Conflict of Interest Policy

Jurnal Laboratorium Khatulistiwa is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity in scholarly publishing. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, evaluation, or publication of scholarly work.

Disclosure enables the journal to assess and manage potential conflicts fairly and transparently. The existence of a competing interest does not automatically constitute misconduct or disqualify a manuscript from publication.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest occurs when a secondary interest or relationship could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, independent scholarly judgment. Conflicts may be actual or potential and may involve financial or non-financial interests, including:

  • Financial interests: Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, paid testimony, ownership interests, or other financial benefits related to the manuscript.
  • Personal relationships: Family or close personal relationships, significant disputes, or personal circumstances that may affect impartiality.
  • Professional and institutional relationships: Co-authorship, research collaboration, supervisory relationships, shared projects, or institutional affiliations that may compromise independent assessment.
  • Clinical and professional interests: Relationships with healthcare facilities, professional organisations, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, or other entities relevant to the research.
  • Academic and competitive interests: Professional competition or access to confidential information that may influence the evaluation of a manuscript.
  • Advocacy and organisational interests: Leadership, advisory, or representative roles in organisations directly related to the research topic or its outcomes.
    In midwifery and health research, relevant conflicts may include involvement in the healthcare facility where the study was conducted, responsibility for the participants or interventions being evaluated, or financial relationships with organisations whose products or services are discussed.
    Professional affiliation, clinical practice, or membership in a professional organisation does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest. Disclosure should focus on interests materially relevant to the work.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose relevant competing interests at the time of manuscript submission. The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating the disclosure process and confirming that all co-authors have declared their relevant interests. Each author remains individually responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their declaration.

All manuscripts must include a section entitled "Conflicts of Interest", even when no competing interests exist.

When no conflicts exist:

"The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this article."

When a relevant interest exists:

"Author [name] has a financial or professional relationship with [organisation] relevant to this article. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Authors must disclose all relevant funding and material support in a separate Funding statement, including the funder's role, if any, in the study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit. Funding relationships that may influence the research must also be declared as competing interests.

Authors must disclose relevant relationships with manufacturers, healthcare providers, institutions, or organisations whose products, interventions, or services are evaluated in the manuscript.

Authors must update their declarations if relevant circumstances change during peer review or production. Identifying information about conflicts should be provided separately from the anonymised manuscript when necessary and incorporated into the published disclosure where appropriate.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation. They must decline the assignment if a conflict prevents an independent, objective, and fair assessment.

Reviewers should not assess manuscripts when they:

  • Have a close personal or family relationship with an author.
  • Work at the same institution as an author or have a relationship that compromises independent assessment.
  • Have a current supervisory relationship or a close research collaboration that may affect impartiality.
  • Have a direct financial or professional interest in the study's findings or outcomes.
  • Have a significant personal dispute or other relationship that prevents an objective evaluation.
    Other potentially relevant relationships must be disclosed to the handling editor for assessment. When uncertain, reviewers should seek guidance before accepting or continuing the review.
    If a conflict becomes apparent during double-blind peer review, including recognition of an author's identity or institution, the reviewer must promptly inform the editor and follow the editor's instructions.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal, professional, or financial gain.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling or making decisions on manuscripts when their independence may be compromised.

An independent editor must manage submissions authored by an editor or editorial board member, or involving close collaborators, family members, or other relationships that create a relevant conflict.

A conflicted editor must not participate in reviewer selection, manuscript assessment, or editorial decision-making. Confidential information must be accessed only as necessary for the editor's legitimate responsibilities.

When the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, an independent editor must be appointed. If no suitable independent editor is available within the journal, the publisher should arrange appropriate independent editorial handling.

Submissions from editors and editorial board members must meet the same scholarly standards and applicable peer review requirements as other submissions. Relevant editorial roles and independent handling arrangements should be disclosed in the published article when appropriate.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of publication fees, research funding, sponsorship, institutional interests, and commercial pressure.

5. Assessment and Management of Conflicts of Interest

The journal will assess disclosed interests according to their nature, relevance, and potential effect on the research or editorial process.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • Request clarification or a more detailed disclosure.
  • Require an appropriate disclosure statement in the published article.
  • Replace a reviewer or reassign the handling editor.
  • Obtain an additional independent review.
  • Restrict a conflicted individual's involvement in the editorial process.
  • Temporarily suspend consideration while a significant concern is investigated.
    Disclosure does not automatically require manuscript rejection, and disclosure alone may not resolve every conflict. The journal will determine whether additional safeguards are necessary to protect the integrity of peer review and the reliability of the published work.
    Relevant disclosures, recusals, and management decisions will be documented in the journal's editorial records.

6. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest and Reporting

Concerns about undisclosed conflicts of interest may be reported through the journal's Contact page. Reports should identify the relevant manuscript or published article, describe the suspected conflict, and provide supporting information where available.

The journal will assess the information fairly and, where appropriate, invite the individuals concerned to provide an explanation. An allegation alone does not establish a breach of this policy.

Before publication, the journal may request a revised declaration, arrange an independent reassessment, or reconsider a decision if the editorial process has been compromised. Serious unresolved concerns may result in manuscript rejection.

After publication, the journal may issue a correction to the conflict of interest statement. More serious concerns may require further investigation and appropriate action under the journal's Research Misconduct Handling and Correction and Retraction policies. An omitted disclosure does not automatically warrant retraction.

Concerns involving an editor must be handled by an independent editor. Concerns involving the Editor-in-Chief should be referred to the publisher for independent assessment.

The journal will maintain appropriate confidentiality throughout the process while taking the necessary steps to protect research integrity and the accuracy of the scholarly record.