Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests Policy

Legal Research & Analysis requires full disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest (COI) or competing interests from all participants in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and editors—to maintain objectivity and trust. A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment could be influenced by secondary interests, including but not limited to financial ties (e.g., funding, employment, consultancies), personal relationships, academic rivalries, or intellectual passions that might bias interpretation or decision-making. Authors must disclose all relevant COI at submission via a standardized form; disclosures will be published with accepted articles for reader transparency. Reviewers must declare any COI and recuse themselves if a conflict impairs impartiality. Editors and editorial board members must disclose COI annually and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts arise. Undisclosed COI may lead to rejection, correction, retraction, or other sanctions, following Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for fair investigation and resolution. The journal manages COI to ensure decisions are based solely on scholarly merit.