Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest (related to employment, funding sources, personal financial interests, relationships, membership in relevant organizations, etc.) when submitting a manuscript, reviewing, or making an editorial decision. All potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.

Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest as a result of competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or affiliations with any of the authors or their institutions. Once manuscripts are assigned for review, reviewers are asked to inform the editor of any conflicts of interest that may exist. Authors may provide the names of individuals whom they believe should not be invited to review a submitted manuscript due to a possible conflict of interest.

If one or more members of the Editorial Board have a conflict of interest regarding a submitted manuscript, they must recuse themselves from the selection of reviewers and refrain from participating in any decision-making related to the manuscript.

For materials written by the Editor-in-Chief or scientific editors (members of the Editorial Board), a clear procedure is in place to prevent any potential conflicts of interest. Such manuscripts undergo independent blind peer review by at least two neutral reviewers with no conflicts of interest.