Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

The Holistic Nursing Journal (HNJ) is committed to maintaining transparency, integrity, and trust in the publication process. All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research, review, or publication process.

1. Authors

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that may influence the interpretation of their research findings. Sources of funding and any role of sponsors in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions must be clearly stated.

2. Reviewers

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest that could affect their objective evaluation of a manuscript. Reviewers should decline the review invitation if:

  • They have collaborated with the authors recently.
  • They work at the same institution as the authors.
  • They have personal, financial, or academic relationships that may create bias.
  • They believe they cannot provide an impartial review.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

3. Editors

Editors must avoid handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, institutional, financial, or personal relationships with the authors or affiliated institutions. In such cases, another editor will be assigned to manage the manuscript independently.

4. Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Conflict of interest statements provided by authors may be published alongside accepted articles to ensure transparency.

5. Failure to Disclose Conflicts

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in:

  • Rejection of the manuscript
  • Retraction of a published article
  • Notification of the relevant institution when necessary

6. Editorial Responsibility

The journal follows international ethical publishing standards and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in managing and resolving conflicts of interest.