Conflicts of Interest

The Journal of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology is committed to transparency and impartiality in scholarly publishing. The journal follows relevant guidance from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) concerning the identification, disclosure, and management of conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, undisclosed conflicts may undermine confidence in the research, peer-review process, or editorial decision-making. Therefore, all relevant conflicts must be disclosed and appropriately managed.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI) exists when an individual's personal, professional, financial, or other relationships or interests could influence, or could reasonably be perceived to influence, their objectivity or judgment.

Conflicts may be:

  • Financial
  • Non-financial
  • Personal
  • Professional
  • Institutional
  • Academic or intellectual

Both actual and reasonably perceived conflicts should be considered.

2. Financial Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose relevant financial relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.

These may include:

  • Research grants or funding.
  • Employment.
  • Consultancy.
  • Honoraria.
  • Speaker fees.
  • Advisory-board membership.
  • Stock ownership or equity interests.
  • Patents or patent applications.
  • Royalties.
  • Commercial sponsorship.
  • Travel or accommodation support.
  • Other financial relationships with relevant organizations.

The disclosure requirement applies regardless of whether the author believes the relationship influenced the research.

3. Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts may also arise from non-financial relationships or interests, including:

  • Personal relationships.
  • Professional relationships.
  • Academic competition.
  • Strong intellectual or ideological positions.
  • Institutional responsibilities.
  • Membership of professional organizations.
  • Editorial relationships.
  • Other circumstances that could reasonably affect impartiality.

Authors should disclose relevant non-financial interests where they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the work.

4. Author Disclosure Requirements

All authors are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant conflicts of interest.

A Conflict of Interest Statement should be included in every manuscript, even when no conflicts exist.

Where no relevant conflict exists, authors may use a statement such as:

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.”

Where conflicts exist, authors should clearly describe the nature of the relationship or interest.

5. Funding Disclosure

Financial support for the research must be disclosed separately from conflicts of interest where appropriate.

Authors should identify:

  • Funding organizations.
  • Grant numbers, where applicable.
  • Institutional support.
  • Commercial sponsorship.
  • The role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions.

If the funder had no role in the research or publication process, this should be stated where appropriate.

6. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author should coordinate conflict-of-interest disclosures from all authors and ensure that the information submitted to the journal is complete and accurate.

The corresponding author should not assume that the absence of a disclosure from a co-author means that no conflict exists. Each author remains individually responsible for their own disclosure.

7. Conflicts of Interest Involving Editors

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should not handle manuscripts where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

An editor should normally recuse themselves when:

  • They are an author or co-author.
  • They have a close personal or professional relationship with an author.
  • They have recently collaborated with an author.
  • They have a direct financial interest in the research.
  • They have a significant academic or professional competition with the authors.
  • Other circumstances could reasonably compromise editorial independence.

Where necessary, the manuscript should be transferred to an independent editor.

8. Conflicts of Interest Involving Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment.

Reviewers should decline to review when they:

  • Have a close personal relationship with an author.
  • Have recently collaborated with an author.
  • Work in direct competition with the authors in a manner that could affect objectivity.
  • Have a financial interest in the outcome.
  • Have another relationship that could compromise impartiality.

Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal or professional advantage.

9. Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board membership does not exempt an individual from the journal's conflict-of-interest requirements.

Editorial Board members must disclose relevant interests and must not receive preferential treatment for manuscripts submitted by themselves, their colleagues, institutions, or collaborators.

Manuscripts involving an Editorial Board member should be handled independently where appropriate.

10. Institutional Conflicts

Conflicts may arise when an author's institution, employer, sponsor, or affiliated organization has a financial, regulatory, or professional interest in the research.

Such relationships should be disclosed where they could reasonably influence the research or its interpretation.

Institutional affiliation alone does not constitute a conflict of interest.

11. Management of Conflicts

Disclosure is the first step; where necessary, the journal may implement additional measures to manage a conflict.

Possible measures include:

  • Independent editorial handling.
  • Selection of reviewers without relevant conflicts.
  • Additional peer review.
  • Disclosure of the conflict in the published article.
  • Request for additional information.
  • Editorial oversight by the Editor-in-Chief.
  • Correction of an incomplete disclosure after publication.

The existence of a conflict does not automatically prevent publication. The key consideration is whether the conflict can be appropriately disclosed and managed.

12. Undisclosed Conflicts

If a relevant conflict is discovered after submission or publication, the journal may investigate the matter.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • Request clarification from the authors.
  • Request supporting documentation.
  • Require an amended disclosure.
  • Notify the relevant institution where appropriate.
  • Publish a correction or disclosure statement.
  • Issue an Expression of Concern.
  • Consider retraction where an undisclosed conflict materially undermines the reliability or integrity of the publication.

13. False or Misleading Declarations

Providing deliberately false, incomplete, or misleading conflict-of-interest information may constitute a publication-ethics violation.

The journal reserves the right to take appropriate editorial action where inaccurate disclosure is identified.

14. Peer-Review Confidentiality

Conflicts of interest must be managed without unnecessarily compromising the confidentiality of the peer-review process.

Reviewers must not disclose manuscript content, author information, or editorial correspondence to unauthorized individuals.

15. Commercial Relationships

Commercial relationships must not influence:

  • Manuscript acceptance or rejection.
  • Reviewer selection.
  • Editorial decisions.
  • Scientific interpretation.
  • Publication priority.

Payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC) does not influence editorial decisions or guarantee publication.

16. Post-Publication Disclosure

If a significant conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal will assess whether the published record requires correction or clarification.

Where appropriate, a transparent disclosure may be added to the article so that readers can properly evaluate the research.

17. Compliance with COPE and ICMJE

The journal follows relevant COPE principles and guidance for identifying and managing conflicts involving authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers.

The journal also follows applicable ICMJE Recommendations concerning disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships and activities that could influence, or appear to influence, scholarly work and editorial decisions.

18. Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology, authors confirm that:

  • All relevant conflicts of interest have been disclosed.
  • The information provided is accurate and complete.
  • Each author has had an opportunity to disclose relevant interests.
  • Funding sources and relevant financial relationships have been appropriately reported.
  • Any changes in relevant circumstances will be communicated to the journal.

The journal's objective is not to eliminate every potential conflict but to ensure that relevant conflicts are transparently disclosed, appropriately managed, and prevented from compromising the integrity of the scientific and editorial process.