A conflict of interest may occur when an individual has relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their professional judgment.

Potential conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct; however, failure to disclose relevant conflicts may compromise the transparency and credibility of the publication process.

All authors submitting manuscripts to AGRITROP must disclose any potential conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.

Authors must declare:

• Financial support related to the research;
• Relationships with organizations that may benefit from publication;
• Personal or professional relationships that may influence interpretation of results;
• Any other interests that could affect research objectivity.

If no conflict exists, authors must provide a statement such as:

If conflicts exist:

Authors are responsible for providing complete and accurate disclosures. Transparent disclosure allows editors, reviewers, and readers to evaluate potential influences on research interpretation.

COPE recommends that authors disclose relevant competing interests to ensure transparency and maintain confidence in published research (COPE, Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest).

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a manuscript review assignment.

A reviewer should decline the review invitation if:

• They have collaborated with the authors recently;
• They have personal or professional relationships with the authors;
• They have direct competition or disputes related to the research;
• They have financial or institutional interests related to the manuscript;
• They cannot provide an unbiased evaluation.

If a conflict is identified after accepting the review invitation, the reviewer must immediately inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

AGRITROP follows COPE guidance that reviewers should refuse assignments where conflicts of interest may compromise impartial evaluation (COPE, Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers).

Editors and members of the editorial board must avoid handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Editors should not participate in editorial decisions when they:

• Have personal relationships with authors;
• Have recent collaborations with authors;
• Have financial interests related to the manuscript;
• Have institutional relationships that could influence judgment;
• Have competing interests related to the research.

When a conflict exists, the manuscript must be assigned to another editor who can evaluate the submission independently.

COPE emphasizes that editors must maintain editorial independence and ensure that publication decisions are based on scientific merit rather than personal or external influences (COPE, Core Practices).

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for research and publication.

Funding information should include:

• Name of funding organization;
• Grant number (if applicable);
• Role of the funder in research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions.

Example:

Transparent reporting of funding sources helps readers evaluate potential influences and supports responsible research communication.

If AGRITROP identifies an undisclosed conflict of interest after submission or publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including:

• Requesting clarification from authors, reviewers, or editors;
• Publishing a correction or disclosure statement;
• Reassessing editorial decisions;
• Initiating an investigation if ethical concerns arise;
• Retracting an article when undisclosed conflicts have significantly compromised research integrity.

Actions will be determined based on the severity and impact of the undisclosed conflict.

AGRITROP follows COPE recommendations for addressing ethical concerns that may affect the reliability of published research (COPE, Core Practices).

All authors must confirm during manuscript submission that:

AGRITROP considers conflict of interest disclosure as an essential component of responsible scholarly publishing.

Transparent management of competing interests helps protect the independence of scientific evaluation, strengthens reader confidence, and maintains the integrity of the academic record.

AGRITROP follows international publication ethics standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability in scholarly communication (COPE, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing).