Policy on Funding and Financial Conflicts of Interest

This policy is established in accordance with the core practices and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Jinnah Business Review (JBR) is committed to ensuring the highest standards of ethical publishing by promoting transparency of all sources of funding and managing potential financial conflicts of interest that could influence research objectivity or its perception.

1. Journal Funding and Independence

In line with COPE's principles on editorial independence, JBR operates under a specific funding model:

a) JBR is fully and directly funded by its host institution, Capital University of Science and Technology.

b) The journal does not charge readers (No Subscription Fees) or authors (No Article Processing Charges - APCs), operating as a diamond/open access publication.

c) The journal does not solicit or accept direct funding, sponsorship, or advertising from external corporate entities, private organizations, or individuals for its general operations. This model is designed to safeguard the journal's editorial autonomy and prevent any actual or perceived undue influence on editorial decision-making.

2. Author Responsibilities: Disclosure of Funding and Financial Interests

COPE mandates that all authors transparently declare any competing interests. Therefore, it is a mandatory requirement for all authors submitting to JBR to disclose all potential sources of financial and non-financial conflict of interest.

2.1 What to Disclose:

Authors must disclose any financial or other substantive interests that might be construed as influencing the research results or their interpretation. This includes, but is not limited to:

a) Research Grants: Funding from national research councils, foundations, charities, or commercial companies.

b) Personal Financial Interests: Stock ownership, consulting fees, patent applications, royalties, speaker's honoraria, or other payments.

c) In-Kind Support: Provision of equipment, materials, or analytical services by a third party with a vested interest.

d) Institutional Funding: Specific internal grants received for the conduct of the research.

2.2 How to Disclose:

a) During the manuscript submission process, authors must complete the journal's Declaration of Competing Interest form.

b) A Funding Statement must be included in the manuscript itself, in a dedicated section preceding the reference list. If no funding was received, this must be explicitly stated.

3. Publication of Disclosures

To ensure transparency for readers, reviewers, and editors:

a) The Funding Statement will be published within the article.

b) The Declaration of Competing Interest will be published alongside the article.

Examples of Published Statements:

a) Funding Statement:

I. "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number]."

II. "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

b) Competing Interests Statement:

I. "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper."

II. "Author A is a shareholder of Company X. The remaining authors declare no competing interests."

4. Editorial Process and Management of Disclosures

a) Declared funding sources and competing interests are considered by the editors and reviewers as part of the peer-review process.

b) This information is used to assess potential biases and ensure a fair evaluation of the manuscript.

c) The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to reject a manuscript or publish a declaration of competing interests if a conflict is identified post-publication.

5. Non-Compliance

Failure to fully and accurately disclose funding and competing interests constitutes a breach of publication ethics. In accordance with COPE guidelines, non-compliance may lead to:

a) Rejection of the manuscript.

b) Retraction of a published article.

c) Publication of a formal correction noting the omission.

d) Notification of the authors' institution.

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This policy is based directly on the COPE core practices, including the guidelines on 'Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests' and 'Funding'. JBR adheres to these principles to maintain the trust of the scholarly community.

For questions regarding this policy, please contact:

The Editor-in-Chief, Jinnah Business Review

Email: editor.jbr@cust.edu.pk