Competing Interests Policy

Definition

A competing interest is a financial or non-financial relationship or circumstance that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, a person’s judgment, conduct or interpretation of the work.

 

Who must declare

Authors, reviewers, editors, board members and staff must disclose relevant interests. Examples include funding, employment, consultancies, honoraria, patents, share ownership, paid testimony, personal relationships, academic rivalry, supervision, collaboration, institutional interests, strongly held intellectual positions and involvement in the work under review.

 

Authors

The corresponding author submits a declaration on behalf of all authors and confirms that every author has reviewed it. A declaration is required even when no interest exists. Funding and the funder’s role must be disclosed separately. The final statement is published in the article.

 

Reviewers and editors

Reviewers and editors must disclose interests before accepting an assignment and recuse themselves when independence may reasonably be questioned. A disclosed interest is assessed by a non-conflicted editor and may result in management measures or reassignment.

 

Management and correction

TUJNAS records how a material interest was managed. Undisclosed interests discovered after publication may result in correction, expression of concern, retraction or another proportionate action.

 

Standard wording

Competing interests: “The authors declare no competing interests.” Or: “The authors declare the following competing interests: [details].”