Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, arises when financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, evaluation, interpretation, or publication of research.

The following requirements apply:

  • Authors: Must disclose relevant financial support, funding sources, institutional relationships, and other competing interests that may affect the research or its interpretation.
  • Reviewers: Must disclose relevant conflicts before accepting an assignment and decline or withdraw from reviewing when impartiality cannot be maintained.
  • Editors: Must not handle manuscripts where personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships may compromise editorial independence.
  • Publisher: Must respect editorial independence and must not interfere with decisions based on scientific merit.

When a conflict involving a handling editor is identified, the manuscript should be reassigned to an editor who is free from the relevant conflict. If a previously undisclosed competing interest is identified after publication, the journal may investigate and publish an appropriate disclosure or correction.

Authors must provide a conflict-of-interest declaration, including a statement when no competing interests exist.