Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Policy for Authors

At Sustainable Machine Intelligence Journal (SMIJ), we uphold the principles of transparency, integrity, and impartiality in research and scholarly publication. Authors submitting manuscripts to our journal are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence the integrity, objectivity, or impartiality of their work.

Study Sponsorship and Data Access:

Authors are strongly advised to refrain from entering agreements with study sponsors, whether for-profit or non-profit, that hinder their access to the study's data or limit their ability to independently analyze, interpret, and publish manuscripts without restrictions regarding timing or venue.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest:

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest that might improperly influence or bias their work. These conflicts of interest encompass both financial and non-financial relationships or interests. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Financial interests (e.g., membership, employment, consultancies, stock/share ownership, honoraria, grants or other funding, paid expert testimonies, patent-licensing arrangements).
• Non-financial interests (e.g., personal or professional relationships, affiliations, personal beliefs).

Submission and Declaration Process:

Authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest during the manuscript submission process via the online submission system. The corresponding author must provide a summary statement in a separate section titled “Conflicts of Interest” just before the reference list in the manuscript. This statement should encompass all collected potential conflict of interest disclosures in the following form:

"Conflicts of Interest: Author A has received research grants from Company A. Author B has received a speaker honorarium from Company X and owns stocks in Company Y. Author C has been involved as a consultant and expert witness in Company Z. Author D is the inventor of patent X."

In the absence of any conflicts, authors should state:

"Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Verification and Handling:

The journal's editorial and review process involves a thorough examination of disclosed conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts will be evaluated in the context of the submitted manuscript and may be communicated to reviewers for consideration during the peer-review process.

Publication of Conflicts of Interest:

Disclosure of conflicts of interest will be published alongside the manuscript to ensure transparency and allow readers to appropriately evaluate the research.

Editorial Review:

The Editorial Board reserves the right to request additional information or clarification regarding potential conflicts of interest and, if necessary, to determine the relevance and impact of the disclosed conflicts on the submitted work.