Conflict of Interest Policy

  1. General Provisions

The scholarly journal “Bulletin of the Penitentiary Association of Ukraine” ensures the identification, disclosure, and management of conflicts of interest at all stages of the editorial and publishing process.

This policy is based on the recommendations of:

The key principle of the journal’s conflict of interest policy is that transparent disclosure and proper management of conflicts of interest are essential to maintaining trust in scholarly publications and the journal’s reputation.

  1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest is any circumstance (financial, professional, personal, or institutional) that may affect the objectivity of manuscript preparation, peer review, or editorial decision-making.

Types of potential interests include:

  • financial interests: sources of funding (grants, sponsorship, honoraria), shareholding, patent applications;
  • professional relationships: employment in organizations with a direct interest in the research subject, membership in boards, consulting activities;
  • personal relationships: family or close personal ties with members of the Editorial Board or potential reviewers.
  1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are required to:

  • disclose the presence or absence of any conflict of interest;
  • indicate sources of funding;
  • disclose all circumstances that may influence the research results.

The absence of a conflict of interest must be confirmed by the author(s) in a declaration accompanying the publication.

  1. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must be independent experts:

  • institutionally (not affiliated with the same institution as the author);
  • scientifically (no co-authored publications with the author within the last three years);
  • hierarchically (no direct supervisory relationship).

Reviewers are required to:

  • disclose any conflicts of interest;
  • decline to review in case of such conflicts;
  • refrain from evaluating manuscripts related to their institution or co-authors.
  1. Responsibilities of the Editorial Office

Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific merit of the manuscript and the objective assessments of independent reviewers.

The Editorial Office:

  • ensures independence and impartiality of decisions;
  • prevents undue influence from interested parties;
  • excludes individuals with conflicts of interest from the manuscript evaluation process;
  • ensures transparency of procedures.

Editors do not participate in the review or decision-making process regarding their own manuscripts.

  1. Special Cases: Publications by Editorial Board Members and Founders (Editorial “Firewall”)

In cases where manuscripts are submitted by authors who are:

  • members of the Editorial Board;
  • the Editor-in-Chief or editors of the journal;
  • representatives of the founder or publishing institution,

additional safeguards are applied to ensure impartiality:

  • full exclusion of such authors from the editorial process related to their manuscript;
  • appointment of an independent editor to oversee the manuscript;
  • mandatory double-blind peer review involving external reviewers;
  • where possible, engagement of reviewers from other institutions or countries;
  • decision-making based solely on the scientific quality of the work.

Where appropriate, the journal may include a note in the publication confirming adherence to an independent review procedure.

  1. Management of Conflicts of Interest

In the event of a conflict of interest:

  • the manuscript is reassigned to another editor or reviewer;
  • additional explanations may be requested;
  • the Editorial Office ensures independent evaluation.
  1. Consequences of Violations

Failure to disclose a conflict of interest may result in:

  • rejection of the manuscript;
  • retraction of the article;
  • notification of the author’s institution regarding the ethical violation;
  • application of other measures in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy.