Conflict of Interest Policy

1. General Policy and Ethical Principles

Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Pertanian (JIIP) is committed to maintaining transparency, impartiality, accountability, and integrity throughout the research and scholarly publication process. The journal requires authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and relevant publishing personnel to disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, the conduct, evaluation, interpretation, or publication of scholarly research.
JIIP adopts the principles established in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practice on Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests, which calls for clear definitions of competing interests and appropriate procedures for managing conflicts involving authors, reviewers, editors, journals, and publishers, whether identified before or after publication.
The journal recognises that the existence of a competing interest does not automatically indicate unethical conduct or research misconduct. However, undisclosed or improperly managed interests may undermine confidence in scientific findings, the independence of peer review, and the credibility of editorial decisions.
JIIP applies this policy to all manuscripts submitted to the journal and all articles published within its scientific scope, including agricultural sciences, sustainable agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural technology, agricultural extension, animal husbandry, food technology, and related disciplines.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, arises when an individual's professional judgement, research responsibilities, or editorial decisions may be influenced, or reasonably perceived to be influenced, by secondary interests or relationships.
Conflicts of interest may be financial, professional, institutional, personal, intellectual, academic, or collaborative. The COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers identify several categories of competing interests, including personal, financial, intellectual, professional, political, and religious interests that may affect the impartiality of manuscript evaluation.
A conflict of interest may exist even when an individual believes that the relevant relationship has not influenced their judgement. Therefore, the obligation to disclose potential conflicts extends to interests that could reasonably raise concerns about impartiality among editors, reviewers, readers, or other stakeholders.
JIIP requires disclosure of relevant competing interests so that the editorial team can evaluate their significance and implement proportionate safeguards before making decisions concerning manuscript review or publication.

3. Categories of Competing Interests

3.1. Financial Interests. Financial competing interests may include research funding, consultancy payments, employment, honoraria, ownership of company shares, patents, royalties, commercial agreements, sponsored research, or other financial benefits associated with the subject of a manuscript.
3.2. Professional and Academic Interests. Professional conflicts may arise from academic competition, employment relationships, supervisory responsibilities, joint research activities, professional collaborations, institutional appointments, or other relationships that could influence research reporting or manuscript evaluation.
3.3. Personal Relationships. Personal competing interests may involve family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that could reasonably affect impartiality during research assessment or editorial decision-making.
3.4. Institutional Interests. Institutional competing interests may arise when a university, research institute, publisher, government organisation, commercial entity, or other institution has an interest in the outcome or presentation of particular research findings.
3.5. Intellectual Interests. Intellectual conflicts may arise when a researcher, reviewer, or editor has a strongly established academic position, competing research findings, or a direct intellectual stake that could compromise objective evaluation.
3.6. Commercial and Agricultural Industry Interests. In agricultural research, potential conflicts may involve seed producers, fertiliser manufacturers, pesticide companies, agricultural machinery suppliers, food processing enterprises, livestock businesses, biotechnology companies, or other commercial organisations with interests related to the research.
All relevant competing interests must be disclosed in a manner consistent with the COPE principles concerning transparency and management of competing interests.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to JIIP must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their research activities, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation, or presentation of conclusions.
Authors must disclose research funding, consultancy arrangements, employment relationships, financial benefits, intellectual property interests, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, and other relevant circumstances associated with the submitted research.
This requirement follows the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, which recommend obtaining declarations of relevant competing interests from contributors and correcting the published record when previously undisclosed interests are identified.
Authors must provide accurate declarations during manuscript submission and update them whenever relevant circumstances change before publication. The corresponding author must ensure that all coauthors have reviewed and approved the competing interest statement.
When no relevant competing interests exist, authors must explicitly state that they have no competing interests to declare. The absence of a financial relationship does not eliminate the obligation to disclose other potentially relevant interests.

