Conflict of Interest Policy

Didaktika Biologi: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Biologi is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. A conflict of interest may arise when personal, professional, financial, or other relationships could influence, or be perceived to influence, the objectivity of authors, editors, reviewers, or other individuals involved in the publication process.

All parties involved in the publication process are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. Disclosure enables the journal to assess the situation and take appropriate measures to protect the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record.

01. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships may compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their ability to make impartial decisions concerning a manuscript or publication.

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

Financial interests: employment, consultancy, honoraria, grants, research funding, patents, stock ownership, or other financial benefits related to the research.
Professional relationships: current or recent collaboration, shared institutional affiliation, supervisory relationships, or other professional connections.
Personal relationships: family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may affect impartiality.
Academic or intellectual interests: strong academic positions, competing research interests, or personal commitments that may influence the evaluation of a manuscript.
Institutional interests: relationships or obligations involving universities, research institutions, funding organizations, or other affiliated bodies.

02. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships that could influence the research, its interpretation, or the presentation of findings.

All authors must declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest during manuscript submission.
Authors must disclose relevant sources of funding, sponsorship, institutional support, and other relationships related to the submitted manuscript.
When no conflict of interest exists, authors must explicitly state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have reviewed and agreed to the conflict of interest declaration.
Any relevant changes or newly identified conflicts must be reported to the editorial office as soon as possible.

03. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain editorial independence and ensure that decisions are made objectively, based on the manuscript's academic quality, relevance, originality, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editors must disclose any conflict of interest related to a submitted manuscript.
Editors must not handle manuscripts when personal, professional, institutional, or financial relationships could compromise their impartiality.
Editors who have a conflict of interest must withdraw from the editorial decision-making process for the relevant manuscript.
An alternative editor or an independent editorial representative will be appointed to manage the manuscript.
Editors must not use unpublished information obtained through the editorial process for personal or professional advantage.

04. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and disclose any circumstances that may affect their ability to provide an impartial assessment.

Reviewers must inform the editor if they have a personal, professional, institutional, financial, or academic relationship with any of the authors.
Reviewers should decline an invitation if a conflict of interest may compromise, or appear to compromise, their impartiality.
Reviewers must not use unpublished information from manuscripts for personal research, professional benefit, or other purposes.
Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of all manuscript materials and the peer-review process.
If a potential conflict becomes apparent during the review process, reviewers must immediately notify the editor.

05. Editorial Handling of Conflicts of Interest

When a conflict of interest is disclosed or identified, the editorial team will assess its nature and potential impact on the integrity of the editorial process.

The journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Request additional information or clarification from the relevant parties.
Assign an alternative editor or reviewer who has no relevant conflict of interest.
Exclude an individual with a conflict of interest from the evaluation or decision-making process.
Require an appropriate disclosure statement to be included in the published article.
Take further action in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies if a conflict was deliberately concealed or misrepresented.

06. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may constitute a breach of publication ethics. If an undisclosed conflict is identified before publication, the journal may request clarification, require a revised declaration, or reconsider the manuscript's editorial handling.

If the issue is identified after publication, the journal will assess its significance and may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, where appropriate. The journal may also contact the authors' affiliated institutions or relevant organizations when necessary.

07. Disclosure Statement in Published Articles

A conflict of interest declaration must be included in the manuscript or published article. Authors must provide one of the following statements, as applicable:

When no conflict of interest exists:

"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

When a conflict of interest exists:

"The authors declare the following conflict(s) of interest: [provide a clear description of the relevant relationship or interest]."

08. Commitment to Transparency

Didaktika Biologi is committed to ensuring that all conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed transparently. The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically imply that a manuscript will be rejected. Instead, the journal evaluates whether the conflict can be appropriately managed without compromising the objectivity, credibility, and integrity of the publication process.