Conflict of Interest
Definition and Types of Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest (also known as a competing interest) is any relationship, affiliation, commitment, or circumstance that may compromise or be perceived to compromise objective judgment. It may include:
- Financial: research funding, employment, consulting fees, honoraria, ownership interests, patents, or other financial benefits.
- Personal: family, close friendship, personal dispute, or other close relationships.
- Academic or professional: recent collaboration, supervisory relationships, competition, shared projects, or institutional affiliation.
- Intellectual or organizational: strongly held positions, editorial roles, organizational responsibilities, or other commitments relevant to the work.
Responsibilities of Authors
- Disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests for all authors at manuscript submission and update the disclosure if circumstances change.
- Identify the sources of research funding and, where relevant, describe the sponsor's role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions.
- Provide a clear declaration in the manuscript. If no relevant interests exist, explicitly state this.
- Do not conceal sponsor influence or other interests that readers or editors would reasonably consider relevant.
Suggested declaration — no competing interests
“The authors declare that they have no competing interests relevant to this manuscript.”
Suggested declaration — interests present
“[Author name] reports [describe relationship/interest]. The other authors declare [any other relevant interests or none].”
Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers
Before agreeing to review, invited reviewers must assess potential competing interests and promptly inform the handling editor of any concern. Reviewers should decline or withdraw when a relevant conflict would prevent an impartial assessment, including relationships arising from close collaboration, institutional overlap, or recent supervisory ties. Reviewers must not use unpublished information for personal advantage and must maintain manuscript confidentiality.
The journal's double-blind peer-review model does not remove the duty to declare a conflict if a reviewer's knowledge or reasonable suspicion of author identity creates one.
Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Personnel
Editors and editorial personnel must disclose any interests affecting their handling of a manuscript. An editor with a significant conflict shall not select reviewers, evaluate confidential reviews, or make a decision on the affected manuscript. The journal should assign an appropriately independent editor to handle the matter.
Where a manuscript is submitted by an editor, an editorial board member, or a person closely connected to journal leadership, editorial management should arrange independent handling and review. Institutional or commercial interests must not override editorial independence.
Disclosure and Management Procedure
Disclosure ? Assessment ? Mitigation ? Documentation ? Decision
The editor assesses the nature, relevance, and potential impact of a declared interest; requests clarification where needed; records the outcome; and adopts proportionate measures such as independent editorial assignment, reviewer replacement, or publication of an appropriate disclosure statement.
Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a manuscript. Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's academic merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and independent review.
Undisclosed Conflicts and Post-Publication Action
Concerns about an undisclosed or misleading competing interest may be reported to the editorial office with the article title or DOI and supporting information. The editor will assess the concern, allow appropriate parties to respond, and determine whether an amended disclosure, correction, further investigation, or another action is warranted.
Where an undisclosed interest raises serious doubts about the reliability or integrity of the published work, the matter will be considered in line with the journal's applicable Publication Ethics and correction/retraction procedures. Decisions must be evidence-based and proportionate.
