Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers and editors are obliged to disclose conflicts of interest at the earliest possible opportunity - for example, when a manuscript is submitted or a review paper is accepted. Conflict of interest is defined as any personal, professional or financial interest that may introduce bias into the journal publication process.

Examples of conflicts of interest

• financial support from commercial companies that have an interest in the results;
• personal relationships that would compromise objectivity during review or publication;
• professional competition that would prevent the objective evaluation of a submitted manuscript.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest on the part of an author does not necessarily mean that the manuscript will be denied acceptance in the journal. If an author is found to have a conflict of interest that was not disclosed during the submission and review process, the editor will identify an appropriate solution, which may include a published correction or a retraction.