Conflict of Interest Policy

Scientific Journal of Nursing Research (SJNR) · Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies

Scientific Journal of Nursing Research (SJNR) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal published by Poltekkes Kemenkes Pontianak, Indonesia, through its Department of Nursing.

The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity, transparency, impartiality, and accountability throughout the research and scholarly publication process.

SJNR requires all authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and individuals involved in editorial or publication decisions to disclose any financial or non-financial interests, relationships, commitments, or circumstances that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, interpretation, evaluation, or publication of scholarly work.

This policy is informed by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Disclosure of competing interests enables the journal to identify potential sources of bias, implement appropriate safeguards, and preserve confidence in the integrity of published research.

The existence of a competing interest does not automatically constitute scientific misconduct, invalidate research findings, or make a manuscript unsuitable for publication. However, undisclosed or inadequately managed conflicts may undermine the credibility of research and the fairness of editorial decision-making.

All parties involved in SJNR's publication process are expected to act honestly, disclose relevant interests, and cooperate with reasonable measures intended to protect scholarly independence and the reliability of the scientific record.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest (COI), also referred to as a competing interest, arises when a secondary interest, relationship, professional commitment, or personal circumstance could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, an individual's independent professional or scholarly judgment.

Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial, direct or indirect, actual or potential. They may arise during research planning, study implementation, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decision-making, or publication.

For research in nursing and healthcare, particular attention must be given to relationships that may affect patient welfare, research participant protection, clinical judgment, interpretation of intervention outcomes, and the independence of scientific reporting.

Relevant conflicts of interest may include the following.

Financial Interests

Financial interests include, but are not limited to:

Employment, consultancy arrangements, paid advisory positions, or other remunerated professional activities.
Research grants, sponsorships, honoraria, speaker fees, or payments associated with the subject of the manuscript.
Ownership of shares, stock options, or other financial interests in organizations whose products or services are evaluated.
Patents, patent applications, royalties, intellectual property rights, or commercial licensing arrangements.
Financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, healthcare technology providers, or other commercial organizations.
Payments, gifts, equipment, services, or other material benefits that may be relevant to the research.

Personal Relationships

Personal conflicts may arise from:

Close family relationships or significant personal relationships between authors, reviewers, editors, or other individuals involved in the publication process.
Personal disputes, professional disagreements, or antagonistic relationships that may interfere with objective assessment.
Relationships that could create preferential treatment, unfair criticism, or inappropriate influence over scholarly decisions.

Professional and Institutional Relationships

Professional and institutional conflicts may include:

Current or recent research collaborations, co-authorship, joint grants, or shared research projects.
Supervisory relationships, including thesis or dissertation supervision, mentoring, and direct academic evaluation.
Employment or leadership positions within organizations directly involved in the research.
Administrative authority over the research setting, participating personnel, or implementation of the intervention under investigation.
Institutional responsibilities that may create pressure to report favorable outcomes or suppress unfavorable findings.

Employment or affiliation with an institution does not automatically establish a conflict for an author. However, the nature of the author's responsibilities must be disclosed when it is materially relevant to the research or its interpretation.

Academic and Competitive Interests

Academic and competitive conflicts may arise when individuals have:

Direct professional or academic competition with the authors.
A significant interest in supporting or challenging a particular scientific theory, intervention, or research outcome.
Ongoing disputes regarding research priority, intellectual property, or competing publications.
Opportunities to gain professional advantage through access to confidential manuscripts or unpublished research findings.

Organizational and Advocacy Interests

Relevant organizational interests may include leadership, advisory, representative, or advocacy roles in professional associations, healthcare organizations, patient advocacy groups, government bodies, or other organizations whose activities are directly evaluated in the research.

Conflicts Specific to Nursing and Healthcare Research

In nursing and healthcare research, relevant conflicts may include:

A nurse researcher evaluating a clinical intervention or nursing protocol that they developed and from which they may receive professional or financial benefits.
A hospital administrator conducting research on the performance or quality indicators of a department under their authority.
A researcher receiving sponsorship from a manufacturer whose medical device, pharmaceutical product, or healthcare technology is being evaluated.
A lecturer assessing the effectiveness of educational materials or training programs developed and commercially distributed by the lecturer.
A healthcare professional evaluating outcomes of a clinical service in which they hold a managerial or financial interest.
An investigator conducting clinical research in circumstances where employment, institutional expectations, or sponsor agreements could affect access to data or independent publication of results.

