Conflict of Interest

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

HUMANIKA: Kajian Ilmiah Mata Kuliah Umum

HUMANIKA: Kajian Ilmiah Mata Kuliah Umum requires all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher, to disclose any interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their work or editorial decisions. A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose relevant interests may undermine the transparency, credibility, and integrity of scholarly publishing.

This policy is informed by the core principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and relevant international scholarly publishing standards.

In brief

When in doubt, disclose. Authors must declare relevant interests, reviewers and editors must withdraw when their impartiality may be compromised, and undisclosed conflicts may lead to editorial action, correction, or retraction.

1. What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest occurs when a secondary interest may influence, or appear to influence, the professional judgment of an author, reviewer, editor, or other person involved in the publication process. Conflicts may be financial or non-financial and may arise in the following circumstances:

a. Financial interests. Funding, grants, salaries, consultancy fees, honoraria, paid expert testimony, share ownership, or other financial interests related to the research or its publication.

b. Institutional interests. Employment, affiliation, or other relationships with an institution or organisation whose policies, programmes, activities, or interests are examined in the manuscript.

c. Political and ideological interests. Active involvement in political, ideological, advocacy, or interest groups directly related to the subject under investigation.

d. Personal and professional relationships. Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, supervisory relationships, mentoring, or research collaborations that may affect impartial judgment.

e. Academic or intellectual interests. Strong commitments to a theory, model, curriculum, publication, programme, or instrument developed or promoted by the author, reviewer, or editor.

f. Researcher–participant relationships. Research involving one's own students, colleagues, employees, institution, or community, where power relationships may affect voluntary participation or the objectivity of the research.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

2.1. Disclosure Requirements

All authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that could affect the research or its interpretation. Disclosures should cover relevant interests held during the preceding three years and any earlier interests that remain relevant, as well as interests reasonably expected to arise in the future.

Authors must identify all sources of financial support in the Funding section and explain the funder's role, if any, in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and decision to publish.

When a study involves the authors' own students, colleagues, institution, or community, authors should explain relevant relationships in the manuscript and describe the measures taken to protect voluntary participation, research ethics, and analytical objectivity.

2.2. How to Disclose

Authors must include a Conflict of Interest or Disclosure Statement in the submitted manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that declarations from all co-authors are collected and reported accurately. Relevant changes arising during peer review or after publication must be reported promptly to the editorial team.

If no relevant interests exist, authors should use the following statement:

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

During anonymous peer review, disclosures must be presented in a manner consistent with the journal's anonymization requirements. Any significant conflict relevant to editorial handling should also be communicated confidentially to the editor through the submission system.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must assess manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and independently. They should decline an invitation or promptly inform the editor if they recognize a conflict that could affect their judgment, including:

  • A close personal, family, supervisory, or professional relationship with an author.
  • Employment at the same institution as an author or recent research collaboration or co-publication with an author.
  • A financial interest in the research or its potential outcomes.
  • Direct competition between the manuscript and the reviewer's own unpublished research.
  • Any other circumstance that prevents a fair and independent assessment.

Reviewers must maintain manuscript confidentiality and must not use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage. Requests to cite a reviewer's own work must be justified by genuine scholarly relevance. If a conflict becomes apparent during the review, the reviewer must inform the editor immediately.

4. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

4.1. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must not manage or make decisions on manuscripts where a personal, professional, institutional, financial, or academic conflict could compromise their impartiality. The Editor-in-Chief or an authorised independent editor will assign the manuscript to another editor when necessary.

Editors must not use confidential or unpublished information obtained through the editorial process for their own research or benefit without the authors' permission.

4.2. Disclosure of Editorial Interests

Editors and editorial board members must disclose relevant interests to the Editor-in-Chief or the appropriate responsible authority. Conflicts involving the Editor-in-Chief should be managed by an independent senior editorial board member or the publisher.

4.3. Submissions by Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members may submit manuscripts to HUMANIKA. Such submissions must undergo the same evaluation standards and peer-review procedures as other submissions. An independent editor must manage the process, and the submitting editor must be excluded from editorial discussions, reviewer selection, and access to confidential review records.

Where appropriate, the published article should disclose the author's editorial affiliation and confirm that the manuscript was handled independently.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, is expected to support editorial independence and the integrity of the publication process. Institutional, commercial, financial, or political considerations must not improperly influence editorial decisions. Any applicable publication fees, sponsorships, or advertising arrangements must be managed separately from manuscript evaluation and acceptance decisions.

6. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict is identified, the editorial team will assess the matter fairly and proportionately. Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, or other relevant parties. The following steps may be applied:

1. Identification. The concern and available evidence are recorded and reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorised independent editor.

2. Request for explanation. The person concerned may be asked to provide an explanation and relevant supporting information.

3. Assessment. The journal evaluates the relevance and seriousness of the conflict and whether it may have affected the research, peer review, or editorial decision.

4. Appropriate action. Depending on the findings, the journal may request a disclosure statement, require additional independent review, reconsider an editorial decision, publish a correction, reject a manuscript, or retract a published article in serious cases.

5. Further action. Serious or repeated breaches may result in further measures consistent with the journal's publication ethics policies and applicable institutional procedures.

All cases will be handled with due consideration for confidentiality, fairness, the evidence available, and the right of the parties concerned to respond.

7. References and Ethical Standards

HUMANIKA: Kajian Ilmiah Mata Kuliah Umum