Competing Interests Policy
Competing Interests
The Journal of Artificial Intelligence Systems (JAIS) is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are required to disclose any competing interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence the research, peer-review process, editorial decisions, or interpretation of published findings.
A competing interest (also referred to as a conflict of interest) exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest, such as the validity of research, may be influenced by a secondary interest, including financial gain, professional relationships, institutional affiliations, or personal considerations.
What Constitutes a Competing Interest?
Competing interests may include, but are not limited to:
- Employment or recent employment with an organization that may benefit from the published research.
- Research funding, grants, or sponsorship from commercial or non-commercial organizations.
- Consulting fees, honoraria, or paid advisory roles.
- Ownership of stocks, shares, patents, or intellectual property related to the research.
- Membership on advisory boards or governing bodies.
- Editorial positions with journals that may present a conflict.
- Personal, family, academic, or professional relationships that could affect impartiality.
- Any other circumstance that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or editorial process.
Disclosure Requirements for Authors
Authors must disclose all actual, potential, or perceived competing interests at the time of manuscript submission. The disclosure should accurately describe any relationship that could influence the design, conduct, interpretation, or reporting of the research.
Competing interest disclosures should be included in a dedicated Competing Interests section within the manuscript, immediately before the reference list.
Example Disclosure
Competing Interests: Author A has received research funding from ABC Technologies. Author B serves as an unpaid member of the editorial board of another scholarly journal. Author C declares no competing interests.
No Competing Interests
If no competing interests exist, authors should include the following statement:
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Disclosure Requirements for Reviewers
Reviewers should carefully consider whether any financial, professional, institutional, academic, or personal relationships could influence their ability to provide an objective and impartial review.
Reviewers who identify a competing interest after receiving a review invitation should promptly notify the editorial office and decline the review if the conflict could reasonably affect their impartiality.
Example Reviewer Disclosure
I have previously collaborated with one of the authors and therefore decline to review this manuscript.
No Competing Interests
I declare that I have no competing interests in relation to this manuscript.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are required to disclose any competing interests that may affect their editorial judgment. Editors who have a conflict with a submitted manuscript must not participate in its editorial assessment, reviewer selection, decision-making, or publication process. In such cases, responsibility for the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor.
Editorial Board Members
Editorial Board members are expected to maintain the same standards of transparency as editors and reviewers. Board members must disclose relevant competing interests whenever they participate in editorial decisions or peer review.
Failure to Disclose Competing Interests
Failure to disclose relevant competing interests may undermine the integrity of the publication process. If an undisclosed competing interest is identified before or after publication, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action, which may include requesting additional disclosures, publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern, retracting the article, or implementing other editorial measures considered necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
Confidentiality
All disclosed competing interests will be handled confidentially during editorial assessment. Relevant disclosures that may influence readers' interpretation of the research will be published as part of the final article to ensure transparency.
Policy Review
This Competing Interests Policy is reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing, research integrity, and publication ethics. Any revisions will become effective upon publication on the journal website unless otherwise stated.