Conflict of Interest Policy

Policy Statement

Jurnal Indo-Islamika, published by the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia, recognizes that financial, professional, institutional, and personal relationships may affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, the independence of scholarly judgment.

This policy establishes procedures for the identification, disclosure, evaluation, and management of competing interests involving authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals participating in the journal's publication process.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate unethical conduct or invalidate scholarly research. However, relevant interests must be disclosed transparently and managed appropriately to preserve confidence in editorial decisions and published findings.

1. Categories of Competing Interests

For the purposes of this policy, a competing interest refers to a relationship, activity, commitment, or circumstance that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, an individual's scholarly judgment.

Relevant interests may include the following categories.

Financial Interests

Financial interests may include research sponsorship, consultancy payments, honoraria, employment relationships, financial investments, intellectual property interests, paid advisory positions, or other financial benefits connected to the subject of the manuscript.

Authors should disclose relevant relationships with organizations whose interests could be affected by the research findings or interpretations.

Professional and Institutional Relationships

Competing interests may arise from professional affiliations, institutional leadership, supervisory relationships, recent research collaborations, academic competition, or involvement in organizations directly connected with the subject under investigation.

For example, a researcher examining the governance of a pesantren, Islamic financial institution, religious organization, or educational foundation should disclose any relevant leadership, employment, consultancy, or other relationship with the institution being studied.

Institutional affiliation alone does not automatically constitute a disqualifying conflict.

Personal Relationships

Close personal relationships, family connections, ongoing professional disputes, or other circumstances that may compromise impartiality should be disclosed when relevant to manuscript preparation, review, or editorial decision-making.

Intellectual and Other Non-Financial Interests

Intellectual commitments or organizational involvement may become relevant when an individual has a direct interest in supporting a particular interpretation, institutional position, or research outcome.

Within Islamic studies, adherence to a particular theological, jurisprudential, or methodological tradition does not itself constitute a conflict of interest.

The journal distinguishes legitimate scholarly perspectives from undisclosed interests that may compromise independent assessment.

2. Disclosure Requirements for Authors

All authors should disclose relevant competing interests when submitting a manuscript to Jurnal Indo-Islamika.

The disclosure should identify relationships or circumstances that readers could reasonably consider relevant when evaluating the research.

Each author is responsible for providing accurate information concerning their own interests. The corresponding author should coordinate the collection and submission of these declarations.

Where relevant, authors should specify:

• The individual or organization associated with the interest.

• The nature of the financial or non-financial relationship.

• Its relevance to the research or its interpretation.

• Any potential influence on the research process or publication.

Financial support provided directly for a research project should also be identified in the manuscript's Funding Statement, where applicable.

A funding acknowledgment and a conflict of interest declaration serve different purposes. The former identifies research support, while the latter discloses relationships that could affect, or appear to affect, scholarly independence.

When no relevant competing interests exist, the manuscript should contain an explicit declaration to that effect.

Authors must update their disclosures when a relevant new interest arises during editorial consideration or when previously submitted information becomes inaccurate.

3. Competing Interests in Peer Review

Reviewers are expected to evaluate whether any professional, financial, personal, or institutional relationship could compromise their ability to provide an independent scholarly assessment.

Potential conflicts should be disclosed to the handling editor before accepting a review invitation or promptly upon becoming apparent.

A reviewer should decline or withdraw from an assignment when a significant competing interest cannot be appropriately managed.

Examples include close collaboration with an author, recent supervisory relationships, significant academic disputes, direct involvement in the research being evaluated, or a financial or professional interest in the manuscript's outcome.

Where uncertainty exists, the reviewer should consult the handling editor rather than independently assume that the relationship is irrelevant.

The handling editor should determine whether the declared circumstances permit an impartial review or require the appointment of another reviewer.

4. Editorial Conflicts and Recusal

Editors and editorial board members must disclose interests relevant to manuscripts under their responsibility.

An editor should not participate in the assessment or final decision of a manuscript when a relationship or circumstance creates a substantial risk of bias.

