Conflict Of Interest

The journal Infectious Diseases (Infektsiini khvoroby) is committed to ensuring objectivity and transparency throughout the publication process. Therefore, all authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any potential conflicts of interest. This policy aims to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing research findings or the decision-making process regarding publication.

AUTHOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Authors must disclose all possible conflicts of interest upon manuscript submission. This includes both financial relationships (such as direct employment or honoraria) and non-financial relationships (such as personal connections, academic competition, or ideological/religious beliefs). All conflicts must be clearly defined so that readers can evaluate whether the authors may have been subject to bias and how it might have influenced the work. The manuscript must include a "Conflict of Interest" statement at the end. If no conflict exists, the statement should read: "None declared."

REVIEWER CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest that could affect their ability to objectively evaluate a manuscript. Reviewers are required to notify the Editorial Board immediately if:

  1. They have financial or personal ties to the author(s) or organizations involved in the study;
  2. There is direct competition between their own research and the manuscript under review;
  3. There is a personal interest or bias (friendship, rivalry, etc.) that may impair the objectivity of the peer review.

In the event of a conflict of interest, reviewers must recuse themselves from the peer-review process for that manuscript.

EDITOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Editors are also obligated to declare any potential conflicts of interest that could affect their ability to make impartial decisions. Editors must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript if:

  1. They have financial, personal, academic, or other ties to the author(s) or organization that may create a conflict;
  2. They are co-authors of the article or are affiliated with the same institution as the author(s);
  3. Their involvement in the process could be perceived as biased.

In such cases, the editor must delegate the manuscript to another editor or engage an independent expert. The journal guarantees transparency in disclosing conflicts of interest, which are published as a note at the end of each article. All participants in the publication process (authors, reviewers, and editors) are required to adhere to this policy to ensure the integrity and objectivity of scientific communication.