Conflict of Interest

Editorial Policies

The Journal of Rural and Tropical Nursing (JRTN) requires all parties involved in the publication process to declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. Transparent disclosure enables readers to assess the independence of the research and the editorial process.

What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is any financial arrangement, personal relationship, professional affiliation, or other circumstance that could reasonably be perceived to influence an individual's judgement about the research, the manuscript, or the publication decision. The existence of a conflict does not indicate wrongdoing and is not grounds for rejection; however, undisclosed conflicts undermine trust in the published record.

Financial Conflicts

  • Research funding from commercial entities with a financial interest in the findings.
  • Employment, consultancy, or advisory arrangements with a relevant organisation.
  • Ownership of shares, stock options, or financial instruments related to products or services discussed in the manuscript.
  • Patents held or applied for that are relevant to the manuscript.
  • Honoraria, speaker fees, or travel reimbursements from relevant organisations.

Non-Financial Conflicts

  • Personal or professional relationships with individuals whose work is evaluated in the manuscript.
  • Membership in organisations whose position may be advanced or challenged by the findings.
  • Strongly held publicly stated positions on the topic that could affect objectivity.
  • Academic competition with the authors of a cited or compared work.

Author Disclosure Requirements

All authors must disclose: at submission, each author must declare any financial or non-financial conflict of interest that could reasonably be seen to influence the reported research.

Title Page: the conflict-of-interest declaration for all authors must be included on the Title Page. When no conflict exists, the statement must read: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

Manuscript: a summary of the conflict-of-interest declarations must also appear in the Declarations section of the published manuscript.

Funding: all sources of funding for the study must be disclosed, including the funder's name, grant number, and any role the funder played in the study design, data collection, analysis, or preparation of the manuscript.

Changes after submission: if a conflict arises or is identified after submission, the corresponding author must notify the editorial office immediately.

Editor and Reviewer Obligations

Editors Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a competing interest. Conflicted manuscripts are delegated to another editor who has no relevant relationship with the authors or the subject matter.
Reviewers Reviewers must decline review invitations when a conflict of interest exists. If a conflict becomes apparent after accepting, the reviewer must notify the editorial office immediately and withdraw from the review.

Undisclosed Conflicts

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, JRTN will investigate in accordance with COPE guidelines. Depending on the severity and impact, the journal may publish a correction notice or, in serious cases, retract the article. Authors' institutions may also be notified.