Conflicts of Interest

1. Policy Statement

Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku (JIP) is committed to maintaining transparency, impartiality, accountability, and editorial independence throughout the research and publication process.

The journal recognizes that conflicts of interest, also referred to as competing interests, may arise when financial, professional, institutional, personal, academic, or other relationships could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the design, conduct, interpretation, review, or publication of scholarly research.

A competing interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct or invalidate research findings. However, undisclosed or inadequately managed competing interests may undermine confidence in the integrity of the research and publication process.

This policy has been developed with reference to the Core Practices and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly those concerning conflicts of interest, editorial independence, ethical oversight, and publication transparency.

Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku requires appropriate disclosure and management of relevant competing interests involving authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and other individuals participating in the publication process.

2. Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to:

Authors and co-authors submitting manuscripts to the journal.
Corresponding authors responsible for manuscript submission.
Editors and the Editor-in-Chief.
Editorial board members and guest editors.
Peer reviewers.
Individuals involved in editorial assessment or publication decisions.
Research sponsors, funding organizations, and other parties whose interests may affect the publication process.

Competing interests must be considered throughout manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, and post-publication assessment.

3. Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's responsibilities in research or scholarly publication may be influenced, or appear to be influenced, by secondary interests.

These interests may be financial or non-financial and may arise directly or indirectly.

The existence of a competing interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from publication.

The journal evaluates whether the interest has been appropriately disclosed and whether it can be managed without compromising research integrity or editorial impartiality.

4. Types of Conflicts of Interest

4.1 Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial competing interests may include:

Research grants or financial sponsorship.
Employment or consultancy arrangements.
Honoraria or professional service payments.
Ownership of shares or other financial interests.
Patents, royalties, or intellectual property rights.
Financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the research findings.
Commercial interests involving psychological assessment instruments, behavioral interventions, or research technologies.

Authors must disclose relevant financial relationships that could reasonably affect the research or its interpretation.

4.2 Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest

Non-financial competing interests may arise from:

Personal relationships.
Professional affiliations.
Academic collaborations.
Institutional responsibilities.
Intellectual commitments.
Academic competition.
Supervisory relationships.
Professional or organizational memberships.
Strong personal or professional interests in particular research outcomes.

Relevant non-financial interests must be disclosed when they could reasonably influence scholarly judgment or create a perception of bias.

4.3 Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Institutional conflicts may arise when a university, research institution, healthcare organization, professional association, or other organization has interests that could affect the independence of research or editorial decisions.

Examples include institutional financial support, commercial partnerships, intellectual property interests, and administrative involvement in research outcomes.

Institutional affiliations alone do not automatically constitute conflicts of interest.

4.4 Personal and Professional Relationships

Personal or professional relationships may create competing interests when they affect impartial evaluation.

Examples include:

Close personal or family relationships.
Current or recent research collaborations.
Direct supervisory relationships.
Professional disputes or academic competition.
Relationships that may influence editorial or reviewer judgment.

Such relationships should be disclosed when they could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, objectivity.

5. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant competing interests associated with their research and manuscript.

Authors must provide accurate information about financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence the research or its interpretation.

Disclosures should cover relevant relationships involving the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication.

Authors must not conceal relationships or interests that could affect readers' assessment of the research.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating the submission of competing interest declarations from all authors.

However, each author remains individually responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their disclosure.

6. Author Conflict of Interest Declaration

Authors must include an appropriate competing interest declaration in their manuscript or submission documentation.

Where no relevant competing interests exist, authors should provide a statement confirming their absence.

6.1 No Conflicts of Interest

Authors may use the following statement when applicable:

"The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial competing interests that could have influenced the research reported in this article."

6.2 Conflicts of Interest Exist

Where competing interests exist, authors should provide a specific and transparent declaration.

For example:

"Author A has received research funding from [Organization]. Author B has served as a consultant for [Organization]. These relationships have been disclosed to the journal."

Declarations must accurately reflect the circumstances of the research.

