Conflict of Interest Policy

Purpose

The AIAS Conference is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency in academic publishing. This Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy outlines the responsibilities of authors to disclose potential conflicts that could bias or be perceived to bias their submitted work.

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when an author’s personal, financial, or professional affiliations could influence—or be perceived to influence—the objectivity, integrity, or credibility of their research or its evaluation.

Conflicts may be:

  • Financial: Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, or patent applications related to the subject of the work.
  • Personal: Close relationships (e.g., family, romantic, or close friendships) with individuals who could influence or be influenced by the research.
  • Professional/Academic: Current or recent (within the past 3 years) collaborations, shared grants, or institutional affiliations with reviewers, co-authors, or any member of the program committee.

Author Responsibilities

All authors submitting to AIAS must:

  1. Disclose all potential conflicts of interest during the submission process. This includes:
    • Funding sources and sponsors.
    • Affiliations that may be perceived to influence the work.
    • Any other relationships that may be seen as conflicts.
  2. Affirm compliance with this policy by including a COI disclosure section in the submitted manuscript (e.g., “The authors declare no conflicts of interest” or a detailed disclosure if applicable).
  3. Update disclosures if new potential conflicts arise after submission but before final publication.

Handling of Conflicts

  • The AIAS Program Committee will assess disclosed conflicts and take appropriate steps to mitigate potential bias, including recusal from review assignments or additional independent review.
  • Failure to disclose conflicts may result in rejection of the submission or retraction of the paper if already accepted or published.

Transparency and Trust

Maintaining trust in the scientific process is fundamental. By disclosing all potential conflicts, authors support the integrity of academic publishing and the credibility of their own work.