A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when an individual (author, reviewer, or editor) has personal, financial, professional, or ideological relationships or affiliations that could inappropriately influence or bias their judgment, analysis, or editorial decisions. Conflicts can be actual, potential, or perceived. Major categories include:

• Financial Interests: Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, or grants received from commercial or non-commercial entities with a stake in the research topic.
• Professional / Institutional Affiliations: Direct leadership roles, board memberships, or intense institutional rivalries related to the subject matter of the manuscript.
• Personal Relationships: Family ties, close personal friendships, or direct academic mentorship/competition with co-authors, reviewers, or handling editors.

• Mandatory Statement: All authors must explicitly disclose any financial support, commercial ties, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research.
• Placement in Manuscript: A dedicated Conflict of Interest section must be included in the manuscript prior to the reference list.
• Standard Declaration: If no conflicts exist, authors must state: "The author(s) declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article."

• Recusal Duty: Reviewers must immediately decline an invitation to review if they have any personal, institutional, or financial connection to the authors, the institution, or the research funding source.
• Fair and Objective Review: Reviewers must not use their knowledge of the work before its publication to advance their own personal or professional interests.

• Recusal from Handling: Editors (including the Editor-in-Chief) must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript authored by themselves, family members, close colleagues, or affiliated institutions.
• Independent Assignment: Conflicted editors are barred from accessing manuscript files or influencing peer review assignments, which must be delegated entirely to an unconflicted associate editor.