5. Research Funding and Sponsor Influence

Authors must identify the organisations that provided financial or material support for their research, including government agencies, universities, research institutions, agricultural enterprises, foundations, and commercial sponsors.
Where applicable, authors must explain the role of funding organisations or research sponsors in the research design, collection and analysis of data, interpretation of results, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
The journal requires transparent reporting of sponsor involvement to enable editors and readers to evaluate whether financial or institutional interests could affect the research conclusions. This approach reflects the COPE Core Practice on Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests.
Research sponsored by commercial organisations is not automatically ineligible for publication. However, authors must retain appropriate responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and interpretation of reported findings, and relevant restrictions imposed by sponsors must be disclosed.
A funding acknowledgement does not necessarily replace a competing interest declaration. Authors must provide both statements when required by the nature of the financial relationship or the journal's submission procedures.

6. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must disclose all potential competing interests before accepting a manuscript review assignment. Reviewers must decline an invitation when relevant relationships or interests would prevent an objective, independent, and fair evaluation.
According to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers on Competing Interests, reviewers should not accept assignments when significant relationships with authors, including current employment at the same institution or recent supervisory, collaborative, or joint funding relationships, may compromise independence.
Reviewers must inform the editor of potential financial, academic, personal, or professional conflicts and seek clarification whenever they are uncertain whether a particular relationship constitutes a competing interest.
Reviewers must not use unpublished manuscripts, research data, methodologies, or other confidential information obtained through peer review for personal, financial, commercial, or professional advantage. This responsibility follows the COPE requirements concerning reviewer confidentiality and impartiality.
If reviewers become aware of a competing interest after accepting an assignment, they must notify the editorial office immediately and suspend further assessment until the editor determines whether the review may continue.

7. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must maintain impartiality in manuscript screening, reviewer selection, peer-review management, editorial evaluation, and publication decisions.
Editors must disclose any relevant personal, professional, institutional, intellectual, or financial relationship that could compromise their independence or create a reasonable perception of bias.
The COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors recommend establishing procedures to ensure that manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members receive objective and independent evaluation.
When an editor has a relevant conflict of interest, the manuscript must be assigned to another appropriately qualified editor who is free from the conflict. The conflicted editor must not influence reviewer selection, access confidential deliberations beyond their authorised role, or participate in the final editorial decision.
When the Editor-in-Chief has a relevant conflict, responsibility for managing the manuscript should be delegated to an independent editor or another authorised individual designated by the journal or publisher.

8. Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

JIIP permits editorial personnel to submit scholarly manuscripts only when the journal can ensure independent evaluation and appropriate management of potential conflicts of interest.
A manuscript submitted by an editor, editorial board member, or other individual with editorial authority must be handled by an independent editor who has no relevant competing interest.
The submitting editor must not participate in reviewer selection, evaluation of reviewer reports, confidential editorial discussions, or acceptance and rejection decisions relating to their own manuscript.
JIIP should document the management of such manuscripts to demonstrate that normal scholarly evaluation standards have been maintained and that editorial authority has not been used to obtain preferential treatment.

9. Responsibilities of the Journal and Publisher

The journal and its publisher must disclose relevant organisational interests that could influence editorial independence, research evaluation, or publication decisions.
Institutional ownership, commercial relationships, sponsorship arrangements, and financial interests must not interfere with the objective assessment of submitted manuscripts.
JIIP applies the principles of editorial independence and transparent journal administration described in the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the COPE Core Practice on Journal Management.
Publication charges, institutional affiliations, sponsorship, advertising arrangements, or other financial considerations must not determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.
Editorial decisions must be based on scientific merit, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, research integrity, peer-review assessments, and compliance with the journal's editorial requirements.

10. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements

Every submitted manuscript must include a competing interest declaration or an equivalent disclosure submitted through the journal's designated electronic submission system.
The declaration must identify relevant financial and non-financial interests or explicitly confirm their absence. The editorial office may request additional clarification or supporting information when necessary.
This requirement reflects the COPE discussion on practical approaches to managing competing interests, which recommends making competing interest declarations a clear and distinct part of submission and review procedures.
Example A. No Competing Interests: "The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial competing interests that could have influenced the research, interpretation of findings, or preparation of this manuscript."
Example B. Competing Interests Disclosed: "The authors declare the following competing interests: [identify relevant relationships, financial interests, institutional affiliations, or other circumstances]. The authors confirm that these interests have been disclosed transparently and that they remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the research."
Authors must adapt the statement to their actual circumstances. A generic declaration must not be used to conceal relevant relationships, financial arrangements, or other interests that require disclosure.

