Conflict of Interest Policy

1. General Policy

The Borneo Journal of Language and Education (BENJOLE) is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, objectivity, and editorial independence throughout the scholarly publishing process.

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, may arise when financial, professional, personal, academic, or institutional relationships could reasonably be perceived to influence the conduct of research, the interpretation of findings, the peer-review process, or editorial decisions.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage a relevant conflict may compromise the credibility of the research or the integrity of the publication process.

BENJOLE therefore requires authors, reviewers, editors, and other relevant parties to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest and to cooperate in implementing appropriate safeguards.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest may take several forms, including but not limited to the following.

2.1. Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial conflicts may arise from:

  • Employment, consultancy, or paid professional relationships.
  • Research grants, sponsorships, or financial support.
  • Honoraria, speaking fees, or other payments.
  • Ownership of shares, equity, or other financial interests.
  • Patents, royalties, licensing agreements, or other intellectual property interests.
  • Financial relationships with organizations that may benefit from the research findings.

2.2. Personal and Professional Conflicts of Interest

Personal or professional conflicts may arise from close personal relationships, family relationships, professional collaborations, employment relationships, personal disputes, or other circumstances that could reasonably affect impartiality.

2.3. Academic and Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Academic or institutional conflicts may arise when authors, reviewers, or editors have supervisory relationships, shared institutional affiliations, competing academic interests, or other professional connections that could influence the assessment of a manuscript.

2.4. Other Competing Interests

Other relevant interests may include ideological commitments, public advocacy, political or organizational affiliations relevant to the subject under consideration, or other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived to influence scholarly judgment.

The relevance of a potential conflict must be assessed in context. Not every professional relationship or academic affiliation constitutes a conflict requiring the same response.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant conflicts of interest associated with their research and manuscripts.

At the time of submission, authors must:

  • Disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence the research or its interpretation.
  • Declare relevant funding, sponsorship, or institutional support.
  • Identify the role of funders or sponsors in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decision, where applicable.
  • Ensure that all co-authors are aware of and agree to the relevant disclosures.
  • Provide accurate and complete conflict-of-interest statements in the manuscript and the OJS submission system, as required.

If no relevant conflict exists, authors should provide an appropriate declaration stating that they have no competing interests to disclose.

A disclosed conflict does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from consideration. The editorial team will assess the nature of the conflict and determine whether additional disclosure, independent review, or other safeguards are necessary.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts independently and objectively. They must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, their impartiality.

Relevant circumstances may include:

  • Recent or ongoing collaboration with one or more authors.
  • Current or recent supervisory, employment, or close professional relationships.
  • Personal relationships or disputes that could affect objective judgment.
  • Financial interests related to the research topic or findings.
  • Institutional or academic interests that could materially influence the review.

Reviewers must inform the editor of any relevant conflict before proceeding with the assessment.

When a conflict is substantial or cannot be adequately managed, the reviewer should decline the assignment. The editor may appoint an alternative reviewer.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

5. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain editorial independence and ensure that conflicts of interest do not improperly influence manuscript assessment or publication decisions.

Editors must disclose relevant conflicts and refrain from handling manuscripts when their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

Potential conflicts may include:

  • Co-authorship or recent collaboration with one or more authors.
  • Close personal or professional relationships with authors.
  • Institutional or supervisory relationships that could affect independent judgment.
  • Financial interests related to the manuscript or its findings.
  • Direct involvement in the research being evaluated.
  • Other circumstances that could reasonably compromise editorial independence.

When an editor has a relevant conflict, the manuscript should be assigned to an appropriately independent editor who can manage the assessment and make editorial recommendations or decisions without undue influence.

The Editor-in-Chief must ensure that conflicts involving members of the editorial team are handled appropriately. Where the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict, the matter should be assigned to an independent and authorized editor.

Editors must not use confidential manuscript information for personal advantage or allow financial, institutional, personal, or commercial considerations to override scholarly merit.

6. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher and journal management are responsible for supporting the editorial independence of BENJOLE and ensuring that relevant conflicts of interest are managed transparently.

The publisher must not improperly influence editorial decisions because of financial considerations, institutional relationships, sponsorship, advertising, or other competing interests.

Where a potential conflict involving the publisher or journal management could affect editorial independence, appropriate arrangements should be made to protect the integrity of the assessment and decision-making process.

