Competing Interests

All authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial team must disclose any competing interests that could potentially influence the objectivity, integrity, or interpretation of the submitted work.

Authors

Authors are required to declare any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that may be perceived as influencing their research. This includes, but is not limited to:

Employment, consultancies, or affiliations
Grants or funding sources
Patents, royalties, or ownership interests
Personal or academic relationships

If no competing interests exist, authors must explicitly state:
“The authors declare no competing interests.”

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any competing interests before accepting a review assignment. Reviewers should decline the review if a conflict of interest exists, such as:

Collaboration with the author(s)
Institutional affiliation with the author(s)
Financial or personal relationships related to the manuscript

All reviews must be conducted objectively and confidentially.

Editors

Editors must avoid handling manuscripts in which they have competing interests. In such cases, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor to ensure an unbiased editorial decision.

Transparency

Declared competing interests will be considered during the editorial decision-making process and, where relevant, may be published as part of the article to ensure transparency and maintain academic integrity.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose competing interests may result in rejection, retraction, or other corrective actions in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies.

Competing Interests