Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests Policy

1. Introduction

Andalasian Livestock (ALive) is committed to maintaining integrity, objectivity, transparency, and public confidence in scholarly publishing. The journal recognizes that financial, professional, institutional, and personal interests may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, evaluation, interpretation, and publication of scientific research.

Transparent disclosure and appropriate management of conflicts of interest, also known as competing interests, are essential to ensuring that manuscripts are assessed fairly and that published findings can be evaluated with full awareness of relevant relationships.

This policy establishes the principles and procedures for identifying, disclosing, assessing, and managing competing interests involving authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, journal staff, and the publisher.

The policy is informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and relevant international standards for responsible scholarly publishing.

2. Description

2.1. Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's professional judgment or actions concerning a primary responsibility, such as conducting research, reporting findings, reviewing a manuscript, or making an editorial decision, may be influenced by a secondary interest.

A conflict may be actual, potential, or perceived.

Actual conflict of interest: A relevant secondary interest currently compromises, or directly competes with, an individual's professional responsibilities.

Potential conflict of interest: Circumstances exist that could develop into a conflict or influence professional judgment.

Perceived conflict of interest: A reasonable observer could question an individual's impartiality because of a relevant relationship or interest, even when no improper influence has occurred.

The existence of a competing interest does not necessarily indicate unethical behavior. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage a relevant interest can undermine confidence in the research and publication process.

2.2. Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial interests may include:

  • Employment or consultancy arrangements with commercial organizations.

  • Research grants or financial sponsorship.

  • Honoraria, speaker fees, or advisory board payments.

  • Stock ownership, shares, or other financial investments.

  • Patents, patent applications, licensing agreements, or royalties.

  • Paid expert testimony.

  • Travel sponsorship or other financial benefits.

  • Commercial relationships involving products, technologies, or services examined in the research.

Authors and other participants must disclose relevant financial relationships when these could reasonably be perceived to affect their work or decisions.

2.3. Nonfinancial Conflicts of Interest

Nonfinancial interests may include:

  • Close personal or family relationships.

  • Current or recent research collaborations.

  • Supervisory, mentoring, or academic dependency relationships.

  • Professional rivalry or significant academic disagreements.

  • Institutional relationships that could compromise impartiality.

  • Membership in organizations with a direct interest in the research findings.

  • Personal, professional, or intellectual commitments directly relevant to the work.

Nonfinancial interests should be disclosed when they may reasonably affect, or appear to affect, objective scientific judgment.

2.4. Conflicts of Interest in Livestock and Animal Science Research

Research published in Andalasian Livestock may involve commercial and institutional relationships within the livestock and animal science sectors.

Potential competing interests may arise from relationships with:

  • Animal feed and feed additive manufacturers.

  • Livestock breeding and genetics companies.

  • Veterinary pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers.

  • Animal health and biotechnology companies.

  • Commercial livestock farms and agribusiness enterprises.

  • Producers or distributors of agricultural equipment and livestock technologies.

  • Industry associations, commodity organizations, and research sponsors.

  • Organizations that may benefit from particular animal production, welfare, nutrition, or disease-management findings.

Such relationships are not automatically grounds for manuscript rejection.

However, relevant financial support, material contributions, commercial affiliations, and sponsor involvement must be disclosed and appropriately assessed.

3. Policy

3.1. General Principle of Transparency

All participants in the journal's publication process must disclose relevant interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.

The responsibility to disclose competing interests applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff.

Disclosure does not automatically disqualify an individual from participating in the publication process. The journal will assess whether the interest can be appropriately managed.

3.2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant financial and nonfinancial competing interests associated with the submitted research.

Disclosures should be made at manuscript submission and updated whenever relevant circumstances change during peer review, revision, acceptance, or publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating the collection and submission of competing interest declarations from all coauthors.

Each author remains individually responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their own declaration.

Authors must not conceal relevant relationships that could affect the interpretation of their research.

3.3. Mandatory Competing Interests Statement

As a proposed submission requirement, every manuscript should include a Competing Interests statement.

This statement must either identify relevant interests or explicitly declare that no competing interests exist.

The declaration should be included in the manuscript or in a separate submission document, according to the journal's approved manuscript preparation requirements.

Example — No Competing Interests

"The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

Example — Financial Competing Interest

"Author A has received research funding from [Organization]. Author B has provided paid consultancy services to [Organization]. The remaining authors declare no competing interests."

Example — Nonfinancial Competing Interest

"Author A serves on the scientific advisory committee of [Organization], which has an interest in the subject of this research. The remaining authors declare no competing interests."

These statements must be adapted to reflect the authors' actual circumstances.

3.4. Funding Disclosure and Sponsor Involvement

Authors must identify all relevant sources of funding, including grants, commercial sponsorship, institutional support, and material contributions.

