Conflict of Interest and Author Declaration Policy

NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry adheres to a transparent and rigorous policy for identifying, declaring, and managing potential conflicts of interest among editors, authors, reviewers, and journal staff. This policy ensures the integrity, credibility, and objectivity of the publication process. A statement declaring any conflicts of interest and data fabrication, or explicitly stating that none exist, must be included in all full-text versions of published articles.

Authors:
Author(s) must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that may influence the research, authorship, or publication of their manuscript. This includes, but is not limited to, employment, consultancies, honoraria, funding, grants, stock ownership, affiliations, or personal relationships.

Author(s) are also required to declare that the data presented in the manuscript has not been falsified or fabricated and that the research is original and conducted with integrity. Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools must be transparently disclosed, including the name of the tool, its purpose, and the manner in which it was used.

All authors contributing to NUML JCI must sign a formal declaration confirming the absence of conflicts of interest and data fabrication/falsification, and must declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest or involvement in data fabrication/falsification with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of their submitted article.

All sources of financial support for the project (if any) must be disclosed, along with a brief overview of the role played by the sources during the various stages of research.

Reviewers:
Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to accepting a manuscript for review. In cases where a conflict exists (including prior collaboration, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships with the authors), reviewers are required to decline the review to maintain objectivity and fairness in the evaluation process.

Editors:
Editors must recuse themselves from handling or making decisions on manuscripts in which they have any conflict of interest, whether financial, professional, or personal. Alternative editorial arrangements must be made to ensure impartial decision-making.

Journal:
The journal is responsible for managing conflicts of interest through transparent procedures. This includes reassignment of manuscripts where conflicts arise, maintaining confidentiality, and ensuring unbiased editorial decisions. The journal ensures that all conflict-of-interest disclosures are properly documented and made available in published articles.