Conflict of Interest Policy

Jurnal Ilmiah Sains (JIS)

Conflict of Interest Policy

Transparency • Integrity • Editorial Independence

Jurnal Ilmiah Sains (JIS), published by Sam Ratulangi University, is committed to impartial and transparent scientific publishing. All authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members must disclose interests that could influence—or reasonably appear to influence—research findings, peer review, or editorial decisions.

01. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest (also called a competing interest) may be financial or non-financial. Examples include research grants, employment, consultancy, honoraria, patents, personal relationships, academic collaborations, supervisory relationships, and institutional interests. Disclosure does not automatically imply misconduct or disqualify a manuscript.

02. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose relevant competing interests and all sources of research funding during submission, including the funder’s role, where applicable. The corresponding author must ensure that disclosures are complete and agreed upon by all co-authors. If no relevant interests exist, authors should include the statement:

“The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.”

03. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must promptly disclose any relationship or interest that may compromise independent assessment, including close collaborations, personal relationships, or competing research interests. Reviewers with significant conflicts must decline the invitation or withdraw from the review.

04. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors and editorial board members must disclose relevant interests and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where their impartiality may be questioned. Such submissions must be assigned to an independent editor. Manuscripts submitted by editorial personnel must undergo the same independent peer-review standards as other submissions.

05. Management and Publication of Disclosures

JIS evaluates disclosed interests case by case and may request clarification, reassign editorial responsibilities, appoint independent reviewers, or take other proportionate measures. Relevant author declarations may be published with the article. Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, methodological rigor, and ethical compliance—not on sponsorship or personal relationships.

06. Undisclosed Interests and Policy Review

If an undisclosed conflict is identified before or after publication, JIS will assess the concern fairly and may seek an explanation, correct the publication record, or take further action under its Publication Ethics policy and applicable COPE guidance. This policy is reviewed periodically to maintain transparency and trust.