewer decline a review invitation?
A reviewer should decline or ask the editorial office for guidance if the manuscript involves a close collaborator, recent co-author, current colleague, student, supervisor, personal relationship or direct academic competition.
Can a conflict be corrected after publication?
If an omission or error is identified after publication, the publisher may request clarification and may update the publication record through a correction, disclosure update or editorial notice where appropriate.
Policy Pathway
Related Policies, Author Actions and Trust Pages
This policy is connected with UnivColl Publications' wider publishing ecosystem, including author guidance, editorial independence, publication ethics, metadata readiness and official support routes. Use the related links to move to the next practical step without relying on disconnected or informal information.
Author Guidelines
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Authorship Change Request
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Conflict of Interest
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Submit Manuscript
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Policies and Guidelines
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Publication Ethics
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Peer Review Policy
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Contact Publisher
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Transparency and Responsible Publishing
Policy Use Does Not Create Publication or Indexing Guarantees
UnivColl Publications uses policy pages to support transparent communication, fair editorial handling, author awareness and scholarly record integrity. Submission, payment, policy compliance or support communication must not be treated as a promise of acceptance, indexing, citation, ranking or any third-party database outcome.
Publication Ethics
Editorial and publication decisions should remain evidence-based, policy-led and independent.
No Guaranteed Acceptance
Acceptance depends on scope, originality, review suitability, ethical compliance and editorial decision.
Metadata Ready
Published records may be supported with structured metadata, DOI references and correction workflows where applicable.
Documented Support
Queries should include manuscript ID, DOI, transaction reference or policy concern details where available.