Conflict of Interest Policy

Journal: Joining and Corrosion Protection (JCP)

Policy Version: 1.0

Effective Date: June 2026

1. Purpose

Joining and Corrosion Protection (JCP) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the publication process.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members are required to disclose any interests or relationships that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent participation in the publication process. However, all relevant conflicts must be disclosed and appropriately managed.

2. What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest (COI), also referred to as a competing interest, exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest—such as the validity of research or the fairness of editorial decisions—may be influenced by a secondary interest.

Conflicts may be financial, professional, institutional, or personal.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict may constitute publication misconduct.

3. Types of Conflicts of Interest

3.1 Financial Interests

Examples include:

• research funding or grants;
• consulting fees;
• employment by a company related to the research;
• stock ownership or equity interests;
• patents or patent applications;
• honoraria or speaker fees;
• paid expert testimony;
• sponsored travel or accommodation.

3.2 Professional and Academic Interests

Examples include:

• current or recent collaboration with another author;
• co-authorship within the previous three years;
• supervisor-student or mentor-mentee relationships;
• direct academic competition;
• participation in the same research project.

3.3 Personal Interests

Examples include:

• family relationships;
• close personal friendships;
• personal disputes or conflicts.

3.4 Institutional Interests

Examples include:

• employment at the same institution as an author;
• institutional ownership of patents related to the work;
• institutional financial interests in the research outcome. 

4. Author Responsibilities

4.1 Disclosure Requirement

All authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that disclosures are provided for all co-authors.

4.2 Conflict of Interest Statement

All submissions must include a Conflict of Interest Statement before the References section.

Example: No Conflicts

Conflict of Interest Statement

"The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or personal interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper."

Example: Conflicts Exist

Conflict of Interest Statement

"Author A has received research funding from Company X. Author B is a consultant to Company Y. The remaining authors declare no competing interests."

4.3 Funding Disclosure

Sources of financial support must be disclosed separately in a Funding Statement.

Authors should indicate the role of the funding organization in:

• study design;
• data collection;
• data analysis;
• manuscript preparation;
• publication decisions.

If the funder had no involvement, authors should state:

"The funder had no role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication of the results."

5. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a review invitation.

Reviewers should decline review assignments if they:

• work at the same institution as an author;
• have collaborated with an author within the previous three years;
• have a close personal relationship with an author;
• have a financial interest in the outcome of the research;
• believe they cannot provide an impartial evaluation.

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

6. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors, Deputy Editors, Associate Editors, and Editorial Board members must avoid handling manuscripts when a conflict of interest exists.

Examples include:

• manuscripts authored by colleagues from the same institution;
• manuscripts submitted by recent collaborators;
• manuscripts involving family members or close personal contacts;
• manuscripts where the editor has a financial or professional interest in the outcome.

In such cases, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor.

7. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on:

• scientific quality;
• originality;
• methodological rigor;
• relevance to the journal scope;
• compliance with ethical standards.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by:

• commercial interests;
• advertising considerations;
• institutional pressure;
• personal relationships.

The Publisher and Editorial Office do not interfere with editorial decisions.

8. Management of Conflicts

When a conflict is disclosed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• document the conflict;
• publish the disclosure statement;
• assign alternative reviewers;
• reassign editorial responsibility;
• request additional independent review.

The journal will determine the most appropriate management strategy based on the nature and significance of the conflict.

9. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a potentially significant undisclosed conflict is identified before publication, the journal may:

• request clarification;
• require correction of disclosures;
• delay editorial processing;
• reject the manuscript.

If an undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal may:

• publish a Correction;
• publish an Expression of Concern;
• retract the article in serious cases.

Actions will be taken in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and Corrections and Retractions Policy.

10. Complaints and Reporting Concerns

Concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest may be reported to the Editorial Office.

Reports should include sufficient information to allow evaluation of the concern.

The journal will investigate credible concerns confidentially and fairly.

11. Relationship to Other Policies

This policy should be read together with:

• Publication Ethics Policy
• Peer Review Policy
• Data Availability Policy
• AI Policy
• Corrections and Retractions Policy

12. Contact

Questions regarding conflicts of interest or disclosure requirements may be directed to:

Editorial Office

Joining and Corrosion Protection (JCP)

Email: jcp@sunlitpub.com