All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their work or editorial decisions. Consistent with internationally recognized publication ethics standards and the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), any interests that may compromise the objectivity, integrity, or impartiality of the research, peer-review process, or editorial decision-making are considered potential conflicts of interest.
Authors are required to disclose all relevant conflicts of interest in a separate section of the manuscript entitled "Conflicts of Interest." This disclosure should include any circumstances, affiliations, funding sources, financial relationships, personal relationships, academic competition, or other interests that could improperly influence the presentation, interpretation, or evaluation of the research.
Reviewers and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest and, where appropriate, recuse themselves from the review or editorial handling of a manuscript. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in corrective actions, including rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, or retraction of the article, as appropriate.