Conflict of Interests Policy
1. Introduction
The editorial board of the 'Bulletin of Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko' (hereinafter – 'Bulletin') aims to uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity and publication ethics. An essential component of this process is transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest among authors/co-authors of scientific articles, which may influence, or be perceived as controlling, the objectivity of the research and its results.
This policy has been developed in accordance with international standards, including the recommendations of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE).
2. Definition of a conflict of interest
A conflict of interest arises when an author (or an institution where the author works), a reviewer, or an editor has financial or personal commitments that may negatively influence (create bias) their actions regarding the preparation, review, or publication of a manuscript.
A potential conflict of interest may exist regardless of whether the individual considers that these commitments affect their scientific judgment. Trust in the scientific process and the credibility of published articles depend in part on how transparently conflicts of interest are considered during the planning, execution, writing, review, and publication of scientific papers.
Conflicts of interest may be:
1) Financial: Direct or indirect financial relationships, such as:
- Employment or consultancy with organisations that may benefit (or suffer losses) from the publication of a scientific article.
- Ownership of shares, options, or stakes in the authorised capital of economic entities whose activities are related to the research topic.
- Receiving fees, grants, payments for expert opinions, and lectures from organisations interested in the research outcomes.
- Patents (existing or applied for) related to the research.
- Receiving research funding from a commercial organisation.
2) Non-financial (Personal): Relationships that do not have a direct financial nature but may influence objectivity, such as:
a. Personal relationships (family ties, close friendship) with individuals or organisations related to the research topic.
b. Academic competition or strong scientific beliefs that may bias data interpretation.
c. Membership in councils, advisory committees, governing bodies of organisations interested in the subject of the manuscript.
d. Institutional affiliation or obligations that may affect objectivity.
3. Authors' Responsibilities
1) Disclosure of information: All authors are obliged to disclose any financial and non-financial interests that may be considered as potential conflicts of interest concerning the submitted manuscript. This includes interests that have arisen within the last 36 months from the date of the first submission of the article to the relevant editorial office of the Bulletin and are directly or indirectly related to the presented work.
2) Timing of disclosure: A conflict of interest statement must be provided to the 'Bulletin' editorial office at the time of manuscript submission.
3) Completeness of information: The responsibility for complete and accurate disclosure of potential conflicts of interest lies with the authors. If there are doubts about whether certain relationships or interests should be declared, it is recommended to declare them in the relevant section of the manuscript.
4) Absence of conflict: If the authors have no conflicts of interest, they should clearly state this.
4. Declaration Mechanism
1) Authors must include a separate section titled 'Conflict of Interest Declaration' (or similar) in the manuscript, placed before the list of references.
2) In this section, all potential conflicts of interest for each author should be listed, or a statement should be made regarding their absence.
- Example of a statement indicating presence: 'Author A received a grant from Company X. Author B is a consultant for Company Y. Author C has no conflicts of interest.'
- Example of a statement indicating absence: 'The authors declare no conflicts of interest.'
3) The editorial board of the Bulletin may also require the completion of an additional conflict of interest disclosure form when submitting the manuscript.
5. The Role of the Editorial Board
1) The editorial board of the 'Vіsnik' considers declarations of conflicts of interest during the evaluation of a manuscript.
2) The existence of a conflict of interest in itself is not a reason for rejection of publication; however, failure to declare it may be such a reason.
3) The editorial team ensures the confidentiality of information regarding conflicts of interest during the peer review process. Still, it reserves the right to publish the authors' statement alongside the article to ensure transparency.
4) Editors and reviewers are also obliged to declare their own conflicts of interest and to abstain from reviewing manuscripts in such cases.
6. Consequences of Non-Disclosure of a Conflict of Interest and Dispute Resolution between Authors
1) If the authors did not disclose a potential conflict of interest during the submission of the manuscript and it becomes known to the editorial office later (before or after publication), the editorial office of the 'Bulletin' will investigate in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics. Depending on the circumstances and the severity of the situation, this may lead to:
- Rejection of the manuscript (if it has not yet been published).
- Publication of a corrigendum or expression of concern.
- Retraction of the published article.
2) In the event of a dispute or conflict of interest between co-authors regarding the content, authorship, order of authorship, contribution, or other aspects at any stage of manuscript review (before its actual publication), the 'Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv' has the right to suspend further review and the process of preparing the article for publication.
3) The review and preparation of the article for publication in such cases will only resume after the editorial office receives an official written notification signed by all co-authors, confirming the successful resolution of the conflict or dispute. The notification must specify the method and agreed-upon conditions of such resolution. The editorial office has the right to request additional confirmation of the agreement.
In accordance with the Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “On Recommendations for Improving Editorial Policies and Practices of Scholarly Journals” No. 1/3490-26 dated February 26, 2026, if the author is the editor-in-chief and/or the managing editor, an independent handling editor shall be appointed from among the members of the editorial board to select and invite independent reviewers.
Accordingly, the article includes a declaration of conflict of interest in the following format: "The author is the editor-in-chief (member of the editorial board of the publication); therefore, he did not participate in reviewing and making a decision on the publication of this article."
The editorial board of the 'Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv' relies on authors' cooperation in adhering to this policy to maintain high standards of scientific publishing and ethical norms.