11. Management of Disclosed Conflicts of Interest

The editorial team will evaluate disclosed competing interests to determine whether they present a manageable concern, require additional clarification, or could significantly compromise research assessment or editorial independence.
Appropriate management measures may include obtaining additional disclosure information, appointing independent reviewers, assigning an independent handling editor, excluding conflicted individuals from particular editorial decisions, or publishing relevant competing interest statements.
The COPE Core Practice on Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests calls for journals to establish procedures for managing competing interests across all participants in scholarly publication.
Disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. The journal will consider the relevance of the interest, the possible effect on the integrity of the research, and whether sufficient safeguards can protect the independence of the publication process.
The editorial office should maintain an appropriate record of significant disclosures and the measures implemented to manage them.

12. Undisclosed Conflicts Before Publication

When an undisclosed competing interest is suspected during manuscript review, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment and request clarification from the relevant author or other individual.
JIIP follows the COPE Flowchart on Undisclosed Conflict of Interest in a Submitted Manuscript, which recommends communicating the concern to the author, obtaining an explanation, and ensuring that appropriate disclosure information is provided before further editorial processing.
Where the omission results from an incomplete declaration and does not compromise the research or review process, the journal may request a corrected competing interest statement and continue editorial assessment.
Where evidence suggests that a material conflict has affected manuscript evaluation, the editor may reassess the review process, appoint independent reviewers, request additional information, or take other appropriate editorial action.
Serious or deliberate misrepresentation of competing interests may require further investigation under JIIP's Publication Ethics and Allegations of Research Misconduct policies.

13. Undisclosed Conflicts After Publication

JIIP will evaluate credible reports of previously undisclosed competing interests identified after publication, regardless of whether those concerns are raised by readers, authors, reviewers, institutions, or other parties.
The editorial team will assess relevant documentation, contact the corresponding author where appropriate, and determine whether the alleged interest exists and whether its omission materially affected the published research or editorial process.
The journal follows the COPE Flowchart on Undisclosed Conflict of Interest in a Published Article, which recommends investigating the concern, obtaining author explanations, assessing the significance of the interest, and implementing appropriate corrective action.
When a previously undisclosed competing interest is confirmed but does not undermine the reliability of the article, JIIP may publish a correction to the competing interest statement.
When an undisclosed conflict has materially affected the reliability of published findings or the integrity of peer review, additional editorial measures may be necessary, including reassessment of the article, publication of an appropriate notice, or retraction where justified by the evidence.
Post-publication actions must be proportionate to the established facts. The discovery of an undisclosed competing interest does not automatically justify retraction without assessing its effect on the scientific record.

14. Confidentiality, Complaints, and Appeals

JIIP will assess competing interest concerns objectively and protect confidential information to the extent reasonably possible. Disclosures and allegations must be handled without premature accusations, discriminatory treatment, or inappropriate disclosure of personal information.
Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers may report credible concerns about undisclosed or improperly managed competing interests through the journal's official communication channels.
Individuals whose conduct or declarations are questioned should receive a reasonable opportunity to provide an explanation and relevant supporting evidence before the journal reaches a final conclusion.
Appeals against editorial decisions relating to competing interests must identify the reasons for reconsideration and provide relevant information. Where practicable, appeals should be assessed by an editor or authorised individual who was not responsible for the original contested decision.

15. Policy Implementation and Compliance

The Editor-in-Chief, editorial team, editorial board, and publisher of JIIP are responsible for implementing this Conflict of Interest Policy consistently and transparently throughout manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and post-publication processes.
All authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants in scholarly publication must disclose relevant competing interests promptly and cooperate with appropriate editorial procedures for evaluating and managing such interests.
JIIP may periodically review this policy to ensure consistency with its Author Guidelines, Publication Ethics, Peer Review Policy, Authorship Criteria, and other relevant editorial requirements.
The journal's implementation of this policy is guided by the COPE Core Practices, the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, and the COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
By submitting, reviewing, or handling a manuscript for Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Pertanian, the individuals concerned agree to comply with the applicable requirements of this policy and to uphold transparency, impartiality, accountability, and integrity in scholarly publication.