The European Journal of Medical Practitioners (EJMP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, objectivity, and integrity in scholarly publishing. The journal follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest (COI), also referred to as a competing interest, exists when financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional relationships could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—the conduct, interpretation, peer review, or publication of research.

Disclosure by Authors

All authors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may be related to their submitted work.

Potential conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

• Employment or consultancy with relevant organizations.
• Research grants or funding support.
• Honoraria, speaker fees, or advisory roles.
• Stock ownership or financial investments.
• Patents, patent applications, or intellectual property interests.
• Personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could influence the research.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should clearly state:

"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this work."

Disclosure by Reviewers

Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation. Reviewers must decline the assignment if they have relationships or circumstances that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality.

Examples include:

• Collaboration with the authors.
• Employment at the same institution.
• Personal or family relationships with any author.
• Financial or commercial interests related to the manuscript.
• Direct academic competition or other circumstances that could affect objectivity.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal, academic, or commercial advantage.

Disclosure by Editors

Editors and Editorial Board members are expected to perform their duties impartially and independently. Editors who have a conflict of interest regarding a submitted manuscript must recuse themselves from handling that manuscript.

When an editorial conflict exists, responsibility for the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor who has no competing interests.

Funding Transparency

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support received for the research, including grants, institutional funding, commercial sponsorship, or other financial assistance.

The role of the funding organization in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions should also be clearly described. If the funder had no involvement, authors should explicitly state this.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically prevent publication. The Editorial Office will evaluate disclosed competing interests to determine whether additional measures are necessary to ensure a fair and unbiased editorial process.

Where appropriate, the journal may:

• Request additional information or clarification.
• Assign independent editors or reviewers.
• Publish disclosed conflicts alongside the article.
• Take other measures to preserve the integrity of the publication process.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may constitute a breach of publication ethics. If an undisclosed conflict is identified before or after publication, the journal may take appropriate action, including:

• Requesting clarification from the authors.
• Publishing a correction or disclosure notice.
• Issuing an Expression of Concern.
• Retracting the article in cases where undisclosed conflicts have significantly affected the integrity or reliability of the published work.

Such matters will be handled in accordance with the recommendations of COPE and ICMJE.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on the scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance of the submitted manuscript. Commercial interests, sponsorship, advertising, institutional affiliations, or personal relationships shall not influence editorial or publication decisions.

Commitment to Transparency

The European Journal of Medical Practitioners (EJMP) is committed to fostering transparency, accountability, and trust in scientific publishing. Full disclosure and appropriate management of conflicts of interest help ensure the credibility of published research and uphold the confidence of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and the wider scientific community.