A professional commitment to nursing practice, healthcare improvement, or patient-centered care is not, by itself, a conflict of interest.

Similarly, an individual's nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, personal beliefs, or other protected characteristics do not independently establish a competing interest.

Disclosure requirements must focus on relationships and circumstances materially relevant to the scholarly work and must not require unnecessary disclosure of sensitive personal information.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to Scientific Journal of Nursing Research are responsible for identifying and disclosing relationships, interests, and circumstances that could influence or reasonably appear to influence their research or its reporting.

A conflict of interest declaration is mandatory for every manuscript, including manuscripts for which no competing interests exist.

Disclosure at Submission

Each author must consider their relevant financial and non-financial relationships and provide an accurate declaration at the time of manuscript submission.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating the collection and submission of declarations from all co-authors and ensuring that the information submitted to the journal is complete and accurate.

However, the corresponding author's coordinating role does not remove the individual responsibility of each co-author to disclose relevant interests.

All manuscripts must include a declaration under the heading:

“Conflicts of Interest”

This statement must clearly indicate whether competing interests exist and identify relevant relationships where disclosure is necessary.

The declaration must be consistent with the information provided through the journal's submission system and any additional disclosure documentation requested by the editorial office.

Declaration When No Conflicts Exist

When no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests exist, authors should include the following statement:

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest relevant to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.

Declaration When Conflicts Exist

When relevant competing interests exist, authors must provide sufficient information for the editorial team and readers to understand the nature of those relationships.

The declaration should identify the relevant author, the organization or relationship concerned, and the nature of the interest.

For example:

Conflicts of Interest

[Author name] has received research funding from [organization name], which manufactures a medical device evaluated in this study. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.

For research involving institutional or managerial interests:

Conflicts of Interest

[Author name] serves as [position] at [healthcare institution], where the nursing intervention evaluated in this study was implemented. The author's institutional role has been disclosed to the journal. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this work.

Disclosure must be specific enough to permit meaningful assessment without revealing unnecessary personal or confidential information.

Funding and Sponsor Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support, grants, institutional funding, sponsorship, and relevant non-monetary assistance.

Funding information must ordinarily appear in a separate section entitled “Funding” or “Funding Statement.”

Authors must explain the role of funders or sponsors, if any, in:

Research design and protocol development.
Participant recruitment and data collection.
Data management, statistical analysis, and interpretation.
Manuscript preparation, writing, and revision.
Decisions regarding manuscript submission and publication.
Restrictions on access to research data or dissemination of study findings.

Where the funder or sponsor has no involvement in these activities, authors should explicitly state this.

For example:

Funding

This research was supported by [funding organization and grant number, if applicable]. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation, or decision to submit the article for publication.

Receipt of funding does not automatically establish a disqualifying conflict. However, relevant financial relationships must be disclosed separately when they create actual or potential competing interests.

Authors must retain appropriate independence in research analysis, interpretation, and publication and should not enter into sponsorship arrangements that improperly restrict access to study data or the reporting of research findings.

Institutional and Clinical Research Relationships

Authors conducting research in hospitals, primary healthcare centers, educational institutions, community health services, or other clinical settings must disclose relevant professional or institutional relationships that could influence the study.

Particular consideration should be given to circumstances involving:

Direct managerial authority over participating healthcare personnel.
Supervisory relationships with student or trainee participants.
Professional responsibility for clinical interventions under evaluation.
Financial or professional incentives associated with favorable study outcomes.
Institutional expectations that could influence participant recruitment, data interpretation, or reporting.

Conflicts of interest disclosure is separate from institutional research permission, ethics committee approval, and informed consent requirements.

Approval by a research ethics committee does not eliminate an author's obligation to disclose relevant competing interests.

Updates During Editorial Processing

Authors must promptly inform the editorial office of any new or previously undisclosed competing interests that arise or become apparent during peer review, revision, acceptance, or production.

