Reviewer competing interest not visible for submission editor?

Software Support
1

OJS 3.1.2.4

Hi!

I have activated that a Competing Interest (CI) statement is shown during the peer review. When a requested reviewer agrees that there are competing interests and comments on it (see screenshot) - how and where is this communicated to the editor? I do not find any information about the reviewer CI on the submission page. How can the editor know about this CI?

Thanks!
Armin

Reviewer-CI

2

Hi @aguen

When an editor read the review (once it has been completed by the reviewer), there is a section where the competing interest comments will appear:

image

Hope this will help.

Marie-Hélène

1 Like
3

Hi @Marie-Helene

That’s very helpful (especially the screenshot) - thank you very much!

But when the reviewer declines the review because of competing interests - which in most cases she/he should do of course - then the editor does not easily see the CI statement, right? I think, there should be an indication even in cases when the review request is declined.

Best wishes

Armin

4

Hi @aguen,

I just ran a test: once the reviewer check “I may have competing interests…” and specify a reason in the textbox below :

image

This comment/reason is not recorded into the database (review_assignments.competing_interests) if the reviewer then decline the review request…hence nothing can be shown to the editor.

At best, he/she could add or copy/paste the CI comments in the textbox that will be sent by email to the editors…say after the default text maybe ?.. (shown after clicking “Decline review request”):

image

I would agree with you that the CI comments/reason should be logged and shown somewhere to the editors even when the reviewer declined the request (that could help prevent some other subsequent irrelevant review requests and/or provide better information/context to the editors).

Marie-Hélène

5

Thank you for testing!

This is not what I would have expected. Perhaps there are data protection considerations behind this? But at least, a competing_interest flag should be set to 1 and indicate a CI to the editors. Thanks again!

Armin

1 Like
6

Hi,

to add to the discussion here: As far as I noticed, the problem is even more grave, as the editors are not even informed about possible competing interests!
I just accepted a review while stating that I may have competing interests. Yet, this is nowhere shown to the editors? Can this be confirmed?
Using OJS 3.3.0.8.

Your’s

Felix