Conflicts of Interest

J-KUMBIS follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) on conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest (also called a competing interest) exists when an author, reviewer or editor has a financial, professional, institutional or personal relationship that could influence, or could be seen to influence, the research, its review or the editorial decision.

Authors

All authors must disclose any conflict of interest in the "Conflict of Interest" statement of the manuscript and in the submission form. If there is none, state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest." Disclosures are published with the article so that readers can assess the work.

Financial interests include, among others: employment or consultancy; research grants; honoraria, royalties or speaking fees; shares or other ownership interests; and acting as legal counsel or expert for a party in a case discussed in the article.

Non-financial interests include, among others: personal or family relationships; membership of boards, associations or advocacy groups; political or religious commitments relevant to the topic; and access to data or facilities provided by a party that may benefit from the findings.

Reviewers

Reviewers must decline an invitation, or inform the editor, if they have a relationship with the authors or their institution, a direct interest in the outcome, or any other reason that may prevent an objective assessment.

Editors

Editors do not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including manuscripts from colleagues in close collaboration. Such manuscripts are assigned to another editor. Manuscripts submitted by members of the editorial team go through the same blind peer review process as any other submission.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may lead to rejection of the manuscript or, after publication, to a correction or retraction.