The journal may request clarification, supporting information, or an updated declaration when necessary.

Because SJNR operates a double-blind peer review process, identifying information that could compromise reviewer anonymity should be provided through confidential submission documentation where appropriate.

The final published article must contain a suitable conflict of interest statement.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the scientific quality, objectivity, and integrity of manuscripts submitted to Scientific Journal of Nursing Research.

All reviewers are required to disclose relevant competing interests before accepting a manuscript review invitation.

A reviewer must decline an assignment when an actual or potential conflict prevents an impartial and independent assessment.

Conflicts Requiring Recusal

Reviewers must not undertake the review of manuscripts where they have a disqualifying conflict, including:

Current employment at the same institution as an identified author when the relationship compromises, or is reasonably perceived to compromise, independence.
Close family or significant personal relationships with an author.
Current supervisory relationships or close, recent research collaborations that could affect impartiality.
Direct involvement in the research, intervention, dataset, or project being evaluated.
A direct financial or commercial interest in the manuscript's findings.
Significant personal or professional disputes with an author.
Other circumstances that create a substantial risk of biased evaluation.

Other potentially relevant professional, academic, institutional, or financial relationships must be disclosed to the handling editor for assessment before the reviewer proceeds.

Disclosure During Double-Blind Peer Review

Because SJNR follows a double-blind peer review process, reviewers may not initially know the identities or affiliations of manuscript authors.

If a reviewer recognizes an author's identity through manuscript content, research context, prior collaboration, or other circumstances, and this creates a potential conflict, the reviewer must notify the handling editor promptly.

The reviewer must suspend further assessment until the editor determines whether the review may continue.

Reviewers must not attempt to identify manuscript authors or use information obtained during peer review for competitive, professional, financial, or personal advantage.

Confidentiality and Professional Conduct

Reviewers are required to:

Maintain strict confidentiality regarding unpublished manuscripts and supporting materials.
Conduct evaluations objectively and provide evidence-based, constructive assessments.
Avoid personal criticism, discriminatory judgments, and unsupported allegations.
Refrain from using confidential research data, findings, methods, or ideas for personal benefit.
Avoid contacting manuscript authors without editorial authorization.
Notify the editor immediately if a relevant conflict becomes apparent during the review process.

Where impartiality cannot be assured, the reviewer must withdraw from the assignment.

The handling editor is responsible for determining whether disclosure, additional safeguards, or reassignment is necessary.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors and editorial board members of Scientific Journal of Nursing Research are responsible for maintaining impartiality, confidentiality, and independence in all editorial decisions.

Editors must disclose any relevant financial, professional, institutional, academic, or personal relationships that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their judgment.

An editor with a significant competing interest must withdraw from the handling and decision-making process for the affected manuscript.

Editorial Independence and Recusal

Editors must not participate in manuscript handling or editorial decisions involving:

Their own manuscripts or manuscripts they have co-authored.
Manuscripts submitted by close family members or individuals with significant personal relationships.
Manuscripts involving current close research collaborators, supervisees, or individuals with whom they have a substantial competing interest.
Research projects in which the editor has direct financial, professional, or intellectual interests that compromise impartiality.
Other circumstances that reasonably call editorial independence into question.

In such situations, responsibility for manuscript handling must be transferred to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict.

The conflicted editor must not select reviewers, direct the peer review process, influence editorial recommendations, access confidential review information beyond that appropriately available to authors, or participate in the final decision.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

SJNR recognizes that members of its editorial team may also contribute to nursing scholarship as researchers and authors.

Editorial affiliation must neither provide preferential treatment nor automatically prevent an individual from submitting scholarly work.

However, manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members must undergo independent editorial management and the same scientific evaluation standards applied to other submissions.

Such manuscripts must:

Be assigned to an independent handling editor.
Undergo the journal's established double-blind peer review procedures.
Be evaluated by qualified reviewers without relevant competing interests.
Be assessed according to scientific merit rather than editorial status or institutional affiliation.
Be subject to the same publication ethics requirements as other manuscripts.

Where relevant, the published article should disclose the author's editorial role and explain that the individual was excluded from editorial decision-making.

