Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Introduction

ZOOTEC Journal, published by the Faculty of Animal Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, Indonesia, is committed to ensuring the integrity, objectivity, transparency, and credibility of the scientific research it publishes.

Transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest (also known as competing interests) is essential to maintaining trust in the scholarly publication process.

This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff in disclosing and managing any interests that could be perceived as influencing their professional judgment or actions.

ZOOTEC adheres to the principles and relevant guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in formulating and implementing this policy.

2. Description

A Conflict of Interest (COI) or Competing Interest exists when an individual's professional judgment concerning a primary interest, such as the validity of research, the quality of a manuscript, or the integrity of the peer-review process, may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.

These secondary interests can be:

Financial: Including employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options, honoraria, grants received or pending, patents or patent applications, royalties, advisory board membership, paid expert testimony, or travel grants related to the work under consideration.
Non-Financial: Including personal relationships (e.g., family members or close friends), professional relationships (e.g., current or recent research collaborators, mentor–mentee relationships, former or current doctoral students), institutional affiliations, intellectual property interests, personal beliefs or commitments directly relevant to the subject matter, or any other interest that could reasonably be perceived to influence professional judgment.

In the context of animal science research, potential competing interests may involve relationships with livestock companies, animal feed manufacturers, veterinary pharmaceutical companies, breeding enterprises, agricultural biotechnology companies, commercial farms, and other organizations with interests in the research findings.

The existence of a conflict of interest is not inherently unethical. However, failure to disclose such interests can undermine the trustworthiness of research and the publication process.

This policy applies to all individuals involved in the publication process of ZOOTEC, including authors, peer reviewers, editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff.

3. Policy

3.1. Principle of Full Disclosure

All individuals participating in the ZOOTEC publication process must proactively and fully disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

If no conflicts of interest exist, this must also be explicitly stated.

3.2. Timing of Disclosure

Authors: Authors must declare all relevant potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. The declaration must be updated if new conflicts arise during the peer-review, revision, or publication process.

Peer Reviewers: Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest to the editor when invited to review a manuscript and before accepting the review assignment. If a conflict becomes apparent after the review has begun, the reviewer must immediately notify the handling editor.

Editors and Journal Staff: Editors and journal staff must disclose conflicts of interest relevant to their editorial responsibilities to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher. They must withdraw from handling manuscripts where significant conflicts of interest exist.

3.3. Management and Assessment of Disclosed Conflicts of Interest

ZOOTEC will evaluate disclosed conflicts of interest to determine their potential to introduce bias into research, peer review, or editorial decisions.

Depending on the nature and severity of the conflict, the journal may take appropriate actions, including:

Publishing the authors' conflict of interest statement alongside the article.
Requesting additional information or clarification regarding disclosed interests.
Requiring a reviewer or editor to withdraw from involvement with a particular manuscript.
Assigning an independent editor or reviewer without relevant conflicts of interest.
Declining to consider a manuscript for publication in exceptional circumstances where conflicts pose an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the work or its evaluation.

3.4. Publication of Conflict of Interest Statements

All articles published in ZOOTEC must include a statement identifying any relevant competing interests declared by the authors.

Information regarding the sources of research funding must also be disclosed.

If authors have no competing interests, the following statement may be used:

Declaration of No Competing Interests

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.

If competing interests exist, authors must provide an appropriate statement describing the nature of those interests.

3.5. Conflicts of Interest Identified After Publication

If a significant undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, ZOOTEC will assess the matter fairly and objectively.

Appropriate editorial actions will be taken in accordance with the journal's Research Misconduct Policy, Correction and Retraction Policy, and relevant COPE guidance.

Depending on the circumstances, such actions may include publishing a correction, issuing an Expression of Concern, or retracting an article when serious concerns substantially compromise the integrity or reliability of the published work.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

A. For Authors

1. What to Disclose

Authors must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial relationships and activities that could potentially influence, or be perceived as influencing, their research.

These include, but are not limited to:

Financial Interests: Direct or indirect research funding; employment or consultancy relationships with organizations interested in the research findings; ownership of shares in livestock, animal feed, veterinary pharmaceutical, or related companies; patents or patent applications; royalties; honoraria; grants; or other forms of financial support.
Non-Financial Interests: Academic, professional, institutional, or personal relationships with individuals or organizations that have an interest in the subject matter of the submitted manuscript.
Funding Sources: All sources of research funding must be explicitly declared. Authors must explain the role of the funding organization, if any, in the study design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; manuscript preparation; and the decision to submit the article for publication.

