Conflict of Interest

Madago Nursing Journal (MNJ) is committed to objectivity, transparency, fairness, and independence throughout the research, editorial, peer-review, and publication processes. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relationships or circumstances that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their professional judgment.

A conflict of interest may arise from financial, professional, institutional, personal, or academic relationships affecting the conduct, assessment, interpretation, or reporting of scholarly work. Actual, potential, and perceived conflicts must be disclosed so that they can be appropriately assessed and managed.

Authors

All authors must disclose interests relevant to the submitted work. These may include employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, sponsorship, stock ownership, patents, commercial interests, personal relationships, academic competition, or professional and institutional roles.

Authors must report funding sources separately and describe the funder’s role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit, as applicable. Funding does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest, but relevant relationships must be transparent.

Each author is responsible for providing accurate and complete disclosures. The corresponding author must coordinate these disclosures and ensure that the manuscript statement reflects the circumstances of all co-authors. Newly identified interests or changes must be reported promptly, including after publication when relevant.

Reviewers

Reviewers must consider and disclose relevant conflicts before accepting an assignment. Examples include recent collaboration with the authors, shared institutional affiliations, supervisory relationships, personal relationships, financial interests, or direct academic competition that could affect impartiality.

Reviewers must decline an assignment when they cannot provide an independent and objective assessment. If uncertain, they should disclose the circumstances to the handling editor before proceeding.

If a conflict becomes apparent during review, the reviewer must promptly inform the editor and pause the review pending guidance. Confidential manuscript information must not be used for personal or professional advantage.

Editors

Editors must disclose relevant interests and must not manage manuscripts when their independence or impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

Affected manuscripts must be assigned to an editor without a relevant conflict, who will independently oversee reviewer selection, evaluation, and the publication decision. The conflicted editor must not influence these processes.

Submissions authored by members of the Editorial Board or individuals affiliated with the publisher are subject to the same scientific and ethical standards as other submissions. An independent editor must manage the evaluation whenever an editorial conflict exists. The handling arrangements should be disclosed in the published article where applicable.

Disclosure Statement

Every manuscript must include a clearly identified Conflict of Interest Statement, including when no relevant conflicts exist.

When no conflicts exist, authors may use:

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to this work.”

When conflicts exist, the statement must identify the author concerned, describe the relationship or interest, and explain its relevance sufficiently for readers and editors to assess it.

Relevant interests must also be disclosed in submission forms or additional documentation requested by the journal. A funding statement does not replace a conflict of interest statement.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure does not automatically lead to rejection. The journal will assess whether appropriate safeguards can maintain a fair and independent evaluation.

Depending on the circumstances, MNJ may:

  • Request further information or an individual disclosure form.

  • Assign an independent editor or replace a reviewer.

  • Require clarification or expansion of the manuscript’s disclosure statement.

  • Publish a statement explaining relevant interests and how editorial conflicts were managed.

  • Decline a submission when a significant conflict cannot be adequately managed.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of financial support, institutional relationships, and commercial interests.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

When a potentially undisclosed conflict is identified, the journal will seek an explanation from the relevant parties and assess its significance.

Before publication, the journal may request an amended disclosure, arrange independent reassessment, suspend processing, or reject the manuscript when warranted.

After publication, the journal may publish a correction or take other action proportionate to the effect on the article’s reliability and the integrity of its evaluation. Retraction will be considered only where the circumstances justify it; an omitted disclosure does not automatically warrant retraction.

Madago Nursing Journal promotes transparent disclosure and impartial decision-making. Conflicts will be managed in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics procedures and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).