For example:

At the time of submission, [Author name] was a member of the Editorial Board of Scientific Journal of Nursing Research. The author had no involvement in the editorial assessment, peer review management, or publication decision for this manuscript. The manuscript was handled independently.

Conflicts Involving the Editor-in-Chief

If the Editor-in-Chief has an actual or potential conflict involving a manuscript, the case must be reassigned to a suitably qualified and independent editor.

When no appropriate independent editor is available within the journal, the responsible publishing institution should arrange an independent assessment by a qualified external editor or other impartial academic authority.

The Editor-in-Chief must not participate in the selection of reviewers, evaluation of review reports, or final editorial decision for manuscripts from which they have recused themselves.

Institutional and Financial Independence

Editorial decisions must remain independent of:

Institutional hierarchy and administrative pressure.
Financial contributions, sponsorship arrangements, or publication fees.
Professional relationships or academic seniority.
Personal, political, or commercial influence.
The interests of the journal's publisher, where those interests conflict with independent scholarly assessment.

The publishing institution and journal management must respect the editorial team's responsibility to make decisions based on scientific quality, research integrity, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

The journal's administrative and technical personnel must also disclose relevant interests where their assigned responsibilities could affect the confidentiality, fairness, or integrity of editorial operations.

5. Assessment and Management

Scientific Journal of Nursing Research assesses disclosed competing interests according to their nature, relevance, significance, and potential impact on research integrity or editorial impartiality.

Disclosure is the starting point for appropriate management rather than an automatic basis for manuscript rejection.

The journal may consider the following factors when evaluating a conflict:

The nature and extent of the disclosed financial or non-financial relationship.
The relationship's relevance to the manuscript and its findings.
The degree of influence the individual may have exercised over research design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting.
The possibility of actual or perceived bias in peer review or editorial decision-making.
The availability of reasonable measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of inappropriate influence.
The potential impact on patient safety, participant welfare, research credibility, and reader confidence.

Management Measures

Depending on the circumstances, appropriate actions may include:

Requesting clarification or additional disclosure documentation.
Requiring an updated or more specific conflict of interest statement.
Publishing a relevant disclosure alongside the article.
Appointing an independent handling editor or replacing a conflicted reviewer.
Seeking additional independent peer review or methodological evaluation.
Restricting a conflicted individual's access to or participation in editorial activities.
Requesting further information regarding sponsor involvement, data access, or research independence.
Temporarily suspending manuscript processing while significant concerns are assessed.
Reconsidering an editorial decision when the integrity of the assessment process has been materially compromised.

Principles of Fair Assessment

The journal will apply proportionate measures based on the evidence and the seriousness of the potential conflict.

A disclosed interest does not automatically justify rejection, and a disclosure statement alone may not sufficiently address a conflict that materially affects editorial independence or the reliability of research.

Where a conflict can be appropriately managed, the manuscript may continue through the editorial process under suitable safeguards.

Where a serious conflict cannot be adequately managed, the journal may decline further consideration of the manuscript, subject to fair assessment and applicable editorial procedures.

Documentation and Confidentiality

Relevant disclosures, editorial recusals, reassignment decisions, and conflict management measures must be documented in the journal's confidential editorial records.

Access to such information must be restricted to authorized individuals with legitimate responsibilities in assessing or managing the matter.

Information should be disclosed publicly only to the extent necessary to provide meaningful transparency regarding published research and the integrity of the editorial process.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and other involved individuals must cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification while respecting applicable confidentiality and privacy requirements.

6. Undisclosed Interests and Reporting

Scientific Journal of Nursing Research recognizes that relevant conflicts of interest may occasionally be identified after manuscript submission, during peer review, following acceptance, or after publication.

Concerns regarding undisclosed, incomplete, misleading, or improperly managed competing interests may be reported to the editorial office through the journal's official Contact Page.

Reporting Potential Conflicts

A report should, where possible, provide:

The title and identifying details of the manuscript or published article.
A clear description of the potential competing interest.
The individuals, institutions, organizations, or relationships involved.
Relevant supporting information or verifiable evidence.
An explanation of how the interest may have affected research conduct, interpretation, peer review, or editorial decisions.

