Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Policy Statement

INTECH (Informatika dan Teknologi) is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process. All authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could improperly influence their research, manuscript evaluation, or editorial decisions.

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

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when financial, professional, personal, academic, or other relationships may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, an individual's judgment or responsibilities in the publication process.

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

Financial Interests: Employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, stock ownership, patents, royalties, or other financial relationships relevant to the manuscript.
Personal Relationships: Family relationships, close personal relationships, or personal disputes that could affect impartiality.
Professional or Institutional Relationships: Employment, institutional affiliations, supervisory relationships, collaborations, or competing professional interests.
Academic and Intellectual Interests: Strong intellectual commitments, competing research interests, or other circumstances that could affect objective assessment.
Other Relevant Interests: Any additional circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or editorial process.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript to INTECH.

Authors are required to:

Declare any financial or non-financial interests that may influence the research or its interpretation.
Disclose all relevant funding sources and the role of funders in the research, analysis, manuscript preparation, and publication decision.
Include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript, even when no conflicts exist.
Ensure that all co-authors have been informed of and agree with the disclosed declarations.

If no relevant conflicts exist, authors may use the following statement:

"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article."

Any changes to a conflict of interest declaration must be communicated to the editorial office as soon as possible.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could affect their editorial judgment.

Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have a direct conflict, such as manuscripts authored by close collaborators, family members, current students or supervisors, or individuals with whom they have a significant competing interest.

When a conflict exists, the manuscript must be reassigned to an appropriately independent editor. Editors must maintain confidentiality and ensure that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance, originality, and the results of the peer-review process.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest before agreeing to review a manuscript.

Reviewers should decline an invitation if they have relationships, interests, or circumstances that could compromise their impartiality. Examples include recent collaboration with the authors, direct competition involving closely related unpublished research, personal relationships, or financial interests connected to the work.

If a potential conflict becomes apparent during the review process, the reviewer must inform the editor promptly. The editor will determine whether the review may continue or whether another reviewer should be appointed.

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

6. Disclosure and Editorial Assessment

Conflict of interest declarations are assessed by the editorial team to determine whether disclosure, reassignment, additional safeguards, or other measures are necessary.

The existence of a declared conflict does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from publication. The journal will evaluate whether the conflict can be managed appropriately without compromising the integrity of the research or the editorial process.

Where necessary, INTECH may request additional information from authors, editors, or reviewers before making a decision.

7. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified before publication, INTECH may request clarification, require an updated declaration, or take other appropriate editorial action.

If the issue is identified after publication, the journal will assess its significance and may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction when warranted by the evidence and applicable publication ethics guidance.

Serious cases may be referred to the relevant institution or appropriate authority.

8. Transparency and Publication Ethics

INTECH is committed to handling conflicts of interest fairly, consistently, and transparently. Relevant declarations may be published alongside the article to support readers in assessing the context of the research.

This policy follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Relevant guidance:

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org/

9. Compliance

By submitting a manuscript to INTECH, authors confirm that all relevant conflicts of interest have been disclosed accurately and completely. Editors and reviewers are likewise expected to comply with this policy throughout their involvement in the publication process.