Author disclosures

• Funding, employment, consultancies, share ownership, patents, licences, honoraria, paid testimony and other financial relationships relevant to the work.
• Personal, family, academic, institutional, political, religious or professional relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influential.
• Relevant intellectual commitments, strong advocacy positions, disputes or competitive relationships.
• The role of the funder or sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit.

Reviewer conflicts

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts and decline review when recent collaboration, close competition, personal relationships, institutional connections, financial interests or involvement in the work could impair—or reasonably appear to impair—independence.

Editor conflicts and independence

Editors must recuse themselves and transfer handling when they have a conflict. Submissions from editors, board members, publisher representatives or their close collaborators receive independent handling and no preferential treatment. Author charges or waiver eligibility have no role in editorial decisions.

Published declarations

A competing-interests statement is published with each article. When no relevant interest exists, the article should state this explicitly. Funding information and the sponsor’s role should be reported separately where applicable.

Undisclosed conflicts

If a relevant undisclosed interest is identified, the journal will assess its effect on review, decision-making and interpretation. Proportionate action may include clarification, reassessment, correction, expression of concern, retraction or notification of an appropriate institution.