Have you received a peer-review invitation? Have you weighed all the major questions, such as “Am I an expert?” or “Can I make the deadline?”. Perhaps you still have one glaring, confusing conundrum: Do I have a conflict of interest. While no list of conflicts of interest can be exhaustive, the following are the most common:
- Personal relationships
The authors being family members or good friends - Professional relationships
Current colleagues or trainees or obvious rivals on a contentious current topic to which the current manuscript pertains
Meer acquaintance or collaborators/trainees from a long time ago may not be considered a conflict of interest - Financial conflict
Potential financial gain or loss from the publication of the study
Important: If you have any doubts about a conflict of interest—particularly if it is an uncommon scenario—just explain the circumstances to the journal editor and allow them to decide; that is what they are there for!