Conflict of Interest Policy

The Medical Journal of Oncology (MJO) is committed to promoting transparency, trust, and integrity in the publication process. All stakeholders — authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher — are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest (COIs) that may influence, or appear to influence, their professional judgment, objectivity, or decisions.

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, institutional, or professional relationships could bias the design, conduct, interpretation, or reporting of oncology research.

1. Authors’ Responsibilities

  • Authors must declare all potential conflicts of interest at submission.

  • Relevant COIs may include (but are not limited to):

    • Financial interests: research grants, pharmaceutical or biotechnology funding, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, royalties, or paid expert testimony.

    • Clinical trial involvement: sponsorships, contracts, or affiliations with companies developing cancer therapies or devices.

    • Professional relationships: institutional or collaborative connections that could bias interpretation.

  • All funding sources must be acknowledged, including clarification of the funder’s role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.

  • If no conflicts exist, authors must state:
    “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

2. Reviewers’ Responsibilities

  • Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a manuscript for review.

  • Conflicts may include:

    • Direct competition with the authors’ research.

    • Financial ties to companies or products related to the manuscript.

    • Personal or professional relationships with the authors.

  • If a conflict exists, the reviewer should decline the review to ensure impartiality.

3. Editors’ Responsibilities

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists, such as:

    • Professional or personal relationships with authors.

    • Financial interest in a drug, therapy, or medical device being evaluated.

    • Employment or institutional affiliation that could influence the editorial decision.

  • In such cases, the manuscript will be reassigned to another qualified editor with no conflicts.

4. Publisher’s Responsibilities

  • The publisher ensures that all declared conflicts are made publicly available in published articles.

  • Editorial independence is maintained, and decisions are not influenced by commercial, financial, or institutional pressures.

5. Disclosure in Published Articles

  • Every article must include a Conflict of Interest Statement.

  • If conflicts exist, they will be explicitly described.

  • If no conflicts are declared, the following statement will appear:
    “The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.”

  • Funding disclosures must also appear in the article, detailing sources of financial and material support.

6. Undisclosed Conflicts

  • If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, MJO will investigate in line with COPE guidelines.

  • Depending on severity, actions may include:

    • Publishing a correction or erratum.

    • Issuing an expression of concern.

    • Retracting the article.