Conflict of Interest Policy

Taushiah: Jurnal Hukum, Pendidikan dan Kemasyarakatan is committed to maintaining integrity, objectivity, transparency, and credibility in scholarly publishing. The journal recognizes that potential conflicts of interest, also known as competing interests, may influence research activities, manuscript evaluation, and editorial decisions.

This policy establishes the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff in identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest in accordance with the ethical principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition and Scope

A Conflict of Interest occurs when financial or non-financial interests could influence, or reasonably be perceived as influencing, an individual's professional judgment concerning research, peer review, or publication decisions.

Conflicts of interest may include:

  • Financial Interests: Research funding, employment, consultancy fees, honoraria, grants, sponsorships, or other financial relationships associated with the research.

  • Non-Financial Interests: Personal relationships, academic collaborations, institutional affiliations, professional rivalries, intellectual commitments, or other circumstances that may compromise objectivity.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily constitute unethical conduct. However, failure to disclose relevant interests may undermine the credibility and integrity of scholarly publications.

This policy applies to all authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other individuals involved in the journal's publication process.

Policy

A. Disclosure Requirements

All individuals involved in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest relevant to their responsibilities.

  • Authors: Must disclose relevant conflicts of interest upon manuscript submission and update their declarations if new conflicts arise during the editorial process.

  • Reviewers: Must disclose potential conflicts before accepting review assignments and immediately inform the editor if a conflict becomes apparent during the review process.

  • Editors and Editorial Staff: Must disclose interests that could affect their editorial responsibilities and withdraw from handling manuscripts involving significant conflicts of interest.

B. Management of Conflicts of Interest

The editorial board will evaluate disclosed conflicts of interest and determine appropriate measures to maintain fairness and independence.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request additional disclosures, appoint alternative reviewers or editors, or suspend manuscript processing until concerns are appropriately resolved.

C. Publication of Conflict of Interest Statements

Authors must include a Conflict of Interest Statement in their manuscripts, declaring relevant competing interests or explicitly confirming their absence. Research funding sources must also be disclosed where applicable.

D. Post-Publication Conflicts of Interest

If significant undisclosed conflicts of interest are identified after publication, the journal may conduct an investigation in accordance with COPE guidance. Appropriate actions may include updating disclosures, publishing corrections, issuing expressions of concern, or retracting articles when justified by the evidence.

Responsibilities and Implementation

A. Authors

Authors are responsible for providing accurate and complete declarations concerning financial and non-financial interests that may influence their research or its interpretation.

Authors must disclose relevant funding sources, institutional relationships, professional affiliations, and other competing interests. Where applicable, the role of funding organizations in research design, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions must be clearly explained.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in editorial reconsideration, manuscript rejection, or appropriate post-publication action.

B. Peer Reviewers

Reviewers must conduct manuscript evaluations independently and objectively. Potential conflicts arising from personal relationships, recent academic collaborations, financial interests, or professional competition must be disclosed to the editor.

Reviewers with significant conflicts of interest must decline or withdraw from the review assignment. All manuscript information must remain confidential and must not be used for personal or professional advantage.

C. Editors and Journal Staff

Editors and journal staff are responsible for maintaining objectivity, impartiality, transparency, and editorial independence throughout the manuscript evaluation and publication process.

All editors and journal staff must disclose any personal, professional, financial, or institutional interests that may influence their editorial responsibilities. They must not participate in the evaluation or decision-making process for manuscripts submitted by themselves, close associates, or individuals with whom they have significant conflicts of interest.

When a conflict of interest arises, the responsibility for handling the manuscript must be transferred to another qualified and independent editor. Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members or journal staff must undergo an independent peer-review process to ensure fairness, transparency, and the integrity of editorial decisions.

D. Editorial Independence

Taushiah is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, and ethical compliance.

Financial, institutional, personal, or other external interests must not improperly influence manuscript acceptance, rejection, or publication decisions.

E. Confidentiality and Record Keeping

The editorial team will maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding conflict-of-interest disclosures and related editorial assessments. Relevant records may be retained for internal accountability and publication ethics purposes.

5. Conflict of Interest Declaration

All authors are required to include a conflict-of-interest declaration in their manuscripts.

When no conflict of interest exists:"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication of this article."

When a conflict of interest exists:"The authors declare the following potential conflicts of interest: [describe the relevant financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships]. These interests have been disclosed to the editorial board in accordance with the journal's Conflict of Interest Policy."

The declaration must accurately reflect the circumstances of all authors.

6. Policy Compliance and Review

Taushiah: Jurnal Hukum, Pendidikan dan Kemasyarakatan is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and accountability in managing conflicts of interest.

This policy operates in conjunction with the journal's Publication Ethics, Authorship and Contributorship Policy, Peer Review Policy, and Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy.