Conflict of interests
The Editorial Board of the journal is committed to ensuring honesty and transparency in all editorial procedures. Therefore, every participant in the publication process – author, reviewer, or editor – must disclose any circumstances that could compromise their objectivity. This policy aims to prevent personal or financial interests from influencing the quality of research or editorial decisions.
Conflict of interest for authors
When authors submit a manuscript, they are responsible for recognizing and disclosing financial and/or other conflicts of interest that might bias their work and/or could inappropriately influence his/her judgment. The authors must declare any conflict of interests of contributed authors very briefly in a separate paragraph at the end of the paper. Authors must identify any potential financial conflicts of interest before the review process begins. Declared conflict of interest will not automatically result in rejection of paper but the editors reserve the right to publish any declared conflict of interest alongside accepted. The following would generally be regarded as potential conflicts of interest:
1) Direct financial payment to an author for the research or manuscript production by the sponsor of a product or service evaluated in an article.
2) Ownership of shares by an author in the company sponsoring a product service evaluated in an article (or in a company sponsoring a competing product).
3) Personal consultant for companies or other organizations with a financial interest in the promotion of particular products and services.
Reviewers
Reviewers should refrain from evaluating manuscripts if they have professional or personal connections with the authors or their institutions, if their own research competes directly with the submitted work, or if any other factor might call their impartiality into question. In such cases, the reviewer must notify the Editorial Office and decline the review.
Editors
Editors must not make decisions on manuscripts where their neutrality could reasonably be doubted. This includes situations of co-authorship or collaboration with the authors, employment within the same institution, financial involvement, or personal relationships. In such cases, responsibility for the manuscript is transferred to another editor or an independent expert.
Principle of transparency
All declared conflicts of interest are published alongside the article. Compliance with this policy by all parties involved in the editorial process is essential for maintaining trust in the journal and safeguarding the integrity of scientific communication.
