Any facts considered a (potential) conflict of interest should be disclosed before the article’s references section. There are many types of financial and non-financial benefits involved in contributing to an article, some of which may include:

Financial interest:

The following could be considered as financial interest:

• Company Shares: The author (s) owns shares in a company that is relevant to the topic covered in the article,
• Fund Sponsorship: Research is done through grant funding,
• Consultant/Consulting work: The author (s) has worked as a consultant or advisor in any company or organisation relevant to the research in this paper,
• Patents held: The author (s) holds patents related to this research,
• Political support: The author (s) has donated to political parties or political candidates relevant to the study of this paper, government grants, foundation grants, etc.
• Honoraria received by the author (s): The manuscript or other fee that the author gets after publishing the article and,
• Other financial relationships: Disclosure is required if the author (s) has other financial relationships with any company, organisation, or individual related to the study in this paper.

Non-financial interests:

Non-financial interests involve interpersonal relationships, political positions, religious beliefs, intellectual property rights, etc. Therefore, authors, editors, and reviewers should also make timely statements regarding the potential non-financial conflicts of interest, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Academic Competition Conflict of Interest: For example, the reviewer has an academic competition or conflict of interest with the author, editor, or other related person.
• Personal Conflict of Interest: For example, the reviewer, author, or editor has a conflict of interest, such as a friendly relationship, kinship, or other personal relationship.
• Conflict of Interest of Opinion Position: For example, the reviewer, author, or editor has a specific opinion or position.
• Intellectual Property Conflict of Interest: For example, the reviewer, author, or editor has a specific intellectual property or patent right.
• Conflict of Interest in Political, Religious, or Other Beliefs: For example, the reviewer, author, or editor has a political, religious, or other belief position.

Editors must always be honest and transparent to avoid conflicts of interest. If an editor has a personal or financial interest related to a submitted article, the editor must disclose this to the publisher. At the same time, this editor is no longer involved in the review process related to this article until the article is finalised for publication.

When assigning reviewers for an article, editors must check to the maximum extent possible whether there is a (potential) conflict of interest between the assigned reviewer and the author (s) involved in the article. Suppose a reviewer discovers a (potential) conflict of interest with the article at the review time. In that case, the reviewer should immediately notify the relevant editor and withdraw from the article review process.