Declaration of Competing Interests for Reviewers

The Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (JEPH) requires reviewers to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that may affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, their objectivity and impartiality in evaluating a manuscript.

Reviewers must declare any relevant financial, professional, academic, personal, or other relationships with the authors, their institutions, or organizations associated with the manuscript before accepting a review invitation. Such interests may include recent research collaborations, co-authorship, shared institutional affiliations, personal relationships, financial interests, intellectual property interests, or direct academic competition.

Reviewers who identify a competing interest must promptly inform the editor, who will determine whether the reviewer may proceed with the assessment or should decline the invitation. Reviewers must also disclose any competing interests that arise during the review process. Failure to disclose relevant interests may result in the review being discontinued or other appropriate action in accordance with JEPH editorial policies.

The disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically disqualify a reviewer. Each case will be assessed individually to determine whether the interest could compromise the fairness, independence, or credibility of the peer-review process. The journal management is committed to handling all disclosures confidentially and transparently, in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).