If the funding organization had no involvement in these activities, this must also be stated.

2. How to Disclose

Authors are required to provide a Conflict of Interest declaration during manuscript submission.

ZOOTEC may use an institutional disclosure form, a journal-specific declaration form, or an established disclosure format such as the ICMJE Disclosure Form, where appropriate.

A summary of declared competing interests, or a statement confirming the absence of such interests, must be included in the manuscript, preferably before the References section.

3. Consequences of Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in requests for clarification, delays in manuscript processing, rejection, or appropriate post-publication editorial action.

Any corrective action will be proportionate to the seriousness of the omission and its implications for the integrity of the research.

B. For Peer Reviewers

1. What to Disclose

Peer reviewers must disclose any relationships or interests that could affect their ability to provide an independent, objective, and unbiased evaluation.

Such interests may include:

Recent or current research collaborations with any of the authors, including collaborations within the preceding three years.
Close personal relationships or professional rivalries with the authors.
Financial interests in companies, institutions, or organizations associated with the research.
Involvement in the development or previous evaluation of the manuscript.
Strong personal or professional commitments that could prevent an impartial scientific assessment.

2. How to Disclose

Reviewers must inform the handling editor of potential conflicts of interest when invited to review a manuscript.

If a competing interest is identified after accepting the invitation or during the review process, the reviewer must immediately notify the editor.

3. Action on Disclosure

If a significant conflict of interest is identified, the reviewer will generally be asked to withdraw from the review process.

The handling editor will determine the appropriate action based on the nature and seriousness of the disclosed interest.

C. For Editors and Journal Staff (Including Editorial Board Members)

1. What to Disclose

All editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editors, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff, must disclose interests that could influence or reasonably be perceived to influence their editorial responsibilities.

Relevant interests include:

Financial relationships with companies or organizations whose products or services are relevant to animal science research.
Personal or professional relationships with authors or reviewers.
Research collaborations or institutional affiliations that may compromise editorial independence.
Direct involvement in research related to a manuscript under consideration.
Manuscripts submitted by the editors themselves, their colleagues, or close associates.

2. How to Disclose

Editors and journal staff must proactively declare relevant conflicts of interest to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher.

Where appropriate, ZOOTEC may maintain records of relevant editorial interests and periodically update such information.

3. Management and Recusal

Editors or journal staff members with significant conflicts of interest concerning a particular manuscript must withdraw from the peer-review process and editorial decision-making for that manuscript.

An alternative editor or Editorial Board member without a relevant conflict of interest will be assigned to manage the submission.

Manuscripts submitted by ZOOTEC editors, Editorial Board members, or journal staff must undergo an independent and impartial editorial evaluation and peer-review process.

Such manuscripts must not receive preferential treatment or exemptions from the journal's established publication standards.

Where necessary, an independent editor or external expert may be appointed to oversee the editorial process.

D. Journal's Conflicts of Interest

ZOOTEC is committed to maintaining editorial independence.

The journal and its publisher, the Faculty of Animal Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, must ensure that commercial, institutional, financial, or other non-scientific interests do not compromise the integrity of editorial decisions.

Relationships with livestock industries, animal feed manufacturers, veterinary pharmaceutical companies, agricultural enterprises, research institutions, government agencies, or other external organizations must not influence manuscript acceptance, rejection, peer review, or publication outcomes.

Any relationships that may create competing interests at the journal or publisher level must be managed transparently and appropriately.

E. Record Keeping

ZOOTEC will maintain confidential records of competing interest disclosures submitted by authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff.

Such information will be handled in accordance with applicable confidentiality requirements and relevant institutional policies.

The journal will periodically review this policy to maintain consistency with recognized standards of scholarly publishing and research integrity.

This policy is intended to promote transparency, fairness, accountability, editorial independence, and public trust in the scientific research published by ZOOTEC.

5. COPE Resources

For further guidance on identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest, authors, reviewers, and editors may consult the following resources:

ZOOTEC Journal is committed to ensuring transparency in the disclosure and management of competing interests, safeguarding editorial independence, and maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity and ethical publication in animal sciences.