Authors, editors, and peer reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationship that could reasonably be perceived to influence their work or judgment. Potential interests may include funding, employment, consultancy, share ownership, competitive or collaborative relationships, and personal or institutional affiliations.

All authors must provide a declaration of competing interests at submission, including a statement where no conflicts exist. Funding sources and the funders’ involvement in study design, analysis, interpretation, or publication decisions must be stated where relevant. Relevant declarations will be made available with the published article.

Reviewers must decline an invitation or promptly notify the editor if a conflict could compromise impartiality. Editors with a relevant conflict must recuse themselves and delegate manuscript handling and decisions to an independent editor. The journal will evaluate reported conflicts and may request additional information or implement safeguards to protect editorial independence.