What defines a conflict of interest between an author and a reviewer or an AE?
A reviewer or an AE has a conflict of interest with an author if he or she is or has been active in joint research or teach at the same university. The time limit for these criteria is four years. Thus, past authors with a joint publication less than four years old are considered to have a conflict. In addition, serving as a senior thesis advisor or having strong family, personal, or business relationships may represent a conflict of interest that has no time limit. In those cases, it is important to indicate the relationship to the editor.
