Conflicts of Interest
Karimiyah: Journal of Islamic Literature and Muslim Society is committed to the most rigorous standards of transparency and ethical practice in academic publishing. This policy defines conflicts of interest and sets out how such conflicts are to be handled when they involve authors, reviewers, editors, the journal, or the publisher, regardless of whether they come to light before or after publication. In doing so, the journal follows the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; http://publicationethics.org/).
1. Definition of Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest exists when a person or entity has relationships or interests, whether financial, personal, professional, or academic, that might affect, or might be seen to affect, their objectivity, integrity, or decision-making. This applies to research, peer review, editorial work, and the publication process.
2. Identification of Conflicts of Interest
Everyone taking part in the publication process, whether as an author, reviewer, editor, or in another role, must declare any potential conflict of interest that bears on the work they submit, review, edit, or publish. Such conflicts include, among others, the following:
- Financial interests: sources of funding, shareholdings, employment, consultancy, or any other financial link connected to the research.
- Personal relationships: close personal or family ties with anyone engaged in the research or its publication.
- Academic relationships: joint research or academic affiliations that might compromise objectivity or create an impression of bias.
- Competing affiliations: links to rival organizations that may hold opposing interests in the research or in its results.
- Intellectual property: ownership of patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights that the research or its publication could affect.
3. Handling Conflicts of Interest
The journal will deal with conflicts of interest carefully and transparently.
For Authors: Authors must declare all potential conflicts of interest when they submit their manuscript. Should a conflict come to light after publication, authors should notify the editorial board without delay. The board will then handle the matter transparently and, where needed, publish a correction or retraction.
For Reviewers: A reviewer whose conflict of interest could compromise their impartiality must turn down the invitation to review. If a conflict emerges while the review is under way, the reviewer should alert the editorial board immediately so that appropriate action can be taken.
For Editors and Journal Staff: Editors and journal staff taking part in review and publication must withdraw from handling any submission in which they have a conflict of interest. Where the situation is unclear, the editorial board will determine how to proceed.
For Publishers: The publisher must put in place policies for managing potential conflicts of interest within its own organization. It should also ensure that financial or competing interests do not influence editorial decisions or processes.
4. Transparency and Disclosure
The journal will set out its conflict-of-interest policy clearly and make the disclosure requirements known to all stakeholders. To ensure transparency, declarations from editors, reviewers, authors, and other stakeholders will be published together with the corresponding articles, reviews, or editorials. Furthermore, editors, reviewers, and other stakeholders who are co-authors of a manuscript submitted to the journal will have their access to the publication process limited or restricted.
