Journal of the West is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity in the publication process. All participants in the editorial and peer review process are required to disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their roles or judgments.

Definition of Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest exists when personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships could compromise, or appear to compromise, the impartiality of scholarly judgment or decision-making.

Author Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to their submission, including but not limited to:
Financial relationships, grants, or funding sources
Employment, consultancy, or advisory roles
Personal or professional relationships that could influence the research or interpretation
Institutional affiliations or competing academic interests
All sources of funding or support must be clearly acknowledged. If no conflicts exist, authors should include a statement confirming this.

Reviewer Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an objective assessment, such as:
Collaboration or close professional relationships with the author(s)
Personal relationships or academic rivalry
Direct involvement in the research or subject matter
Reviewers with conflicts should decline the invitation to review.

Editor Conflicts of Interest
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists. In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor to ensure fair and unbiased evaluation.

Disclosure and Transparency
All disclosed conflicts of interest will be reviewed by the editorial team. Disclosure does not automatically result in rejection but allows the editors to make informed and transparent decisions.

Undisclosed Conflicts
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may be considered a breach of publication ethics. If undisclosed conflicts are identified after publication, corrective action may be taken in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies.

Statement of No Conflict
Where applicable, authors, reviewers, or editors should state:
“The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.”

Policy Review
This statement may be updated periodically to reflect best practices in academic publishing.