Understanding Competing Interests
A competing interest refers to any circumstance that interferes — or might reasonably appear to interfere — with the impartial and complete presentation, evaluation, and publication of research submitted to the journal. Such circumstances may distort the objectivity of the peer review process, editorial decision-making, or the scientific content of a published article.
Competing interests fall into three broad categories: financial, professional, and personal. They may involve the individual author or reviewer directly, or may arise through relationships with a third party such as an institution, company, or organisation.
Disclosing all potential competing interests is not optional — it is a fundamental requirement of transparent and trustworthy scientific publishing.
Scope of Disclosure Requirements
All participants in the publication process — authors, editors, reviewers, and readers who post comments — are required to disclose any potentially competing interests. The disclosure window covers interests that arose at any point within the five years prior to conducting the research in question or preparing the submitted article.
Interests that predate this five-year window may also need to be declared if a reasonable observer could perceive them as competing according to the definition set out above. If in doubt, disclose.
Financial Interests That Must Be Disclosed
The following financial relationships and arrangements are among those that must be declared. This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive:
- Shareholding or equity stakes in companies whose interests may be affected by the research.
- Salaried employment, fee-based consultancy, or advisory roles with relevant organisations.
- Membership of a board of directors or supervisory board.
- Patent applications, whether pending or granted, held by the author individually or by their employing institution, where the author stands to benefit financially.
- Research funding received from any source, whether restricted or unrestricted in its conditions.
- Reimbursement of travel costs, speaker fees, or honoraria for participation in conferences or professional meetings.
- Gifts received in connection with professional activities.
Non-Financial Interests That Must Be Disclosed
Competing interests need not involve money to be significant. The following non-financial circumstances must also be disclosed:
- Acting in the capacity of an expert witness in legal proceedings relevant to the subject matter of the article.
- Serving on a government committee, regulatory advisory panel, or other official body.
- Affiliations — whether paid or voluntary — with advocacy groups, research charities, nongovernmental organisations, or funding bodies whose interests relate to the research.
- Membership of lobbying organisations or professional advocacy bodies.
- Writing, editing, or consulting for educational or training organisations in the relevant field.
- Close personal relationships — including friendships, family ties, mentoring relationships, or known adversarial relationships — with any person directly involved in the submission or evaluation of the article.
- Strongly held personal beliefs — whether political, religious, ideological, or otherwise — concerning the topic of the paper, where these could impair an objective assessment at any stage of the publication process.
Who Is Required to Disclose?
Authors
Authors must submit a complete statement of all competing interests relevant to the submitted work at the time of submission. This statement should cover, but is not limited to:
- The names of all sources of financial support for the research.
- A clear account of each funder's role — if any — in designing the study, collecting or interpreting data, preparing the manuscript, or deciding whether and where to submit.
- Whether the author serves or has served on the editorial board of the journal to which they are submitting.
- Whether the author has provided expert testimony in legal matters related to the subject area.
- Whether the author holds a position on any committee or body that could derive benefit from publication of the article.
Editors and Reviewers
All editors and reviewers, regardless of whether they hold paid or honorary appointments, must disclose their own competing interests before agreeing to handle or assess a manuscript. Where a competing interest is identified, the individual must withdraw from involvement in that manuscript's evaluation.
Common circumstances that would typically require an editor or reviewer to stand aside include:
- A current or recent professional affiliation with the same institution or organisation as one of the authors.
- An active or recent collaborative relationship with any author on the manuscript.
- Joint publication with an author within the past five years.
- A shared or recent grant arrangement with any author.
- A financial relationship with the company or body that funded the research.
- A personal connection with an author that would compromise the ability to evaluate the work neutrally.
Readers and Commenters
Anyone posting a comment on a published article in the journal is required to disclose any competing interests — financial or otherwise — that are relevant to the content being commented upon. This disclosure must be made at the time the comment is submitted.
How the Editorial Team Handles Competing Interests
The journal's editorial team takes the following steps to manage competing interests throughout the publication process:
- All declared competing interests are reviewed and, where relevant, included in the published article so that readers are fully informed.
- Editors will not commission or accept non-research articles from individuals whose competing interests could, in the editors' judgement, introduce bias or create the perception of bias.
- Reviewers with competing interests that could impair impartiality are not invited to assess manuscripts; editors take responsibility for identifying and avoiding such conflicts when managing peer review.
Contact
Authors, editors, or reviewers with questions about what must be disclosed are welcome to contact the Editorial Office before submission.
Editorial Office — SAFE Journal of One Health
Published by The SAFE Society Publishing
Email: editor@thesafesociety.com
Website: https://journal.thesafesociety.com