Conflict of interest is defined as “A disagreement between author’s private interests/ competing interests and his or her responsibilities to scientific and publishing activities”.  All authors should disclose their conflict of interests in the submitted manuscripts like any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could be viewed as inappropriately influencing their research work.

All sources of financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article should be disclosed, as should the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement then this should be stated. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.