Any confidential information or scholarly ideas obtained during the peer review process must remain confidential and may not be used by editors or reviewers for their own benefit.

In the event of a conflict of interest, the Editor-in-Chief is required to recuse himself or herself and transfer the consideration of the manuscript to the Deputy Editor-in-Chief or another member of the Editorial Board.

A conflict of interest may arise in connection with:

• competitive relationships;

• joint scholarly activity;

• professional collaboration;

• personal or institutional ties with the author(s);

• connections with institutions or organizations related to the submitted manuscript.

The Editor-in-Chief, members of the Editorial Board, and reviewers must be excluded from the consideration of the material in the event of any potential conflict of interest.