Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (also known as a competing interest) is anything that interferes with, or could reasonably be perceived as interfering with, the full and objective presentation, commissioning, peer review, editorial decision-making, or publication of research or non-research articles submitted to AIP Publishing Journals.

A conflict of interest exists when a person or institution has a relationship, personal or otherwise, that has the potential to compromise or in any way interfere with professional objectivity or judgment in issues related to the relationship. The conflict of interest can be actual (if a relationship exists) or apparent (if the possibility of a relationship could be inferred). In either case, it is the responsibility of journal Editors, Associate Editors, Editorial Board members, authors, and reviewers to declare any actual or apparent conflicts of interest so that appropriate mitigating action is taken.

Conflicts of interest are common and do not imply wrongdoing. However, if an observer may reasonably wonder if an individual’s behavior or judgment was motivated by their competing interests, this could undermine the credibility and trustworthiness of the work. It is therefore important to transparently disclose any conflicts of interest and take appropriate steps to mitigate them.

Editors

To ensure a fair and unbiased review process, AIP Publishing collects potential conflict of interest information from all contracted Editors on a regular basis: annually, or upon appointment or re-appointment. These interests can be financial or non-financial, professional or personal, and can arise in relationship to an organization or another person, for example:

  • An Editor who receives monetary compensation from AIPP will be seen to have a COI if they accept an appointment with another publisher or institution that may interfere with their duties. AIPP should be informed of any pending or established non-AIPP appointments that might be deemed as presenting a conflict of interest.
  • Editors must disclose paid and unpaid consultancies or relevant financial obligations that may affect their ability to be objective. These include but are not limited to patent ownership, stock ownership, consultancies, speaker fees, etc. in excess of $10,000 USD per annum.

When a conflict of interest is disclosed, AIP Publishing creates a mitigation plan, which is shared with the Editor-in-Chief of the relevant journal and used to manage their own conflicts of interest as well as those of their Deputy and Associate Editors.

Editors are expected to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts that they may not be able to judge objectively, such as handling the same manuscript across two publishers, and to raise the conflict of interest to the Editorial Team so that the manuscript can be reassigned to another Editor.

Authors

Authors have an obligation to disclose any personal interest or relationship that has the potential to be affected by the publication of the submitted manuscript.

  • Sources of funding must be acknowledged in the manuscript, and all authors must report any financial interest in corporate or commercial entities dealing with the subject matter of the manuscript.
  • The corresponding author, on behalf of all the authors, has the responsibility to advise the Editor of any actual or apparent conflicts of interest at the time of submission.
  • Effective August 2021, all authors are required to include a conflict of interest disclosure statement in their manuscripts submitted to AIPP journals as well as completing a conflict of interest disclosure in the Manuscript Submission and Peer Review System, which will be acknowledged in the published article.
  • Authors must submit corrections if conflicts of interest are revealed after publication.
  • As stated in our policy on Maintaining the Integrity of the Publishing Process, authors must not suggest reviewers for their manuscript who are colleagues, close associates, collaborators, or family members, as this introduces a conflict of interest in the objective review of the manuscript.

Reviewers

A reviewer is entrusted to provide an unbiased assessment of the scientific merit of a manuscript under review. Reviewers are tasked with evaluating any author-disclosed conflicts of interest as well as self-disclosing any situation or relationship that could bias or be perceived to bias their assessment of the submitted manuscript. These include:

  • Personal relations to the authors.
  • Professional ties to the authors as a colleague or current/former collaborator.
  • Concurrent competitive research on the same subject as the manuscript.
  • Professional or financial ties to an organization with interests in the subject under review.

Reviewers should notify the Editor and Editorial Office if they are aware or become aware of a conflict of interest before or during the review process. If the reviewer has a known conflict of interest, it is up to the Editor whether to invite the reviewer and how to assess any review in light of this conflict.

Publisher

AIP Publishing respects editorial independence and decision-making by editors and is not involved in editorial decisions except in cases involving research integrity, publishing ethics, and legal issues, or when requested by the editor. We are committed to following COPE’s guidance for Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing. Editorial decisions are separate from financial considerations and free from any conflicts of interest that could compromise the process.

Article submissions from the Editors, Editorial Board members, or AIPP employees are managed so that no details of the review process, other than the anonymous reviews and decision, are accessible to the Editor or employee.

Conflicts of Interest after Submission or Publication

If conflicts of interest are suspected or identified during the review process or after publication, AIP Publishing will investigate in accordance with COPE guidelines and our policy on Complaints and Investigation of Ethical Violations. If the investigation determines that there was an undeclared conflict of interest, AIP Publishing will take action to ensure that the review process was fair and that the conflict of interest did not compromise the findings or conclusions of the manuscript. This may include conducting additional peer review, rescinding acceptance of a manuscript, publishing a correction to document the conflict of interest, or retracting an article that can no longer be relied upon.