Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Altruistik: Jurnal Konseling dan Psikologi Pendidikan is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and editorial independence in scholarly publishing. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that may affect their professional responsibilities. The journal evaluates such disclosures and takes appropriate steps to maintain an objective publication process.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

  • A conflict of interest arises when an individual's personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional interests may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their responsibilities in conducting, evaluating, reviewing, editing, or publishing scholarly research.
  • Conflicts of interest may involve financial or non-financial relationships that could affect impartial professional judgment, research interpretation, or editorial decision-making.
  • The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate unethical conduct or research misconduct. However, failure to disclose relevant interests may undermine transparency, fairness, and confidence in the scholarly publication process.
  • Altruistik requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest so that they can be appropriately evaluated and managed.
  • All disclosures must be accurate, complete, and submitted at the appropriate stage of the editorial and publication process.

2. Types of Conflict of Interest

Altruistik recognizes that conflicts of interest may arise from financial, personal, professional, academic, institutional, or editorial relationships that could influence impartial judgment in research and scholarly publication. The following categories represent common forms of conflicts of interest:

  • Financial Interests: Employment, consultancy arrangements, honoraria, research funding, share ownership, patents, royalties, or other financial benefits associated with the research or its publication.
  • Personal Relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disagreements, or other relationships that may affect independent and objective professional judgment.
  • Professional and Academic Interests: Research collaborations, academic competition, supervisory relationships, professional affiliations, or other academic connections that may influence research evaluation or editorial decisions.
  • Institutional Interests: Relationships with universities, research institutions, professional associations, funding organizations, or other entities that may benefit from the research findings or publication.
  • Editorial Interests: Relationships between editors, reviewers, authors, institutions, or other relevant parties that may compromise the independence and fairness of manuscript evaluation.

These categories are not exhaustive. Any relationship or circumstance that could reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgment should be disclosed. Altruistik requires relevant interests to be declared transparently so that appropriate measures can be taken to maintain fairness, objectivity, and integrity throughout the publication process.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to Altruistik are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may be relevant to their research or its publication. Authors are responsible for fulfilling the following requirements:

  • Financial Disclosure: Authors must declare relevant financial interests, including research funding, consultancy arrangements, employment, honoraria, or other financial relationships associated with the research.
  • Non-Financial Disclosure: Authors must disclose relevant personal, professional, academic, or institutional relationships that may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, research interpretation or reporting.
  • Funding Transparency: Authors must identify research funding sources and describe the role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions, where applicable.
  • Accuracy of Declarations: All information concerning conflicts of interest must be accurate, complete, and consistent with the circumstances of the research.
  • Agreement Among Authors: The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and agreed upon the conflict of interest declaration before manuscript submission.
  • Updated Disclosure: Authors must promptly inform the editorial office if a relevant conflict of interest becomes known or arises during manuscript evaluation or after publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating disclosures from all co-authors and communicating relevant information to the editorial team. Failure to disclose relevant interests may result in further editorial assessment and appropriate action under the journal's publication ethics policies. Altruistik encourages transparency and responsible disclosure to maintain confidence in the integrity and independence of scholarly research.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript submitted to Altruistik. Reviewers must maintain independence, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional integrity throughout the peer-review process.

The following responsibilities apply to all reviewers:

  • Disclosure of Conflicts: Reviewers must inform the editorial team of any relevant financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional interests that may influence their evaluation.
  • Independent Judgment: Reviewers must assess manuscripts objectively on the basis of scholarly quality, methodological rigor, originality, and academic contribution.
  • Declining Review Assignments: Reviewers should decline assignments when personal relationships, recent research collaborations, academic competition, financial interests, or other circumstances may compromise their impartiality.
  • Editorial Consultation: When uncertainty exists regarding a potential conflict of interest, reviewers should disclose the circumstances to the editor and seek guidance before proceeding.
  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must protect unpublished manuscripts, research data, and other confidential information obtained during the review process.
  • Responsible Use of Information: Reviewers must not use unpublished findings, research ideas, or confidential manuscript information for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage.

Reviewers must promptly inform the editorial team if a relevant conflict of interest becomes apparent after accepting a review assignment. Where necessary, Altruistik may reassign the manuscript to another qualified reviewer to preserve the fairness and independence of the evaluation process. These requirements support the journal's commitment to transparent, impartial, and responsible scholarly peer review.

5. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of Altruistik are responsible for maintaining editorial independence, fairness, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional integrity throughout the manuscript evaluation and publication process. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope, and compliance with established publication ethics standards.

The following responsibilities apply to all editors:

  • Disclosure of Conflicts: Editors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional interests that may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their editorial judgment.
  • Editorial Independence: Editors must ensure that manuscript evaluation and publication decisions remain free from inappropriate commercial, personal, institutional, or professional influence.
  • Withdrawal from Editorial Handling: Editors must refrain from handling manuscripts when their impartiality may be compromised by relevant relationships or competing interests.
  • Independent Editorial Assignment: When a conflict of interest is identified, the manuscript should be assigned to another qualified editor or an independent editorial representative.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must protect unpublished manuscripts, research data, reviewer reports, and other confidential information obtained during editorial evaluation.
  • Responsible Use of Information: Editors must not use confidential manuscript information or unpublished research findings for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage.
  • Fair Editorial Decisions: Editors must evaluate manuscripts consistently and transparently, without discrimination or preferential treatment arising from personal or institutional relationships.

Editors must promptly inform the Editor in Chief or an appropriate independent editorial representative when a relevant conflict of interest becomes apparent during manuscript handling. When the Editor in Chief has a relevant conflict of interest, editorial responsibility should be delegated to a qualified and independent member of the editorial team. Altruistik is committed to ensuring that all editorial decisions are based on academic quality, research integrity, and professional ethical standards.

6. Conflict of Interest Declaration in Manuscripts

  • All manuscripts submitted to Altruistik must include a Conflict of Interest statement in accordance with the journal's manuscript preparation requirements.
  • Authors are required to disclose any relevant financial or non-financial interests that may influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, interpretation, or publication of their research.
  • The declaration must accurately represent the circumstances of all authors and should be included in the designated section of the manuscript.
  • When no relevant conflict of interest exists, authors may use the following statement:

No Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no known financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could have influenced the research, interpretation, or publication of this manuscript. When a relevant conflict of interest exists, authors must provide a clear and accurate disclosure.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

  • The authors declare the following relevant financial or non-financial interests: [describe the relevant interests and relationships]. The role of any associated institution, organization, or funding body in the research and publication process is disclosed where applicable.
  • The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the declaration before manuscript submission.
  • Authors must promptly notify the editorial office if a relevant conflict of interest becomes known or arises during editorial evaluation or after publication.
  • A declaration indicating the absence of conflicts of interest must not be used when relevant competing interests exist.

Altruistik reserves the right to request clarification or additional information when necessary to maintain transparency and integrity in scholarly publication.

7. Management of Conflicts of Interest

Altruistik is committed to managing disclosed conflicts of interest fairly, transparently, and consistently with established publication ethics principles. The editorial team will assess relevant disclosures and determine whether additional measures are necessary to protect the independence, objectivity, and integrity of the manuscript evaluation and publication process.

