Conflict of Interest Statement

A conflict of interest exists where professional judgement about the validity of research may be influenced by another interest, whether financial or non-financial.

Authors

Every manuscript must carry a conflict of interest statement disclosing, among other things: research funding and contract numbers; employment, advisory roles, or shareholdings connected with the subject of the research; involvement as counsel or expert witness in the case discussed; and family relationships with parties to a dispute.

An author who has acted as counsel or expert in a case that is the subject of the study must say so. This does not disqualify the manuscript, but readers are entitled to know.

Reviewers

Reviewers decline an assignment where they are from the same institution as the author, have collaborated with the author in the last three years, or have an interest in the outcome.

Editors

An editor with a conflict of interest hands the manuscript to another editor. Manuscripts authored by members of the editorial board are handled entirely by another editor and reviewed by referees from outside the publishing institution.