Purpose

Health Innovation Journal Africa (HIJ Africa) is committed to ensuring the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the research we publish. To achieve this, we require comprehensive disclosures from all authors, reviewers, and editors regarding any potential conflicts of interest (COI) that could impact their contributions. HIJ Africa adheres to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, or professional affiliations could potentially or apparently influence an individual's judgment and objectivity regarding the research or its review.

Disclosure Requirements

• Authors: Must disclose any financial (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents) or personal relationships influencing or perceived to influence the research.
• Reviewers and Editors: Must disclose any conflicts that may affect their review or handling of the manuscript.

Disclosures must be comprehensive, covering all relevant financial, personal, and professional relationships, and provided at the time of submission. Any new conflicts arising after submission must also be reported promptly.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

• Disclosures will be published alongside articles to ensure transparency for readers.
• In significant conflict cases, actions such as reviewer/editor recusal, additional peer review, or the publication of an editorial statement may be taken to safeguard scientific integrity.

Human and Animal Rights Policy

• Human Research: Studies must align with the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must obtain ethical approval and informed consent from all participants. The manuscript must explicitly state the Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board (IRB) name and the approval number.
• Animal Research: Must follow international guidelines for animal care and use (e.g., ARRIVE guidelines), including obtaining necessary institutional approvals and minimizing animal suffering.

Informed Consent Policy

• Requirement: Mandatory informed consent must be obtained from all human research participants, covering both participation in the study and the publication of identifiable information.
• Documentation: Authors must affirm in their manuscript that informed consent for the publication of identifiable information was secured.
• Privacy and Confidentiality: Must be maintained in accordance with legal and ethical standards regarding the use of personal data.

Implementation

• Submission Process: Authors are required to submit COI disclosures, ethics approvals, and informed consent statements with their manuscripts.
• Verification: The HIJ Africa editorial team will verify compliance with these policies during peer review. Non-compliance could lead to manuscript rejection or requests for modifications.
• Publication: Articles will note compliance with these policies to inform readers about the ethical standards upheld in the research.