Relevant situations may include manuscripts authored by close collaborators, family members, current research partners, or individuals with whom the editor has a significant competing interest.

Where an editor identifies such a conflict, responsibility for handling the manuscript should be transferred to another qualified editor who is not affected by the same conflict.

Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members, or individuals closely associated with the journal must be evaluated through an independent editorial arrangement.

The submitting editor should not select reviewers, access confidential reviewer recommendations beyond what is necessary in the capacity of an author, or participate in decisions concerning their own manuscript.

Editorial assignment and recusal decisions should be documented internally to support procedural accountability.

5. Assessment and Management of Disclosed Interests

Disclosure does not automatically result in manuscript rejection or exclusion from scholarly participation.

When a competing interest is declared, the editorial team should assess its relevance and potential influence on the research, review process, or editorial decision.

Appropriate management measures may include:

1. Recording and acknowledging the disclosed interest.

2. Requesting additional clarification or supporting information.

3. Publishing an appropriate declaration alongside the accepted article.

4. Appointing an independent reviewer or handling editor.

5. Excluding a conflicted individual from a particular editorial decision.

6. Seeking independent advice when the circumstances require additional scrutiny.

Management decisions should be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the identified interest.

The journal should distinguish between a relationship that can be managed through transparent disclosure and a conflict that requires withdrawal from the relevant editorial activity.

6. Funding Influence and Research Independence

Research sponsorship and institutional support do not automatically invalidate scholarly findings.

Nevertheless, financial supporters, sponsoring organizations, and collaborating institutions should not exercise undisclosed control over research interpretation or publication decisions.

Where a sponsor has participated in research design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or decisions concerning publication, that involvement should be disclosed when relevant.

Authors should clarify any contractual or institutional restrictions that may materially affect independent analysis, access to research evidence, or the dissemination of findings.

The editorial team may request further information when the nature of a sponsoring relationship raises substantial questions concerning scholarly independence.

7. Undisclosed Interests Identified After Publication

If a relevant competing interest is identified after publication, the editorial team should assess whether the omission affects the transparency, interpretation, or reliability of the published article.

The assessment should consider the nature of the relationship, its relevance to the published research, the explanation provided by the individuals concerned, and whether the information could reasonably influence a reader's evaluation of the article.

Where the issue concerns an incomplete or inaccurate declaration, the journal may publish an appropriate clarification or correction.

More substantial concerns should be evaluated under the journal's relevant procedures for research integrity and post-publication editorial action.

An omitted declaration does not automatically establish that the research findings are invalid.

8. Conflict of Interest Statements in Published Articles

To ensure consistent reporting, Jurnal Indo-Islamika recommends including a clearly identifiable Conflict of Interest statement in the final manuscript.

The following examples illustrate appropriate declaration formats.

Example A - No Competing Interests

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial competing interests relevant to the research reported in this article.

Example B - Financial Interest

Conflict of Interest: Author A received consultancy fees from [Organization], which operates in a field related to the subject of this study. The relationship has been disclosed to the editorial office.

Example C - Institutional Relationship

Conflict of Interest: Author B serves as an academic adviser to [Institution], one of the organizations examined in this study. This relationship has been disclosed as a potential institutional competing interest.

Example D - Multiple Authors

Conflict of Interest: Author A declares a professional relationship with [Organization]. Authors B and C declare no relevant competing interests.

These examples may be adapted to reflect the specific circumstances of each submission. Declarations must be accurate and must not be used to conceal material relationships.

9. Policy Implementation and References

This policy provides detailed guidance on competing interests and should be read alongside the journal's existing Publication Ethics and related editorial policies.

Publication Ethics: https://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/indo-islamika/PublicationEthics

Author Guidelines: https://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/indo-islamika/AuthorGuidelines

Editorial Contact: https://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/indo-islamika/about/contact

International Reference Framework

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest.

https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

https://doi.org/10.24318/2019.1.4

Jurnal Indo-Islamika is committed to the transparent identification and proportionate management of competing interests so that research evaluation and editorial decision-making remain independent, credible, and accountable.