Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures (Specific to Editors)

Editors hold the most influence over what IAJAVS publishes, so they are held to the clearest standard on conflicts of interest. We follow COPE's guidance for editors, and this page explains how it works in practice alongside our general Conflict of Interest Policy.

What Editors Must Disclose

Before handling a manuscript, an editor must tell the Editor-in-Chief about any of the following. If the conflict is the Editor-in-Chief's own, it goes to another senior member of the editorial board.

A financial interest in the outcome, including funding, consultancy, equity or paid advisory roles with companies relevant to the manuscript
A personal or professional relationship with the authors: collaborator, family member, student or supervisor
A shared institution where objectivity could reasonably be doubted
A directly competing research interest in the same question

How Conflicted Manuscripts Are Handled

The conflicted editor takes no part in choosing reviewers, weighing their reports or making the decision
The manuscript moves to another editor, or to an independent guest editor with no conflict
If the Editor-in-Chief is an author or has a conflict, another senior board member handles the manuscript from first screening to final decision

Editors' Own Submissions

Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, may submit their own work to IAJAVS. When they do, they step away from it completely, and it is reviewed to exactly the same standard as any other submission.

Keeping Disclosures Current

Editors update their disclosures whenever their circumstances change, such as a new grant, consultancy or collaboration, not just when they join the board.