A conflict of interest exists when an individual's professional judgment regarding research, peer review, or editorial decision-making could reasonably be influenced by a secondary interest. Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived and should be disclosed even if they do not ultimately affect the individual's objectivity.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships or investments.
• Employment or consultancy arrangements.
• Honoraria, speaker fees, or advisory positions.
• Research funding or sponsorship.
• Patent applications or intellectual property interests.
• Personal, academic, or professional relationships.
• Institutional affiliations or collaborative partnerships.
• Competing academic, commercial, or research interests.

The journal encourages full disclosure of any relationship that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the conduct, reporting, review, or publication of scholarly work.

All authors are required to disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of their research. Conflict of interest disclosures must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission and updated if relevant circumstances change before publication.

Examples of disclosures include:

• Research grants or funding support.
• Employment or consultancy relationships.
• Honoraria, speaker fees, or advisory board memberships.
• Stock ownership or other financial investments.
• Patent applications, licenses, or intellectual property interests.
• Personal or professional relationships relevant to the submitted work.
• Institutional affiliations that may influence interpretation of the research.
• Any other competing interests that readers should reasonably be informed about.

Where no competing interests exist, authors should include a clear statement such as:

"The authors declare that they have no known competing interests or conflicts of interest that could have influenced the work reported in this manuscript."

Complete and accurate disclosure supports transparency and allows readers to assess the research independently.

Peer reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of scholarly publishing. Reviewers are expected to perform objective, fair, and confidential evaluations of submitted manuscripts while avoiding any circumstances that could compromise their impartiality.

Reviewers should decline an invitation to review if they:

• Have collaborated with any of the authors within the recent past.
• Maintain personal, academic, or professional relationships that may influence their judgment.
• Have financial or commercial interests related to the manuscript.
• Are engaged in competing research that could create bias.
• Believe they cannot provide an objective and independent evaluation.

Reviewers must immediately disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest to the Editorial Office before accepting a review assignment.

Confidential information obtained during peer review must never be used for personal, academic, or commercial advantage and must not be shared with unauthorized individuals.

Editors and Editorial Board members are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Editors should not participate in editorial decisions if they have:

• Personal relationships with the authors.
• Current or recent research collaborations.
• Financial or commercial interests related to the submitted work.
• Institutional affiliations that may affect impartiality.
• Any other competing interest that could reasonably influence editorial judgment.

Where a conflict exists, responsibility for handling the manuscript will be transferred to another qualified editor to ensure an independent and unbiased editorial process.

Authors must clearly disclose all sources of financial support associated with the research described in the manuscript. Transparent reporting of funding enables readers to understand potential influences on study design, data interpretation, and publication decisions.

Funding information should include, where applicable:

• Name of the funding organization or sponsor.
• Grant or project identification number.
• The role of the funding body in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions.
• A declaration when no external funding was received.

Disclosure of funding does not imply bias but promotes openness and accountability in scholarly communication.

When a potential conflict of interest is disclosed or identified, the Editorial Office will assess its nature and determine whether measures are necessary to preserve the integrity and impartiality of the editorial process.

Depending on the circumstances, the Editorial Office may:

• Request additional disclosures or supporting information.
• Assign the manuscript to another editor or reviewer.
• Require updates to the Conflict of Interest Statement.
• Seek independent editorial or expert advice.
• Take appropriate editorial action if undisclosed conflicts are identified.

All conflict of interest disclosures are evaluated confidentially and handled in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and internationally recognized publication ethics principles.

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the Editorial Office will investigate the matter fairly, objectively, and confidentially. The journal will assess whether the undisclosed competing interest may have influenced the conduct, interpretation, peer review, editorial decision, or presentation of the published research.

Depending on the findings, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request an updated Conflict of Interest Statement.
• Publish a Correction or Editorial Notice.
• Issue an Expression of Concern where appropriate.
• Retract the article if the undisclosed conflict has significantly affected the integrity or reliability of the published work.
• Notify relevant institutions or funding organizations when necessary.

All post-publication conflict of interest cases are evaluated individually in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and internationally accepted publication ethics standards.

IJMSDH is committed to promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity throughout the publication process. Disclosure of competing interests enables readers, reviewers, editors, and other stakeholders to evaluate published research objectively and independently.

The journal follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and considers the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when managing conflicts of interest, editorial decision-making, and publication ethics.

The journal is committed to:

• Maintaining transparency in scholarly publishing.
• Ensuring independent and unbiased editorial decisions.
• Managing conflicts of interest fairly and consistently.
• Protecting the integrity of the peer review process.
• Promoting responsible research and ethical publication practices.

Questions regarding conflict of interest disclosures, funding declarations, competing interests, or editorial ethics may be directed to the Editorial Office using the official contact information provided on the journal website. All communications are handled confidentially and in accordance with the journal's editorial policies.

This Conflict of Interest Policy may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research integrity, publication ethics, and internationally accepted best practices. Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers are encouraged to consult the latest version of this policy available on the journal website.

Important Notice

All participants in the publication process are expected to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest in a timely and transparent manner. Failure to disclose relevant competing interests may result in editorial action, including correction, expression of concern, or retraction where appropriate. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, ethical standards, and the integrity of the scholarly record, and are never influenced by commercial interests or Article Processing Charges (APCs).