Conflict of Interest Policy

Journal: Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE)
Policy Version: 1.0
Effective Date: September 2026

1. Purpose

Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE) is committed to maintaining independent, fair, and transparent editorial and peer-review processes.

A conflict of interest (COI) may arise when an individual's personal, professional, financial, academic, or other interests could reasonably be perceived to influence their judgment.

The existence of a conflict does not necessarily imply misconduct. Conflicts should be disclosed, assessed, and appropriately managed to protect the integrity of the editorial process.

This policy applies to:

• authors and co-authors;

• reviewers;

• Associate Editors;

• Deputy Editors;

• the Editor-in-Chief;

• Editorial Board members;

• Guest Editors;

• Editorial Office staff; and

• other individuals participating in editorial decision-making.

2. General Principles

JMBE expects all participants in the publication process to:

• disclose relevant conflicts of interest;

• avoid participating in decisions where impartiality may reasonably be questioned;

• maintain confidentiality;

• act independently and professionally; and

• cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification.

Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived.

The purpose of COI management is not to eliminate all relationships between researchers and editors, but to ensure that relevant relationships do not compromise editorial independence.

3. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts may arise from many circumstances, including but not limited to:

3.1 Financial Conflicts

Examples may include:

• employment;

• consultancy;

• research funding;

• grants;

• equity or ownership interests;

• patents;

• commercial relationships;

• paid advisory roles;

• financial interests in products or technologies discussed in the manuscript; or

• other financial relationships that could reasonably be affected by publication.

3.2 Professional or Institutional Conflicts

Examples may include:

• current employment at the same institution;

• recent employment at the same institution;

• institutional competition;

• research collaboration;

• supervisory relationships;

• department-level conflicts; or

• other professional relationships that may affect impartiality.

3.3 Personal Conflicts

Examples may include:

• close personal relationships;

• family relationships;

• personal disputes;

• significant personal interests; or

• other relationships that could reasonably affect objective judgment.

3.4 Academic Conflicts

Examples may include:

• recent co-authorship;

• direct competition in an active research area;

• evaluation of a manuscript closely related to unpublished work;

• involvement in the same research project;

• prior supervision or examination relationships; or

• other circumstances that may reasonably affect independent assessment.

3.5 Intellectual or Ideological Conflicts

Individuals may have strong academic positions or theoretical commitments relating to a manuscript.

Such differences do not automatically constitute a conflict of interest.

However, an individual should disclose a relationship or circumstance where it could reasonably create a significant risk of partiality.

4. Authors' Conflict of Interest Disclosure

All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest during submission.

Potential conflicts may include:

• financial interests;

• funding relationships;

• employment or consultancy;

• patents or commercial interests;

• institutional relationships;

• personal relationships;

• intellectual property interests; and

• other relevant circumstances.

Where no relevant conflicts exist, authors should provide an appropriate declaration, such as:

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the disclosure is complete and accurate for all listed authors.

The corresponding author may provide the declaration on behalf of the author group only after confirming the information with all co-authors.

5. Funding Disclosure

Funding sources that supported the research should be disclosed separately in accordance with the journal's submission requirements.

Authors should identify:

• funding organizations;

• grant numbers where applicable;

• the role of the funder in the research; and

• whether the funder had any role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions.

Funding does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest, but transparency is required.

6. Reviewers' Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any relationship that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, the impartiality of their assessment.

Reviewers should normally decline an invitation where they:

• have recently co-authored with an author;

• work at the same institution in circumstances creating a relevant conflict;

• have a close personal or professional relationship with an author;

• are directly competing with the research in a way that could affect objectivity;

• have a financial interest in the outcome;

• have a supervisory or dependent relationship with an author; or

• otherwise believe that they cannot provide an independent assessment.

When uncertain, reviewers should contact the Editorial Office before accepting the invitation.

7. Editors' Conflict of Interest

Editors must disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest involving manuscripts assigned to them.

An editor should not handle a manuscript where a relevant conflict could reasonably affect impartiality.

This applies to:

• Associate Editors;

• Deputy Editors;

• the Editor-in-Chief;

• Editorial Board members; and

• Guest Editors.

