Conflict of Interest

Last update: 02/05/2026

Pensar – Journal of Legal Sciences adopts as an editorial principle transparency in the identification, prevention, declaration, and handling of conflicts of interest, in line with:

For the purposes of this policy, a conflict of interest is considered any situation in which personal, academic, professional, institutional, political, ideological, or financial interests may compromise, or appear to compromise, the impartiality, independence, or integrity of the submission, evaluation, editorial decision, or publication of the manuscript.

1. Author duties

Authors must declare, at the time of submission, the existence of any conflict of interest of a personal, academic, institutional, or financial nature that may influence the content of the article, the interpretation of the data, the conduct of the research, or the form of presentation of the results. In the absence of conflict, an express declaration to that effect must be made.

Specifically, authors must:

  • Inform institutional, professional, or contractual ties that may interfere with the impartiality of the work;
  • Declare sources of funding, institutional support, scholarships, grants, consultancies, remuneration, sponsorships, or benefits related to the research;
  • Communicate relevant personal, academic, or professional relationships among authors, institutions, and possible beneficiaries of the published content;
  • Inform situations that may generate favoritism or compromise scientific neutrality.

The declaration is recorded in the Submission Form, in a specific field for conflicts of interest, and signed by the corresponding author and other co-authors.

2. Reviewer duties

Reviewers must act with rigor, objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality, and must withdraw from any situation that constitutes a conflict of interest that may compromise their judgment.

Specifically, reviewers must:

  • Decline review invitations when there is a conflict of interest;
  • Immediately inform the editorial team of any link that may compromise the independence of the review;
  • Maintain confidentiality regarding manuscripts, data, and information obtained during the evaluation;
  • Refrain from using the content under evaluation for personal benefit or that of third parties;
  • Inform the editorial team of indications of scientific misconduct identified during the evaluation.

The Manuscript Evaluation Criteria (item A — Eligibility, ethics and conduct of the reviewer) detail the specific guidelines.

3. Editor duties

Editors must ensure that editorial decisions are made with independence, objectivity, and impartiality.

It is the editors' responsibility to:

  • Verify whether authors have provided a conflict of interest declaration at the time of submission;
  • Assess whether the declared conflicts require additional clarification or editorial measures;
  • Avoid assigning reviewers with relevant ties to the authors;
  • Transfer editorial conduct to another editor when there is impediment or suspicion;
  • Adopt proportionate measures in case of omission or inadequate declaration of conflict of interest.

4. Examples of conflicts of interest

The following situations, grouped by category, may constitute conflicts of interest, among others:

Personal

  • Personal, family, or affective relationship among author, reviewer, or editor;
  • Kinship up to the third degree.

Academic-professional

  • Relevant institutional ties between reviewer and author;
  • Recent co-authorship or direct collaboration in research;
  • Previous academic supervision or mentoring relationship;
  • Academic rivalry or professional dispute that may compromise impartiality.

Financial

  • Consultancy, funding, or remuneration linked to the topic of the manuscript;
  • Direct or indirect economic interest in the outcome of the publication;
  • Participation in an organization potentially benefited by the content of the article.

Others

  • Any other situations that, reasonably, may compromise or appear to compromise the impartiality of the editorial process.

5. Form of declaration

Pensar adopts the following rule:

Conflict of interest: at the time of submission, it must be informed whether there is a conflict of a personal, academic, institutional, or financial nature that may influence the content of the article, or the absence of such conflict must be expressly declared.

Whenever there is a conflict, the author must describe it objectively, indicating its nature and its relation to the manuscript. The editorial team may request additional information before deciding on the continuation of editorial processing.

Declaration templates

Positive declaration (when there is a conflict):

"The author(s) declare(s) the existence of a conflict of interest of [inform] nature, consisting of [describe], which was communicated to the journal at the time of submission."

Negative declaration (when there is no conflict):

"The author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest of a personal, academic, institutional, or financial nature related to the present manuscript."

6. Omission or inadequate declaration

The omission of a relevant conflict, the provision of incomplete information, or false declaration may result in:

  • Request for clarification;
  • Suspension of editorial processing;
  • Rejection of the submission;
  • Post-publication correction or retraction;
  • Communication to the affiliated institution, depending on the severity of the case.

7. Reference documents and guidelines

Related documents