What Counts as a Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as participants' welfare or the validity of research) may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain). At BCPHR, all authors, editors, and peer reviewers are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest related to a manuscript. Disclosure does not disqualify a person from participation; it allows readers and decision-makers to evaluate the work in context.

Financial and Non-Financial Conflicts

Disclosure Requirements by Role

Authors

All authors must complete a conflict of interest disclosure at the time of submission, covering the period from the start of the research through publication. BCPHR uses the ICMJE Disclosure Form. If no conflicts exist, the manuscript must include the statement "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." Conflict statements appear in the published manuscript and may be discussed in peer review.

Editors

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. Editor conflicts include manuscripts authored by close collaborators, individuals at the editor's home institution, individuals with whom the editor has a personal relationship, or manuscripts on topics where the editor has a competing interest. When the editor-in-chief has a conflict, the manuscript is handled by a deputy editor.

Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. When a reviewer accepts a review invitation, they confirm they have no undisclosed conflicts. If a conflict becomes apparent during review, the reviewer must notify the editor immediately. Reviewer conflicts are treated with the same seriousness as author and editor conflicts.

How to Disclose

Disclosure statements appear in the published manuscript so that readers can evaluate the work with full context. BCPHR does not censor or summarize conflict statements; they appear as the author submitted them.

Undisclosed Conflicts

If an undisclosed conflict comes to light after submission or publication, BCPHR follows COPE guidelines. The editorial team will contact the author for clarification. Depending on the nature and severity of the undisclosed conflict, outcomes may include a correction notice, an expression of concern, or in serious cases, retraction. Patterns of undisclosed conflicts may be referred to the BCPHR Advisory Board for investigation per the Allegations of Misconduct process.