A conflict of interest (CI) exists when there is a divergence between an individual's private interests (competing interests) and their scientific and publishing responsibilities, such that a reasonable observer may wonder whether the individual's behavior or judgment was motivated by objective considerations or competing interests.

Conflicts of Interest can be divided into 5 categories:

Financial ties: This conflict is present when a participant in the publication process has received or expects to receive money (or other financial benefits, such as patents or stocks), or gifts or services that may influence the work related to a specific publication.

Academic Commitments: Participants in the publication process may have strong beliefs ("intellectual passion") that bind them to a private explanation, method, or idea. They may, as a result, be biased in conducting research that tests commitment or in reviewing work by other authors who favor or are at odds with their beliefs.

Personal relationships: Personal relationships with family, friends, enemies, competitors, or colleagues may present a conflict of interest. For example, a user may struggle to provide an unbiased review of articles by former co-workers.

Political or Religious Beliefs: Strong commitment to a particular political view (e.g., political position, agenda, or affiliation) or having a strong religious conviction may pose a conflict of Interest for a private publication, whether those political or religious issues are affirmed or denied in the publication.

Institutional Affiliations: A Conflict of Interest exists when a participant in the publication process is directly associated with an institution and that can influence their evaluation considering being able to obtain a possible position or an interest in a publication.

Declaration and management of conflict of interest Conflicts of Interest are ubiquitous and cannot be eliminated from the editorial and/or authoring process. However, they can be managed constructively so that they exert the least possible intrusion on the journal, its content and credibility.

All statements about Conflict of Interest by the author are requested in writing - in the notes to the editor field - as a condition for reviewing a manuscript, in such a way that authors will have a high probability of reporting possible conflicts of interest related to the manuscript, if there is. Any conflict of interest will be handled based on the flowcharts used by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The charts can be downloaded and accessed from the link (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). If any or all types of conflicts of interest (mentioned above) are detected (a priori, during the peer review process or after publication) in any evaluated or approved text, the manuscript will be suspended until the conflict of interest is resolved.

Responsibilities

Authors: All authors must report any conflict of interest related to their research to the editor.

Reviewers: All contributors must report any conflict of interest related to their review assignments to the editor.

Editors: Editors must not make any editorial decisions or be involved in the editorial process if they or a close family member has a conflict of interest (financial or otherwise) in a private manuscript submitted to the journal.

Source: https://periodicos.ufv.br