Conflicts of Interest

4. Conflicts of Interest: Ensuring Objective Scholarship

Transparency in all potential influences is critical for the objective evaluation of scholarly work.

Author Disclosure Mandate

Authors must disclose any entity that could be perceived as influencing their work, including:

• Financial Interests: Grants, honoraria, royalties, stock ownership, patents, and paid expert testimony.
• Non-Financial Interests: Personal relationships (familial, marital), academic affiliations, membership in lobbying groups, and deeply held ideological or political beliefs.

These disclosures are published as an integral, unambiguous part of the article.

Impartiality in Review and Editorship

Reviewers must decline an invitation if there is any doubt about their objectivity. Editors are required to recuse themselves entirely from the handling of manuscripts where they have a competing interest, ensuring the decision-making process remains untainted.