Conflict of Interest

Jurnal Ilmiah Gema Perencana is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the entire research and scholarly publication process. Authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal management are required to disclose any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence—or could reasonably be perceived to influence—their judgments and decisions.

Definition

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional interests have the potential to unduly influence an individual’s responsibilities in conducting, reviewing, editing, or publishing scholarly work in this journal. The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically imply misconduct; the issue lies in the failure to disclose it.

Types of Conflicts of Interest

  • Financial: employment relationships, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, royalties, or research funding related to the manuscript.
  • Personal: familial relationships, close friendships, or personal disputes with involved parties.
  • Academic/Professional: ongoing research collaborations, supervisor-student relationships, or academic competition.
  • Institutional: relationships with institutions, foundations, or organizations that could potentially benefit from the research findings, including an author’s affiliation with “Pokjanas Perencana Kementerian Agama RI”, which serves as the journal’s publisher.
  • Ideological and Religious: strong attachments to specific schools of thought, organizations, or viewpoints that could affect objectivity, particularly in studies concerning Islamic thought and education.

This list is not exhaustive. Any relationship that could reasonably be considered to influence professional judgment must be disclosed.

Author Responsibilities

  • To disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.
  • Disclose sources of funding and the role of the funder(s) in research design, data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation, if applicable.
  • Ensure that all authors are aware of and approve the statements provided; the corresponding author shall coordinate these statements.
  • Promptly notify the editor if any conflict of interest arises after the manuscript has been submitted.

Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

  • Disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.
  • Decline an assignment if their objectivity could be compromised—for instance, due to a recent collaboration with the author(s), a close personal relationship, or direct professional competition.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and refrain from using unpublished information for personal, professional, or financial gain.

Responsibilities of the Editor

  • Make objective and independent decisions based on the scientific quality, originality, and alignment of the manuscript with the journal’s focus and scope.
  • Recuse themselves from handling any manuscript that involves a conflict of interest—for example, a manuscript submitted by the editor themselves, a close colleague, or someone from the same institution. Such manuscripts shall be reassigned to another, independent editor.
  • Refrain from using confidential information obtained through editorial duties for personal gain, and ensure that commercial or institutional interests do not influence editorial decisions.

Declarations in the Manuscript

Authors are required to include a conflict of interest statement in their manuscript. Examples of such statements include:

  • No conflict of interest: The authors declare that there are no known financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the research reported in this manuscript.
  • Presence of a conflict of interest: The authors declare the following conflict(s) of interest: [describe the relevant financial or non-financial interests]. The role of any institution or funding body in the research and preparation of the manuscript: [describe, if applicable].

The statement must accurately reflect the actual situation. Authors may not claim the absence of a conflict of interest if a relevant conflict exists.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

The journal evaluates each disclosed conflict of interest and determines whether further action is required, which may include:

  • Requesting clarification or additional information from the relevant parties.
  • Reassigning the manuscript to an independent editor or peer reviewer.
  • Including a disclosure of the conflict of interest in the published article.
  • Taking appropriate editorial action if a significant conflict is intentionally concealed or inaccurately reported.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after a manuscript has been submitted or published, the journal may request an explanation from the authors or other relevant parties. Depending on the outcome of an investigation, the journal may issue a correction or an editorial notice, revisit an editorial decision, or take other actions in accordance with its Correction and Retraction Policy. Serious cases are handled through the procedures for Alleged Research Integrity Misconduct.

Compliance

All parties are expected to adhere to this policy and to disclose any conflicts of interest in a timely and transparent manner. The journal manages conflicts of interest in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): publicationethics.org.