Reports should be made in good faith and should distinguish verified facts from suspicions or allegations.

An allegation of an undisclosed conflict does not, by itself, establish misconduct.

Initial Assessment and Investigation

Upon receiving a report, the journal will assess whether the information is sufficiently relevant and credible to warrant further examination.

The editorial team may:

Review the submitted declaration and relevant editorial records.
Evaluate the reported relationship or interest.
Request clarification or additional documentation from the individual concerned.
Assess whether the conflict affected research integrity or editorial independence.
Determine whether corrective action or an independent assessment is necessary.
Document the findings and communicate an appropriate outcome to relevant parties.

The individual concerned should ordinarily be provided with a fair opportunity to explain the circumstances before any significant adverse editorial action is taken.

Investigations must be conducted impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal's applicable publication ethics procedures.

Conflicts Identified Before Publication

If a previously undisclosed competing interest is identified before publication, the journal may require:

Submission of an updated conflict of interest declaration.
Clarification of funding or sponsorship relationships.
Independent review or reassessment of the manuscript.
Reassignment of a handling editor or replacement of a reviewer.
Reconsideration of an acceptance decision where the review process was compromised.
Suspension of manuscript processing until the concern has been adequately resolved.

Where deliberate concealment, material misrepresentation, or an unmanageable conflict substantially undermines the integrity of the submission, rejection may be warranted following appropriate assessment.

Conflicts Identified After Publication

If an undisclosed or inaccurately reported competing interest is identified after publication, SJNR will assess the seriousness of the omission and its implications for the reliability of the published research.

Where the omission does not undermine the validity of the research findings, the journal may issue a correction or updated disclosure statement to ensure transparency.

More serious concerns may require additional investigation, independent expert assessment, or consideration under the journal's research misconduct and post-publication correction procedures.

Where the reliability of published findings is seriously compromised, appropriate editorial action may include an expression of concern or retraction, depending on the evidence and applicable publication ethics standards.

Failure to disclose a competing interest does not automatically justify retraction. The appropriate response must be proportionate to the circumstances and the effect on the integrity of the scholarly record.

Conflicts Involving Editors or Journal Management

Reports concerning a handling editor must be assessed by another independent editor or an appropriately designated impartial authority.

Concerns involving the Editor-in-Chief must be referred to the responsible publishing institution, Poltekkes Kemenkes Pontianak, for consideration through an independent and fair process.

Where the potential conflict involves journal management or the publishing institution itself, an independent academic or publication ethics expert may be appointed to provide an impartial assessment.

No individual should be responsible for investigating or deciding a complaint in which they have a relevant competing interest.

Confidentiality, Fairness, and Accountability

All reports and investigations must be handled with appropriate confidentiality and respect for the rights and responsibilities of the individuals concerned.

The journal will not disclose confidential manuscript information, reviewer identities, unpublished research data, or sensitive personal information except where reasonably necessary for an authorized investigation or required by applicable obligations.

Good-faith reporting of ethical concerns must not result in retaliation or discriminatory treatment.

SJNR is committed to transparent resolution of relevant conflicts, fair editorial procedures, and appropriate correction of the scholarly record when necessary.

The journal will review this policy periodically to maintain consistency with developments in nursing research, biomedical publishing ethics, and recognized international standards of scholarly integrity.

Scientific Journal of Nursing Research (SJNR)

Published by Poltekkes Kemenkes Pontianak, Indonesia
Department of Nursing

P-ISSN: 2655-0024 | E-ISSN: 2655-6731

Official Website:
https://ejournal.poltekkes-pontianak.ac.id/index.php/SJNR/index

Editorial Office:
https://ejournal.poltekkes-pontianak.ac.id/index.php/SJNR/about/contact

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Scientific Journal of Nursing Research

ISSN 2460-1853 (Print)
ISSN 2715-727X (Online)
Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Pontianak Jurusan keperawatan
Jl. 28 Oktober, Siantan Hulu, Kecamatan Pontianak Utara, Kota Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Barat 78124
Telp : (0561) 737639
email: snjr.polkespon@gmail.com

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