Conflict of Interest Policy

JURIBMAS • Publication Standards

Conflict of Interest Policy

Transparency, Impartiality, and Accountability in Scholarly Publishing

JURIBMAS is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions, peer-review activities, and published research are conducted fairly, independently, and transparently. A conflict of interest may arise when financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—scholarly judgment.

All authors, editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and cooperate with the journal in managing them appropriately.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's interests, relationships, responsibilities, or affiliations may compromise, or appear to compromise, their objectivity in conducting research, reviewing a manuscript, making editorial decisions, or publishing scholarly work.

A conflict does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage a relevant conflict may undermine confidence in the fairness and integrity of the publication process.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Financial Conflicts

Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research grants, share ownership, patents, paid expert work, or other financial interests that may be affected by the publication.

Personal or Professional Relationships

Close personal relationships, family relationships, significant professional disputes, competition, or other circumstances that may affect impartial judgment.

Institutional Conflicts

Affiliations, leadership roles, institutional interests, or organizational relationships that may influence the assessment or publication of a manuscript.

Academic and Intellectual Conflicts

Strong intellectual commitments, competing research interests, academic rivalry, or involvement in work that may impair objective evaluation.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be considered relevant to the submitted manuscript.

  • Declare relevant conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.
  • Disclose funding sources and the role of sponsors in the research, analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decision, where applicable.
  • Identify relevant relationships with organizations, companies, or institutions that may benefit from the research findings.
  • Ensure that declarations are accurate, complete, and agreed upon by the author team.
  • Update the editorial team if a material conflict is identified after submission or publication.

Suggested Declaration — No Conflict

“The authors declare that they have no known financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could have influenced the research reported in this manuscript.”

Suggested Declaration — Conflict Disclosed

“The authors declare the following potential conflict(s) of interest: [describe the relevant relationship or interest]. The role of the relevant organization or individual in the research and preparation of this manuscript was [describe the role, or state that there was no involvement, as applicable].”

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain independence and impartiality throughout the editorial process. They are expected to:

  • Disclose conflicts that could affect their assessment of a manuscript.
  • Withdraw from handling a submission when a significant conflict cannot be appropriately managed.
  • Arrange for an independent editor or another qualified editorial representative to handle the manuscript when necessary.
  • Protect confidential manuscript information and avoid using unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.
  • Ensure that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance, research integrity, and the journal's policies.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and disclose any relationship or interest that may affect their impartiality.

  • Inform the editor of any relevant personal, financial, institutional, or professional conflict.
  • Decline the review when a conflict may prevent an objective assessment.
  • Not use unpublished findings, data, or ideas from a manuscript for personal benefit.
  • Maintain confidentiality throughout the review process.
  • Notify the editor if a potential conflict becomes apparent after accepting the review invitation.

6. Disclosure and Editorial Management Procedure

Step 1 — Disclosure

Authors disclose relevant interests during submission. Editors and reviewers disclose conflicts as soon as they become aware of them.

Step 2 — Assessment

The editorial team assesses the nature, relevance, and potential impact of the disclosed interest on the research or publication process.

Step 3 — Management

Where necessary, the journal may reassign editorial responsibility, appoint an independent reviewer, request additional disclosure, or take other proportionate measures.

Step 4 — Documentation

Relevant disclosures and editorial actions are documented as appropriate. Public disclosure may be included in the published article when relevant.

7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a potentially relevant conflict is identified after submission or publication, the journal may request clarification, supporting information, or a corrected disclosure.

Depending on the evidence and seriousness of the matter, the journal may require a correction, reassess an editorial decision, initiate an investigation, or consider further action under its Publication Ethics and Correction & Retraction policies. Any action should be proportionate and based on the available evidence.

8. Transparency and Ethical Standards

Conflict-of-interest declarations support transparency but do not automatically imply misconduct or invalidate research. Disclosed interests should be assessed fairly and managed in a manner appropriate to the circumstances.

This policy should be read together with the JURIBMAS Publication Ethics, Peer Review Process, Author Guidelines, and Correction & Retraction Policy. It is informed by recognized publication ethics principles, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Disclosure • Independence • Fairness

JURIBMAS promotes transparent declarations and impartial scholarly publishing decisions.