Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest, such as the validity of research, may be influenced by a secondary interest, including financial, personal, institutional, political, or professional considerations. Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived.

 

Authors' Responsibilities

All authors must disclose any relationships or activities that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the research and its publication.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Reviewers are required to disclose any conflict of interest that may affect their ability to provide an objective review. Reviewers should decline to review a manuscript if they:

  • Have collaborated with the author(s) within the recent past;
  • Work at the same institution as one or more authors;
  • Have personal or professional relationships with the authors;
  • Have financial interests related to the manuscript's content; or
  • Believe their impartiality may be compromised.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.

Editors' Responsibilities

Editors and Editorial Board members must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts when conflicts of interest exist. In such cases, editorial responsibility shall be assigned to another qualified editor without conflicts.

Disclosure Procedure

Authors must provide a clear statement regarding conflicts of interest at the time of submission.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified before or after publication, the Journal may take appropriate action including requesting additional disclosure, publishing a correction, issuing an expression of concern, rejecting the manuscript, retracting the article, or referring the matter to the relevant institution or authority.

Funding Disclosure

All sources of financial support for the research must be disclosed in the manuscript.

Authors should identify funding organization(s); grant number(s), if applicable; and the role of the funder in the research process. If the funder had no involvement in the study, authors should clearly state this.