A conflict of interest exists where a financial, professional or personal tie could influence, or could reasonably be seen to influence, someone’s judgement of a manuscript. Declaring a conflict does not by itself disqualify a person. Hiding one does. This policy follows COPE’s flowcharts on undisclosed conflicts and the ICMJE recommendations on disclosure.
Authors
Each author declares, in a Conflict of Interest statement, relationships that are relevant to the work. These include funding, employment, consultancy, shareholding, patents, paid expert testimony, and personal relationships with people who have an interest in the outcome. The source of funding for the study is named for the work as a whole. If there is nothing to declare, the article states: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
The statement is part of the submission. An interest that appears only after publication is reported to the editor and, where needed, added by a correction.
Reviewers
Reviewers tell the editor, and decline the invitation, if they:
- work at the same institution as an author, are about to join it, or are applying for a post there;
- have been a mentor, mentee, close collaborator or joint grant-holder of an author in the last three years;
- are competing with the work;
- have a close personal relationship with an author;
- have any other tie that could bias the report.
They do not write to the authors about the conflict. They also confirm, when they submit the report, that they have no such tie. Unpublished material in the manuscript is not used for their own benefit.
Editors and board members
An editor or board member who has a conflict with a manuscript steps aside. Another editor handles it. The conflicted editor does not see the review and does not take part in the decision. This includes manuscripts submitted by the editor.
Publisher and payment
Staff of Peninsula Publishing Press do not decide whether a manuscript is accepted. From 30 October 2026 the journals charge an article processing charge of USD 250 after acceptance. Whether that charge is paid, waived or still outstanding is not information given to the editors, and it plays no part in the decision. Stakeholder funds, described under Business Model, likewise do not determine what is published.
Undeclared interests
If a reviewer or a reader reports an undeclared interest, the editor tells the author and asks for an explanation. If the explanation is not satisfactory, the editor may tell the author’s institution or funder and may publish a correction or a retraction. The case is handled with the COPE flowcharts, before or after publication as the timing requires.
Peninsula Publishing Press · Peninsula Publishing L.L.C., Dubai · support@peninsula-press.ae · In force 30 October 2026 · COPE Core Practices
