1. Introduction

The Journal of Global Research in Multidisciplinary Studies (JGRMS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and impartiality in scholarly publishing. A conflict of interest (COI), also known as a competing interest, exists when professional judgment concerning research, peer review, or editorial decisions may be influenced, or appear to be influenced, by financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all potential conflicts are disclosed so that readers, reviewers, editors, and the publisher can assess the research fairly and transparently.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

Authors
Corresponding Authors
Co-authors
Editors
Editorial Board Members
Guest Editors
Reviewers
Publisher

All individuals involved in the publication process are expected to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

3. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest may arise from relationships that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, professional judgment.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Financial Interests

Employment
Consultancy
Honoraria
Paid expert testimony
Stock ownership
Shareholding
Patents
Royalties
Grants
Research funding
Sponsored travel

Personal Relationships

Family relationships
Close friendships
Personal disputes
Marital relationships

Professional Relationships

Current or recent collaboration
Supervisor–student relationships
Mentor–mentee relationships
Membership in the same research group
Joint grant applications

Institutional Interests

Employment at the same institution
Institutional partnerships
Shared laboratory facilities
Departmental affiliations

Academic Interests

Strong intellectual rivalry
Competitive research programs
Public disagreement on the subject matter

Disclosure does not automatically prevent publication or participation in the review process. It allows the journal to manage potential conflicts appropriately.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose any relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work.

This includes:

Financial support
Employment
Consultancy
Patent ownership
Commercial affiliations
Advisory roles
Equity interests
Paid speaking engagements

Authors should provide a Conflict of Interest Statement within the manuscript.

If conflicts exist:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare the following competing interests: [details].

If no conflicts exist:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no known financial or personal competing interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

5. Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support, including:

Government agencies
Universities
Research institutions
Private organizations
Commercial sponsors
Industry partners

Funding information should include:

Funding organization
Grant number (if applicable)
Role of the funder in the research

If there was no external funding, authors may state:

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

6. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers should decline invitations if they have any conflict of interest that may affect, or reasonably appear to affect, their impartiality.

Examples include:

Collaboration with the authors within the previous three years.
Employment at the same institution.
Financial interests related to the research.
Personal relationships.
Direct academic competition.

Reviewers who become aware of a conflict after accepting a review should immediately notify the Editor.

Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal or professional advantage.

7. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose any conflicts of interest related to manuscripts under consideration.

Editors should not handle manuscripts when:

They are authors or co-authors.
They have collaborated closely with the authors.
They work in the same department or research group.
They have financial interests related to the manuscript.
Personal relationships may influence editorial judgment.

Such manuscripts will be assigned to another qualified editor.

Editors must ensure that editorial decisions are based solely on:

Scientific quality
Originality
Methodological rigor
Relevance to the journal's scope
Ethical compliance

8. Responsibilities of Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members must:

Disclose conflicts of interest.
Refrain from participating in editorial decisions where conflicts exist.
Maintain confidentiality throughout the editorial process.
Avoid influencing editorial decisions for personal or institutional benefit.

9. Responsibilities of the Publisher

Saanvi Publications is committed to preserving editorial independence.

The publisher shall not influence editorial decisions based on:

Commercial interests
Sponsorship
Advertising
Institutional affiliations
Personal relationships

Editorial decisions remain the sole responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial team.

10. Managing Conflicts of Interest

When a conflict is identified, the journal may:

Require additional disclosures.
Assign a different reviewer or editor.
Request clarification from the authors.
Publish a conflict of interest statement with the article.
Reject the manuscript if the conflict cannot be appropriately managed.

The objective is not to eliminate conflicts but to ensure they are disclosed and managed transparently.

11. Undisclosed Conflicts

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered before or after publication, JGRMS may:

Request an explanation from the authors.
Publish a correction or addendum.
Issue an Expression of Concern.
Retract the article in cases of serious misconduct.
Notify relevant institutions or funding bodies where appropriate.

12. Transparency

All declared conflicts of interest and funding information will be published with the article whenever appropriate.

Transparency enables readers to evaluate the research with a full understanding of any relevant relationships or interests.

13. Appeals

Authors who disagree with editorial decisions related to conflicts of interest may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of notification.

Appeals will be reviewed independently, and the decision of the Editor-in-Chief shall be final.

14. Policy Review

This Conflict of Interest Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure consistency with evolving publication ethics standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Conflict of Interest Statement (Recommended for Authors)

Every manuscript should include one of the following statements:

If No Conflict Exists

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial, professional, or personal interests that could have influenced the work reported in this manuscript.

If a Conflict Exists

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare the following competing interests: [Provide full details]. The disclosed interests did not influence the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of the study.

Funding Statement (Recommended)

If Funding Was Received

Funding: This work was supported by [Funding Agency Name] under Grant No. [Grant Number].

If No Funding Was Received

Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Contact

Questions regarding this Conflict of Interest Policy may be directed to the Editorial Office using the contact information available on the journal website.