Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of Interest (COI) occur when external factors compromise—or appear to compromise—the objectivity or neutrality of research. Reviewers or referees who have potential conflicts due to personal, professional, financial, ideological, or institutional relationships with the author or their competitors must promptly notify the editor and decline to participate in the review process.

Any content disclosed to reviewers, even briefly, must be treated as confidential and must not be used for personal or professional gain without the author's explicit permission. Reviewers who decline a manuscript due to a conflict of interest must not exploit the material in any way.

Authors

All authors and co-authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest when submitting their manuscript. These may include employment, consultancy fees, research funding, stock holdings, patent licenses, advisory roles, or similar associations. If the article is accepted, these disclosures must be included in the conclusion section of the publication.

Reviewers

To ensure an unbiased review process, editors must assign a guest editor if a conflict of interest exists with an author. Editors are responsible for confirming that no conflicts exist between reviewers and authors. Reviewers must inform the editorial office of any potential conflicts before accepting a manuscript for review. While minor conflicts do not necessarily disqualify a reviewer, they will be taken into consideration when evaluating the feedback provided.

Editors

Editors who have a conflict of interest—financial or otherwise—related to a submitted manuscript must recuse themselves from all editorial decisions and activities related to that submission. If a paper is submitted by someone from the editor’s department or institution, the journal must have a clear protocol to manage the situation. In such cases, an editorial staff member should oversee the process, and the editor/author must not participate in discussions or decisions regarding the manuscript.