Where applicable, authors should disclose the role of funders or sponsors in:

  1. Study conception and design.

  2. Selection of experimental treatments or research materials.

  3. Data collection and experimental procedures.

  4. Data analysis and interpretation.

  5. Manuscript preparation or revision.

  6. Decisions concerning submission and publication.

Where the funder or sponsor had no involvement in these activities, authors should state this explicitly.

Example — Sponsor Involvement

"This research was funded by [Funding Organization]. The funder participated in [specify relevant activities]. The authors retained responsibility for the interpretation and reporting of the findings."

Example — No Sponsor Involvement

"This research was supported by [Funding Organization]. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or decision to submit the article for publication."

Funding disclosure and competing interest disclosure serve related but distinct purposes. Both should be provided where applicable.

3.5. Commercially Sponsored Livestock Research

Authors conducting commercially supported livestock research must disclose relationships that could reasonably influence study design, data interpretation, or reporting.

Relevant examples include:

  • Feed trials sponsored by feed manufacturers.

  • Studies evaluating commercial feed additives or supplements.

  • Research assessing veterinary pharmaceuticals or vaccines.

  • Comparative studies of proprietary livestock technologies.

  • Investigations involving commercially supplied breeding stock or genetic materials.

  • Research conducted in partnership with livestock production companies.

The editorial team may request additional information regarding study independence, research protocols, access to underlying data, or sponsor involvement.

Commercial sponsorship does not automatically invalidate research findings, provided that relevant interests are disclosed and the scientific work meets the journal's editorial and ethical standards.

3.6. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must assess whether they have relevant competing interests before accepting a review invitation.

Potential reviewer conflicts include:

  • Current or recent research collaboration with an author.

  • Close personal or professional relationships.

  • Direct academic competition or significant professional rivalry.

  • Financial interests in the research findings.

  • Employment or institutional relationships that could compromise independence.

  • Involvement in the preparation or development of the submitted work.

  • Other circumstances that could reasonably undermine impartial evaluation.

Reviewers must inform the handling editor of any relevant competing interest before accepting the assignment.

If a conflict becomes apparent after review has begun, the reviewer must notify the editor promptly.

The editor will determine whether the reviewer may continue or should withdraw from the review process.

Reviewers must not use confidential manuscript information for personal, professional, or commercial advantage.

3.7. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose relevant competing interests concerning manuscripts assigned to them.

Potential editorial conflicts include:

  • Personal or financial relationships with an author.

  • Current research collaboration with an author.

  • Direct involvement in the submitted research.

  • Significant institutional or professional relationships.

  • Financial interests in a product, company, or technology evaluated in the manuscript.

  • Circumstances that could reasonably call editorial impartiality into question.

An editor with a significant competing interest must withdraw from handling the affected manuscript.

The Editor-in-Chief or another authorized, unconflicted individual should assign the manuscript to an independent editor.

Editorial decisions must be based on scientific merit, methodological quality, ethical acceptability, and relevance to the journal's scope.

3.8. Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

Manuscripts authored or coauthored by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, or journal staff must receive an independent editorial assessment.

The individual submitting the manuscript must not control reviewer selection, access confidential reviewer identities beyond their authorized author role, or participate in editorial decisions concerning their own work.

The manuscript should be assigned to an independent editor without relevant competing interests.

The same scientific, ethical, and peer-review standards must apply as for submissions from other authors.

Editorial membership must not confer preferential treatment or guarantee publication.

3.9. Responsibilities of Journal Staff

Journal staff must disclose relevant interests that could affect manuscript processing, reviewer assignment, editorial communication, or access to confidential information.

Staff members must not use their position to favor particular authors, institutions, sponsors, or commercial organizations.

Where a relevant conflict exists, responsibilities should be reassigned or otherwise managed to preserve fairness and confidentiality.

3.10. Journal-Level and Publisher-Level Conflicts of Interest

Andalasian Livestock recognizes that competing interests may also arise at the journal or publisher level.

Potential conflicts include:

  • Financial relationships with sponsors or commercial organizations.

  • Institutional interests in the publication of particular research findings.

  • Editorial decisions involving individuals holding management or oversight positions.

  • Commercial or administrative pressures affecting publication decisions.

  • Financial incentives associated with article processing charges or publication volume.

The journal and its publisher must protect editorial independence from inappropriate commercial, financial, institutional, or personal influence.

Payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC), where applicable, must not influence peer-review outcomes, acceptance decisions, or the application of publication ethics standards.

Editorial acceptance must be determined independently of the payment process.

3.11. Assessment and Management of Disclosed Interests

The editorial team should evaluate relevant disclosures according to:

  1. The nature of the interest.

  2. Its relationship to the submitted work.

  3. The likelihood of actual or perceived influence.

  4. The individual's role in the publication process.

  5. The seriousness of the potential effect on editorial independence or research integrity.

Appropriate management measures may include:

  • Publishing the author's competing interests statement.

  • Requesting additional disclosure or clarification.

  • Assigning a different reviewer.

  • Reassigning a manuscript to an independent editor.

  • Requiring additional independent scientific evaluation.

  • Requesting information about sponsor involvement or access to research data.

  • Referring serious integrity concerns for further assessment.

  • Declining a manuscript where an unacceptable integrity concern cannot be adequately resolved.

Management decisions must be proportionate to the circumstances and should be documented.

3.12. Publication of Competing Interests Statements

Every published research article should contain a clear declaration of the authors' competing interests.

Where no relevant interests exist, the article should include an explicit statement to that effect.

Where relevant interests exist, the declaration should provide sufficient information for readers to understand their nature and relationship to the research.

Funding information should also be published in an appropriate section.

The journal should ensure that these statements are consistent between the manuscript, publication metadata, and final article files where applicable.

3.13. Undisclosed Conflicts Identified During Peer Review

If an undisclosed competing interest is identified during manuscript evaluation, the editorial team may request clarification and supporting information.

Depending on the seriousness of the concern, the journal may:

  • Request an updated disclosure statement.

  • Suspend editorial processing temporarily.

  • Reassign reviewers or editors.

  • Obtain additional independent assessment.

  • Consider whether the nondisclosure raises a broader research integrity concern.

Deliberate concealment or material misrepresentation may be handled under the Allegations of Misconduct Policy.

3.14. Undisclosed Conflicts Identified After Publication

If a significant undisclosed competing interest is identified after publication, the journal will assess its relevance and potential effect on the published work.

The journal may request explanations from the authors or other relevant individuals and review supporting evidence.

Possible actions include:

Correction: When a disclosure was incomplete or inaccurate and the published record requires amendment.

Further Investigation: When the undisclosed interest raises credible concerns about the reliability of the research or integrity of the editorial process.

Expression of Concern: When substantial unresolved concerns justify alerting readers while an investigation is ongoing.

Retraction: When evidence demonstrates that the findings are unreliable or another serious circumstance meets the applicable criteria for retraction.

An undisclosed competing interest does not automatically justify retraction. Editorial action must be proportionate to its significance and the available evidence.

3.15. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Competing interest declarations submitted to the journal should be handled in accordance with applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Information necessary for transparency may be published in the article's declaration.

Other personal or financial details collected solely for editorial assessment should not be publicly disclosed without an appropriate basis.

Access to confidential disclosures should be restricted to authorized individuals involved in editorial decision-making and policy administration.

4. Implementation and Procedures

4.1. Author Disclosure at Submission

As a proposed implementation requirement, the corresponding author should submit a Competing Interests statement covering all authors.

The journal may incorporate this requirement into its OJS submission checklist, manuscript template, or a separate disclosure form.

The corresponding author should verify that all coauthors have reviewed their declarations.

4.2. Editorial Screening

The editorial office should check that each submission contains a relevant declaration.

Where a declaration is missing, incomplete, or inconsistent, the editorial office should request clarification before the manuscript proceeds to the appropriate next stage.

The presence of a declared competing interest must not automatically result in rejection.

4.3. Reviewer Conflict Assessment

Before accepting a review invitation, reviewers should be asked to consider whether any financial, professional, institutional, or personal interest could affect their impartiality.

A reviewer who identifies a significant conflict should inform the handling editor and decline or withdraw from the assignment when instructed.

The handling editor should document material decisions concerning reviewer conflicts.

4.4. Editorial Conflict Assessment

Editors should review their own relevant interests before accepting responsibility for a manuscript.

Where a significant conflict exists, the manuscript should be reassigned to an appropriately qualified, independent editor.

When the Editor-in-Chief is conflicted, responsibility should be assigned through an approved independent editorial or publisher-level procedure.

4.5. Verification Before Publication

Before publication, the editorial office should verify that:

  • The Competing Interests statement is present.

  • Relevant funding sources are identified.

  • Sponsor involvement is described where applicable.

  • The declaration is consistent with information supplied during submission.

  • Any material changes disclosed during peer review have been incorporated.

4.6. Post-Publication Review

Reports of undisclosed interests should be documented and assessed according to the journal's Allegations of Misconduct Policy and Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy.

The journal should communicate with affected individuals and determine whether clarification, correction, or another editorial action is justified.

4.7. Recordkeeping

The editorial office should maintain secure records of material competing interest disclosures, assessments, recusals, and management decisions.

Records should be retained in accordance with applicable institutional, privacy, and record-retention requirements.

4.8. Periodic Policy Review

The editorial team should periodically evaluate the effectiveness of this policy and revise it when necessary to reflect developments in scholarly publishing ethics and journal operations.

COPE resources