Conflicts of Interest

1. Introduction

Darmabakti: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat is committed to ensuring the integrity, objectivity, and credibility of the research it publishes. Transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest (also knowns as competing interests) is essential to maintaining trust in the scholarly publication process. This policy outlines the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff in disclosing and managing any interests that could be perceived as influencing their professional judgment or actions. Darmabakti adheres to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in formulating and implementing this policy.

2. Description

A Conflict of Interest (COI) or Competing Interest exists when an individual's professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as the validity of research, the quality of a manuscript, or the integrity of the peer review process) may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. These secondary interests can be:

  • Financial: Including employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options, honoraria, grants received or pending, patents or patent applications (pending or actual), royalties, advisory board membership, paid expert testimony, or travel grants that are related to the work under consideration.
  • Non-Financial: Including personal relationships (e.g., family, close friends), professional relationships (e.g., recent or current collaborators, mentor/mentee relationships, past or present doctoral students), institutional affiliations, intellectual property (e.g., a competing unpublished manuscript), personal beliefs or commitments (e.g., religious, political) that are directly relevant to the subject matter or individuals involved in the submitted work, or any other interest that could reasonably be perceived to bias their work.

The existence of a conflict of interest is not inherently unethical. However, failure to disclose such interests can undermine the trustworthiness of the research and the publication process. This policy applies to all individuals involved with Darmabakti, including authors, peer reviewers, editors (Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board Members), and journal staff.

3. Policy

  • Principle of Full Disclosure: All individuals participating in the Darmabakti publication process must proactively and fully disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived as relevant to their roles and responsibilities. If no conflicts of interest exist, this must also be explicitly stated.
  • Timing of Disclosure:
    • Authors: Must declare all potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. This declaration should be updated if new conflicts arise during the review or revision process.
    • Peer Reviewers: Must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the editor when invited to review a manuscript and before agreeing to undertake the review. If a conflict becomes apparent only after the review has begun, the reviewer must notify the editor immediately.
    • Editors and Journal Staff: Must disclose any conflicts of interest relevant to their editorial duties and decision-making processes to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher. They must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where a significant conflict of interest exists.
  • Management and Assessment of Disclosed Conflicts of Interest:
    • Darmabakti will carefully evaluate all disclosed conflicts of interest to determine their potential to introduce bias into the research, its review, or editorial decisions.
    • Depending on the nature and severity of the conflict, the journal may take various actions, such as:
      • Publishing the authors' conflict of interest statement alongside the article.
      • Requesting that a peer reviewer or editor recuse themselves from involvement with a particular manuscript.
      • In exceptional cases where a conflict is deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the work or its evaluation, the journal may decide not to consider a manuscript for publication.
  • Publication of Conflict of Interest Statements: For all published articles, Darmabakti will include a statement detailing any relevant conflicts of interest declared by the authors. Information regarding the sources of funding for the research must also be published. If authors have no conflicts of interest to declare, this will be explicitly stated (e.g., "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.").
  • Conflicts of Interest Identified Post-Publication: If a significant, undisclosed conflict of interest is brought to the journal's attention after publication, Darmabakti will investigate the matter thoroughly. Appropriate action will be taken in line with COPE guidelines, which may include publishing a formal correction, an expression of concern, or, in severe cases where the integrity of the work is compromised, a retraction of the article.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

A. For Authors

  1. What to Disclose: Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships and activities that could potentially bias or be perceived as biasing their work. This includes, but is not limited to:

    • Financial Interests: Direct or indirect financial support for the research; employment or consultancy with organizations that have a financial interest in the research outcome; stock ownership or shares in such organizations; patents (applied for, pending, or issued) or royalties related to the research; honoraria, grants, or other forms of payment received from interested parties.
    • Non-Financial Interests: Affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with an interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript; personal, academic, or professional relationships with individuals or organizations that could influence the work; any strong personal convictions related to the topic that might impair objectivity.
    • Funding Sources: All sources of funding for the submitted research must be explicitly declared. The role of the funding body (if any) in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; and the decision to submit the article for publication must be clearly stated. If the funding source had no such involvement, this must also be stated.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Authors are required to complete and submit a Conflict of Interest disclosure form with their manuscript submission. Darmabakti may utilize the ICMJE Uniform Disclosure Form for Potential Conflicts of Interest or a Darmabakti-specific form.
    • A summary statement of the disclosures (or a declaration of no conflicts) must be included in the manuscript, typically before the reference section.

  3. Consequences of Non-Disclosure: Failure to fully disclose potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission or during the review process may lead to delays in publication, rejection of the manuscript, or, if discovered post-publication, further action including correction or retraction of the article.

B. For Peer Reviewers

  1. What to Disclose: Reviewers must declare any interest that could affect their ability to provide an unbiased and objective assessment of a manuscript. This includes:

    • Recent (e.g., within the past 3 years) or current collaborations with any of the authors.
    • A close personal relationship or professional rivalry with any of the authors.
    • A financial interest (e.g., employment, stock ownership, grants) in the outcome of the research or in a competing work.
    • Having reviewed a previous version of the manuscript for another journal or being involved in its development.
    • Having a strong opinion or belief about the topic that would prevent an objective review.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Reviewers must inform the editor of any potential conflicts of interest when they are invited to review the manuscript, preferably before declining or accepting the invitation.
    • If a conflict of interest is identified after accepting the invitation or during the review process, the reviewer must immediately notify the editor.

  3. Action on Disclosure: If a significant conflict of interest is declared by a reviewer, they will generally be asked to recuse themselves from the review. The editor will make the final determination based on the nature and extent of the declared interest.

C. For Editors and Journal Staff (including Editorial Board Members)

  1. What to Disclose: All editors (Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board Members) and journal staff must disclose any interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their editorial responsibilities and decisions. This includes:

    • Financial relationships with companies or organizations whose products or services are relevant to the journal's scope.
    • Personal or close professional relationships with authors or peer reviewers of manuscripts they are handling.
    • Their own research interests if they overlap significantly with a manuscript under consideration.
    • Any manuscript submissions to Darmabakti authored by themselves or their close associates.

  2. How to Disclose:

    • Editors and journal staff should proactively declare any relevant conflicts of interest to the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher.
    • Darmabakti may maintain a public record of its editors' relevant interests, updated regularly.

  3. Management and Recusal:

    • Editors or journal staff members with a significant conflict of interest regarding a specific manuscript must recuse themselves from any involvement in the peer review process and editorial decision-making for that manuscript.
    • An alternative editor or a designated member of the editorial board without a conflict will be assigned to manage such manuscripts.
    • For manuscripts submitted by Darmabakti editors, editorial board members, or journal staff, a rigorous and independent peer review and decision-making process will be implemented and transparently managed to ensure objectivity. This may involve oversight by an external editor or a dedicated subcommittee.

D. Journal's Conflicts of Interest

Darmabakti is committed to editorial independence. The journal and its publisher, the CV. Rezki Media, will manage their affairs to ensure that commercial, institutional, or other non-scientific interests do not compromise the integrity of editorial decisions. Any relationships that could pose a potential conflict of interest at the journal level will be managed with transparency.

E. Record Keeping

Darmabakti will maintain confidential records of all conflict of interest disclosures made by authors, peer reviewers, and editorial personnel.

This policy is intended to foster transparency and maintain public trust in the research published by Darmabakti. It will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to align with best practices in scholarly publishing.

COPE resources