Conflict of Interest Policy

A Declaration of Conflicting Interests policy refers to a formal policy a journal may have to require a conflict of interest statement or conflict of interest disclosure from a submitting or publishing author.



Authors' Obligations:

All forms of financial support, including pharmaceutical company support, are acknowledged in your Contribution.

Any commercial or financial involvements that might present an appearance of a conflict of interest related to the Contribution are disclosed in a covering letter accompanying the Contribution and all such potential conflicts of interest will be discussed with the Editor as to whether disclosure of this information with the published Contribution is to be made in the journal.

That you have not signed an agreement with any sponsor of the research reported in the Contribution that prevents you from publishing both positive and negative results or that forbids you from publishing this research without the prior approval of the sponsor.

That you have checked the manuscript submission guidelines to see whether the journal requires a Declaration of Conflicting Interests and have complied with the requirements specified where such a policy exists.
Editor Obligations:

  • Editors and guest editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that might influence their editorial decisions.
  • They must ensure fair and unbiased review processes, irrespective of any declared conflicts of interest.


Peer Reviewer Obligations:

  • Peer reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could bias their opinions of the manuscript, including any financial, personal, or professional relationships with the authors or related entities.
  • If potential conflicts might interfere with an unbiased review, reviewers should recuse themselves from the manuscript review process.
  • Reviewers should adhere to confidentiality and objectivity standards, avoiding any actions that could be construed as leveraging their position for personal gain.


Declaration Process:
Include a Declaration of Conflicting Interest under 'Declaration of Conflicting Interest' at the end of the manuscript, following Acknowledgments, for journals that need this.

If no conflict exists, state: "The Author(s)/Reviewer(s)/Editor(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest".