The Emirates Scholar Center for Research & Studies (ESRC) is committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in scholarly publishing. To safeguard the credibility of published research, authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any real or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the work or its evaluation.

1. Author Responsibilities

Authors must declare any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could affect the research or interpretation of results. Examples include:

• Employment, consultancies, or advisory roles
• Stock ownership or equity interests
• Honoraria or paid expert testimony
• Funding sources or grant support
• Personal relationships with co-authors or reviewers

These disclosures are being clarified during the manuscript submission process and included in a Conflict-of-Interest statement in the published article.

2. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must recuse themselves from evaluating manuscripts where conflicts exist, including cases where:

• They have close personal or professional relationships with any of the authors
• They are involved in competing research
• They have financial interests related to the work under review

3. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must ensure impartial decision-making. If an editor has a potential conflict regarding a manuscript, they must delegate handling to an uninvolved editor.

4. Transparency and Accountability

Conflict of interest disclosures are recorded in the editorial system and may be published alongside the article to maintain transparency for readers. Non-disclosure discovered post-publication may result in corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, following COPE guidelines.

5. Compliance with Standards

This policy aligns with COPE, ICMJE, and Scopus ethical guidelines, promoting trust, fairness, and integrity throughout the publication process.

By enforcing this policy, ESRC ensures that research evaluation and publication decisions are objective, ethical, and transparent, protecting the integrity of the journal and the wider scholarly community.