Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Policy Statement

Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat – JPKM is committed to maintaining integrity, objectivity, transparency, and fairness throughout all stages of the scholarly publication process. Conflicts of interest may arise when personal, professional, institutional, financial, or other relationships have the potential to influence the evaluation and decision-making processes involved in the writing, peer review, editing, or publication of an article.

All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, and reviewers, are required to disclose any relevant conflicts of interest honestly and transparently. The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection; rather, it enables the journal to assess the situation and determine appropriate measures to address it.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest is a situation in which certain interests or relationships may influence, or may reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's objectivity and independence in fulfilling their academic or editorial responsibilities.

Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial and may arise either directly or indirectly.

3. Types of Conflicts of Interest

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

  1. Financial conflicts of interest, such as stock ownership, honoraria, paid consultancy, funding, grants, or other economic interests related to the content of an article.

  2. Professional or institutional conflicts of interest, such as employment relationships, institutional interests, academic competition, or involvement in programs discussed in the article.

  3. Personal relationship conflicts of interest, such as family relationships, close friendships, or other personal relationships that may potentially influence judgment.

  4. Academic conflicts of interest, such as research competition, conflicting scholarly interests, or direct involvement in the development of the work being evaluated.

  5. Conflicts of interest related to community service activities, such as interests in products, technologies, programs, partner institutions, or the outcomes of activities reported in the article.

  6. Other conflicts of interest, including any other relationships or interests that may affect the independence and objectivity of the publication process.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are required to disclose any relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript. Disclosure must be provided through a statement in the manuscript and/or a form supplied by the journal.

Authors must also disclose funding information, institutional support, professional relationships, and other relevant interests associated with the implementation of community service activities and the preparation of the article.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors may use the following statement:

“The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the implementation of the activities or the preparation of this article.”

If a conflict of interest exists, authors must clearly explain the nature of the relationship or interest so that the editor can assess its implications for the publication process.

5. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are required to maintain independence and objectivity when making editorial decisions. Any editor who has a conflict of interest concerning a manuscript must disclose it and refrain from participating in decisions regarding that manuscript.

Editorial conflicts of interest may include personal or professional relationships with authors, involvement in the activities reported in the manuscript, financial interests, or other circumstances that may potentially compromise the objectivity of the evaluation.

If a conflict of interest is identified, the journal's editorial team will assign the manuscript to another editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.

6. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are required to disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting or undertaking a peer review assignment. If a reviewer has any relationship or interest that may affect the independence of their evaluation, they must inform the editor.

Reviewers are prohibited from using information obtained during the peer review process for personal or professional gain. If a conflict of interest is considered likely to compromise the objectivity of the review, the editor may replace the reviewer with another independent reviewer.

7. Management of Conflicts of Interest

All disclosed conflicts of interest will be evaluated by the editorial team based on their nature, severity, and potential impact on the publication process.

Measures to address conflicts of interest may include:

  1. Requesting clarification or additional information from the relevant parties.

  2. Requesting a more comprehensive conflict of interest disclosure in the manuscript.

  3. Reassigning the manuscript to another independent editor.

  4. Appointing an alternative reviewer who has no relevant conflict of interest.

  5. Disclosing information about the conflict of interest in the published article, where relevant.

  6. Suspending the editorial process or taking other appropriate action if a conflict of interest was not disclosed and is found to have compromised the integrity of the publication process.

All decisions will be made proportionately and with the aim of maintaining fairness and the credibility of the editorial process.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after manuscript submission or publication, the journal may request clarification from the relevant parties and conduct an investigation based on the available evidence.

If a violation is found to have affected publication integrity, the journal may request a revision of the relevant disclosure statement, publish a correction, conduct an editorial review, or take other appropriate action in accordance with the applicable publication ethics policies.

9. Commitment to Transparency

Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat – JPKM is committed to addressing conflicts of interest transparently, objectively, and responsibly. The disclosure of conflicts of interest is an integral part of maintaining the trust of readers, authors, reviewers, partners, and the wider community in the integrity of the journal's publications.

Policy URL: https://etdci.org/journal/patikala/ConflictofInterestPolicy