Conflict of Interest

LITERATUR: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra is committed to transparency, objectivity, and integrity in research and publication. Authors, reviewers, editors, and journal staff must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationship that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their judgment and decisions.

A. Definition

A conflict of interest exists when personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional interests may improperly influence a person’s responsibilities in conducting, reviewing, editing, or publishing scholarly work in this journal. The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically constitute misconduct; the problem lies in the failure to disclose it.

B. Types of Conflict of Interest

  1. Financial: employment, consultancy, honoraria, stock ownership, royalties, or research funding related to the manuscript.
  2. Personal: family relationships, close friendships, or personal disputes with any party involved.
  3. Academic or professional: recent research collaboration, supervisor–student relationships, or direct academic competition.
  4. Institutional: relationships with institutions, foundations, or organizations that may benefit from the research findings, including the authors’ affiliation with UIN Sultanah Nahrasiyah Lhokseumawe or the Indonesian Tadris Study Program as the publisher of the journal.
  5. Ideological, cultural, or religious: strong commitment to a particular school of thought, organization, or viewpoint that may affect objectivity, particularly in the interpretation of literary works, language practices, or cultural issues.

This list is not exhaustive. Any relationship that could reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgment must be disclosed.

C. Responsibilities of Authors

  1. Disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest to the editor at the time of submission.
  2. State all sources of funding and, where applicable, the role of the funders in the study design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript.
  3. Ensure that all co-authors are aware of and agree with the disclosure. The corresponding author coordinates this disclosure.
  4. Promptly inform the editor of any conflict of interest that arises after submission.

D. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  1. Disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a review assignment.
  2. Decline the assignment if their objectivity may be compromised, for example because of recent collaboration with the authors, a close personal relationship, or direct competition.
  3. Keep the manuscript confidential and not use unpublished information for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

E. Responsibilities of Editors

  1. Make decisions objectively and independently based on scholarly quality, originality, and the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s focus and scope.
  2. Withdraw from handling manuscripts that involve a conflict of interest, such as their own manuscripts or those from close colleagues or the same institution. Such manuscripts are reassigned to another independent editor.
  3. Not use confidential information obtained through editorial work for personal benefit, and not allow commercial or institutional interests to influence editorial decisions.

F. Management of Conflicts of Interest

The journal assesses every disclosed conflict of interest and determines whether further action is needed, including:

  1. requesting clarification or additional information from the parties involved;
  2. reassigning the manuscript to an independent editor or reviewer;
  3. publishing the conflict of interest disclosure with the article; or
  4. taking appropriate editorial action when a significant conflict has been deliberately concealed or inaccurately reported.

G. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is discovered after submission or publication, the journal may request an explanation from the authors or other relevant parties. Depending on the outcome, the journal may publish a correction or editorial notice, reconsider the editorial decision, or take other appropriate action. Serious cases are handled in accordance with the journal’s Allegation of Research Misconduct policy.

H. Compliance

All parties are expected to comply with this policy and to disclose conflicts of interest in a timely and transparent manner. The journal handles conflicts of interest in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/