Conflict of Interest Policy

BIOMA requires all individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher, to disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their work or professional judgement.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate that an individual has acted improperly. However, failure to disclose relevant interests may undermine the credibility of research, editorial decisions, and the scholarly record. Transparency enables editors, reviewers, and readers to assess research with appropriate information.

This policy follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and relevant guidance on publication ethics. All parties are expected to disclose potential conflicts of interest and take appropriate steps to ensure that manuscripts are assessed fairly, objectively, and independently. <Cite refs={["turn355790search24","turn355790search1"]}/>

1. What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest exists when a secondary interest could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's professional judgement concerning research, peer review, editorial decisions, or publication. Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived, and may include the following categories.

a. Financial interests

These include research grants, salaries, consultancy fees, honoraria, paid expert testimony, shareholdings, patents, royalties, or other financial benefits from organisations or individuals that may gain or lose from the publication of a manuscript.

b. Institutional interests

These arise when an individual is affiliated with, employed by, or otherwise connected to an institution or organisation whose interests are examined or affected by the research. Examples include universities, research institutes, government agencies, conservation organisations, biotechnology companies, and commercial laboratories.

c. Personal and professional relationships

These include family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, academic rivalries, supervisory relationships, mentoring arrangements, and current or recent research collaborations that could affect impartial judgement.

d. Academic and intellectual interests

These may arise when an individual has a strong intellectual commitment to a particular theory, hypothesis, research method, biological product, or scientific interpretation, especially when they have developed or promoted the work being evaluated.

e. Researcher–participant relationships

These arise when researchers study their own students, colleagues, employees, institution, or affiliated communities. Such relationships may influence participant recruitment, voluntary participation, data collection, or interpretation of results and should be disclosed when relevant.

f. Other competing interests

Other circumstances, including political, ideological, or commercial interests, may constitute a conflict if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or publication process.

When uncertain whether an interest should be disclosed, authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose it to the journal for assessment.

2. Authors

2.1. What Must Be Disclosed?

All authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests relevant to the submitted manuscript. Disclosures should cover relevant interests arising during the preceding three years and interests that are expected to arise in the future, where applicable.

Authors must disclose:

  • All sources of funding, including grants, institutional support, commercial sponsorship, and other material assistance.

  • The role of each funder in the research design, data collection, laboratory experiments, fieldwork, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and the decision to publish.

  • Financial interests involving products, technologies, biological materials, research tools, or services discussed in the manuscript.

  • Relevant institutional affiliations, employment, consultancies, patents, or commercial relationships.

  • Personal, professional, or academic relationships that could influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of the research.

  • Relevant researcher–participant relationships, particularly when research involves the authors' own students, employees, colleagues, or affiliated communities.

  • Editorial positions or other relationships with BIOMA that could affect the handling or assessment of the manuscript.

Funding information must be provided in the appropriate section of the manuscript. A funding relationship should be disclosed even when the funder has no direct role in the research findings or editorial decision.

2.2. How to Disclose a Conflict of Interest

Authors must include a Conflict of Interest Statement in their manuscript, following the BIOMA manuscript template and submission guidelines.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have disclosed their relevant interests and that the statement accurately represents the declarations of every author.

If no conflicts exist, authors should use the following statement:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

If one or more conflicts exist, authors must describe the relevant interests clearly and explain their relationship to the research.

Examples include:

  • “The research was supported by [Funding Organisation], which had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or decision to publish.”

  • “One of the authors is affiliated with [Organisation], which produces the biological product evaluated in this study.”

  • “The study was conducted at the authors' institution, where some participants were students. Appropriate measures were taken to support voluntary participation and minimise potential bias.”

During anonymised peer review, authors must follow the journal's instructions for removing identifying information from the review manuscript while providing the required declarations through the designated submission fields or title page.

Authors must promptly notify the editor if a relevant conflict arises or changes during peer review or after publication.

3. Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and independently. They must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation.

Reviewers should decline an invitation or promptly inform the editor if they:

  • Have a close personal or family relationship with an author.

  • Work at the same institution as an author or have a supervisory, mentoring, or other relationship that could compromise impartiality.

  • Have collaborated, co-published, or held joint research funding with an author within the preceding three years, where this relationship could affect their judgement.

  • Have a financial interest in the results or conclusions of the manuscript.

  • Have a significant academic rivalry or competing research project that could influence their assessment.

