Conflict of Interest

Jurnal Computech & Bisnis (JCB), published by STMIK Mardira Indonesia, is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, editorial independence, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process.

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, professional, financial, institutional, or other relationships or interests could improperly influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the preparation, evaluation, editorial handling, or publication of a manuscript.

JCB requires all authors, editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in the publication process to disclose relevant conflicts of interest. The existence of a conflict does not necessarily mean that research or a manuscript is invalid. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may undermine the fairness and credibility of the editorial process.

1. Types of Conflicts of Interest

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

1.1 Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial conflicts may involve employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, stock ownership, patents, royalties, paid expert services, or other financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the publication of a manuscript.

1.2 Personal and Professional Relationships

Conflicts may arise from close personal relationships, family relationships, friendships, personal disputes, professional rivalries, supervisory relationships, or other circumstances that could affect impartial judgment.

1.3 Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Institutional conflicts may arise when authors, editors, or reviewers have affiliations with the same institution, department, research center, or organization, or when institutional interests could influence editorial decisions.

Shared institutional affiliation does not automatically constitute a disqualifying conflict. The journal will assess whether the relationship creates a reasonable risk of bias and determine whether alternative editorial arrangements are necessary.

1.4 Academic and Intellectual Conflicts

Academic conflicts may arise from competing research interests, strong theoretical or methodological commitments, direct competition over research findings, or other intellectual interests that could influence the assessment of a manuscript.

1.5 Conflicts Involving Technology, Software, and Data

Given the scope of JCB, conflicts may also arise when individuals have financial, professional, or personal interests in software products, algorithms, datasets, technology platforms, cybersecurity tools, hardware, or other technologies evaluated in a manuscript.

Authors must disclose relevant interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research design, evaluation, interpretation, or reporting of results.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest that are relevant to their submitted manuscript.

Authors are required to:

  1. Declare relevant financial and non-financial interests associated with the research.
  2. Disclose funding sources and the role of sponsors or funders in research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions, where applicable.
  3. Identify relevant affiliations, commercial relationships, patents, software ownership, consulting arrangements, or other interests that may affect the interpretation of the research.
  4. Provide a Conflict of Interest Statement in the submitted manuscript, even when no conflicts exist.
  5. Inform the editorial office if a relevant conflict is identified or changes after submission and before publication.

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

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.”

If a conflict exists, authors must provide a clear and accurate description of the relevant interest. The editorial team may request additional information when necessary to assess whether the disclosure is sufficient.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain impartiality and editorial independence when assessing manuscripts and making publication decisions.

An editor who has an actual or potential conflict of interest concerning a manuscript must disclose the conflict and withdraw from handling or deciding on that manuscript when impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The editor is an author or co-author of the submitted manuscript.
  • The editor has a close personal or professional relationship with one or more authors.
  • The editor is involved in a direct research collaboration or has a significant dispute with an author.
  • The editor has a financial or institutional interest that could be affected by the publication decision.
  • The manuscript presents findings that could create a material personal or professional benefit for the editor.

When an editor withdraws, the Editor-in-Chief or another authorized person will appoint an independent editor without a relevant conflict of interest. If the Editor-in-Chief is conflicted, the publisher or another appropriately independent representative will arrange for independent editorial handling.

Editors must not use unpublished information obtained through the editorial process for personal advantage, commercial benefit, or purposes unrelated to their editorial responsibilities.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and independently. Before accepting a review invitation, reviewers should consider whether any actual or potential conflict of interest could affect their ability to provide an impartial assessment.

Reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts to the editor and decline the review or follow the editor’s instructions if impartiality may reasonably be compromised.

Potential conflicts include:

  • Recent or ongoing research collaboration with one or more authors.
  • Close personal relationships or significant professional disputes with an author.
  • Employment at the same department or research unit where the relationship could affect impartiality.
  • Financial, commercial, or intellectual interests related to the manuscript’s findings.
  • Direct competition with the authors in a closely related research area, where the circumstances could compromise objectivity.

Reviewers must not use unpublished data, methods, ideas, source code, or other information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage. They must also maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and the review process.

5. Institutional Affiliation and Editorial Independence

JCB is published by STMIK Mardira Indonesia. The journal recognizes that authors, editors, and reviewers may have professional or institutional relationships with the publisher or other affiliated organizations.

Such relationships must not automatically determine the outcome of editorial decisions. Manuscripts must be evaluated according to the journal’s scope, originality, scientific contribution, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and peer-review outcomes.

Where an institutional relationship creates a reasonable risk of bias, the journal will implement appropriate safeguards, such as assigning an independent editor or obtaining an independent review.

The journal’s editorial decisions must not be improperly influenced by institutional position, personal relationships, commercial interests, or other considerations unrelated to scholarly merit.

6. Disclosure and Editorial Assessment

Conflict of interest declarations must be submitted during manuscript submission and included in the manuscript where applicable.

The editorial team will assess disclosed conflicts and may request clarification or additional information. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  1. Proceed with the editorial process when the conflict is adequately disclosed and does not compromise the integrity of the assessment.
  2. Implement safeguards, such as independent editorial handling or additional independent review.
  3. Request revisions to the disclosure statement.
  4. Decline to assign a reviewer or editor whose impartiality may reasonably be questioned.
  5. Reject a manuscript if an undisclosed or unmanageable conflict materially compromises the credibility or integrity of the work or its evaluation.

The presence of a disclosed conflict does not automatically lead to rejection. Decisions will be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the conflict and its potential effect on the research or editorial process.

7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a potential undisclosed conflict is identified during peer review or after publication, JCB may request an explanation from the relevant parties and assess the available evidence.

Depending on the findings, the journal may require a corrected disclosure statement, revise the editorial handling arrangements, publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or take other appropriate action in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics and correction and retraction policies.

Serious cases may be referred to the relevant institution or competent authority when justified by the evidence and appropriate to the circumstances.

8. Conflict of Interest Statement in Published Articles

JCB requires published articles to include a Conflict of Interest Statement or an equivalent disclosure section.

When no relevant conflicts have been declared, the article may include the following statement:

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.”

When relevant conflicts exist, the published statement should describe them clearly enough to allow readers to assess their potential significance. The journal may also disclose relevant funding information in a separate funding statement, where appropriate.

9. Confidentiality and Record-Keeping

Conflict of interest disclosures and related correspondence will be handled confidentially and shared only with individuals who reasonably need the information to carry out their editorial or publication responsibilities, subject to applicable legal and institutional requirements.

The journal will maintain appropriate records of disclosures and significant decisions in accordance with its internal procedures. Such records support consistent editorial practice, accountability, and the integrity of the publication process.

10. Commitment to Transparency and Publication Ethics

Jurnal Computech & Bisnis (JCB), published by STMIK Mardira Indonesia, is committed to managing conflicts of interest fairly, consistently, and transparently.

All authors, editors, reviewers, and relevant contributors are expected to comply with this policy. By submitting a manuscript to JCB or participating in its editorial and peer-review processes, individuals acknowledge their responsibility to disclose relevant conflicts and cooperate with reasonable editorial measures designed to protect the integrity of scholarly publishing.