Conflict of Interest Policy

1. General Provisions

This Conflict of Interest Policy defines the principles for identifying, declaring, and resolving conflicts of interest within the publication process of the scientific journal 'UNAIDS Journal' (hereinafter — the Journal).

The document is aimed at ensuring objectivity, transparency, and scientific integrity in the consideration, review, and publication of scientific materials, as well as preventing situations that could affect the independence of editorial decisions made.

The journal adheres to the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes into account the requirements of national and international standards for scientific publications.

2. Concept of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest is understood as a situation in which the personal, professional, financial, institutional, or other interests of a participant in the publication process may directly or indirectly affect the objectivity of their performance of duties, decision-making, or interpretation of research results.

The presence of a conflict of interest does not imply an automatic violation of ethical norms; however, its non-declaration or concealment is considered a violation of publication ethics.

3. Categories of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest subject to declaration include, in particular:

1. financial interests (grants, fees, employment contracts, equity participation, consulting payments, patents, licenses);
2. professional and institutional interests (positions held, membership in boards, participation in competing projects or organizations);
3. personal and family relationships between authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board;
4. academic and scientific interests, capable of affecting the impartiality of evaluation (scientific rivalry, competition for funding or publication priority).

4. Duties of Authors

Authors are required to disclose all potential or actual conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission that may be perceived as influencing the interpretation of research results or article conclusions.

Authors are required to:

1. indicate sources of research funding;
2. declare the participation of sponsors or other parties in the development of research design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation;
3. report the existence of personal, professional, or financial interests related to the research topic.

In the absence of a conflict of interest, authors are required to explicitly state this in the relevant section of the manuscript.

5. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers are required to notify the editorial office of any conflict of interest that may affect their ability to objectively evaluate the manuscript.

A reviewer must decline to participate in the consideration of a manuscript if:

1. there is a competitive, collaborative, or other professional interaction with any of the authors;
2. there are personal, professional, or institutional relationships with authors, companies, or organizations associated with the presented research;
3. there are financial or other interests capable of affecting the independence of peer review.

Unpublished data, information, ideas, or interpretations obtained during the peer review process should be treated as confidential and may not be used by the reviewer in personal research, publications, or other purposes without the prior written consent of the author.

Reviewers are not entitled to use information obtained during the review process for personal, professional, or other gain.

6. Duties of the Editorial Board and Staff

Editorial board members and staff are required to:

1. declare potential conflicts of interest related to the manuscripts under consideration;
2. refrain from participating in decision-making on manuscripts for which there is a conflict of interest;
3. ensure the replacement of reviewers or redistribution of editorial functions if necessary.

The editorial office is responsible for documenting declared conflicts of interest and taking appropriate measures to resolve them.

7. Resolution of Conflicts of Interest

When a conflict of interest is identified, the Journal's editorial office:

1. evaluates the nature and extent of the potential influence of the conflict;
2. takes a decision on the admissibility of continued participation of the person concerned in the publication process;
3. appoints independent reviewers or editors if necessary;
4. records the measures taken in the editorial documentation.

The presence of a declared conflict of interest is not in itself grounds for refusal of publication.

8. Violations of Conflict of Interest Policy and Publication Ethics

In the event of a situation involving a possible violation of publication ethics by an author, reviewer, or editor, a mandatory editorial investigation is conducted.

This provision applies to both published and unpublished materials.

The editorial office is required to request written explanations from the relevant parties and ensure that the situation is considered without the involvement of persons who are in a conflict of interest with one of the parties.

In case of detection of a violation, the following measures may be applied:

1. rejection of the manuscript at any stage of consideration;
2. publication of clarifications, corrections, or expressions of concern;
3. retraction of the article after publication;
4. informing affiliated organizations, scientific institutions, or other authorized structures.

If the published material contains significant inaccuracies capable of affecting the interpretation of research results, such materials are subject to immediate correction in a form accessible to readers and scientific indexing systems.

9. Final Provisions

This Policy is mandatory for all participants in the Journal's publication process.

Submission of a manuscript, agreement to review, or participation in editorial work implies acceptance of the provisions of this Policy.

The editorial board reserves the right to review and update this Policy taking into account changes in international standards of publication ethics and the requirements of the scientific community.