1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when an individual's ability to act in the best interest of the journal, the scholarly record, or the community is compromised by competing interests. Conflicts may be financial, non-financial, professional, or personal in nature. The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily imply improper conduct; however, full disclosure is required to allow readers and evaluators to form their own judgments.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

A. Financial Conflicts:

• Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, or paid expert testimony.
• Grants, funding, or financial support from organizations with an interest in the manuscript's outcomes.
• Patents, royalties, or product-based income related to the work discussed.
• Sponsored travel, accommodations, or meeting expenses.

B. Non-Financial Conflicts:

• Personal relationships (family, close friendships, or rivalries) with individuals involved in the manuscript.
• Academic affiliations or institutional loyalties that may bias judgment.
• Strong personal beliefs, political or religious convictions relevant to the manuscript's subject.
• Intellectual rivalries or competition within the same field of study.

3. Author Obligations

All authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial interests that may have influenced the design, implementation, interpretation, or reporting of their community service work. Disclosure must be made at the time of manuscript submission and included in a dedicated "Conflict of Interest" section within the manuscript, typically placed before the References section.

Sample Disclosure Statements:

• If there is a conflict: "The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships that may be considered as potential competing interests: [Author Name] has received research grants from [Organization] and serves as a consultant for [Company]."
• If there is no conflict: "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper."

*Failure to disclose a conflict of interest may result in manuscript rejection, retraction of a published article, or a ban on future submissions.

4. Reviewer Obligations

Reviewers must recuse themselves from evaluating any manuscript in which they have a conflict of interest. A reviewer should decline to review a manuscript if:

• They are affiliated with the same institution as any of the authors.
• They have collaborated with any of the authors within the past three (3) years.
• They have a direct financial interest in the outcomes of the community service program described.
• They have a personal relationship (competitive or collaborative) with any of the authors that could compromise objectivity.

*If a conflict is identified after a reviewer has accepted an assignment, they must immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief and withdraw from the review process.

5. Editor Obligations

Editors and editorial board members must not participate in the decision-making process for any manuscript in which they have a conflict of interest. Specifically, editors must:

• Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts authored by colleagues from their own institution or recent collaborators.
• Delegate the editorial handling of such manuscripts to another qualified editor or editorial board member.
• Avoid using unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the explicit written consent of the author.
• Declare any potential conflicts to the Editorial Board and the Publisher on an annual basis.

Handling of Disclosed Conflicts: Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from publication. The Editorial Board will assess the disclosed information to determine whether the conflict materially affects the validity or integrity of the work. In some cases, the conflict may be noted in the published article for the benefit of readers.

Important Note: JPM treats all allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest with the same seriousness as other forms of publication misconduct. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to uphold the highest standards of transparency and integrity. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief via the journal's official contact channels.