Our journal places great emphasis on preserving openness and safeguarding the integrity of its editorial and publishing operations. Authors, reviewers, and editors alike are expected to disclose any competing interests that might reasonably be seen as having the potential to shape how a manuscript is prepared, reviewed, or ultimately published.
Having a competing interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from publication. Rather, transparent disclosure allows editors, reviewers, and readers to assess the work with full awareness of the relevant context.
Competing interests may take financial or non-financial forms, and can include, though are not limited to, the following:
Roles such as employment, consulting, advisory positions, or receipt of honoraria, salaries, grants, or other forms of financial support from entities that stand to gain from, or be affected by, the published findings.
Holdings such as stocks, shares, or other financial interests connected to the manuscript's subject matter.
Involvement in patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property tied to the research being reported, whether already granted or pending.
Ties to institutions, leadership roles, or membership in organizations or advocacy groups whose interests intersect with the manuscript's content.
Personal, academic, political, religious, or ideological beliefs or associations that could reasonably be viewed as shaping the research or how it is interpreted.
Financial or non-financial connections to commercial entities — including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical device companies, or other organizations funding clinical trials, laboratory work, field research, or similar studies. The precise nature of these relationships must be clearly explained by the authors.
When submitting a manuscript, each author bears individual responsibility for disclosing all relevant competing interests. It falls to the corresponding author to confirm that these disclosures are thorough and accurately reflect the circumstances of all co-authors.
Editors and reviewers are likewise obligated to disclose any competing interests that could compromise their objectivity. Where a significant conflict is identified, the individual involved will be removed from handling or reviewing that manuscript, and a suitable alternative editor or reviewer will be appointed to ensure the evaluation remains unbiased.
Where competing interests exist, they will be disclosed within the published article under a dedicated Competing Interests section. In cases where no such interests are present, the article will instead include the following statement:
"The authors declare that they have no competing interests."
Should relevant competing interests go undisclosed, the journal may pursue appropriate editorial measures — which could include rejecting the manuscript, issuing a correction, or retracting the work after publication — consistent with the journal's broader publication ethics policies.
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