Conflict of Interest

Jurnal Jaring SainTek (JJST) is committed to maintaining transparency, impartiality, and ethical standards throughout the scholarly publishing process. This policy defines conflicts of interest and establishes procedures for identifying, disclosing, and managing potential conflicts involving authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, journal staff, and the publisher.

The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure that editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, originality, relevance, and the quality of the submitted work rather than competing interests.

This policy applies to conflicts of interest identified before, during, or after the publication of an article.

1. Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, arises when an individual or organization has financial, personal, professional, academic, institutional, or other interests that could improperly influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their judgment, objectivity, or responsibilities in the research, peer-review, editorial, or publication process.

The existence of a potential conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage a relevant conflict may compromise the fairness, credibility, or integrity of the scholarly publication process.

2. Identification and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to their respective roles.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Financial interests: Research funding, employment, consultancy, honoraria, stock ownership, grants, or other financial relationships that may be affected by the research or its publication.

  • Personal relationships: Family relationships, close personal relationships, personal disputes, or other connections with authors, reviewers, editors, or individuals involved in the research.

  • Professional and academic relationships: Current or recent collaborations, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or professional associations that may affect impartiality.

  • Competing institutional or organizational interests: Relationships with organizations that have a direct interest in the research findings, conclusions, or publication outcomes.

  • Intellectual property interests: Patents, patent applications, copyrights, licenses, or other intellectual property rights that may be affected by the publication.

  • Intellectual or professional rivalry: Strong competing academic or professional interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing an individual's judgment.

  • Other competing interests: Any additional circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the objectivity or independence of the research or publication process.

Disclosure should be sufficiently detailed to allow the editorial team to assess the nature and potential impact of the conflict.

3. Management of Conflicts of Interest

Jurnal Jaring SainTek will assess and manage disclosed or suspected conflicts of interest fairly, consistently, and transparently. The appropriate action will depend on the nature, severity, and potential impact of the conflict.

Possible measures include requesting additional disclosures, assigning an independent reviewer or editor, requiring further clarification, publishing a disclosure statement, or taking other appropriate editorial actions.

3.1 Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial competing interests during manuscript submission.

Authors must also declare the sources of research funding and describe the role of the funder, where applicable, in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

A competing interests statement must be included in the manuscript or provided through the journal's submission system, in accordance with the journal's author guidelines.

If no competing interests exist, authors should include the following statement:

"The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

If a conflict of interest is identified after submission or publication, the authors must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial team. The journal will assess the matter and determine whether a clarification, correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or other appropriate action is necessary.

3.2 Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, their impartiality in evaluating a manuscript.

Reviewers should decline an invitation when a significant conflict of interest prevents them from providing an objective assessment. Examples include close collaboration with an author, direct personal or professional disputes, relevant financial interests, or other relationships that could compromise independent judgment.

If a reviewer identifies a conflict after accepting an invitation or during the review process, the reviewer must notify the handling editor promptly.

The editor will determine whether the reviewer should continue or withdraw from the review and, if necessary, appoint an alternative reviewer.

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

3.3 Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors, the Editor-in-Chief, editorial board members, and journal staff involved in editorial decision-making must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and must not handle manuscripts when their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

Editors must recuse themselves from the editorial assessment and decision-making process when a conflict exists. This may include manuscripts authored by their close collaborators, current or recent research partners, students or supervisors, or individuals with whom they have significant personal, professional, or financial relationships.

When the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, responsibility for the manuscript must be transferred to an independent editor who can make decisions without inappropriate influence from the conflicted individual.

Editorial decisions must be based on scientific quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, and compliance with publication ethics standards. Personal relationships, institutional affiliations, commercial interests, or financial considerations must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

3.4 Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher is responsible for supporting editorial independence and maintaining appropriate procedures for identifying and addressing conflicts of interest within the publishing organization.

Publishing and administrative decisions must not improperly influence editorial decisions concerning the acceptance, rejection, or publication of individual manuscripts.

The publisher should work with the Editor-in-Chief and editorial team to address significant conflicts of interest and support appropriate corrective actions when concerns arise.

4. Transparency and Disclosure

Jurnal Jaring SainTek requires transparent disclosure of relevant competing interests to protect the credibility of published research.

Authors' competing interests statements and relevant funding disclosures will be published with their articles, as appropriate, so that readers can evaluate the circumstances under which the research was conducted and reported.

Conflicts of interest involving reviewers, editors, or journal staff will be managed by the editorial team and handled confidentially as appropriate. Disclosure to readers or other relevant parties may be made when necessary to protect the integrity of the publication process or to explain an editorial action.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in further investigation and appropriate editorial action in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

5. Conflicts of Interest Identified After Publication

If a relevant conflict of interest is discovered after an article has been published, the journal will evaluate the available evidence and its potential impact on the integrity, interpretation, or reliability of the published work.

The journal may contact the authors or other relevant parties and request clarification or supporting documentation.

Depending on the findings, appropriate actions may include:

  • Publishing an additional competing interests disclosure.

  • Issuing a correction to the published article.

  • Publishing an Expression of Concern while further investigation is conducted.

  • Retracting the article if serious ethical violations or other grounds for retraction are established.

All actions will be proportionate to the findings and will be conducted in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant COPE guidance.

6. Review and Revision of the Policy

Jurnal Jaring SainTek will periodically review this policy to ensure that it remains effective and aligned with recognized publication ethics standards and evolving scholarly publishing practices.

Any revisions will be approved by the appropriate editorial authority and made publicly available on the journal's website.

The journal is committed to applying this policy consistently to maintain editorial independence, strengthen transparency, and safeguard the integrity and credibility of its published scholarly record.