Conflict of Interest Policy

Jurnal Lingkungan Binaan Indonesia (JLBI) is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions, peer review, and publication processes are conducted fairly, objectively, and transparently. All authors, editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their professional judgment.

A conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose a relevant conflict may compromise the integrity and credibility of the editorial process.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, institutional, or other relationships may affect, or appear to affect, an individual's impartiality in the preparation, evaluation, or publication of a manuscript.

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

Financial Interests: Employment, consultancy, honoraria, grants, funding, investments, patents, or other financial relationships relevant to the submitted work.
Personal Relationships: Family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may affect impartial judgment.
Professional and Academic Relationships: Recent or ongoing collaboration, shared research projects, supervisory relationships, or other professional connections between authors, reviewers, and editors.
Institutional Interests: Affiliations or responsibilities that may create competing interests in the evaluation or publication of a manuscript.
Intellectual or Ideological Interests: Strong professional commitments, public positions, or competing academic interests that may reasonably affect an individual's objectivity.

These examples are not exhaustive. Any relationship that could reasonably be perceived as influencing editorial judgment should be disclosed.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose relevant actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

Authors are expected to:

Declare financial and non-financial interests relevant to the submitted work.
Disclose funding sources and the role of funders in the study, manuscript preparation, or decision to publish, where applicable.
Include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript, even when no conflicts exist.
Notify the editorial office promptly if a relevant conflict arises or is identified after submission.
Ensure that disclosures are accurate and agreed upon by all co-authors.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include the following statement:

"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

Disclosure of a conflict does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from consideration. The editorial team will assess whether the conflict can be appropriately managed.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose any conflict of interest that could affect their ability to handle a manuscript impartially.

An editor must not manage a manuscript when a relevant conflict exists, including circumstances in which the editor:

Is an author or co-author of the submitted manuscript.
Has a close personal or professional relationship with one or more authors.
Has a direct financial or institutional interest in the manuscript's outcome.
Has another relationship that could reasonably compromise impartial editorial judgment.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict of interest. The conflicted editor must not influence the editorial decision or interfere with the independent review process.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting or proceeding with a review.

Reviewers should decline the invitation or notify the editorial office if they:

Have recently collaborated with, supervised, or been supervised by an author in a manner that could compromise impartiality.
Have a close personal relationship or significant professional dispute with an author.
Have a financial, institutional, or other competing interest related to the manuscript.
Believe that they cannot provide an objective and confidential assessment.

If a conflict becomes apparent after the review has begun, the reviewer must notify the editor promptly. The editor will determine whether the review should continue or be reassigned.

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

5. Management of Conflicts of Interest

The editorial team will evaluate disclosed conflicts and determine appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the publication process.

Depending on the circumstances, JLBI may:

Request additional information or clarification from the relevant individual.
Assign the manuscript to an independent editor or reviewer.
Require an appropriate disclosure statement in the published article.
Implement additional safeguards to ensure an impartial editorial decision.
Decline to proceed with a review or submission when a conflict cannot be adequately managed.

Decisions concerning conflicts of interest will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature, severity, and potential impact of the conflict.

6. Disclosure in Published Articles

Relevant conflicts of interest disclosed by the authors will be reported in the published article when appropriate. Funding information and the role of funders will also be disclosed in accordance with JLBI's author guidelines.

If a previously undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, JLBI will assess its significance and determine whether a disclosure statement, correction, expression of concern, or other editorial action is warranted under the journal's applicable publication ethics policies.

7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may be treated as a publication ethics concern.

JLBI will assess such cases in accordance with its Research Misconduct Policy and other applicable publication ethics policies. Appropriate action will depend on the evidence, the nature of the undisclosed conflict, and its effect on the editorial process or published record.

8. Policy Implementation

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to JLBI and all individuals involved in their evaluation and publication. Authors, editors, and reviewers are responsible for providing accurate disclosures and cooperating with reasonable requests for clarification.

Questions or disclosures concerning conflicts of interest should be directed to the JLBI editorial office through the official contact information provided on the journal website.