Where a conflict exists, the manuscript should be reassigned to an appropriate independent editor.

8. Associate Editor Conflicts

Where an Associate Editor has a relevant conflict of interest with a manuscript, the manuscript should be reassigned to another qualified Associate Editor or designated editor.

The conflicted AE should not:

• select reviewers;

• assess reviewer reports;

• recommend an editorial outcome; or

• otherwise participate in the academic decision-making process for that manuscript.

The Editorial Office may continue to provide administrative support without exercising academic judgment.

9. Deputy Editor Conflicts

Where the Deputy Editor has a relevant conflict of interest, the DE must not make the final editorial decision.

The manuscript should be assigned to an appropriate independent:

• Editorial Board member; or

• Editor-in-Chief.

The selected individual must have no relevant conflict of interest.

The independent decision-maker should review the editorial record and make the final academic decision.

10. Editor-in-Chief Conflicts

Where the Editor-in-Chief has a relevant conflict of interest, the EIC must not make the final decision.

The matter should instead be assigned to an appropriately qualified and independent:

• Editorial Board member;

• Deputy Editor who has no relevant conflict; or

• other designated independent editor.

The alternative decision-maker must be able to act independently of the conflicted EIC.

11. Guest Editor Conflicts

Guest Editors are subject to the same conflict-of-interest requirements as other editors.

Guest Editors should not make editorial decisions on manuscripts where they:

• are an author;

• are a co-author;

• have a close relationship with an author;

• have another relevant conflict; or

• have a direct personal or professional interest in the outcome.

Manuscripts submitted by a Guest Editor should be handled by an independent editor.

12. Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members must disclose relevant conflicts before participating in editorial decisions.

Where an Editorial Board member has a conflict, another appropriately qualified and independent editor should be appointed.

Editorial Board membership itself does not prevent an individual from reviewing or advising on a manuscript where no relevant conflict exists.

13. Special Issue Conflicts

Special Issues may involve concentrated academic networks, and editors should take particular care to preserve independence.

A Guest Editor or Special Issue Editor should not make the final academic decision on their own manuscript.

Where appropriate, manuscripts involving:

• the Guest Editor;

• close collaborators;

• recent co-authors; or

• other closely connected researchers

should be assigned to an independent editor outside the relevant conflict.

The standard peer-review and editorial requirements continue to apply.

14. Conference, Institutional, and Collaborative Relationships

Participation in the same:

• conference;

• academic society;

• professional committee;

• research consortium;

• funding project; or

• broader research network

does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest.

Editors and reviewers should consider whether the relationship is sufficiently close or relevant that it could reasonably affect impartiality.

Where uncertainty exists, disclosure and independent editorial assessment are preferred.

15. Former Affiliations and Recent Collaborations

A former institutional affiliation or previous collaboration does not automatically constitute a conflict.

However, relevant recent relationships should be considered carefully, particularly where there remains:

• an ongoing collaboration;

• financial involvement;

• supervisory relationship;

• direct competition; or

• another continuing professional interest.

Editors may seek guidance from the Editorial Office, DE, EIC, or another independent editor where appropriate.

16. Competing Manuscripts and Unpublished Work

A reviewer or editor may face a conflict where the manuscript substantially overlaps with their own unpublished research or an active competing project.

Individuals should disclose such circumstances when accepting a review or editorial assignment.

The relevant editor will determine whether reassignment is necessary.

Reviewers and editors must not use confidential information from a manuscript to advance competing research.

17. Commercial Interests

Commercial interests must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

Editorial decisions must not be based on:

• the commercial value of a manuscript;

• expected APC revenue;

• relationships with sponsors;

• the commercial success of a technology;

• advertising interests;

• publisher business relationships; or

• other commercial considerations.

The ability or willingness of an author to pay an APC must not influence the academic assessment of a manuscript.

18. Conflict of Interest and Peer Review

A disclosed conflict does not automatically mean that a manuscript cannot be published.

