Conflict of Interest Policy
Policy Statement
SAINSTECH: Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengkajian Sains dan Teknologi is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process. Any conflict of interest that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, research, peer review, or editorial decision-making must be disclosed and appropriately managed.
Definition of Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when personal, professional, financial, or other relationships may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, an individual's objectivity in carrying out academic or editorial responsibilities. A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate an ethical violation. However, an undisclosed or improperly managed conflict may compromise the objectivity and credibility of the publication process.
Authors' Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript to SAINSTECH. Such conflicts may include, but are not limited to:
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Financial interests, such as funding, grants, employment, consultancy, or share ownership related to the research.
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Personal or professional relationships that may influence the interpretation or reporting of research findings.
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Affiliations with or involvement in organizations that have an interest in the research outcomes.
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Other interests that may potentially affect the objectivity of the research or publication.
If no conflict of interest exists, authors must clearly declare that there are no conflicts of interest to disclose. This declaration may be provided in writing during the manuscript submission process or through documented editorial correspondence.
Editors' and Reviewers' Conflicts of Interest
Editors and reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their objectivity when evaluating a manuscript. Conflicts of interest may arise from research collaborations, personal or professional relationships, academic competition, financial interests, or other relationships with the authors or the research being evaluated. Editors or reviewers who have a relevant conflict of interest that may affect their judgment must inform the editorial team. They must not handle or evaluate the manuscript in question. The editor will seek to appoint an alternative editor or reviewer who has no relevant conflict of interest to continue the evaluation process.
Disclosure and Management of Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest must be disclosed at the time of manuscript submission or as soon as the conflict becomes known. The editorial team will evaluate the disclosed information and determine appropriate measures to maintain the objectivity of the editorial process. These measures may include appointing an alternative editor or reviewer, requesting clarification from the authors, or including a conflict of interest statement in the published article where relevant. Failure to disclose a material conflict of interest may lead to further editorial evaluation in accordance with SAINSTECH's policies.
Responsibilities and Transparency
Authors are responsible for ensuring that the information they provide about conflicts of interest is accurate and complete. Editors and reviewers are responsible for maintaining the independence of their assessments and disclosing relevant conflicts of interest. SAINSTECH will handle conflicts of interest fairly and consistently to protect research integrity and maintain readers' trust in scholarly publications.
Relationship with Other Publication Ethics Policies
This policy forms part of SAINSTECH's commitment to publication ethics and should be read alongside the journal's Publication Ethics and Allegation of Research Misconduct policies. Allegations of misconduct related to conflicts of interest will be handled in accordance with the relevant policies.
