Conflict of Interest Policy
Introduction
Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Jayapangus Press, is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, objectivity, and independence throughout the scholarly publication process. The journal recognizes that conflicts of interest, also referred to as competing interests, may arise during research, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decision-making, and scholarly publication.
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's professional judgment or responsibilities may be influenced, or may reasonably be perceived as being influenced, by financial, personal, professional, institutional, political, or other interests. The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate an ethical violation or diminish the quality of scholarly work. However, all relevant interests must be disclosed transparently and managed appropriately to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the publication process.
This policy applies to all parties involved in the journal's publication process, including authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals with responsibilities in scholarly publishing.
Types of Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following categories.
1. Financial Interests
Financial conflicts of interest may arise from research funding, employment relationships, consultancy activities, honoraria, shareholdings, intellectual property rights, paid advisory positions, or other financial relationships that may influence the conduct of research or the publication process.
2. Personal and Professional Relationships
Conflicts of interest may arise from family relationships, close personal ties, professional collaborations, research partnerships, academic competition, supervisory relationships, or other connections that may compromise the independence and objectivity of scholarly assessment.
3. Institutional and Academic Interests
Conflicts of interest may arise from institutional affiliations, competing academic interests, professional responsibilities, or involvement in organizations that may benefit or suffer disadvantages from the publication of particular research findings.
4. Political, Ideological, and Other Non-Financial Interests
Political affiliations, ideological commitments, organizational memberships, advocacy activities, or other non-financial relationships may constitute conflicts of interest when they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the interpretation, evaluation, or publication decisions concerning scholarly work.
Differences in academic perspectives, theoretical approaches, or political opinions do not automatically constitute conflicts of interest. Disclosure is required when a relevant relationship, role, or commitment could reasonably raise concerns about the independence of scholarly assessment.
Responsibilities of Authors
All authors submitting manuscripts to Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan are required to disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, reporting, or publication of their research. Such disclosures are essential to maintaining transparency, academic integrity, and public trust in scholarly publishing.
Authors are required to:
1. Disclose Financial and Non-Financial Interests: Declare all relevant financial and non-financial interests at the time of manuscript submission, including any circumstances that could reasonably affect the independence, objectivity, or credibility of the research.
2. Declare Research Funding and Sponsor Involvement: Identify all sources of financial support and research funding, including grant numbers where applicable, and disclose the role of funding organizations or sponsors in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions. Authors must explicitly state when funders have had no involvement in these activities.
3. Disclose Relevant Relationships and Affiliations: Report any professional, institutional, personal, academic, or other relationships that could create, or reasonably be perceived to create, conflicts of interest affecting the research process or the interpretation of its findings.
4. Ensure Collective Author Responsibility: The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining accurate and complete conflict-of-interest declarations from all co-authors and ensuring that the information submitted to the journal accurately reflects the interests of every contributing author.
5. Update Conflict-of-Interest Declarations: Promptly notify the editorial team of any new, previously undisclosed, or changed conflicts of interest identified during manuscript evaluation, peer review, editorial decision-making, or the publication process.
6. Provide an Explicit Declaration: Include a clear conflict-of-interest statement in the submitted manuscript, even when no conflicts exist. Where applicable, authors may state: "The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript."
Editorial Assessment and Management of Disclosed Conflicts
The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. The editorial team will assess the nature, relevance, and potential implications of disclosed interests and determine whether they can be appropriately managed without compromising editorial independence, research integrity, or the credibility of the publication process.
Where necessary, the editorial team may request additional information, require clarification or more comprehensive disclosure, or implement appropriate measures to safeguard the objectivity and integrity of the editorial and peer-review processes. Manuscripts may be rejected when significant conflicts cannot be adequately managed or when deliberate concealment or misrepresentation of relevant interests undermines publication integrity.
Conflict-of-interest declarations will be included in published articles to promote transparency and enable readers to evaluate any interests that may have influenced the research or its interpretation. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest discovered after publication may result in appropriate editorial action in accordance with the journal's publication ethics and correction policies.
Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers are responsible for providing independent, objective, fair, and impartial assessments of submitted manuscripts. Before accepting a review invitation, reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest that may compromise their independence.
Reviewers must decline or withdraw from a review when a conflict of interest may impair their objectivity. Such conflicts may include close personal relationships, recent research collaborations, direct academic competition, or significant institutional or financial interests.
Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, financial, or academic advantage. If reviewers are uncertain whether a potential conflict exists, they must consult the editorial team before accepting or continuing the review.
Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board
Editors and editorial board members must maintain independence, fairness, confidentiality, and transparency throughout the editorial decision-making process.
Editors must disclose any relevant conflicts of interest associated with manuscripts under their responsibility. An editor who has a conflict of interest must not participate in managing the peer-review process, evaluating the manuscript, or making the final publication decision.
The manuscript must be reassigned to another editor or a suitably qualified editorial board member who has no relevant conflict of interest.
Manuscripts authored by editors, editorial board members, or individuals with close professional or personal relationships with the editorial team must undergo independent initial assessment and peer review in accordance with the journal's standards.
Editorial positions, institutional authority, and personal relationships must not confer preferential treatment or influence publication decisions.
Disclosure and Management Procedures
Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan requires relevant conflict-of-interest declarations during manuscript submission. The editorial team will assess disclosed interests and determine appropriate measures to manage them, including:
- Requesting additional information or clarification regarding a disclosed conflict of interest.
- Appointing an independent editor or an alternative peer reviewer.
- Excluding individuals with conflicts of interest from specific editorial decisions.
- Including relevant author conflict-of-interest statements in published articles.
- Temporarily suspending the editorial process when a significant conflict requires further investigation.
- Rejecting a manuscript when a serious conflict cannot be adequately managed or when deliberate concealment has compromised the integrity of the submission process.
Conflict-of-interest information will be handled in accordance with appropriate confidentiality principles. Relevant author declarations will be made available to readers in the published article.
Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified before publication, the editorial team will investigate the matter and may request clarification, reassign editorial responsibilities, suspend peer review, or take other appropriate measures.
If an undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal will assess its seriousness and potential impact on research integrity and the publication process.
Depending on the findings, the journal may update the conflict-of-interest statement, issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or retract the article when justified.
Corrective actions will be proportionate to the seriousness of the issue and guided by internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Compliance and Policy Review
All parties involved in the publication process at Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan are required to comply with this Conflict of Interest Policy.
Cetta: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan reserves the right to investigate suspected violations and take appropriate corrective action to protect the integrity of editorial processes and scholarly publication.
This policy will be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in publication ethics standards and international scholarly journal management practices.
References and Ethical Guidelines
This policy is informed by internationally recognized publication ethics principles and editorial practices developed by reputable scholarly organizations and publishers, including:
- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
- Elsevier Publishing Ethics Policies.
- Springer Nature Editorial Policies and Editors' Code of Conduct.
- Taylor & Francis Competing Interests Policy.
- SAGE Publishing Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Guidelines.
