Conflict of Interest Policy

The International Journal of Information Technology and Computing (ITX Journal) is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity, and objectivity in all aspects of scholarly publishing.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the research, peer-review process, editorial decisions, or interpretation of published results.

The journal follows international ethical publishing standards and recommendations established by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics
  • Elsevier publishing ethics guidelines
  • Springer Nature ethical publishing standards

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest such as:

  • Research validity
  • Editorial objectivity
  • Scientific integrity

may be influenced by secondary interests including:

  • Financial relationships
  • Personal relationships
  • Academic competition
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Political or commercial interests

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest related to the submitted work.

Possible conflicts may include:

  • Research funding
  • Employment relationships
  • Consultancy activities
  • Patent ownership
  • Financial support
  • Stock ownership
  • Institutional collaborations

Mandatory Disclosure Statement

Authors are required to include a Conflict of Interest statement within the manuscript.

Example statements:

 
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
 

or

 
The authors declare that financial support was received from [Organization Name].
 

Funding Transparency

All financial support and funding sources must be disclosed clearly, including:

  • Research grants
  • Institutional support
  • Industry sponsorship
  • Equipment support
  • Data access support

Funding information should not influence the editorial decision-making process.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must decline review invitations when conflicts of interest exist, including:

  • Personal relationships with authors
  • Institutional collaboration
  • Academic competition
  • Financial interests
  • Joint research activities

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and confidentially.

Editor Responsibilities

Editors and editorial board members must avoid handling manuscripts in cases involving:

  • Personal relationships
  • Institutional conflicts
  • Financial interests
  • Collaborative relationships with authors

Editors must ensure fair and unbiased editorial decisions.

Undisclosed Conflicts

Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Retraction of published articles
  • Ethical investigation
  • Notification of institutions

The journal reserves the right to request additional disclosures when necessary.

Commercial & Sponsorship Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of:

  • Financial support
  • Sponsorship agreements
  • Institutional influence
  • Commercial interests

Publication decisions are based solely on:

  • Scientific merit
  • Originality
  • Research quality
  • Relevance to journal scope

AI & Conflict of Interest

Authors using Artificial Intelligence tools must ensure that AI usage does not create:

  • Undisclosed bias
  • Fabricated content
  • Misleading results
  • Ethical concerns

AI-related disclosures should be included where applicable.

Confidentiality

All disclosed conflict of interest information is handled professionally and confidentially by the editorial office.

Investigation of Ethical Concerns

The journal may investigate suspected undisclosed conflicts of interest according to international publication ethics standards.

Investigations may involve:

  • Editorial review
  • Institutional communication
  • Ethical evaluation
  • Independent consultation

Corrections & Retractions

If undisclosed conflicts significantly affect the reliability or transparency of a publication, the journal may issue:

  • Corrections
  • Editorial notices
  • Expressions of concern
  • Retractions

Ethical Commitment

ITX Journal is committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and integrity in scholarly publishing through responsible conflict of interest disclosure and ethical editorial practices.

Commitment to Transparency

The journal believes that transparent disclosure of conflicts of interest strengthens:

  • Scientific credibility
  • Editorial integrity
  • Reader trust
  • Responsible scholarly communication

and contributes to maintaining confidence in the global scientific publishing process.