Policies
Conflict of Interest Policy
Last updated: 24 October 2026
What must be disclosed
A competing interest is a relationship or circumstance that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, scholarly judgment. Examples include employment, consulting, funding, investments, patents, commercial interests, paid testimony, close personal relationships, academic supervision, collaborations, disputes, and strong organizational or advocacy roles relevant to the work. Having an interest does not automatically disqualify a contribution; withholding a relevant interest can undermine trust.
Authors
Authors must disclose relevant financial and nonfinancial interests, identify funding and in-kind support, and explain a sponsor's role in design, analysis, writing, and publication decisions. If there are no relevant interests, include: “The authors declare no competing interests relevant to this work.” Disclosures are reviewed during submission and updated before publication. Material disclosures will appear with the article. Authors must report newly identified omissions promptly.
Reviewers and editors
Reviewers must decline assignments where a relationship prevents impartial review and disclose uncertain cases before accepting. Editors must not handle their own work or work where a personal, professional, financial, or supervisory connection could compromise independence. Recent coauthors, close collaborators, and people from the same immediate institutional unit ordinarily should not act as independent reviewers. Editors assess other relationships case by case and document safeguards.
Founder and editorial board submissions
Submissions by the founder, owners, editors, or board members require a qualified independent handling editor with authority over reviewer selection and the final decision. The author must have no role in those decisions or access to confidential reviewer identities through an editorial role. The journal will decline or defer such submissions if suitable independent handling cannot be arranged. Accepted articles will state the conflict and independent handling procedure.
Commercial and educational relationships
Donations, institutional partnerships, advertising, workshop enrollment, certificates, or paid services must not affect publication decisions. Editors must disclose relevant relationships and recuse themselves when needed. Report concerns to editor@bridgereview.org. Complaints involving a conflicted person will be routed to an uninvolved decision maker under the Complaints and Appeals Policy.