What Is Author Disclosure?

What’s going on here?

Come 2026, most peer-reviewed journals, academic publishers, and funding agencies will require authors to fill out a disclosure form before submitting a manuscript or getting grant approval. Miss something important? You could face manuscript rejection, article retraction, funding loss, or serious reputational damage. According to the American Heart Association, undisclosed conflicts sit near the top of the list for research misconduct investigations. While most disclosures focus on financial ties, journals also want transparency about intellectual biases, institutional affiliations, and other non-financial influences.

How do I actually do this properly?

Here’s exactly how to make sure you get it right:

1. Find the disclosure section: Most submission systems (ScholarOne, Editorial Manager, EVISE) have a dedicated "Author Disclosure," "Conflict of Interest," or "Ethics Statement" tab. You’ll usually see this after uploading your manuscript but before final submission. If you’re not sure where it is, check the journal’s submission guidelines or ask the editorial office directly.
2. List every possible conflict: Don’t leave anything out. Financial interests include grants, consulting fees, speaker payments, patents, royalties, or stock ownership. Non-financial ties—like personal relationships, political leanings, or institutional loyalties—matter too. Be specific; vague disclosures often get sent back.
3. Cover all contributors: Every co-author needs to declare their own potential conflicts, even if they’re unpaid or indirect. Some systems let the corresponding author submit on behalf of the team, but each person should confirm their own details for full compliance.
4. Submit and double-check: Once you’ve filled out the form, review it carefully. Some journals want a signed PDF or digital signature, while others accept an electronic confirmation. Lock your final manuscript submission only after the disclosure is in—otherwise, you might hit delays.

What if my disclosure gets rejected or flagged?

These issues usually pop up because of incomplete conflict lists, vague wording, or mismatched author details. Start by checking the journal’s current author guidelines and the ICMJE recommendations for the latest standards. If the journal asks for clarification, respond quickly with a clear statement—either “None declared” or a specific list of conflicts. Stuck in a loop with unclear revisions? Email the editorial office with a short explanation and your updated disclosure. Sending multiple vague attempts just slows things down. In extreme cases, journals may demand a formal correction or retraction if a conflict was deliberately left out.

How can I avoid disclosure problems in the first place?

Try these habits to make the process smoother:

• Use a standardized template: Create a reusable form that lists all possible conflict types—financial, institutional, personal, and intellectual. Refresh it annually or whenever your professional relationships change.
• Match metadata standards: Align your disclosures with Crossref’s metadata standards to keep everything consistent across journals and help automated compliance checks run smoothly.
• Name a disclosure manager: In big projects, pick one person to gather and verify disclosures from all authors before submission. That way, you avoid missing or conflicting information.
• Check journal policies often: Journals like Nature, Science, and PLOS update their disclosure rules frequently. Review the “Author Guidelines” page every time you submit—standards may have shifted since your last attempt.
• Keep thorough authorship records: Save documentation of each author’s contributions and potential conflicts to match the ICMJE authorship criteria and make future disclosures easier.