1. Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy

The Xpertno International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (XIJIR) upholds the highest standards of transparency and integrity in academic publishing. All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board—are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest that might influence, or appear to influence, their work or decisions.

1.1 Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI) exists when an individual’s personal, financial, or professional relationships could inappropriately influence their judgment, decisions, or actions in the publication process. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships such as grants, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, or paid expert testimony;

• Personal or professional relationships with individuals or institutions connected to the work;

• Academic competition, intellectual bias, or political or religious beliefs that may affect objectivity.

1.2 Declarations by Authors

All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

• This includes sources of funding, institutional affiliations, or personal relationships that may influence the reported work.

• Authors must include a “Conflict of Interest Statement” within their manuscript.

• If no conflicts exist, authors should state:
  “The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.”

1.3 Declarations by Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts that could affect their impartiality.
If a conflict exists—such as personal connections to the authors, competitive interests, or prior involvement with the study—reviewers must decline the review invitation and notify the editorial office immediately.

1.4 Declarations by Editors

Editors and editorial board members must avoid handling manuscripts where they have any potential conflicts (e.g., same institution, recent collaborations, or personal relationships with authors).
Such manuscripts will be reassigned to another editor to ensure impartial review and decision-making.

1.5 Handling and Publication of COIs

All disclosed conflicts will be reviewed by the editorial office.

• When necessary, the Editor-in-Chief may take appropriate actions such as disclosure in the published article, reassignment of handling editors, or rejection of the manuscript.

• COI statements are published alongside the article for full transparency when applicable.

Note: The absence of a conflict-of-interest statement in the publication should be understood as an indication that the authors declared no conflicts of interest at the time of submission.

 

2. Ethical Approval of Studies (EAS) Policy

All research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with ethical standards and receive approval from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB).

2.1 Requirement for Ethical Clearance

Authors must clearly state in their manuscript:

• The name of the ethics committee or institutional review board;

• The approval or reference number, if applicable;

• Confirmation that informed consent was obtained from participants (for human studies).

2.2 Informed Consent and Participant Rights

Authors must ensure that participants’ rights, privacy, and well-being were respected.
For case studies or identifiable information, written informed consent from participants or legal guardians must be obtained.

2.3 Animal Research

For studies involving animals, authors must confirm adherence to internationally accepted standards such as the ARRIVE Guidelines and local institutional regulations governing animal care and use.

2.4 Ethical Justification

In cases where ethical approval is not required (e.g., theoretical papers or analyses of publicly available datasets), authors must provide a clear justification within the manuscript explaining why ethical approval was not necessary.

2.5 Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with these policies may result in manuscript rejection or retraction after publication.