FOR AUTHORS
- Author/s of manuscripts must bear the responsibility of identifying and declaring any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as exerting inappropriate influence over the presentation or interpretation of their research findings.
- These conflicts may manifest as financial interests (such as membership affiliations, employment arrangements, consultancy engagements, patent-licensing agreements, honoraria etc.) or non-financial interests (such as personal or professional acquaintances, institutional or community affiliations, personal beliefs etc.).
- All such competing or conflicting interests must be transparently disclosed while submitting the manuscript.
FOR EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS / PEER REVIEWERS
- Editorial board members and reviewers are also required to disclose any potential conflict of interest or competing interests.
- If such interests arise from competitive or collaborative relationships, they must decline to review the manuscript.
- Such relationships may include – affiliation with the same institution, participation as research or project collaborators, personal friendships, familial ties, close acquaintance, mentor / mentee relationship, recent co-authorship, receipt of professional benefits, employer-employee status, receipt of funding or grants from institutions with an interest in the reported results, or receipt of financial offerings resulting from copyrights, patents, royalties, and similar sources.
- Additionally, any other conflict of interest, whether actual or potential, that may impact the peer review and decision-making process, must also be disclosed.