Conflict of Interests

Disclosure of Interests by Authors

Scope of Disclosure: Authors must disclose all relationships and activities that are related to the content of the manuscript and that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Disclosure is required regardless of whether the authors believe such relationships influenced their work. Disclosures include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial Relationships: Employment, consultancies, stock or stock options, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents (planned, pending, or issued), royalties, travel support, grants, or other financial interests.
  • Non-Financial Relationships: Personal relationships, academic competition, intellectual beliefs, institutional affiliations, or other circumstances that could affect objectivity.

The time frame for disclosure follows ICMJE guidance:

  • No time limit for support directly related to the work reported.
  • Past 36 months for all other relevant relationships or activities.
  • If no relevant relationships or activities exist, authors must state: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

Timing and Accuracy of Disclosure: All disclosures must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission and updated if circumstances change during the review or publication process. Failure to provide complete and accurate disclosures may result in manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, or retraction, in accordance with COPE guidance.

Funding and Role of the Sponsor: Authors must disclose:

  • All sources of funding or material support, and
  • The role of the funder in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation.
  • Authors must also confirm that they had full access to all study data and accept responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

Disclosure of Interests by Reviewers

Peer reviewers must disclose any relationships or activities that could affect their ability to provide an objective and unbiased evaluation of a manuscript. Reviewers should decline review assignments if a conflict exists, including:

  • Recent collaboration with the authors.
  • Shared institutional affiliation.
  • Direct academic or professional competition.

Disclosure and recusal are essential to maintaining the integrity of the peer-review process.

Editorial Disclosure and Management of Interests

Editors involved in decision-making must disclose relevant relationships or activities and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists. Editorial decisions must be made independently and free from competing interests.

Publication of Disclosures

All author disclosures of interests and funding information will be published with the article to allow readers to assess potential influences on the work.

Compliance and Enforcement

This policy is aligned with ICMJE Recommendations, COPE Core Practices, and DOAJ Principles.

  • Authors: Incomplete or inaccurate disclosure may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.
  • Reviewers: Failure to disclose relevant interests may result in removal from the reviewer database.
  • Editors: Undeclared conflicts will be managed according to COPE procedures.

HJBHS reserves the right to investigate any concerns related to undisclosed interests and to take appropriate corrective action.