Table 3.

Journals policies on editors’ conflicts of interest

1) The journal has a specific policy on editors’ COI: 8/45 (18 %)

2) Editors must submit a written attestation on potential COI: 6/8

3) Frequency to disclose potential COI: only when appointed: 5/6; yearly: 1/6

4) Specific procedures are followed to verify that editors’ COI disclosures are accurate: 3/8

5) There is a policy for “recusal” of editors with a declared COI: 3/8

6) There is a policy for “delegating” handling decision to other (invited) editors: 4/7

7) Editors’ COI are always published: 2/7

8) If Editors’ COI are not published, the information is made available upon request: 5/6

COI conflicts of interest