Editors
New submissions by the Managing Editor are not permitted. Submissions by an Editor are permitted and will be assigned to the most appropriate other Editor. An Editor may not handle any paper submitted by a colleague, family member, former PhD student, or a recent coauthor.
Referees
The invitation letter to referees will include the following wording. “If you feel there is any potential conflict of interest, please declare it. Such conflicts may include (but not be limited to) the paper competing with research by you, your PhD students, colleagues, or coauthors, or alternatively personal history with the authors (close friendship or conflict). Acceptance of this request is taken as a declaration of no conflict.”
Standard policy will be not to use a referee if a conflict of interest has been declared, but the Editor may use his/her discretion (potentially after consulting with the Managing Editor).