Conflict of Interest

Jurnal Hurriah: Jurnal Evaluasi Pendidikan dan Penelitian (Journal of Educational Evaluation and Research) requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any interests or relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, the conduct, interpretation, assessment, or publication of scholarly work.

Disclosure lets the journal assess and manage potential conflicts transparently. The existence of a competing interest does not automatically establish misconduct or make a manuscript unsuitable for publication.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest arises when a secondary interest or relationship could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, independent scholarly judgment. Conflicts may be financial or non-financial, actual or potential.

1
Financial interests
Employment, consultancies, honoraria, paid expert testimony, ownership interests, stock holdings, royalties, or other financial benefits relevant to the subject of the manuscript.
2
Personal relationships
Close family or personal relationships, significant professional disputes, or personal antagonism involving people connected with the work.
3
Professional and institutional relationships
Recent or ongoing collaboration, co-authorship, supervisory relationships, shared projects, or organisational positions that could affect impartiality.
4
Competitive interests
Direct academic or professional competition that may interfere with fair evaluation or create an opportunity to benefit improperly from confidential manuscript information.
5
Organisational or advocacy interests
Leadership, advisory, campaigning, or representative roles in organisations directly concerned with the research topic, curriculum policy, or its outcomes.

In educational, evaluation, and social science research, relevant interests may include a leadership position in an educational institution being studied, or a formal advisory role in an organisation whose programmes or policies are evaluated.

Personal beliefs, nationality, or community membership do not by themselves constitute a conflict of interest. Disclosure should focus on relationships or roles materially relevant to the work, without requiring unnecessary disclosure of sensitive personal information.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Each author must disclose relevant competing interests at submission. The corresponding author coordinates the declaration and confirms that all co-authors have reviewed their own interests; this does not remove each author's individual responsibility.

Manuscripts must include a section titled “Conflicts of Interest”. A declaration is required even when no competing interests exist.

When no conflicts exist

The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

When a relevant interest exists

[Author name] serves as [role] at [organisation], whose educational programmes are examined in this article. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this work.
1
Funding and material support
Disclose funding and material support, including the funder's role, if any, in the research design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit. Report funding in a separate Funding statement, and include it in the conflict declaration where it creates a relevant competing interest.
2
Book review articles
Disclose relevant relationships with the book's author, editor, or publisher, including receipt of a complimentary review copy. Authors must not review books they have authored, edited, or translated.
3
Updates
Update the declaration if relevant circumstances change during review or production.
4
Anonymity
Supply identifying details separately from the anonymised review manuscript; they are incorporated into the final published declaration.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts before accepting an invitation and must decline assignments when a relationship or interest prevents an independent and fair assessment. Reviewers must not assess manuscripts involving:

Same institutionAuthors from their own institution, university, or department.
Close relationshipsClose personal or family relationships with any author.
Supervision or collaborationCurrent supervisory relationships, or close, recent research collaborations that compromise independence.
Financial interestA direct financial interest in the research or its outcomes.
DisputesSignificant personal disputes or other interests that prevent impartial evaluation.
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Other potentially relevant relationships should be disclosed to the handling editor for assessment. When uncertain, seek guidance before accepting or continuing.
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If a conflict becomes apparent during double-blind review, including through recognising an author's identity, notify the editor promptly and pause the assessment pending instructions.
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Confidential information obtained through review must not be used for personal, professional, or financial gain.

4. Responsibilities of Editors

1
Disclosure and recusal
Editors must disclose relevant interests and recuse themselves from handling or deciding on manuscripts when their independence could be compromised.
2
Independent handling
An independent editor manages manuscripts authored by an editor or editorial board member, or involving close collaborators, family members, or other relationships that create a relevant conflict.
3
Restrictions on the conflicted editor
The conflicted editor must not select reviewers, access confidential reviewer identities or reports beyond what is provided to them as an author, or take part in the editorial decision.
4
Conflict of the Editor-in-Chief
An independent editor will be appointed. If no suitable editor is available within the journal, the publisher (Yayasan Hurriah) will arrange an appropriately qualified external editor.
5
Same standards
Submissions from editors and editorial board members meet the same scholarly standards and follow the same review procedures as other submissions. The editorial roles and the independent handling arrangement should be disclosed in the published article.
6
Independence of decisions
Editorial decisions must remain independent of publication fees, funding relationships, sponsorship, and institutional or commercial pressure.

5. Assessment and Management

The journal assesses disclosed interests according to their relevance, nature, and potential effect on the research or editorial process. Appropriate measures may include:

ClarificationRequesting a more specific declaration.
Disclosure noticePublishing a relevant disclosure alongside the article.
ReassignmentReplacing a reviewer or reassigning the handling editor.
Additional reviewObtaining an extra independent assessment.
RestrictionLimiting a conflicted person's involvement in the process.
PauseSuspending consideration while a significant concern is resolved.

Disclosure does not automatically require rejection, and disclosure alone does not resolve every conflict. The journal decides whether further safeguards are needed to protect independent assessment and the reliability of the published work. Relevant disclosures, recusals, and management decisions are recorded in the journal's editorial records.

6. Undisclosed Interests and Reporting

Concerns about an undisclosed conflict may be reported through the Contact page. Reports should identify the manuscript or article, describe the relationship or interest, and provide supporting information. The journal assesses the evidence and normally invites the person concerned to explain; an allegation alone does not establish a breach.

1
Before publication
The journal may require an updated declaration, arrange independent re-review, or reconsider a decision where the process was compromised. Serious unresolved concerns may lead to rejection.
2
After publication
The journal may issue a correction to the disclosure statement. More serious concerns may need further investigation under the Allegation of Research Misconduct and Correction and Retraction policies. An omitted disclosure does not automatically warrant retraction unless the omission undermines the validity of the work.
3
Reports about editors
Reports concerning an editor are handled by an independent editor. Concerns involving the Editor-in-Chief are referred to the publisher for independent handling. Information is shared only as necessary to assess the concern and keep an accurate scholarly record.

Conflict of Interest Checklist for Authors

The manuscript contains a “Conflicts of Interest” section, even if there is nothing to declare.
All co-authors have reviewed and confirmed their own declarations.
Funding and the funder's role are reported in a separate Funding statement.
Identifying details are supplied apart from the anonymised review manuscript.
The declaration will be updated if circumstances change during review or production.

Related: Publication Ethics · Peer Review Process · Authorship Criteria

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