ACE Journal of Neurosciences (ACEJN) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the publication process. The journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest.
All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are expected to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the research, peer-review process, or editorial decision-making.
Author Disclosure
Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Employment or consultancy.
- Grants or research funding.
- Honoraria or speaker fees.
- Stock ownership or investment interests.
- Patents or patent applications.
- Personal, academic, or professional relationships.
- Institutional affiliations that may influence the study.
A Conflict of Interest Statement must be included in every submitted manuscript. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include the following statement:
"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest."
Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers must disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a review invitation. A reviewer should decline to review a manuscript if any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationship could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, the objectivity of the review.
Reviewers must also:
- Maintain strict confidentiality.
- Avoid using unpublished information for personal or professional benefit.
- Provide objective and unbiased evaluations.
Editor Responsibilities
Editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest related to manuscripts under consideration. Editors with a conflict of interest must withdraw from the editorial handling of the manuscript, and another qualified editor will be assigned.
Editorial decisions must be based solely on:
- Scientific merit.
- Methodological quality.
- Ethical compliance.
- Originality.
- Relevance to the journal's scope.
Commercial interests, institutional affiliations, sponsorship, or personal relationships must never influence editorial decisions.
Management of Conflicts
When a conflict of interest is identified, the Editorial Office will take appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the publication process. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
- Requesting additional disclosures.
- Assigning alternative reviewers or editors.
- Publishing conflict of interest declarations with the article.
- Rejecting the manuscript if undisclosed conflicts compromise the integrity of the research.
- Issuing corrections or retractions if undisclosed conflicts are discovered after publication.
Failure to Disclose
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may constitute publication misconduct. If undisclosed conflicts are identified before or after publication, ACEJN reserves the right to investigate the matter and take appropriate editorial action in accordance with COPE recommendations, including manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, retractions, or notification of the authors' institutions when appropriate.
Commitment to Transparency
ACEJN is dedicated to promoting transparency and maintaining public trust in scientific publishing. Full disclosure of conflicts of interest helps readers evaluate published research objectively and preserves the credibility of the scholarly record.