Depending on the nature and significance of the disclosed interests, the journal may take the following measures:

  • Disclosure Assessment: The editorial team may evaluate the nature, relevance, and potential influence of declared financial or non-financial interests.
  • Request for Clarification: Authors, reviewers, or editors may be asked to provide additional information or supporting documentation concerning relevant interests.
  • Independent Editorial Assignment: Manuscripts may be reassigned to qualified editors or reviewers who have no relevant conflicts of interest.
  • Additional Disclosure Requirements: Authors may be required to provide further information concerning relevant relationships, funding arrangements, or institutional involvement.
  • Protection of Editorial Independence: Appropriate measures may be implemented to ensure that manuscript evaluation and publication decisions remain objective and independent.
  • Editorial Review of Undisclosed Interests: When relevant conflicts of interest have not been appropriately disclosed, the journal may conduct an additional assessment and determine necessary editorial actions.
  • Proportionate Editorial Measures: Where serious or deliberate nondisclosure is established, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its publication ethics policies.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from consideration or establish research misconduct. Editorial decisions will be based on the relevance and seriousness of the disclosed interests, the available evidence, and the potential implications for the integrity of scholarly publication. Altruistik will seek to manage conflicts of interest through fair procedures, appropriate confidentiality, and transparent disclosure while maintaining the independence of editorial decisions.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Altruistik is committed to addressing undisclosed conflicts of interest fairly, objectively, and in accordance with established publication ethics principles. When a relevant conflict of interest is identified during manuscript evaluation or after publication, the editorial team will assess the circumstances and determine whether further clarification or editorial action is necessary.

The journal may undertake the following procedures:

  • Preliminary Assessment: The editorial team will examine the nature and relevance of the previously undisclosed interests and their potential influence on research reporting or editorial decisions.
  • Request for Clarification: Authors, reviewers, or editors may be asked to explain the circumstances and provide relevant supporting information.
  • Evaluation of Editorial Integrity: The journal will determine whether the undisclosed interests may have compromised the independence, fairness, or reliability of manuscript evaluation or publication.
  • Revision of Disclosure Statements: Authors may be required to submit an updated Conflict of Interest declaration that accurately reflects the relevant circumstances.
  • Post-Publication Action: When necessary, the journal may publish a correction, issue an appropriate editorial notice, or take other measures consistent with its publication ethics policies.
  • Further Ethical Assessment: Serious concerns involving deliberate nondisclosure or misleading declarations may be examined under the journal's procedures for handling publication ethics concerns.

The existence of an undisclosed conflict of interest does not automatically establish misconduct or invalidate published research. All decisions will be based on available evidence, the seriousness of the circumstances, and the potential implications for the integrity of scholarly publication. Relevant parties will be given a reasonable opportunity to provide explanations before substantive editorial decisions are made. Altruistik seeks to maintain transparency, accountability, editorial independence, and public confidence in the scholarly publication process.

9. Compliance with the Policy

Altruistik: Jurnal Konseling dan Psikologi Pendidikan requires all authors, reviewers, and editors to comply with its Conflict of Interest Policy throughout the research evaluation and scholarly publication process. All relevant financial and non-financial interests must be disclosed accurately, transparently, and in a timely manner.

The implementation of this policy is guided by the following principles:

  • Transparency: Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relevant relationships or interests that may influence their professional responsibilities.
  • Accountability: All parties are responsible for ensuring that their declarations are accurate, complete, and consistent with the circumstances of their involvement.
  • Editorial Independence: Manuscript evaluation and publication decisions must remain free from inappropriate personal, financial, professional, or institutional influence.
  • Fairness and Objectivity: Disclosed conflicts of interest will be evaluated impartially, with appropriate consideration of their relevance and potential implications.
  • Responsible Management: The journal may implement appropriate measures to address conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of the publication process. Publication Ethics: Concerns involving inaccurate declarations or undisclosed interests will be addressed according to the journal's established publication ethics procedures.

Altruistik manages conflicts of interest in accordance with its editorial policies and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This policy should be read together with the journal's Authorship and Contributorship Policy, Peer Review Policy, Publication Ethics and Misconduct Policy, Correction and Retraction Policy, and other applicable editorial guidelines. The journal may periodically review and update this policy to reflect developments in scholarly publishing standards and responsible research practices.

Through the implementation of this policy, Altruistik seeks to strengthen transparency, accountability, editorial independence, and public confidence in scholarly research and publication within Guidance and Counseling, Educational Psychology, and related academic disciplines.