Conflict of Interests

Conflicts of Interest

Sarwahita: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat is committed to maintaining the integrity, objectivity, transparency, and credibility of scholarly publications. The disclosure and proper management of conflicts of interest are essential to ensuring fairness in the editorial process and maintaining public trust in published articles.

This policy establishes the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and editorial staff in identifying, disclosing, and managing actual or potential conflicts of interest that may influence, or be perceived to influence, the research, community service activities, peer review, or editorial decision-making process. Sarwahita follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing publication ethics issues.

A Conflict of Interest (COI), also known as a competing interest, occurs when financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other interests may compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, an individual's objectivity and professional judgment in the preparation, evaluation, or publication of a manuscript.

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

• Financial Interests: Research funding, grants, employment, consultancy, honoraria, sponsorships, intellectual property rights, or other financial relationships that may influence the reported findings or outcomes of community service activities.
• Personal and Professional Relationships: Family relationships, personal friendships, professional rivalries, supervisory relationships, or current and recent collaborations between authors, reviewers, and editors.
• Institutional Interests: Affiliations or responsibilities within institutions, organizations, community partners, funding bodies, or other parties that may benefit from the publication or reported outcomes.
• Academic and Intellectual Interests: Professional commitments, competing research or community service initiatives, or strongly held views that may affect the impartial assessment of a manuscript.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may undermine the credibility of the publication process. All actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest must therefore be disclosed and appropriately managed.

 

General Policy

Sarwahita requires all parties involved in the publication process to disclose relevant conflicts of interest transparently.

1. Full Disclosure: Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest relevant to their roles. A declaration of no conflict must also be provided where applicable.
2. Timely Disclosure: Conflicts of interest must be disclosed as early as possible. Any new conflict arising during manuscript preparation, peer review, revision, or editorial assessment must be reported promptly.
3. Impartial Editorial Decisions: Manuscripts must be evaluated according to their scholarly quality, relevance, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and contribution to community service, regardless of the authors' institutional affiliations or personal and professional relationships.
4. Independent Peer Review: Individuals with significant conflicts of interest must not participate in reviewing or making editorial decisions on the manuscripts concerned.
5. Publication of Declarations: Authors' conflict of interest declarations and relevant funding disclosures must be included in the published article, as applicable.
6. Post-Publication Action: Undisclosed conflicts identified after publication will be assessed by the editorial team. Appropriate action may include a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the issue and its implications for the integrity of the published work.
   
   

Responsibilities and Procedures

Author
Authors are responsible for disclosing any financial or non-financial interests that may influence, or be perceived to influence, their manuscript and the reported community service activities.

Authors must:

1. Disclose Relevant Interests: Declare financial support, grants, sponsorships, institutional affiliations, personal or professional relationships, and other relevant interests connected to the submitted manuscript.
2. Declare Funding Sources: Identify all sources of financial or material support for the research or community service activities. Authors should explain the role of the funding body or supporting institution in the planning, implementation, evaluation, interpretation, and reporting of the activities, where applicable.
3. Include a Declaration in the Manuscript: Provide a Conflict of Interest statement in the submitted manuscript, preferably before the References section or in the designated section of the journal's manuscript template.
4. Update Disclosures: Notify the editor of any relevant conflict that becomes apparent during the review or revision process.
5. Ensure Accuracy: Ensure that all declarations are complete, accurate, and agreed upon by the authors.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors should include the following statement:

“The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.”

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in requests for clarification, delays in the editorial process, rejection of the manuscript, or post-publication corrective action, depending on the circumstances.

Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers must provide objective, impartial, and confidential assessments of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers are required to:

1. Disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that may affect their impartiality.
2. Inform the editor if they have a close relationship, current or recent collaboration, or direct competing interest involving any of the authors.
3. Notify the editor immediately if a conflict of interest becomes apparent after accepting a review invitation or during the review process.
4. Decline the review assignment when a significant conflict prevents an objective assessment.
5. Maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and refrain from using unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.

The editor will determine whether a disclosed conflict requires the reviewer to decline or discontinue the review and, where necessary, appoint an alternative reviewer.

Editors and Editorial Staff
Editors and editorial staff must ensure that editorial decisions are independent, fair, and based on the scholarly merits of each submission.

They are required to:

1. Disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional interests that may influence their editorial responsibilities.
2. Refrain from handling manuscripts in which they have a significant conflict of interest, including manuscripts authored or co-authored by themselves or individuals with whom they have a relevant personal or professional relationship.
3. Inform the Editor-in-Chief or another designated editor of any conflict that may affect their impartiality.
4. Ensure that manuscripts involving a conflicted editor are assigned to an independent editor who has no relevant competing interest.
5. Maintain confidentiality and protect the integrity of the peer review and editorial decision-making process.

Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, or editorial staff must undergo an independent editorial assessment and peer review process. The submitting individual must not influence the review or publication decision concerning their own manuscript.

Journal and Publisher
Sarwahita is committed to maintaining editorial independence. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests, institutional pressure, funding relationships, personal connections, or other considerations unrelated to the scholarly quality and ethical integrity of a manuscript.

Any potential conflict of interest involving the journal or its publisher must be managed transparently to safeguard the fairness and credibility of the publication process.

Record Keeping and Confidentiality
Sarwahita will maintain appropriate records of conflict of interest declarations and actions taken to manage them. Such information will be handled confidentially and accessed only by authorized individuals for legitimate editorial and publication ethics purposes.

Conflicts of Interest Identified After Publication

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is reported or identified after an article has been published, Sarwahita will assess the information and, where appropriate, request clarification from the authors or other parties concerned.

The editorial team will determine the appropriate action based on the nature and seriousness of the conflict and its implications for the integrity of the article. Actions may include publication of a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction where warranted. Such matters will be handled in accordance with applicable publication ethics principles and relevant COPE guidance.

References and Ethical Guidance

Sarwahita refers to the following Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) resources in managing conflicts of interest:

• Handling Conflicts of Interest (Discussion Document)
• Handling Suspected Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest (Position Statement)
• Undisclosed Conflict of Interest in a Submitted Manuscript (Flowchart)
• Undisclosed Conflict of Interest in a Published Article (Flowchart)
• Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect developments in publication ethics and best practices in scholarly publishing.