Authors are required to disclose any interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. This includes interests within the last 3 years from the initiation of the research and preparation of the work for submission. Interests outside of this 3-year period must also be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Such disclosure ensures transparency and allows readers to independently assess potential biases. It is important to note that financial relationships with organizations that sponsored the research or compensation received for consultancy work are among the interests that should be disclosed.
Interests that authors should consider disclosing include, but are not limited to, the following:
Funding: Research grants from funding agencies (please specify the research funder and grant number) and/or research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies, reimbursement for attending symposia, and other related expenses) from organizations that could benefit financially from the publication of this manuscript.
Employment: Employment or affiliations, both recent (during the research project) and current, with any organization that stands to gain or lose financially from the publication of this manuscript, including multiple affiliations if applicable.
Financial interests: Ownership of stocks or shares in companies (including those held by spouse and/or children) that may financially benefit or suffer from the publication of this manuscript; consultation fees or other forms of compensation received from organizations that could gain or lose financially; patents or patent applications whose value might be influenced by the publication of this manuscript.
Determining when a financial interest becomes significant is challenging and can vary. A practical guideline is: "Any undisclosed financial interest that could potentially embarrass the author if it were to become publicly known after publication."
Non-financial interests: In addition, authors are required to disclose interests beyond financial considerations that could potentially introduce bias into the submitted work. These include professional interests such as positions on editorial boards, advisory boards, or boards of directors, as well as other management roles. Personal relationships or beliefs that could influence the work should also be disclosed. Examples include consulting or writing for educational purposes, serving as an expert witness, or engaging in mentoring relationships.
For primary research articles, a disclosure statement is mandatory. Review articles, due to their authoritative synthesis of evidence, also necessitate a disclosure statement. Other article types such as editorials, book reviews, and comments may require a disclosure statement based on their content. Authors unsure about whether their article type requires a disclosure statement should contact the Editor-in-Chief for clarification.
Additionally, funding information, which is considered a potential conflict of interest, must be disclosed during manuscript submission in the peer review system. This information should be included in the 'Declarations' section under 'Summary of Requirements'.
Before the reference list, in the part named "Declarations," the aforementioned information should be condensed into a statement. Funding, conflicts of interest/competing interests, consent, ethics approval, data and/or code availability, and the authors' contribution statements are among the other disclosures.
In the event that the information has previously been mentioned in the manuscript—for instance, under Methods & Materials—please make sure it is repeated here.
Please review the several phrasing examples below and edit/customize the sample phrases to fit your needs.
It is sufficient to use one general statement when all authors have the same conflicts of interest and/or financing, or none at all.
Assign a header of "Funding" (see template).
Partial financial assistance was received from [...]
The research leading to these results received funding from [...] through Grant Agreement No […].
In the absence of funding:
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the work submitted.
No funding was received to support the preparation of this manuscript.
As the header, type "Conflicts of interest/Competing interests" (see template).
Financial interests: Author A has received research support from Company A. Author B received a speaker honorarium from Company W and holds stock in Company X. Author C serves as a consultant for Company Y.
Non-financial interests: C is an unpaid member of committee Z.
Financial interests: The authors declare they have no financial interests.
Non-financial interests: Author A is on the board of directors of Y and receives no compensation as member of the board of directors.
Financial interests: Author A received a speaking fee from Y for Z. Author B receives a salary from association X. X where s/he is the Executive Director.
Non-financial interests: C is a volunteer for committee Z.
Financial interests: The authors declare no financial interests.
Non-financial interests: Author A serves on the board of directors of Y without receiving compensation.
Financial interests: Author A received a speaking fee from Y for Z. Author B is employed as the Executive Director at association X and receives a salary from there.
Non-financial interests: none.
Financial interests: Authors A and B state they have no financial interests. Author C has received honoraria as a speaker and consultant from Company M and Company N. Dr. C has also received speaker honorarium and research funding from Company M and Company O. Author D has received travel support from Company O.
Non-financial interests: Author D has held advisory board positions with Companies M, N, and O.
When authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose, the following statement may be used:
All authors confirm that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity that has a financial or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
The authors do not have any financial or proprietary interests related to the materials discussed in this article.
Authors are accountable for the accuracy of the statements presented in the manuscript. Please refer to the Authorship Principles for further details.
The Editor-in-Chief retains the authority to decline submissions that do not adhere to the guidelines outlined in this section.
To maintain fairness and objectivity in the peer review process, submissions from the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) are reviewed independently by other journal editors.
This ensures that the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) will not participate in decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of their own submitted papers. Instead, another editor will oversee the peer review process and determine the final outcome.
This policy is implemented to avoid potential conflicts of interest from affecting the peer review process. For instance, if the EiC is a co-author of the paper or has a personal or professional relationship with any of the authors, their involvement in the decision-making process could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Having other editors handle submissions from the EiC helps ensure that all papers are evaluated fairly and objectively.
If a conflict of interest arises between the Guest Editors (GEs) and the authors of a submission to a Special Issue, the submission will be assigned to another Editor from the Editorial Board. This Editor will oversee the peer review process and make the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection after the review.
The purpose of this policy is to maintain fair and impartial evaluation of all submissions to Special Issues, irrespective of any personal or professional relationships between the GEs and the authors. Assigning these submissions to another Editor from the Editorial Board helps mitigate potential conflicts of interest and ensures the integrity of the peer review process.
Here are several examples of conflicts of interest that would mandate assigning a submission to another Editor from the Editorial Board:
If you have any enquiries regarding this policy, please feel free to reach out to the Editorial Office.
To uphold fairness and objectivity in the peer review process, submissions from Associate Editors and Editorial Board members are reviewed independently by other journal editors.
This ensures that Associate Editors and Editorial Board members will refrain from participating in decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of their own submitted papers. Instead, another editor will oversee the peer review process and determine the final decision.
This policy is implemented to avoid potential conflicts of interest from impacting the peer review process. For instance, if an Associate Editor or Editorial Board member is a co-author of the paper, or maintains a personal or professional relationship with any of the authors, their involvement in the decision-making process could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Having other editors handle submissions from Associate Editors and Editorial Board members helps ensure that all papers are evaluated fairly and objectively.
Here are additional specifics about this policy:
This policy aims to guarantee that all papers undergo fair and objective evaluation, independent of any personal or professional relationships between authors and editors.