Conflict of Interest

Editorial Policy

Conflict of Interest

This policy establishes requirements for identifying, disclosing, and managing financial and non-financial competing interests involving authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in the publication process.

Jurnal Agroekoteknologi Tropika Lembab (JATL), internationally titled Humid Tropical Agroecotechnology Journal, requires transparency concerning relationships or activities that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, research, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decisions, or publication management.

Core Principle

Disclosure Does Not Automatically Indicate Wrongdoing

The existence of a relationship or activity does not necessarily mean that improper influence has occurred. Transparent disclosure enables editors, reviewers, and readers to evaluate its relevance. When uncertain, participants should disclose the interest rather than decide independently that it is unimportant.

Definition

A conflict of interest, also called a competing interest, exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest—such as scientific validity, research integrity, participant welfare, or fair editorial assessment—may be influenced by a secondary financial or non-financial interest.

Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived. Perceived conflicts are relevant because they may affect public trust even when the individual believes that their judgment remains impartial.

Types of Competing Interests

Financial Interests

Employment, consultancies, honoraria, grants, paid advisory roles, stock ownership, patents, royalties, paid testimony, gifts, or other financial benefits.

Professional and Academic Interests

Recent collaboration, academic competition, supervisory relationships, shared projects, joint publications, or a direct professional interest in the outcome.

Personal Interests

Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, rivalries, or other relationships that may affect impartial judgment.

Institutional Interests

Affiliations, institutional partnerships, administrative responsibilities, organizational interests, or involvement by the author's or reviewer's institution.

Intellectual Interests

Strongly held theoretical positions, prior public commitments, advocacy, or involvement in a competing approach that could affect objective assessment.

Political or Ideological Interests

Political, religious, policy, advocacy, or ideological commitments that may be relevant to the subject or outcome of the research.

Who Must Disclose?

Disclosure requirements apply to everyone who participates in the publication process:

Authors

Must disclose relevant financial and non-financial relationships, funding, and sponsor involvement.

Reviewers

Must disclose interests that may affect impartiality and decline assignments when appropriate.

Editors

Must withdraw from handling manuscripts in which they have a relevant conflict.

Journal Personnel

Editorial board members, staff, advisers, and guest editors must disclose relevant competing interests.

Requirements for Authors

All authors must disclose relationships and activities that could influence or reasonably appear to influence their work. The disclosure must be provided during submission and updated whenever circumstances change during review, revision, or publication.

Author disclosures should identify:

  • the person or organization involved;
  • the nature of the relationship or activity;
  • whether the relationship is connected to the submitted work;
  • all sources of financial or material support; and
  • the role of each funder or sponsor in the research and publication process.

A disclosure does not necessarily prevent publication. The editor will determine whether the interest can be managed through transparent disclosure or whether additional safeguards are required.

Conflict-of-Interest Statement

Every submitted manuscript must contain a Conflict of Interest or Competing Interests statement, including when no relevant conflict exists.

Recommended Statement Examples
When no competing interest exists:

“The authors declare that they have no competing interests relevant to the content of this article.”

When a competing interest exists:

“Author A.B. received research funding from [organization]. Author C.D. serves as an unpaid adviser to [organization]. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.”

Funding and Sponsor Involvement

Funding disclosure is related to, but distinct from, the general conflict-of-interest statement. Authors must identify all funding, material support, equipment, services, or other assistance received for the reported work.

The manuscript must explain whether the funder or sponsor had any role in:

  • study conception or design;
  • data collection;
  • data analysis or interpretation;
  • preparation or review of the manuscript;
  • the decision to submit the manuscript; or
  • restrictions on data access or publication.
Editorial independence: Authors should not enter into agreements that prevent reasonable access to their data, independent analysis and interpretation, or the freedom to publish academically valid findings.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Before accepting an invitation, reviewers must consider whether any relationship or activity could prevent an impartial evaluation. Reviewers must disclose relevant interests to the editor and should decline or withdraw from the review when appropriate.

Potential reviewer conflicts may include:

  • current employment in the same institution or organizational unit as an author;
  • recent or ongoing research collaboration, supervision, or joint funding;
  • a close personal relationship or significant personal dispute;
  • direct academic, commercial, or intellectual competition;
  • a financial interest in the outcome of the manuscript; or
  • prior involvement with the manuscript that compromises independent review.

Reviewers must not use confidential information or unpublished ideas obtained through peer review for personal, professional, academic, or commercial advantage.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors and journal personnel must disclose interests relevant to manuscripts they handle. An editor with an actual, potential, or perceived conflict must not select reviewers, access confidential deliberations unnecessarily, influence the decision, or make the final decision on that manuscript.

The manuscript will instead be assigned to another qualified editor who is not affected by the conflict. Editorial staff must not use confidential manuscript information for personal or third-party benefit.

Submissions from Editors and Affiliated Persons

Editors, editorial board members, reviewers, journal personnel, and researchers affiliated with the managing institution may submit manuscripts to JATL. Such submissions receive no preferential treatment and must undergo the same editorial screening and independent peer review as other manuscripts.

A person who is an author of, contributor to, or otherwise conflicted regarding a manuscript must be excluded from its editorial handling and decision. Another authorized editor without a relevant conflict will oversee the process.

Journal, Publisher, and Institutional Interests

The journal's owner, publisher, managing institution, sources of operational support, author fees, partnerships, or other institutional interests must not determine whether a particular manuscript is accepted or rejected. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly quality, relevance, originality, ethical integrity, and the results of the editorial and peer-review processes.

Management of Disclosed Interests

1
Disclosure
The relevant relationship or activity is described clearly to the editor.
2
Editorial Assessment
The editor considers the nature, relevance, timing, and potential influence of the interest.
3
Safeguards
The journal may require additional disclosure, appoint a different reviewer or editor, seek independent advice, or implement another proportionate safeguard.
4
Publication Disclosure
Relevant author interests, research funding, and sponsor roles are disclosed with the published article.

Undisclosed Competing Interests

If a potentially relevant undisclosed interest is identified, JATL will seek evidence and request an explanation from the person concerned without presuming wrongdoing.

Before Publication
The journal may request an updated declaration, replace a reviewer or editor, repeat part of the review process, suspend processing, or reject the manuscript when the omission is serious or compromises integrity.
After Publication
The journal may publish a correction to the disclosure statement. An expression of concern or retraction may be considered when the undisclosed interest is associated with a serious integrity problem or materially undermines the reliability of the article.

A previously undisclosed conflict does not automatically require retraction. The editorial response will be proportionate to the significance of the omission and its effect on the research, peer-review process, editorial decision, and published record.

Reporting an Undisclosed Conflict of Interest

A concern should identify the relevant manuscript or article, describe the relationship or activity, and provide supporting evidence whenever possible.

Email: jurnalagroteknologi@faperta.unmul.ac.id