Theory and Practice of Forensic Science and Criminalistics

A conflict of interest is the presence of a private interest of a person in the sphere in which they perform their official or representative duties, which may affect the objectivity or impartiality of their decision-making or the performance or non-performance of actions while exercising such powers, including interference with a full, proper, and objective procedure for reviewing and making decisions regarding the publication of research articles or other materials.

A conflict of interest is considered to exist if individuals involved in the editorial process have personal or other relationships that could potentially compromise them, hinder their objectivity, or influence decisions related to publication.

All authors must disclose in their scientific works information about any financial or other significant conflicts of interest that may affect the results of the research or their interpretation. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest may include information about employment, advisory or consulting roles, stock ownership, honoraria, patent applications/registrations, as well as grants and other types of funding. All potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed as early as possible.

When submitting an article, the author must report any possible conflicts of interest with members of the editorial board of the collection of scientific papers “Theory and Practice of Forensic Science and Criminalistics”.

A conflict of interest may also be related to employment, sources of funding, personal financial interests, membership in relevant organizations, or other circumstances that may cause bias and influence decision-making by responsible persons.

Members of the editorial board of the Collection must not review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, or with companies or institutions related to the research.

Any statements regarding conflicts of interest made by authors, reviewers, or editors are considered by the responsible editor and/or the Editor-in-Chief (Co-Editor-in-Chief) of the publication. In cases where justified statements about a conflict of interest involve the Editor-in-Chief (Co-Editor-in-Chief), such statements are reviewed with the participation of two members of the editorial board or members of the advisory board of the publication.

The editorial board and advisory board of the Collection adhere to the requirements and position of the Committee on Publication Ethics regarding COPE Submissions by the editor-in-chief and editorial board members of a journal and COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and also take into account the approach of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) concerning the disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships and conflicts of interest (section Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest).

We also emphasize that the approved policies and procedures are not only publicly available but also ensure their actual and consistent implementation by members of the editorial board and the advisory board.