Conflict of Interest

Intellectual Independence

Authors must remain free from agreements with sponsors (for-profit or non-profit) that restrict access to study data, or interfere with the independent analysis, interpretation, and publication of results. Total transparency is a prerequisite for publication.

Financial Interests
  • Employment & Consultancies
  • Stock/Share ownership
  • Honoraria & Paid Expert Testimony
  • Grants or Patent-licensing
Non-Financial Interests
  • Professional/Personal Relationships
  • Affiliations with advocacy groups
  • Competing Intellectual Beliefs
  • Academic rivalries
Disclosure Requirements

All authors are required to disclose potential conflicts via the Online Submission System. Furthermore, the corresponding author must include a formal summary statement in the manuscript, positioned immediately before the References section.

Scenario Standardized Statement Example
Active Conflict "Author A has received research grants from Company X. Author B owns stocks in Company Y. Author C serves as a consultant for Organization Z."
No Conflict "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."
Role of the Funding Source

Authors must state whether the funders had any role in the design of the study, the collection/analysis of data, or the decision to publish. If the funder had no such involvement, this must be explicitly stated in the Acknowledgments or CoI section.