The IJERD Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy shall provide best practice and guide their response to these matters.

All IJERD editors, reviewers, and other stakeholders must disclose and declare any real or perceived COI with IJERD immediately upon identification of the COI. A COI Declaration Statement must be submitted to IJERD.

All IJERD authors must disclose and declare any real or perceived COI at the time of content submission to IJERD. A COI Declaration Statement be submitted at that time with details of the real or perceived COI, OR with the statement that no COI exists. IJERD shall accept the COI Declaration Statement of the author’s sponsoring organization.

If a real or perceived COI is identified post content submission, the author must disclose the COI to IJERD within ten (10) business days of the conflict being identified. A de novo COI Declaration Statement be submitted at the same time that the COI is reported.

IJERD will review and consider all real or perceived COI in a timely manner. IJERD reserves the right to request additional information to clarify the COI matters and to support its decision-making process.

IJERD shall adjudicate all COI matters and determine if a COI exists. If a COI is deemed real and credible, IJERD will determine if the COI can be rectified with specific and detailed guidance provided to the individual including a timeline for COI resolution. If IJERD determines that a COI cannot be resolved or that a COI does not exist, IJERD will close the matter with no further actions required.

The IJERD COI decisions shall be final and without the possibility of appeal.

IJERD have a Conflict-of-Interest Policy

The policy applies to all parties involved in IJERD, including authors, editors, reviewers, and staff. Its aim is to maintain the integrity and credibility of the research published, in line with ISERD’s mission of advancing rural and environmental sustainability through fair and transparent academic practice.

Disclosure Requirements

• Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research, interpretation, or conclusions of their work.
• Editors and reviewers must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts when an actual or perceived conflict exists, such as recent co-authorship, institutional ties, or personal relationships with any author.​
• Conference organizers and peer-review participants must similarly disclose any interests that could potentially bias their decision-making on abstracts, acceptance of presentations, or refereeing of manuscripts.​

Review and Editorial Independence

• Editorial decisions are to be made solely on academic merit and relevance to the journal’s scope, independent of any business or personal relationships with authors or sponsors.​
• Reviewers are required to evaluate manuscripts based on scientific quality and relevance, free from external pressures or incentives.
• The editorial board will maintain transparency by publishing the policy and updating disclosures on the IJERD website.

Handling Conflicts

• All disclosed conflicts will be reviewed by the editorial board, and actions, such as reassignment of manuscripts, disclosure statements in publications, or exclusion from decision-making; will be taken as needed.
• In cases where undisclosed conflicts come to light post-publication, IJERD will issue corrections, retractions, or statements as appropriate.

Compliance and Accountability

• All authors, reviewers, and editors must agree to abide by this policy upon participation in IJERD activities.
• Failure to disclose conflicts or attempts to influence decisions unfairly may result in rejection of manuscripts, removal from reviewer or editorial positions, and other corrective actions as deemed necessary by ISERD leadership.                                                       <=BACK