  • Are evaluating research that substantially overlaps with their own unpublished work.

  • Have another interest or circumstance that prevents them from providing an independent assessment.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information, data, methods, or ideas obtained through peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage. They must not disclose confidential manuscript information or request unnecessary citations to their own work.

If a conflict becomes apparent after the review has begun, the reviewer must notify the editor immediately and refrain from further assessment until the editor provides instructions. The editor will determine whether the review can be retained or whether an independent replacement reviewer is required. These principles are consistent with COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. <Cite refs={["turn355790search1"]}/>

4. Editors and Editorial Board Members

4.1. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors and editorial board members must make editorial decisions based on scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. Such manuscripts should be reassigned to an independent editor who can oversee the assessment without inappropriate influence from the interested individual.

Editors must not use unpublished information obtained through editorial work for their own research or professional advantage without the authors' appropriate permission.

4.2. Disclosure of Editorial Interests

Editors and editorial board members are expected to disclose relevant financial, institutional, personal, professional, and academic interests to the Editor-in-Chief or the appropriate journal authority.

Declarations should be updated when relevant circumstances change. The journal may request periodic declarations of interests to support transparent and responsible editorial management.

If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the matter must be handled by an appropriate independent senior editor, editorial board representative, or publisher.

5. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher must respect the editorial independence of BIOMA. Commercial, institutional, financial, or political considerations must not improperly influence editorial decisions, peer review, or the publication of research.

Any applicable publication fees, sponsorships, advertising, or commercial arrangements must be managed transparently and separately from decisions about manuscript acceptance or rejection.

The publisher should support the journal in implementing this policy, handling reported conflicts of interest, and maintaining appropriate procedures for addressing breaches of publication ethics.

6. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

BIOMA takes allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest seriously, whether they concern a submitted manuscript, a published article, a reviewer, an editor, or another individual involved in publication.

An undisclosed conflict may be identified by an editor, reported by a reviewer or reader, or brought to the journal's attention by an institution or another relevant party.

6.1. Initial Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate independent editor will assess the available information to determine whether a relevant interest may have been omitted and whether it could have influenced the research, its interpretation, the peer-review process, or an editorial decision.

The person concerned will normally be given an opportunity to explain the circumstances and provide relevant information. Where the allegation concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the assessment must be handled independently.

6.2. Manuscripts Under Review

If an undisclosed conflict is identified before publication, BIOMA may:

  • Request a corrected or expanded Conflict of Interest Statement.

  • Request additional information about funding, affiliations, or other relevant interests.

  • Arrange an independent review or reassessment of the manuscript.

  • Reassign the handling editor or replace a reviewer whose impartiality may have been compromised.

  • Reject the manuscript if the conflict is serious, the disclosure is misleading, or the integrity of the submission cannot be adequately established.

6.3. Published Articles

If an undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, BIOMA will assess whether the omission affects the transparency, interpretation, or reliability of the article.

Depending on the findings, the journal may:

  • Publish a correction or corrigendum to provide the missing disclosure.

  • Publish an Expression of Concern if significant questions remain unresolved while further assessment is undertaken.

  • Retract the article if the undisclosed conflict is associated with serious concerns that undermine the reliability or integrity of the publication.

  • Refer the matter to the relevant institution or other appropriate organisation when further investigation is required.

Any correction or retraction will follow the journal's applicable Correction and Retraction Policy and relevant COPE guidance. <Cite refs={["turn355790search24","turn355790search2"]}/>

6.4. Conflicts Involving Reviewers or Editors

If a reviewer or editor has failed to disclose a relevant conflict, BIOMA may disregard the affected review or editorial decision and arrange an independent reassessment.

Serious or repeated breaches may result in removal from the journal's reviewer database or editorial responsibilities, as appropriate. Deliberate concealment or other serious ethical violations may be addressed under the journal's Research Misconduct Policy.

7. Reporting a Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other concerned parties may report a suspected undisclosed conflict of interest to the Editor-in-Chief through the official contact details provided on the BIOMA website.

Reports should include a clear description of the concern and any supporting evidence available. BIOMA will assess reports confidentially, protect the identities of those involved as far as reasonably possible, and take appropriate steps to prevent conflicts from compromising the editorial process.

Individuals reporting concerns are expected to provide information honestly and in good faith. Allegations will be assessed on the available evidence rather than on assumptions or personal disagreements.