Conflict of Interest Policy

To maintain the highest standards of scientific integrity and objectivity, JAFESS requires all authors, peer reviewers, and editors to declare any potential conflicts of interest that could inappropriately influence or bias the research, evaluation, or publication process.

For Authors
Upon submission, authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing their manuscript. This includes, but is not limited to:

Direct funding, grants, or financial support received for the research.
Employment, consultancies, or stock ownership at organizations with a direct interest in the paper's findings.
If no conflicts exist, authors must state it clearly. Please also read the Funding Policy for more details.

For Peer Reviewers

Reviewers are required to recuse themselves from the evaluation process if they possess a conflict of interest that could compromise an objective assessment. Reviewers must instantly notify the editorial office and decline a review if:

They recognize the manuscript's origin or style and have a close personal or professional relationship with the suspected author.
They are currently affiliated with the same institution as the authors, or have been co-authors with them within the past five years.
They are engaged in direct financial or intellectual competition with the research presented.

For Editors and Editorial Board Members

The editorial office maintains a strict shield against internal bias:

Editors will completely recuse themselves from managing, reviewing, or making final decisions on any manuscript written by themselves, close colleagues, or family members.
Manuscripts submitted by members of the JAFESS Editorial Board or CamEd faculty undergo completely independent handling by external guest editors, and the authoring board member is locked out of the OJS decision portal for that paper.