The editorial team may request additional information when a disclosure is incomplete or unclear.

7. Research Funding and Sponsor Disclosure

Authors must disclose all relevant sources of financial support for the research.

Funding declarations should identify:

The name of the funding organization.
The grant or funding identification number, where applicable.
The nature of the financial support.
The role of the funder in the research process, where relevant.

Authors should explain whether the funding organization participated in:

Research design.
Participant recruitment.
Data collection.
Data analysis.
Interpretation of findings.
Manuscript preparation.
Decisions concerning publication.

Where the funder had no involvement in these activities, authors may provide an appropriate statement confirming that fact.

Funding support does not automatically constitute misconduct or invalidate research findings.

However, the journal expects transparent disclosure of relationships that may influence research independence.

8. Conflicts of Interest in Psychological and Behavioral Research

Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku recognizes that psychological and behavioral research may involve competing interests arising from professional practice, clinical services, educational institutions, commercial assessment instruments, or organizational interventions.

Potential examples include:

Researchers evaluating psychological interventions that they developed or commercially provide.
Authors holding financial interests in psychological assessment instruments used in their studies.
Researchers assessing counseling or psychotherapy services provided by their own institutions.
Studies sponsored by organizations that may benefit from favorable research findings.
Research involving participants who have dependent relationships with investigators.
Studies evaluating workplace, educational, or behavioral programs developed by the research team.

Authors must disclose relevant relationships and describe appropriate safeguards when necessary.

Such safeguards may include independent data analysis, transparent methodological reporting, independent assessment, or other measures proportionate to the identified risk.

Competing interest disclosure does not replace requirements for informed consent, participant protection, or ethical approval.

9. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain independence and impartiality when assessing manuscripts and making publication decisions.

Editors are required to identify and disclose competing interests that could affect their editorial responsibilities.

An editor should not oversee a manuscript when a material competing interest may compromise impartiality.

Potential editorial conflicts include:

Authorship or co-authorship of the manuscript.
Close personal relationships with an author.
Direct supervisory relationships.
Significant current research collaborations.
Financial interests related to the research.
Other relationships that could materially affect editorial judgment.

Where a relevant conflict exists, manuscript handling should be reassigned to an appropriately independent editor.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that competing interests are managed within the editorial decision-making process.

10. Submissions from Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members may submit manuscripts to Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku, provided that their submissions are subject to appropriate editorial safeguards.

Individuals who are authors of a submitted manuscript must not participate in its editorial assessment, reviewer selection, or publication decision.

The manuscript should be handled by an independent editor who has no material competing interest.

The review and decision-making process must follow the journal's applicable scholarly and ethical standards.

Editorial position, institutional authority, or membership of the editorial board must not provide preferential treatment.

The journal should maintain an appropriate record of how editorial conflicts were managed.

11. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must disclose relevant competing interests before accepting a review assignment.

Potential reviewer conflicts include:

Financial interests related to the research.
Close personal or professional relationships with authors.
Significant current research collaborations.
Direct academic supervision.
Institutional relationships that could compromise impartiality.
Academic competition or professional disputes.
Other circumstances that may affect objective assessment.

Reviewers should decline an invitation when a material conflict prevents an impartial evaluation.

Where uncertainty exists, reviewers should inform the handling editor and seek guidance before proceeding.

Reviewers must not use confidential manuscript information for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

12. Management of Reviewer Conflicts

When a reviewer discloses a potential competing interest, the handling editor will evaluate its relevance and seriousness.

Possible actions include:

Allowing the reviewer to proceed when the interest is not material to the assessment.
Seeking additional clarification.
Appointing another reviewer.
Discontinuing the review assignment.
Reassessing a review when a material undisclosed conflict is subsequently identified.

The decision must prioritize fairness, confidentiality, and the integrity of peer review.

13. Editorial Independence

Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku is committed to protecting editorial decisions from inappropriate external influence.

Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical acceptability, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Financial support, institutional affiliation, sponsorship, personal relationships, or professional status must not determine publication outcomes.

The journal's publisher and supporting institutions should respect the editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and designated editorial decision-makers.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by inappropriate commercial, institutional, political, or personal pressure.

14. Conflicts of Interest Involving the Publisher

Potential competing interests involving the publisher or supporting institution should be managed transparently.

The publisher may provide administrative, technical, financial, and operational support without improperly influencing decisions concerning individual manuscripts.

When institutional interests create a potential conflict, the journal should establish appropriate safeguards to protect independent editorial assessment.

The journal's ownership and management arrangements should be disclosed through its relevant governance policies.

15. Disclosure During Manuscript Submission

Authors are required to provide competing interest information during the manuscript submission process.

The editorial team may request clarification or supporting information where necessary.

Relevant disclosures should be reviewed before a final editorial decision.

Where a manuscript is accepted, appropriate competing interest statements should be included in the published article.

Authors must promptly inform the journal if a relevant competing interest becomes known or changes during editorial processing.

16. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose a relevant competing interest may raise concerns regarding research transparency and publication integrity.

When a potential undisclosed interest is identified, the editorial team will evaluate:

The nature and significance of the interest.
Whether disclosure was required.
Whether the omission was intentional or inadvertent.
Whether the interest may have affected research interpretation.
Whether the editorial or peer review process was compromised.
Whether corrective action is necessary.

The journal may request explanations and relevant documentation from the parties involved.

A failure to disclose a competing interest does not automatically require retraction.

Editorial action must be proportionate to the seriousness of the concern and its impact on the integrity of the published work.

17. Post-Publication Disclosure and Corrections

If a relevant competing interest is identified after publication, the journal will assess whether the published declaration requires correction.

Where the omission does not undermine the reliability of the research, an appropriate correction may be sufficient.

When a serious undisclosed competing interest materially affects the interpretation of findings or the integrity of editorial assessment, further action may be necessary.

Depending on the evidence and circumstances, the journal may consider:

Publishing a correction.
Publishing an expression of concern.
Conducting additional investigation.
Consulting relevant institutions.
Retracting the article when the grounds for retraction are established.

Retraction decisions will be guided by the COPE Retraction Guidelines.

18. Confidentiality and Protection of Information

Competing interest declarations and related supporting information will be handled responsibly.

Information provided confidentially during editorial assessment will not be disclosed unnecessarily.

Relevant competing interests that readers need to understand the research should be transparently reported in the published article.

The journal will balance disclosure requirements with applicable privacy, confidentiality, and legal obligations.

19. Complaints and Investigation

Concerns regarding undisclosed or improperly managed competing interests may be submitted through the journal's official editorial contact channels.

The editorial team will assess credible concerns in accordance with the journal's Allegations of Misconduct Policy and Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Individuals implicated in an allegation must not exercise inappropriate influence over its investigation or outcome.

Where necessary, the journal may consult independent experts, institutional authorities, or relevant COPE guidance.

20. Policy Enforcement

The journal may take proportionate editorial action when a competing interest has not been appropriately disclosed or managed.

For manuscripts under consideration, possible actions include requesting additional disclosures, reassigning editorial responsibility, obtaining independent peer review, or declining publication when serious unresolved concerns prevent a reliable editorial decision.

For published articles, corrective actions will be determined according to the journal's applicable post-publication policies.

The objective of enforcement is to maintain transparency, protect editorial independence, and preserve confidence in the scholarly record.

21. Policy Review and Continuous Improvement

Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku will periodically review this policy to maintain consistency with relevant COPE guidance and developments in scholarly publication ethics.

The journal will seek to ensure that competing interest requirements are reflected consistently in its author guidelines, reviewer instructions, editorial procedures, manuscript submission requirements, and published article declarations.

Material revisions will be communicated through the journal website.

References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Guidance and Resources. https://publicationethics.org/guidance
COPE Council. COPE Retraction Guidelines. Version 3, August 2025. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4
Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12