Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Policy Purpose

Conflicts of interest, also referred to as competing interests, can arise throughout the research and publication process and may affect objective judgment, interpretation, or editorial decision-making. COPE states that publications should have clear definitions and processes for handling such conflicts for authors, reviewers, editors, journals, and publishers.

2. What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest exists where a secondary interest may influence, or may reasonably be perceived to influence, professional judgment related to a manuscript, editorial decision, peer review, or publication outcome. COPE and Wiley both note that conflicts may be financial, non-financial, professional, or personal, and may affect anyone involved in scholarly publishing.

• Financial relationships or funding
• Employment, consultancy, advisory roles, or board memberships
• Stock ownership, honoraria, patents, or royalties
• Personal relationships or close professional associations
• Academic rivalry, collaboration, or institutional connection
• Strong intellectual, ideological, political, or professional commitments

3. General Principle of Disclosure

Disclosure does not automatically mean misconduct or disqualification. The purpose of disclosure is transparency, so that editors, reviewers, and readers can evaluate the work in context. Wiley notes that a useful test is whether, if the interest were discovered later, a reasonable reader would feel misled by its nondisclosure.

4. Author Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all relationships, activities, funding sources, or interests that could reasonably be viewed as influencing the submitted work, its interpretation, or its presentation. Springer Nature states that authors, peer reviewers, and editors should disclose competing interests that might influence decisions or conclusions about a piece of content.

Authors should disclose, where applicable:

• Research funding, grants, or sponsorship related to the work
• Employment or paid affiliations relevant to the manuscript topic
• Consultancy, speaking fees, honoraria, or advisory roles
• Equity interests, shareholding, patents, or pending patent applications
• Personal or professional relationships that may create perceived bias
• Non-financial interests that may affect interpretation or presentation

If no relevant conflicts exist, authors should state that they have no competing interests to declare.

5. Reviewer Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must decline or disclose any conflict that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality. COPE and Springer Nature materials recognize that reviewers, like authors and editors, can also be affected by competing interests.

• Current or recent collaboration with the authors
• Shared institutional affiliation, especially recent or close association
• Personal relationship, dispute, or rivalry with any author
• Financial or professional interest in the study outcome
• Competitive work that may affect impartial judgment

If a conflict exists, the reviewer should inform the editor and, where appropriate, decline the review assignment.

6. Editor and Editorial Staff Conflicts of Interest

Editors, editorial board members, and journal staff must disclose conflicts that may affect their handling of a manuscript. COPE recently emphasized the importance of clearer policies for editorial conflicts of interest, and Springer Nature’s policies also require disclosure across editorial roles.

• Handling manuscripts from close colleagues, students, supervisors, or collaborators
• Financial or institutional interests related to the paper
• Personal relationships or disputes with any author
• Editorial or professional commitments that may influence neutrality

Where a relevant conflict exists, the manuscript should be reassigned to an independent editor or other appropriate decision-maker.

7. Journal and Publisher-Level Interests

Conflicts can also arise at the journal or publisher level. COPE states that clear processes should exist for journals and publishers as well as individual participants. These may include sponsorship arrangements, special issue structures, guest-edited collections, or institutional relationships that require transparent oversight and independent editorial control.

8. How Disclosures Should Be Made

Declarations of conflict of interest should be made at the appropriate stage of submission, review, or editorial handling. COPE’s consultation materials note that competing-interest declarations should ideally be collected as a separate and clearly explained step in the workflow.

• Authors should disclose competing interests during submission
• Reviewers should disclose before accepting a review assignment
• Editors should disclose when assigned a manuscript or when a conflict arises
• Updated disclosures should be made promptly if circumstances change

9. How Conflicts Are Assessed and Managed

Not every conflict requires exclusion, but every relevant conflict requires assessment. Wiley’s guidance explains that journals should have a clear approach for what disclosures are requested, how they are evaluated, and how they are managed.

Management actions may include:

• Public declaration of author competing interests in the published article
• Reassignment of a reviewer or editor
• Additional editorial oversight or independent review
• Request for clarification or expanded disclosure
• Rejection where a conflict materially compromises integrity or impartiality

10. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a relevant conflict is suspected to have been omitted, SIARE may investigate before or after publication. COPE’s 2024 position statement says there must be clear processes for handling undisclosed conflicts identified during or after publication.

• Authors, reviewers, or editors may be asked to provide clarification
• Supporting documentation may be requested where needed
• Editorial decisions may be paused during assessment
• Corrections, editorial notes, or post-publication notices may be issued
• Serious cases may lead to rejection or retraction, depending on impact

11. Published Declarations

Where relevant, disclosed author conflicts of interest should be included in the published article so readers can assess the work in context. Springer Nature notes that declarations are collected and made available to editors and reviewers, and implementing transparent declarations across publishing portfolios is an ongoing priority.

12. No Conflicts Declaration

If there are no relevant competing interests, the submitting party should state this explicitly. A clear “no conflicts to declare” statement supports transparency and avoids ambiguity in the editorial and publication record.

13. Related Policies

Conflict of interest disclosure should be read together with SIARE’s broader policies on publication ethics, reviewer responsibilities, editorial conduct, authorship, funding disclosure, post-publication correction, and research integrity.