General Principles
A conflict of interest may arise when a financial, professional, personal, academic or other interest has the potential to influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's judgement or actions in relation to scholarly work.
The existence of an interest or relationship does not necessarily indicate improper conduct or invalidate research. Transparency allows editors, reviewers and readers to assess relevant relationships and circumstances for themselves.
Science Insights therefore expects relevant interests to be disclosed openly and managed appropriately throughout the submission, peer-review and publication processes.
What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest
Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential or perceived. They may arise from relationships or circumstances that could affect, or appear to affect, impartial professional judgement.
Relevant interests may include financial relationships, employment, consultancy, professional affiliations, personal relationships, academic competition, intellectual commitments or other circumstances that could reasonably be considered relevant to the work or editorial process.
Where there is uncertainty about whether an interest should be disclosed, transparency is encouraged.
Financial Interests
Financial interests that may require disclosure include relationships or arrangements that could reasonably be considered relevant to the submitted work or its interpretation.
Examples may include employment, consultancy, research funding, grants, honoraria, paid advisory roles, stock or share ownership, patents, royalties, paid expert testimony or other financial relationships.
Financial support directly associated with the research should also be reported through the appropriate funding statement.
Non-Financial Interests
Conflicts of interest are not limited to financial relationships. Relevant non-financial interests may include personal or professional relationships, institutional associations, academic competition, supervisory relationships, intellectual positions or other circumstances that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, impartial judgement.
The relevance of an interest depends on its relationship to the manuscript, the individuals involved and the circumstances of the editorial process.
Funding and Sponsor Role
Sources of financial support for research should be disclosed separately and accurately. Where applicable, authors should identify the funding organization and provide relevant grant or award information.
Where a sponsor or funder had a role in the study design, collection or analysis of data, interpretation of results, preparation of the manuscript or decision to submit the work for publication, that role should be disclosed where relevant.
Where the research received no external financial support, authors may be required to state this explicitly in accordance with the journal's submission requirements.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers should disclose any relationship or interest that could affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, their ability to provide an objective and independent assessment of a manuscript.
Potential conflicts may arise from recent collaborations, close professional or personal relationships, institutional relationships, academic competition, financial interests or other relevant circumstances.
A reviewer who believes that a conflict may compromise their impartiality should inform the editorial office and decline the review where appropriate.
Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained through peer review for personal, professional or financial advantage.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors should disclose relevant interests and should not participate in the evaluation or decision-making process for a manuscript where a conflict could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality.
Where an editor has a relevant conflict, editorial responsibility should be assigned to another suitably qualified editor who can manage the manuscript independently.
Editors and editorial staff must not use confidential information obtained through the submission or peer-review process for personal, professional or financial benefit.
Submissions from Editors and Editorial Board Members
Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members or other individuals involved in a journal's editorial activities should not receive preferential treatment.
Where such a manuscript is considered for publication, the individual concerned should not participate in reviewer selection, editorial assessment or the final decision on their own manuscript.
The manuscript should be handled independently by another appropriate editor in accordance with the journal's normal editorial and peer-review standards.
Management of Conflicts of Interest
Disclosure of a conflict does not automatically prevent a manuscript from being considered or an individual from participating in every aspect of the publication process.
The appropriate response will depend on the nature, relevance and seriousness of the interest. Measures may include disclosure to readers, reassignment of editorial responsibility, replacement of a reviewer or other steps necessary to protect the independence and integrity of the process.
Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly considerations and should not be improperly influenced by financial or other competing interests.
Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
If Science Insights or one of its journals becomes aware of a potentially relevant interest that was not disclosed, clarification may be requested from the individuals concerned.
The significance of the omission will be assessed in light of the circumstances, including whether the non-disclosure appears inadvertent or deliberate and whether it may have affected the editorial process or interpretation of the published work.
Deliberate or materially misleading non-disclosure may result in further editorial action and, where appropriate, may be considered under the Research Integrity and Misconduct Policy .
Post-Publication Concerns
Relevant conflicts of interest identified after publication will be assessed according to their significance and their potential effect on the published record.
Where necessary to maintain transparency or the integrity of the scholarly record, an appropriate correction, disclosure or other editorial notice may be issued.
Where a conflict is associated with broader concerns about the reliability or integrity of an article, additional action may be taken in accordance with the Corrections and Retractions Policy .