Conflict of Interest Policy

An author, reviewer or editor must disclose an interest that could influence—or reasonably appear to influence—the conduct, assessment or reporting of a manuscript.

Authors

Relevant interests may include funding, employment, consultancy, patents, share ownership, paid advice, provision of equipment or materials, institutional relationships and close personal or professional connections. Every manuscript should include a competing-interest statement and describe the funder’s role, if any.

Reviewers and editors

A reviewer should decline an assignment when a conflict could prevent an impartial assessment. An editor must not handle a paper in which they have a personal, financial, institutional or recent collaborative interest; another editor will take responsibility for the manuscript.

Failure to disclose a material interest may lead to reassignment, rejection or a notice on a published article, depending on its effect on the record.