Conflict of Interest Policy

1. Policy Statement

Khazanah: Journal of Islamic Education and Science is committed to maintaining academic integrity, editorial objectivity, transparency, and fairness throughout the scholarly publishing process. A conflict of interest may arise when personal, professional, academic, financial, or institutional interests could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, judgments and decisions relating to scholarly publication.

The journal requires authors, editors, and reviewers to disclose relevant conflicts of interest honestly and transparently. The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection or disqualification from editorial responsibilities. However, every disclosed conflict must be assessed and managed appropriately to ensure that editorial decisions and peer-review assessments remain objective, independent, and accountable.

2. Definition and Types of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when a person's secondary interests could potentially influence the performance of their academic or professional responsibilities in the scholarly publishing process.

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

1. Financial conflicts of interest, including share ownership, paid consultancy, honoraria, research funding, or other financial interests related to the research topic or its findings.

2. Professional and institutional conflicts of interest, including employment relationships, institutional affiliations, professional competition, or institutional interests that may influence an assessment.

3. Personal conflicts of interest, including family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may compromise objectivity.

4. Academic conflicts of interest, including supervisor–student relationships, close research collaborations, scholarly competition, or interests in particular research outcomes.

5. Other relevant conflicts of interest, including any circumstances that may reasonably raise concerns about independence, impartiality, or the integrity of the publication process.

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived. Therefore, disclosure is required even when the individual concerned believes that the conflict has not influenced their judgment.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest when submitting a manuscript to the journal.

Authors are required to:

1. Declare whether any conflicts of interest are associated with the submitted manuscript.

2. Disclose relevant research funding, financial support, professional relationships, or other interests related to the research and its publication.

3. Ensure that all co-authors provide accurate information regarding relevant conflicts of interest.

4. Provide additional information if new or previously undisclosed relevant circumstances arise during the editorial process.

5. Include a conflict of interest statement in the manuscript or submission documents, as required by the journal.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors may use the following statement:

Declaration of No Conflict of Interest

“The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest that could have influenced the conduct of the research, the interpretation of the findings, or the publication of this article.”

If a conflict of interest exists, the authors must describe its nature clearly and transparently.

A conflict of interest statement does not replace the requirement to acknowledge research funding separately when such information is required by the journal.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must maintain independence and objectivity when making editorial decisions. They are required to disclose conflicts of interest associated with manuscripts under their consideration.

Editors must not handle or make editorial decisions on manuscripts when an actual or potential conflict of interest could compromise their independence. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to:

1. Authorship or direct contribution to the manuscript under consideration.

2. Close personal, professional, or financial relationships with one or more authors.

3. Supervisory relationships or research collaborations that could compromise impartiality.

4. Academic or institutional interests that could influence the decision regarding the manuscript.

In such circumstances, the editor must inform the Editor-in-Chief or the appropriate editorial authority and withdraw from handling the manuscript. The manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must provide objective, independent, fair, and scientifically grounded assessments. Before accepting or continuing a review assignment, reviewers must consider whether any conflict of interest could affect their evaluation.

Reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts of interest, including circumstances in which they:

1. Have a close personal or professional relationship with an author.

2. Have recently collaborated, or are currently collaborating, with one or more authors.

3. Have a relevant academic supervisory relationship with an author.

4. Have financial, institutional, or academic interests that could be affected by the publication outcome.

5. Have a competitive or adversarial relationship that could compromise the impartiality of their assessment.

If a conflict of interest could compromise the independence of the review, the reviewer must decline the invitation or request reassignment through the editor. The editor determines the reviewer's eligibility based on the nature and extent of the disclosed conflict.

Reviewers must also maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use information obtained through peer review for personal advantage or for the benefit of others.

6. Disclosure and Management Procedures

The disclosure and management of conflicts of interest follow these procedures:

1. Disclosure: Authors disclose relevant conflicts when submitting their manuscripts. Editors and reviewers disclose conflicts before handling or reviewing a manuscript.

2. Assessment: The editor or authorized editorial representative evaluates the nature, relevance, and potential impact of the disclosed conflict on the objectivity of the publication process.

3. Determination of action: Appropriate measures may include recording the disclosure, adding a statement to the published article, reassigning editorial responsibility, appointing a replacement reviewer, or taking other proportionate measures.

4. Documentation: Disclosures and actions taken are documented appropriately while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information.

5. Follow-up: If a conflict of interest is discovered after publication, the journal may conduct a further assessment and take appropriate editorial action in accordance with its policies and applicable publication ethics principles.

If there is reason to believe that a relevant conflict of interest was intentionally concealed, the journal may request clarification and conduct an assessment in accordance with its publication ethics procedures.

7. Confidentiality and Transparency

Information concerning conflicts of interest is handled professionally and is accessible only to individuals who require it to fulfill their editorial responsibilities.

Relevant conflicts that readers need to know about will be disclosed in the published article or through another appropriate disclosure mechanism. The journal will take into account its obligations concerning confidentiality, personal data protection, and fair treatment of all parties involved.

8. Policy Violations

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in action proportionate to the nature and severity of the violation. Possible actions include requesting clarification, correcting a conflict of interest statement, reassigning editorial responsibility, replacing a reviewer, rejecting a manuscript, or taking other appropriate editorial measures.

If an undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal will evaluate its implications for the integrity of the article. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or take other appropriate action in accordance with its correction and retraction policies.

All decisions must be based on the available evidence, handled fairly, and documented appropriately.

9. Responsibilities and Policy Review

The Editor-in-Chief, editors, reviewers, and authors are responsible for complying with this policy in accordance with their respective roles.

The journal reviews this policy periodically to ensure consistency with developments in scholarly publishing practices and applicable publication ethics principles.

This policy applies consistently throughout manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication.