The editorial policy of this journal regarding conflicts of interest was developed based on the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

In order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, it is the journal’s policy that authors and reviewers undertake to report facts that may affect the objectivity or impartiality of decision-making.

When submitting an article for publication, all authors are responsible for declaring any financial or personal relationships with any public or private organizations that could influence the results of their work.

Authors must declare any non-financial relationships that may cause a conflict of interest in their manuscript.

Editors are also required to declare potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to make unbiased decisions about articles. Editors should recuse themselves from consideration of articles if they have a financial, personal, academic, or other relationship with the author(s) or organization that may create a conflict of interest; they are co-authors of the article; or they work at the same institution as the author(s). In such cases, the editor should refer the article to another editor or engage an independent expert.