Conflict of Interest

Jurnal Sains dan Kesehatan (JSIKA) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the research and scholarly publication process. Authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff are required to disclose any financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their judgments and decisions.

  1. Definition

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, professional, academic, institutional, or other interests could improperly influence an individual's responsibilities in conducting, reviewing, editing, or publishing scholarly work in JSIKA.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically indicate misconduct; rather, the failure to disclose a relevant conflict is a matter of concern. Appropriate disclosure allows editors, reviewers, and readers to assess potential sources of bias transparently.

  1. Types of Conflicts of Interest

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

  • Financial:Employment, consultancy, honoraria, stock ownership, royalties, research funding, grants, patents, licensing arrangements, or other financial relationships related to the submitted manuscript or its findings.
  • Personal:Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships with individuals involved in the research or publication process.
  • Academic and Professional:Recent research collaborations, supervisor–student relationships, professional dependencies, institutional relationships, or direct academic or scientific competition.
  • Institutional:Relationships with universities, hospitals, research institutions, laboratories, foundations, government agencies, professional organizations, or other institutions that may benefit from the research findings.
  • Commercial and Industry Interests:Relationships with pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, diagnostic laboratories, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers, supplement manufacturers, or other commercial entities that may benefit financially or commercially from the publication of the research.
  • Clinical and Healthcare Interests:Professional or clinical relationships involving patients, healthcare institutions, treatment providers, health programs, or other parties whose interests may be affected by the research findings.
  • Intellectual Property Interests:Patents, patent applications, copyrights, proprietary technologies, research instruments, formulations, diagnostic methods, software, or other intellectual property that may be affected by the publication.
  • Ideological and Other Interests:Strong commitments to particular scientific, professional, clinical, health-policy, or organizational viewpoints that could compromise objective scholarly judgment.

This list is not exhaustive. Any relationship or circumstance that could reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgment must be disclosed.

  1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are required to:

  • Disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript to JSIKA.
  • Identify all sources of research funding and explain the role of the funder, where applicable, in research design, participant recruitment, data collection, laboratory or clinical procedures, data analysis, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
  • Disclose relevant relationships with pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, healthcare institutions, laboratories, biotechnology companies, or other commercial or institutional entities when such relationships may influence or be perceived to influence the research.
  • Ensure that all co-authors are aware of and agree with the conflict-of-interest disclosure submitted to the journal. The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating the disclosure statement.
  • Notify the editor promptly if any relevant conflict of interest arises or is identified after manuscript submission.
  • Ensure that all disclosures are complete, accurate, and consistent with the actual circumstances of the research.
  • Disclose relevant financial or non-financial interests related to patents, intellectual property, products, treatments, diagnostic methods, or technologies discussed or evaluated in the manuscript.
  1. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are required to:

  • Disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a peer-review assignment.
  • Decline the assignment if their objectivity may be compromised, for example, because of recent collaboration with the authors, close personal relationships, institutional dependencies, direct professional competition, or financial interests related to the research topic.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and refrain from using unpublished information for personal, professional, financial, clinical, or commercial gain.
  • Inform the editor promptly if a previously unidentified conflict of interest becomes apparent during the review process.
  • Not use information obtained during peer review to advance their own research, intellectual property, clinical practice, commercial interests, or other personal interests.
  1. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are required to:

  • Make editorial decisions objectively and independently, based on scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and the manuscript's relevance to the focus and scope of JSIKA.
  • Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts involving conflicts of interest, including manuscripts authored by themselves, close colleagues, collaborators, students, or individuals from institutions where their impartiality may reasonably be questioned. Such manuscripts must be assigned to an independent editor.
  • Protect confidential information obtained through editorial responsibilities and refrain from using it for personal, professional, financial, clinical, or commercial gain.
  • Ensure that commercial, institutional, personal, or other interests do not improperly influence editorial decisions.
  • Disclose any relevant conflict of interest to the Editor-in-Chief or other appropriate editorial authority.
  • Ensure that manuscripts involving human participants, patients, animals, clinical materials, or sensitive health information receive appropriate consideration of ethical and conflict-of-interest issues.
  1. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

Authors must include a conflict-of-interest statement in their manuscripts. The following examples may be used, provided that they accurately reflect the circumstances of the research.

  • No Conflict of Interest

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.

  • Conflict of Interest Exists

The authors declare the following conflicts of interest: [describe the relevant financial or non-financial interests]. The role of the institution, company, or funding body in the research and manuscript preparation was as follows: [provide details, where applicable].

The disclosure statement must accurately reflect the actual circumstances. Authors must not declare that no conflict of interest exists when relevant conflicts are present.

  1. Management of Conflicts of Interest

JSIKA evaluates disclosed conflicts of interest and determines whether additional measures are necessary. Such measures may include:

  • Requesting clarification or additional information from the relevant parties.
  • Reassigning the manuscript to an independent editor or peer reviewer.
  • Including an appropriate conflict-of-interest disclosure in the published article.
  • Requiring additional declarations or documentation to ensure transparency.
  • Taking appropriate editorial action if a significant conflict of interest has been deliberately concealed or inaccurately reported.

The measures adopted will depend on the nature, significance, and potential impact of the conflict on the integrity of the research or editorial process.

  1. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after manuscript submission or publication, JSIKA may request an explanation from the authors or other relevant parties.

Depending on the findings of the assessment, the journal may issue a correction or editorial notice, reconsider an editorial decision, request additional disclosure, or take other appropriate action in accordance with its Correction and Retraction Policy.

Serious cases involving potential research or publication misconduct will be handled in accordance with JSIKA's Research and Publication Misconduct Policy and applicable publication ethics guidelines.

If a conflict of interest has materially affected the validity or interpretation of published research, JSIKA may consider issuing an expression of concern, correction, or retraction, depending on the severity and circumstances of the case.

  1. Compliance

All parties involved in the research and publication process are expected to comply with this policy and disclose relevant conflicts of interest promptly and transparently.

JSIKA is committed to handling conflicts of interest consistently and fairly to safeguard scholarly independence, research integrity, publication integrity, patient and participant interests, and public trust.

This policy follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) ), available at COPE – Publication Ethics.