Conflict of Interest Policy

FaST - Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi (hereinafter referred to as FaST) requires all parties involved in the publication process—including authors, bestary partners (peer reviewers), editorial board members, the publisher (Universitas Pelita Harapan), and journal managers—to disclose and manage any conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, objectivity in research execution, manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial decision-making, or article publication.

A conflict of interest (competing interest) may be financial or non-financial. The existence of a relationship or interest does not automatically imply misconduct; however, full transparency is mandatory so that any potential conflict can be objectively evaluated and managed.

This policy adheres to the principles established in the COPE Guidance on Conflicts of Interest.

Categories of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest that must be disclosed include, but are not limited to:

  1. Financial Interests: Research grants, funding, honoraria, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interests, patents, royalties, or other financial benefits related to the research subject or publication.
  2. Professional or Academic Relationships: Close academic collaborations, advisor-student relationships, supervisor-subordinate dynamics, academic competition, or direct involvement in shared projects or institutions related to the manuscript.
  3. Personal or Familial Relationships: Personal, emotional, or family ties that could impair or create a perception of bias during review or decision-making.
  4. Institutional Interests: Affiliations with organizations, partners, sponsors, funding bodies, or entities that have a direct interest in the research outcomes or publication.
  5. Intellectual, Ideological, or Personal Beliefs: Strong intellectual, political, ideological, or personal convictions that could reasonably impair objective evaluation of the manuscript content.
  6. Other Competing Interests: Any other relationship or interest that could reasonably be perceived to compromise the independence, objectivity, or fairness of the publication process.

All parties must disclose current or past relevant relationships that could reasonably be viewed as influencing objectivity.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Authors

  1. Mandatory Disclosure: Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest related to the research, manuscript preparation, data analysis/interpretation, or publication. Disclosures must be submitted upon initial manuscript submission.
  2. Timely Updates: If a new potential conflict arises or is discovered during the editorial process, authors must immediately notify the Editorial Team so it can be evaluated before further editorial decisions are made.
  3. Sponsor/Funder Roles: Authors must disclose relationships with sponsors, funding bodies, technology providers, or commercial entities. Any role played by funders in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript drafting, or the decision to publish must be explicitly stated.
  4. Conflict of Interest Statement: Every published article must contain a dedicated Conflict of Interest / Competing Interests Statement. If no conflict exists, this must be explicitly stated.
  5. Accuracy and Completeness: Authors are responsible for ensuring that all conflict disclosures are full, truthful, and kept updated throughout the review process.

Note: Disclosing a conflict of interest does not replace the requirement to include a separate Funding Statement in the manuscript.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Bestary Partners (Peer Reviewers)

  1. Disclosure and Recusal: Bestary partners must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Editorial Team before accepting a review invitation. Reviewers must decline assignments if financial, professional, academic, institutional, or personal ties could impair or be perceived to impair their independence and objectivity.
  2. Newly Discovered Conflicts: If a conflict becomes apparent after accepting a review assignment or during the review process, the reviewer must notify the Editorial Board immediately and pause the evaluation until instructed otherwise.
  3. Confidentiality and Misuse: Reviewers must not use unreleased data, information, methods, or ideas obtained through peer review for personal gain or for the advantage of third parties.
  4. Ethical Compliance: Reviewer conduct regarding conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and objectivity adheres to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines for the Editorial Board

  1. Editorial Independence: Editors must maintain complete objectivity in handling manuscripts. Any editor with a conflict of interest regarding a manuscript must recuse themselves from handling the submission.
  2. Handling Submissions by Editors: Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members, or authors with close ties to the board, will be managed independently by another non-conflicted editor. Authors who serve on the journal management team are strictly barred from participating in reviewer selection, peer review, or editorial decision-making for their own papers.
  3. Commercial Disassociation: Editorial decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional metrics, funding sources, publication fees, sponsorships, advertising revenue, or commercial partnerships.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Publisher and Journal Management

  1. Editorial Non-Interference: The publisher (Universitas Pelita Harapan) and journal managers respect editorial independence and will not interfere with peer review, acceptance/rejection decisions, or post-publication actions based on financial, political, institutional, or commercial motives.
  2. Financial Separation: Revenue streams (such as article processing charges, institutional support, sponsorships, or reprints) have no bearing on peer review outcomes or editorial decisions.

Standard Conflict of Interest Statements

Every published paper must feature a Conflict of Interest statement in a prominent location (e.g., preceding the Reference section).

  • Example (When no conflict exists):

"The authors declare that there are no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, or publication of this article."

  • Example (When a conflict exists):

"The authors declare a potential competing interest: [Author Name] receives research funding/consultancy fees from [Company/Organization Name]. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest."

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

  1. Investigation Process: If information regarding an undisclosed conflict of interest is brought to the attention of the Editorial Team, it will be objectively investigated. Concerned parties will be given a fair opportunity to provide clarification and documentation.
  2. Pre-Publication Discovery: If an undisclosed conflict is discovered before publication, the Editorial Team may request an updated disclosure statement, reassign editors/reviewers, request additional peer review, or reject the manuscript if intentional non-disclosure compromised review integrity.
  3. Post-Publication Discovery: If an undisclosed conflict is identified post-publication, the journal will assess its impact on the scientific validity of the article. Remedial actions may include publishing a formal Correction Notice, issuing an Addendum, or executing a Retraction if non-disclosure severely undermines the findings or editorial integrity.
  4. Handling Protocols: Procedures for handling undisclosed conflicts strictly follow COPE Guidance on Handling Suspected Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest and FaST Academic Integrity Protocols.