Definition. A conflict of interest (COI) exists when professional judgement concerning a publication may be influenced by a secondary interest.
Authors
- Disclosure policy. Authors must disclose any COI that could be perceived to influence the work. If a COI exists, a “Competing Interests” statement is included in the article text. If no COI exists, no statement is required; the absence of such a statement indicates that the authors have no competing interests.
- Acknowledgements (optional). Funding or institutional support may be acknowledged at the authors’ discretion. Editors may request clarification if such support is material to interpreting the results.
Reviewers
- Reviewers declare any COI and recuse themselves where appropriate.
- Manuscripts received for review are confidential and must not be used for personal advantage.
Editors and editorial team
- Editors and board members declare relevant COI to the Editor-in-Chief and recuse themselves from handling affected manuscripts.
- Submissions authored by editors, close colleagues, or members of their institutions are handled by an independent editor; the conflicted editor has no access to reviewer identities, reports, or the decision.
- Decisions are based solely on scholarly merit and are independent of institutional policies or any external interests.
Publisher & independence
- The journal does not accept sponsorship or advertising. The Publisher safeguards editorial independence and does not influence editorial decisions.
Post-publication actions
If undisclosed COI are identified after publication, the journal may publish a correction or an expression of concern, or retract the article, consistent with our post-publication policy.
Contact and appeals
Questions, disclosures, or appeals related to COI should be sent to the editorial office (see the Contacts page).