7. Funding and Sponsor Disclosure

Authors must disclose financial support relevant to the research and manuscript, including grants, institutional funding, sponsorship, or other material assistance.

Where applicable, the manuscript should identify the funding organization and explain its role in the research.

8. Disclosure Statement in Manuscripts

BENJOLE requires authors to include a conflict-of-interest statement in accordance with the journal's submission requirements.

Where no competing interests exist, authors may use the following statement:

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests that could have influenced the research reported in this manuscript or its interpretation.

Where relevant interests exist, authors should describe them clearly and accurately. For example:

Conflict of Interest Statement

Author [name] received research funding from [organization]. The funder was involved in [describe the relevant role]. The authors declare that all other relevant competing interests have been disclosed.

These examples must be adapted to reflect the actual circumstances of the research. Authors must not use a statement claiming the absence of conflicts when relevant interests exist.

9. Assessment and Management of Disclosed Conflicts

Upon receiving a conflict-of-interest disclosure, the editorial team will assess whether the interest could reasonably affect the integrity of the research, the impartiality of peer review, or the independence of editorial decision-making.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • Request clarification or additional information.
  • Require a more complete disclosure statement.
  • Assign the manuscript to an independent editor.
  • Appoint alternative reviewers.
  • Request additional independent assessment.
  • Publish a disclosure statement with the article where appropriate.
  • Take other proportionate measures to protect the integrity of the publication process.

The journal will seek to manage conflicts fairly and consistently. A conflict will not automatically result in rejection if it can be adequately disclosed and managed.

10. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If BENJOLE identifies a potentially relevant conflict that was not disclosed, the editorial team may contact the author, reviewer, editor, or other party concerned to request an explanation.

The journal will assess the available information before determining the appropriate response.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, actions may include:

  • Requesting a corrected or additional disclosure.
  • Reassigning a reviewer or editor.
  • Suspending editorial processing while the concern is examined.
  • Rejecting a manuscript where the conflict compromises the integrity of the work or its assessment.
  • Publishing a correction or additional disclosure for an article already published.
  • Taking further action in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

Where a concern involves suspected misconduct, the journal may follow its Allegations of Research Misconduct policy.

11. Conflicts of Interest in Published Articles

If a relevant conflict of interest is identified after publication, BENJOLE will assess whether the omission affects the transparency, interpretation, or integrity of the published work.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish a correction or an additional disclosure linked to the original article.

If the conflict is associated with more serious ethical concerns or research misconduct, the journal may consider further action in accordance with its Correction and Retraction Policy and other relevant policies.

The objective of any post-publication action is to maintain transparency and protect the reliability of the scholarly record.

12. Artificial Intelligence and Conflicts of Interest

The use of artificial intelligence does not remove the obligation to disclose relevant competing interests.

Authors must disclose financial, professional, or other relationships associated with AI tools, services, or organizations when those relationships could reasonably be perceived to influence the research or its reporting.

Editors and reviewers must also ensure that their use of AI-assisted tools does not compromise confidentiality, impartiality, or editorial independence.

AI systems cannot independently assume responsibility for identifying, disclosing, or managing conflicts of interest. Human participants remain accountable for their relevant declarations and decisions.

13. Complaints and Appeals

Concerns regarding undisclosed or improperly managed conflicts of interest may be submitted to the BENJOLE editorial office.

Reports should include a description of the concern and relevant supporting information, where available.

The journal will assess such concerns fairly and confidentially, subject to applicable ethical and legal requirements. Where necessary, the journal may request additional information, consult independent experts, or contact the relevant institution or organization.

Individuals affected by an editorial action may submit an appeal in accordance with BENJOLE's applicable complaints and appeals procedures.

14. Related Policies

This policy should be read together with the following BENJOLE policies:

  • Publication Ethics.
  • Authorship and Contribution Policy.
  • Peer Review Process Policy.
  • Artificial Intelligence Policy.
  • Allegations of Research Misconduct.
  • Plagiarism Policy.
  • Correction and Retraction Policy.

15. Contact Information

Questions or concerns regarding conflicts of interest may be directed to the BENJOLE editorial office.

Email: jurnal.benjole@uinsi.ac.id

BENJOLE is committed to ensuring that relevant competing interests are disclosed, assessed, and managed transparently to protect academic integrity, impartial peer review, and editorial independence.