Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

Explore: Jurnal Sistem Informasi dan Telematika (Telekomunikasi, Multimedia dan Informatika) is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publication process. All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or appear to influence, their professional judgment, research findings, or editorial decisions.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, professional, academic, or other relationships may improperly influence an individual's responsibilities in the research, peer-review, or publication process.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial Interests: Employment, consultancies, honoraria, research grants, funding, investments, or other financial relationships that could influence the research or its publication.

  • Personal Relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may affect impartiality.

  • Professional or Institutional Relationships: Employment, collaboration, supervisory relationships, or institutional affiliations that could influence the assessment of a manuscript.

  • Academic Competition: Professional rivalry, competing research interests, or other circumstances that may compromise objective judgment.

  • Intellectual Interests: Strong personal or academic commitments that could affect the impartial evaluation of research findings.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may undermine the transparency and credibility of the publication process.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose any financial and non-financial interests that could influence the research, interpretation of results, or preparation of the manuscript.

Authors are required to:

  1. Declare relevant conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.

  2. Disclose sources of funding and the role of funders in the research, analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to publish, where applicable.

  3. Ensure that conflict-of-interest declarations are accurate and complete.

  4. Inform the editorial team if a relevant conflict becomes apparent after submission or publication.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include the following statement in their manuscript:

“The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.”

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently. They are required to disclose any circumstances that may compromise, or appear to compromise, their impartiality.

Reviewers should decline a review assignment if they have a significant conflict of interest, such as a close professional collaboration with an author, a personal relationship that may affect their judgment, direct competition involving the submitted research, or a financial interest related to the manuscript.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions fairly and independently, based on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, and methodological soundness of the manuscript.

Editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and refrain from handling manuscripts when their impartiality may reasonably be questioned. In such cases, the manuscript should be assigned to another qualified editor who can manage the review process independently.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional affiliations, financial interests, commercial considerations, or other inappropriate factors.

5. Disclosure and Management Procedures

All relevant conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the journal's editorial team during submission or as soon as they become apparent.

When a conflict of interest is identified, the journal will assess its nature and significance and determine appropriate measures. These may include:

  • Requesting additional information or clarification from the parties involved.

  • Assigning an alternative reviewer or editor.

  • Requiring an appropriate disclosure statement in the published article.

  • Taking other reasonable steps to safeguard the fairness and integrity of the editorial process.

The editorial team reserves the right to request further clarification when a disclosure is incomplete or when additional information is necessary to make an informed decision.

6. Post-Publication Disclosure

If a previously undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal will assess the circumstances and take appropriate action to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. Such action may include publishing a correction, an expression of concern, or another appropriate editorial notice, depending on the seriousness and implications of the case.

7. Commitment to Transparency

Explore is committed to maintaining a transparent, fair, and accountable publication process. Authors, reviewers, and editors share responsibility for identifying and disclosing conflicts of interest so that scholarly work can be evaluated on its scientific merits and readers can assess the research with appropriate information.