Conflict of Interest Policy
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Conflict of Interest Policy
What must be declared by authors, reviewers, and editors — and why.
A conflict of interest exists when professional judgement concerning a primary interest (such as the validity of research) may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial or personal gain).
Declaring conflicts does not imply wrongdoing — but failing to declare them does. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, and editors.
What must be declared
Conflicts may be financial or non-financial, including but not limited to:
| • | Employment, consultancies, honoraria, paid expert testimony, or advisory roles. |
| • | Grants, stock or share ownership, patents, or royalties. |
| • | Membership of boards or organisations with an interest in the work. |
| • | Close personal or family relationships, academic rivalry, or strongly held beliefs relevant to the subject. |
Authors
Authors must include a Conflict of Interest statement in the manuscript declaring all relevant interests of every author, or stating: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.” All funding sources must also be disclosed (see Data Sharing & Availability and the Author Guidelines). Undeclared conflicts discovered after publication may lead to a correction or, in serious cases, retraction.
Reviewers
Reviewers must decline to review, or promptly inform the editor, where they have a conflict — for example, recent collaboration or rivalry with the authors, a financial interest in the outcome, or any relationship that could bias their assessment.
Editors
Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a competing interest, including those authored by themselves, close colleagues, or collaborators. Such manuscripts are reassigned, and editors who are also authors are excluded from decisions on their own work. Editorial Board members’ submissions are subject to the same independent process as any other and receive no preferential treatment.
