CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

Conflict of Interest

  1. Policy Statement

Jurnal SIMETRIK (Sipil, Mesin, Listrik), published by the Research and Community Service Center (P3M) of Politeknik Negeri Ambon, is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, independence, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process.

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

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may affect their responsibilities or judgments in the publication process.

  1. Conflicts of Interest for Authors

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could influence the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of their research.

Examples of conflicts of interest include:

  • Financial support, research grants, sponsorships, or funding from organizations that may benefit from the research findings.
  • Employment, consultancy, or commercial relationships with relevant companies or institutions.
  • Ownership of shares, patents, or intellectual property related to the research.
  • Personal relationships or professional affiliations that could influence the interpretation of research results.
  • Institutional interests or other commitments that may affect the objectivity of the research.

Authors must provide a conflict-of-interest statement during manuscript submission. If no conflicts exist, the manuscript should include the following declaration:

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.”

All funding sources and relevant financial support must also be acknowledged clearly in the manuscript.

  1. Conflicts of Interest for Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, independently, and professionally. Reviewers should decline an invitation to review if they have a conflict of interest that could compromise their impartiality.

Potential conflicts may include:

  • Recent collaboration or joint publications with one or more authors.
  • Close personal, professional, or institutional relationships with the authors.
  • Direct competition or competing research interests that could influence the review.
  • Financial or commercial interests related to the manuscript's findings.
  • Any other circumstances that could reasonably affect the reviewer's impartial judgment.

Reviewers must inform the editorial team of any relevant conflict of interest. The editor will determine whether the reviewer should be excluded from the review process.

  1. Conflicts of Interest for Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions based on the manuscript's scientific quality, originality, relevance, and compliance with the journal's publication standards.

Editors must not handle manuscripts when personal, professional, financial, or institutional interests could compromise their impartiality.

If a conflict of interest arises, the editor must disclose it and withdraw from the editorial decision-making process for the affected manuscript. Another qualified editor will be assigned to manage the submission and oversee the review process.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional affiliations, financial considerations, or other interests unrelated to the manuscript's academic merit.

  1. Disclosure and Management Procedures

Jurnal SIMETRIK applies the following procedures to manage conflicts of interest:

  1. Authors disclose relevant conflicts of interest during manuscript submission.
  2. Reviewers declare any conflicts before accepting a review assignment.
  3. Editors assess disclosed conflicts and determine appropriate measures to preserve impartiality.
  4. Where necessary, an alternative reviewer or editor is appointed.
  5. Relevant conflict-of-interest statements are included in the published article when appropriate.

Failure to disclose a significant conflict of interest may result in additional investigation and appropriate editorial action.

  1. Research Funding and Sponsorship

Authors must identify all funding sources that supported the research and explain the role of the funding organization, where applicable, in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and decision to publish.

Funding does not automatically constitute a conflict of interest. However, financial relationships must be disclosed so that readers can assess the independence and transparency of the research.

  1. Confidentiality and Editorial Independence

All individuals involved in the publication process must protect confidential manuscript information and avoid using unpublished research for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

Jurnal SIMETRIK is committed to maintaining editorial independence and ensuring that decisions are made fairly and consistently, without inappropriate influence from authors, sponsors, institutions, or other interested parties.

  1. Commitment to Transparency

Jurnal SIMETRIK recognizes that the disclosure and appropriate management of conflicts of interest are essential to maintaining trust in scholarly publishing.

Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to act honestly, disclose relevant interests, and cooperate with the editorial team in resolving potential conflicts.

The journal reserves the right to take appropriate action when undisclosed or improperly managed conflicts of interest threaten the fairness of peer review or the integrity of the published scholarly record.