Consideration before manuscript preparation and submission
- Declaration of interest: Any financial or personal ties to other individuals or groups that can unfairly affect (bias) all authors must disclose a writer’s work. Competing interests include employment, consulting, stock ownership, honoraria, expert witness evidence for a fee, patent applications, patent registrations, and grants or other support.
- Use of inclusive language: Using inclusive language recognises diversity, demonstrates respect for everyone, is cognizant of individual differences, and advances equal opportunity.
- Declaration and verification: The work being discussed in an article is presumed to have never been published previously and to not be under consideration for publication elsewhere when the article is submitted. The author and co-author(s) have approved its publication. Without the specific permission of the copyright owners, it will not be published in an identical form or any other language, including electronically.
- Author(s) contributions statement: Authors are expected to submit an author statement file detailing their specific contributions to the work to maintain transparency.
- Copyright: Author(s) must complete a “Journal Publishing Agreement” if their paper is accepted.