The appropriate response depends on:

• the nature of the conflict;

• its relevance to the manuscript;

• the degree of potential influence; and

• whether independent editorial and peer-review safeguards can adequately manage the conflict.

Possible measures include:

• reassignment to another editor;

• replacement of a reviewer;

• additional independent peer review;

• enhanced disclosure; or

• other appropriate safeguards.

19. Conflict of Interest in Research

Authors should disclose conflicts that may affect:

• study design;

• data collection;

• analysis;

• interpretation;

• reporting;

• access to research materials; or

• conclusions.

Where a conflict materially affects the interpretation of the work, appropriate disclosure should be included in the published article.

Editors may request additional information where necessary.

20. Undisclosed Conflicts

If a relevant conflict is discovered after submission or publication, JMBE may assess whether the conflict affected the editorial or scholarly process.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

• request an updated disclosure;

• reassign the manuscript;

• repeat part or all of the peer-review process;

• issue a correction;

• publish an editorial notice;

• issue an Expression of Concern; or

• take other appropriate action.

Failure to disclose a conflict does not automatically establish misconduct, but deliberate concealment of a material conflict may constitute a serious breach of publication ethics.

21. Conflict Discovered During Peer Review

Where a conflict is identified after peer review has begun, the journal will assess whether the conflicted individual should be removed from the process.

Depending on the stage of review, this may require:

• replacement of the reviewer;

• reassignment of the manuscript to another editor;

• additional peer review; or

• review of the editorial record by an independent decision-maker.

22. Conflict Discovered After Publication

Where a material conflict is identified after publication, the journal may assess whether disclosure or another post-publication action is required.

Possible actions include:

• publication of a conflict-of-interest correction;

• amendment of the article record;

• editorial notice;

• Expression of Concern; or

• other appropriate action.

Where the undisclosed conflict materially undermines the publication, the matter may also be considered under the journal's Research Misconduct Policy.

23. Confidentiality

Information disclosed as part of a conflict-of-interest assessment should be treated confidentially and shared only with individuals who need it for legitimate editorial, ethical, or administrative purposes.

Conflict information should not be disclosed publicly beyond what is necessary for transparent scholarly communication.

Where a conflict must be disclosed in the published article, the journal will use an appropriate public disclosure statement.

24. Editorial Office Role

The Editorial Office may:

• collect conflict-of-interest declarations;

• identify potential conflicts during manuscript processing;

• request clarification;

• maintain records of disclosures;

• support reassignment of manuscripts; and

• escalate unresolved cases to an appropriate editor.

The Editorial Office does not independently determine whether a scholarly conflict affects the academic merits of a manuscript.

25. Publisher Role

Sunlit Grove Publishing supports the administration of conflict-of-interest procedures but does not determine academic outcomes based on commercial interests.

The Publisher may assist with:

• policy implementation;

• record keeping;

• administrative escalation;

• legal or compliance matters; and

• independent procedural review where appropriate.

Individual academic decisions remain the responsibility of appropriately qualified editors.

26. Conflict Management and Final Decisions

Where a conflict affects the individual normally responsible for the final decision, an independent decision-maker must be appointed.

The standard hierarchy is:

AE conflict
→ reassignment to another qualified editor

DE conflict
→ independent EB member or EIC

EIC conflict
→ independent EB member, DE, or designated independent editor

The selected decision-maker must have no relevant conflict and must review the editorial record independently.

27. Relationship to Other Policies

This policy should be read together with:

• Publication Ethics Policy

• Research Misconduct Policy

• Peer Review Policy

• Editorial Process

• Corrections and Retractions Policy

• AI Policy

• Author Instructions

• Reviewer Guidelines

Where another policy contains more detailed requirements for a specific conflict, the relevant policy should also be applied.

28. Policy Review

JMBE will periodically review this policy to reflect developments in:

• research integrity;

• scholarly publishing;

• editorial practice;

• transparency standards; and

• applicable legal and professional requirements.

The current version of this policy will be maintained on the journal website.

29. Contact

Questions regarding conflicts of interest should be directed to:

Editorial Office
Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE)
Sunlit Grove Publishing
Email: contact@sunlitpub.com