Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when a financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationship could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, research reporting, peer review, or editorial judgment.

Authors. Authors must disclose relevant competing interests and all sources of research funding. Disclosures should describe any sponsor’s role in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or the decision to submit. Where no relevant interests exist, authors should state: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

Reviewers. Reviewers must disclose circumstances that could compromise impartiality, including close collaboration, personal relationships, institutional connections, direct competition, or financial interests. They should decline the assignment when an impartial assessment cannot reasonably be maintained.

Editors. Editors must withdraw from handling manuscripts involving their own work or relevant competing interests. An independent editor must oversee assessment and decisions concerning submissions by editorial board members or close associates.

Assessment. Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a manuscript or participant. The editor determines the appropriate response, which may include transparent disclosure, reassignment, additional independent review, or other safeguards.

Undisclosed interests discovered after publication may require a correction or further investigation. Authors, reviewers, and editors must update their disclosures if circumstances change during the publication process.