Central European Journal of International and Security Studies

Declaring conflict of interest

A conflict of interest is defined as any direct or indirect interest that might influence the reading, assessment of or conducting of the research reported in the submission. Any interests within a five-year period prior to beginning the research are considered relevant, although interests outside this time frame also need to be disclosed if they may have influenced the research. 

The remainder of the guidelines is structured according to the respective roles in the review process: Authors, Editors, and Reviewers.

What do Authors need to declare?

Authors are required to disclose any direct or indirect interests that relate to their submission so that editors, reviewers and readers may be able to make informed judgements about any potential bias in the research process, writing or publication.

These need to be declared before the beginning of the review process.

The following interests may present a conflict and should be declared upon submission: 

Financial Interests

  • Grants from a funding agency, a commercial entity or any type of payment to authors from organisations that are likely to benefit financially from the research 
  • Employment with or affiliation to an organisation that has an interest in the research and/or is likely to benefit from its publication and dissemination 
  • Stocks, shares, patents or patent applications or other forms of financial holdings that are likely to benefit from the publication and dissemination of the research 
  • Consulting fees, reimbursement or any other payments made to authors for conducting the research 
  • Close relatives who may financially benefit from the publication and dissemination of the research 

Non-financial

  • Affiliation to an organisation that will have an interest in the outcome such as members of a research advisory board, steering or advisory committees, associations or honorary affiliations 
  • Membership of organisations or scientific societies that undertake advocacy work 
  • Ideology, beliefs, thoughts, faith relevant to the research topic 
  • Activism or other advocacy work related to the research  
  • Political leanings or legal action relevant to the research or its potential outcome  
  • Research competition, previous personal disagreements, close working relationships with editors, editorial board members 
  • Editorial responsibilities or membership of the editorial board of the journal

How should authors make this declaration?

  • Authors are asked to declare any (potential) conflict of interest upon submission of their manuscript.
  • The CEJISS Editorial Team will check Authors' declaration. If the declaration is found relevant, the declaration will be included in the published paper.
  • In particularly sensitive cases, the CEJISS Editorial Team will consult guidelines and suggestions provided by COPE.

What do Editors need to declare?

Within the editorial process and communication, all Editors are required to declare any conflicts of interest that may impact the peer review and decision-making process. If a conflict arises, an alternative member of the CEJISS Editorial Team or Editorial Board must be appointed and the Editor with the conflict must recuse themselves from the decision-making process. These conflicts include financial and non-financial interests listed above.

  • If the Editor has previously conducted research with Auhtor in the last five years, they should recuse themselves from the peer review and decision-making process. 
  • Journal Editors or members of the Editorial Board may submit their own research to CEJISS, but must declare their involvement with the Journal as a conflict of interest. Where applicable, the Journal Editor or Editorial Board member must recuse themselves from any role in the peer review process. The Journal Editor must appoint another member of the Editorial Team or Editorial Board who will invite two or more subject experts to evaluate the manuscript.  
  • Guest Editors may submit their research to a special issue or special collection they are leading and must declare a conflict of interest upon submission. Where Guest Editors are involved in peer review and final decisions, their submissions will be handled by an alternate member of the Editorial Team. Please note that CEJISS - as a general rule - does not allow Guest Editors to make decisions regarding acceptance of manuscripts.

What do Reviewers need to declare?

Reviewers need to disclose interests that could impair their objective judgment. It is then up to the CEJISS Editorial Team to decide whether the Journal can accept a review report from them.

These need to be declared before they submit a review report.

  • Knowledge of the author's identity 
    • As CEJISS follows a double-blind peer review process, knowledge of the author’s identity precludes the expert in question from serving as a reviewer.
  • Academic competition
    • Academic competition, for example, includes: working on a very similar research where publication priority matters or rivalry between labs or schools of thought.
  • Financial conflicts
    • These are situations when financial relationships or interests could reasonably be perceived as influencing reviewers' judgment. Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to:
      • receipt of consulting fees, honoraria, or other financial compensation from organisations with an interest in the outcomes of the research;
      • ownership of stocks, shares, patents, or other financial interests that may be affected by publication of the manuscript;
      • receipt of research funding or other support from commercial entities that could benefit from the findings or conclusions presented;
      • service as a paid advisor, consultant, expert witness, or member of an advisory board relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript.
  • Ideological or intellectual bias
    • These are situations when strongly held intellectual, ideological, political, or advocacy positions may compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their ability to provide an objective and impartial assessment. Such conflicts may include:
        • publicly expressed positions or prior commitments regarding the specific research question, findings, or conclusions under review
        • active involvement in advocacy, campaigning, or activism related to the subject matter of the manuscript;
        • strong allegiance to particular theories, methodologies, schools of thought, or political perspectives that may impair impartial evaluation of alternative approaches or interpretations.
  • Institutional or organisational conflicts of interest
    • These include situations when affiliations with institutions, organisations, or external bodies may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their judgment. Such conflicts may include:
      • current or recent affiliation with advocacy organisations, professional associations, non-governmental organisations, or commercial entities with a direct interest in the subject matter of the manuscript;
      • participation in policy-making, regulatory, governmental, or oversight bodies whose decisions, responsibilities, or interests could be affected by the research findings;
      • organisational responsibilities or commitments that may create competing loyalties or compromise independent scholarly evaluation

Please note that an expert’s previous review of the manuscript (e.g., for a different journal) does not automatically preclude them from serving as a reviewer for CEJISS, but they are encouraged to inform the CEJISS Editorial Team about that. It is crucial that the prospective reviewer must not know the identity of the author and must base their evaluation on the version of the manuscript submitted to CEJISS.

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(last update:18 May 2026)