Conflicts of Interests
Conflict of Interest Policy
The Review of Crime, Peace and Society (RCPS) is committed to maintaining transparency, integrity, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any conflict of interest that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the research, review, or publication process.
For Authors
Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could be viewed as influencing the content, interpretation, or presentation of their manuscript. Such disclosures must be made at the time of manuscript submission and, where necessary, updated before final acceptance of the manuscript.
Examples of potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:
- receipt of research funding, grants, consultancy fees, or honoraria;
- employment or affiliation with an organization that may benefit from the publication of the manuscript;
- ownership of stocks, shares, or other financial interests in a related company or institution;
- reimbursement, sponsorship, or support for participation in conferences, symposia, or related academic events; and
- any personal, academic, or professional relationship that may reasonably be perceived to affect the objectivity of the research.
Authors are required to:
- acknowledge all sources of financial support related to the research;
- disclose any commercial or financial involvement relevant to the manuscript;
- consult the Editor where there is uncertainty regarding the disclosure of a potential conflict; and
- ensure that no agreement with a sponsor restricts the author’s right to publish the research findings, including both positive and negative results.
Declaration in the Manuscript
A Declaration of Conflicting Interest must be included in the manuscript after the Acknowledgements and before the Funding Statement and References.
If no conflict of interest exists, the following statement should be included:
“The author(s) declare that there is no conflict of interest.”
For Editors and Reviewers
Editors and reviewers must also disclose any conflict of interest that may affect their editorial judgment or review of a manuscript. Where a conflict exists, the editor or reviewer should recuse themselves from handling or evaluating the manuscript.
RCPS reserves the right to request further clarification regarding any declared or suspected conflict of interest and to take appropriate editorial action where necessary.
