Conflict of Interest
Last Updated: February 2026
Authors
All potential conflicts of interest (competing interests) that could have a direct or indirect influence on the work must be disclosed by the authors. Even if an author does not have a conflict, disclosing affiliations and interests allows for a more comprehensive and open approach, which leads to a more accurate and objective evaluation of the work. Conflicts of interest, whether genuine or imagined, are a perspective to which the readers are entitled.
The publication of a conflict statement in the article itself, as well as the submission of the conflict disclosure form, is required for all types of papers. Even if the authors do not have any conflict of interest, they still need to provide a confirmation statement in their manuscripts, i.e., “The author(s) confirm(s) that there is no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.”
Financial Competing Interests
Examples include (but are not limited to):
Financial conflicts can be personal as well as institutional. Economic interests of the institution or representatives may unsuitably affect the decision-making process, especially when human subjects are involved.
Non-Financial & Intellectual Property
Interests other than monetary (non-financial interests) should be declared if relevant. Personal relationships, professional interests, or personal opinions that may impact your research are examples of these.
Intellectual Property Reporting:
Disclosure Statement
All conflict of interest disclosure forms are collected by the corresponding author. Templates can be downloaded below:
Undisclosed Conflict of Interest
Cases before or after publication are dealt with per COPE guidelines.
Peer Reviewers & Editors
Reviewer Transparency
Reviewers must decline requests if they have personal relationships or work at the same institute as the authors. If they intentionally do not disclose conflicts, they will be blacklisted from future activities.
“I hereby confirm that I don’t have any conflict of interest related to the manuscript.”
Editor Impartiality
Editors-in-Chief must recuse themselves if they have family, competitive, or collaborative ties with authors. Initial and final decisions for Editor-submitted manuscripts will be handled by a neutral Board member.