Conflict of Interest

Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society (CIILS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and fairness in scholarly publishing. This policy establishes the principles and procedures for identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest involving authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, journal staff, and the publisher, whether such conflicts are identified before or after publication.

CIILS adheres to the core principles of publication ethics and follows the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process are expected to ensure that editorial decisions are based on the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, and integrity of submitted manuscripts rather than on personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other competing interests.

Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when an individual or institution has financial, personal, professional, academic, institutional, or other interests that may improperly influence, or may reasonably be perceived to influence, their judgment, objectivity, or responsibilities in the research, peer review, editorial decision-making, or publication process.

Conflicts of interest do not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage such conflicts may compromise the integrity, credibility, and impartiality of scholarly publishing.

Identification and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Financial interests: Research funding, grants, employment, consultancy, honoraria, stock ownership, or other financial relationships that may influence the research or its interpretation.

• Personal relationships: Family relationships, close personal relationships, personal disputes, or other circumstances that may compromise impartiality.

• Academic and professional relationships: Recent or ongoing research collaborations, joint publications, supervisory relationships, mentorship, or other professional connections that may affect the objectivity of research evaluation.

• Institutional affiliations: Affiliations with institutions, organizations, or communities that have a direct interest in the subject matter, findings, or conclusions of a manuscript.

• Religious and interfaith interests: Personal, institutional, organizational, or professional commitments relating to religious communities, interfaith relations, religious doctrines, or related legal and social issues that may reasonably be perceived as affecting the impartial assessment of a manuscript.

• Intellectual property interests: Patents, copyrights, ownership of research materials, or other intellectual property rights that may be affected by the publication.

• Competing interests: Any other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the interpretation of research findings, the peer review process, or editorial decisions.

The existence of a particular religious affiliation, academic perspective, or scholarly position does not, by itself, constitute a conflict of interest. Such circumstances must be assessed in context, particularly where they create a direct competing interest or a reasonable risk of bias in the evaluation of a manuscript.

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest during manuscript submission. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should provide an explicit declaration stating that they have no competing interests to disclose.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

CIILS will assess and manage disclosed or identified conflicts of interest fairly, confidentially, and transparently. Appropriate measures may include additional disclosure, the appointment of an independent reviewer or editor, reassignment of editorial responsibilities, or other actions necessary to protect the integrity of the publication process.

For Authors

Authors are responsible for disclosing all actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may be relevant to their manuscripts. Disclosures should include any financial support, institutional relationships, personal interests, or other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors are informed of and agree with the relevant disclosures before submission.

If a conflict of interest is identified after submission or publication, the authors must promptly notify the editorial office. CIILS will assess the circumstances and determine the appropriate action, which may include publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern, or retracting the article where warranted by the evidence and applicable publication ethics standards.

For Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect, or may reasonably be perceived to affect, their ability to provide an objective and impartial assessment of a manuscript.

Reviewers should decline an invitation if they have a significant personal, professional, academic, institutional, financial, or other competing interest relating to the manuscript or its authors. If a conflict arises or becomes apparent during the review process, reviewers must promptly inform the editorial office and discontinue the review if necessary.

Reviewers must respect the confidentiality of manuscripts and must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal, professional, or academic advantage.

For Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which such conflicts may compromise their impartiality.

A conflicted editor must not participate in reviewer selection, peer review evaluation, editorial deliberation, or the final publication decision concerning the manuscript. The manuscript will instead be assigned to an independent editor or another appropriately qualified member of the editorial team who has no relevant conflict of interest.

If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the editorial decision must be delegated to an independent editor or another authorized editorial board member who is not involved in the competing interest.

Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, and compliance with publication ethics standards.

For Journal Staff and the Publisher

Journal staff and the publisher must ensure that administrative, financial, institutional, or personal interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions or the evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial considerations, sponsorship arrangements, publication fees, institutional relationships, or other financial interests. Any individual whose involvement may compromise the integrity of the publication process must disclose the conflict and, where appropriate, be excluded from the relevant decision-making process.

Editorial Independence and Double-Blind Peer Review

CIILS applies a double-blind peer review process in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another to the extent practicable. All parties must respect the confidentiality and integrity of this process.

If an editor, reviewer, or other individual involved in a manuscript's evaluation is a co-author of the submitted work or has another material conflict of interest, that individual must not participate in the assessment or editorial decision concerning the manuscript.

CIILS will take reasonable measures to restrict access to confidential submission and review information to individuals who require such access to perform their assigned editorial responsibilities. Where necessary, manuscripts will be reassigned to independent editorial personnel to prevent actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

The double-blind peer review process does not eliminate the obligation to disclose conflicts of interest. All relevant competing interests must still be declared and appropriately managed.

Transparency and Disclosure Statements

CIILS requires appropriate conflict of interest disclosures to be included in the publication record. Authors' declarations will be published alongside their articles where applicable, including an explicit statement that no competing interests exist when no relevant conflicts have been identified.

Where a disclosed conflict of interest is relevant to the interpretation, evaluation, or publication of a manuscript, CIILS will determine whether additional disclosure or other measures are necessary to maintain transparency and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Information concerning conflicts of interest involving reviewers or editors will be handled in accordance with confidentiality obligations and publication ethics principles. Such information will not automatically be published; disclosure will be made where appropriate, necessary, and consistent with applicable ethical and confidentiality requirements.

Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If CIILS becomes aware of an undisclosed conflict of interest before publication, the editorial team will investigate the matter and take appropriate action. This may include requesting clarification or a revised disclosure statement, appointing an independent reviewer or editor, suspending the editorial process, or rejecting the manuscript where justified.

If an undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, CIILS will assess the available evidence and consult relevant parties where necessary. Depending on the seriousness of the issue and its impact on the integrity of the published work, the journal may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, in accordance with applicable publication ethics guidelines.

All allegations will be handled fairly and confidentially, and decisions will be based on the available evidence and the principles of publication ethics.

Review and Revision of the Policy

CIILS will periodically review this policy to ensure its continued relevance, effectiveness, and consistency with recognized standards of publication ethics and scholarly publishing. Any revisions will be communicated to relevant stakeholders and made publicly available on the journal's official website.