What if funding info not uploaded while submission but acknowledged?

Question

To the best of my knowledge, when some authors are funded by some industries, they should (or sometimes have to) acknowledge the industry by writing the funding ID.

What happens if someone acknowledges the funding info, in detail, in the manuscript, but does not upload them to the submission system of journal, while submitting the paper?

It seems that the published info of that research will be public only in the published paper and not the journal private database, and therefore that public information will be the official reference in the case of conflict of interest.

Can anyone confirm whether or not this is accurate?

It might be helpful to note that:

1. The context is artificial intelligence - computer science.

2. The funding institutes are European.

3. Based on European regulations algorithms cannot be patented because patenting them is equal to publishing the algorithm (unlike US regulations).

4. Thus, I do not understand if conflict of interest is, even, possible in this field.

Answer 1

There are two different things here: (1) Acknowledgement and (2) Online information. These two things are different.

(1) Acknowledgement is provided by the authors and it appears in the printed (online and offline) manuscript. Acknowledgement can go to a person, a set of persons, a lab, an university, a funder and such like.

(2) Funding information appears in both manuscript (just below abstract, sometimes) and in the online journal website. This is exclusively provided to thank the funding organization. And, if the research is funded, then it is a must.

If you don't provide such information while submitting the paper, though you have acknowledged in the manuscript, it won't appear on the journal website.

However, here is the alternative. I believe that you have submitted the first version of the manuscript. If it comes for a revision request, then while submitting the revised version, you can edit the funding information in online submission system.

Alternatively, you can email the journal editorial office to make an arrangement with the submission system so that you can edit the submission again. Note that if the article is already under review, you can't change anything now.