Financial and Non-Financial Disclosure

Policy on Financial and Non-Financial Disclosures, Grant Support, and Transparency

Axis Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (AJHRS)

1.0 Policy Objective
The Axis Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (AJHRS) is committed to ensuring the utmost transparency and integrity in the research it publishes. This policy mandates comprehensive disclosure of all potential sources of bias, including financial and non-financial conflicts of interest, as well as all forms of grant and material support. Our goal is to provide readers with the necessary information to critically evaluate the work and to maintain public trust in the scientific process.

2.0 Author Disclosures: Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest (COI) exists when an author's private interests—whether personal, financial, intellectual, or professional—could be perceived as inappropriately influencing the objectivity, integrity, or value of their research.

  • Requirement to Disclose: All authors must disclose any potential COI, both financial and non-financial, that occurred within the 36 months leading up to manuscript submission.

  • Financial COI Examples Include:

    • Employment or consultancy fees from an interested party.

    • Stock ownership, stock options, or other equity interests.

    • Receipt of honoraria for speaking engagements, advisory board membership, or other activities.

    • Funding for research or travel grants from a commercial entity or other interested organization.

    • Patents (pending, issued, or planned) that are relevant to the work.

    • Any other direct or indirect financial relationships.

  • Non-Financial COI Examples Include:

    • Personal relationships or familial ties.

    • Academic affiliations and intellectual rivalries.

    • Political, religious, or ideological beliefs that could be perceived as influencing the work.

    • Membership in advocacy groups with a stake in the research outcomes.

  • Statement of No Conflict: If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state: “The author(s) declare(s) that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.”

3.0 Author Disclosures: Grant and Financial Support
All sources of financial and material support that enabled the research must be acknowledged.

  • Mandatory Acknowledgement: Authors must disclose all grant support, including the full name of the funding agency, grant numbers, and the name of the principal recipient (e.g., “This work was supported by the [Funder Name] under Grant [number XYZ]”).

  • Material Support: The provision of equipment, drugs, or other materials essential for the research must be described (e.g., “The study medication was provided by [Company Name]”).

  • Statement of Independence: For research funded by a commercial entity or any other organization with a vested interest, authors must include the following statement: “The authors had full and unrestricted access to all study data, take complete responsibility for the accuracy of the data analysis, and had the final right to publish the research irrespective of the funder’s views.” This statement is critical for affirming the authors' academic freedom and the integrity of the reported findings.

4.0 Reviewer and Editor Disclosures

  • Reviewers: Invited peer reviewers must disclose any COI that could compromise their objectivity before agreeing to assess a manuscript. The editor will use this information to decide on the reviewer’s suitability.

  • Editors: Editorial team members must recuse themselves from any decision-making process on manuscripts where they have a COI.

5.0 Publication and Transparency
To uphold the principle of transparency, a summary of all disclosed financial and non-financial conflicts of interest, along with details of grant support, will be published in a dedicated section within the article (e.g., “Disclosures” or “Funding Statement”). This ensures readers are fully informed of any potential influences on the research.

6.0 Compliance
Adherence to this disclosure policy is a mandatory condition for submission and publication. Failure to disclose relevant information, or the provision of false or incomplete disclosures, constitutes a serious breach of publishing ethics and may result in manuscript rejection, retraction of a published article, and notification of the authors’ institutions.

This rigorous policy is designed to safeguard the credibility of the research published in AJHRS, foster accountability among all contributors, and ensure the continued trust of the academic community and the public.