Frontiers in Intelligent Medicine & Health (FIMH) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, objectivity, and integrity in the publication process. A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when an author, reviewer, or editor has financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence or be perceived to influence their actions or decisions. This policy outlines the disclosure and handling of such conflicts to protect the credibility of scientific communication in medicine and intelligent health systems.

A conflict of interest exists when an individual has a competing interest that could improperly influence (or appear to influence) their responsibilities in the research or publication process. Conflicts may be financial or non-financial. Given the biomedical focus of FIMH, particular attention is given to relationships with pharmaceutical, AI medical device, and digital health companies.

All authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission via the online submission system. A clear statement should be included in the manuscript under a separate heading (e.g., "Conflict of Interest Statement") and entered into the submission metadata field. For research involving clinical data or AI algorithms, authors must also disclose any third-party data sources and funding arrangements.

Recommended wording (no conflict): "The authors declare no competing interests."

If a conflict exists: "The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [describe specific interests, e.g., consulting fees from HealthAI Inc., patent holder for algorithm described in this study]."

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict may lead to immediate rejection or, if discovered after publication, a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

Reviewers invited to assess a manuscript must recuse themselves immediately if they have any conflict of interest with the authors, their institutions, competing product lines, or the specific intelligent health technology described. Reviewers should notify the editorial office upon becoming aware of a conflict and decline the invitation. If a conflict arises after accepting the review, the reviewer must withdraw and inform the editor. Anonymous review remains a core principle; any potential bias must be declared before handling the manuscript.

Editors, editorial board members, and guest editors are also required to declare all relevant competing interests. If an editor is a co‑author, has a close professional relationship with the authors, or holds financial stakes in the technology under evaluation, they will be excluded from the peer review and decision process for that manuscript. An alternative handling editor with no declared COI will be assigned. All such reassignments are documented to ensure transparency.

When a conflict of interest is declared, the editorial office will assess whether it could bias the evaluation. Minor or non‑relevant conflicts may simply be disclosed in the publication; significant conflicts will lead to recusal of the involved party and reassignment of editorial duties. In case of suspected undisclosed conflicts (e.g., undisclosed industry ties in an AI medicine study), FIMH will initiate an investigation, which may include contacting the authors' institutions, requesting raw data, or issuing an institutional statement. Serious breaches may result in a ban from future submissions.

This conflict of interest policy is reviewed annually by the editorial board and the publisher (StarNexus Science Press). Updates are made to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing, intelligent medicine ethics, and international standards. The current version is always available on this page; major changes will be announced via journal updates and author notifications. Version history maintained from June 2026 onward.

© StarNexus Science Press
Last updated: May 2026. Frontiers in Intelligent Medicine & Health follows COPE guidelines.

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