Conflict of Interest Policy

UltimaComm : Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi

1. Policy Statement

UltimaComm: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions, peer-review assessments, and published research are independent, fair, transparent, and based on scholarly merit.
A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, arises when a personal, professional, institutional, financial, or other relationship could improperly influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, a person's judgment in the research, review, editorial evaluation, or publication process.
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 integrity and credibility of scholarly publishing.
This policy applies to authors, editors, peer reviewers, and other individuals involved in the editorial and publication process.

2. Conflicts of Interest Involving Authors

Authors must disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived competing interests that could influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of their research.
Relevant competing interests may include, but are not limited to:
a. Financial relationships, including employment, consultancy, honoraria, grants, research funding, equity interests, or paid expert testimony.
b. Personal or professional relationships that may affect the objectivity of research or reporting.
c. Institutional affiliations or organizational interests directly relevant to the research.
d. Political, ideological, advocacy, or commercial commitments that may materially influence the interpretation or presentation of findings.
e. Intellectual property interests, including patents, licensing arrangements, or commercial rights related to the research.
f. Other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing scholarly judgment.
Authors must disclose relevant funding sources and explain the role of funders, where applicable, in research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit for publication.
A competing-interest declaration must be included in every submission, even when no competing interests exist.
Where no competing interests are identified, authors should state:
"The authors declare no competing interests."
Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a manuscript. The editor will determine whether the declared interest requires additional disclosure, independent assessment, editorial reassignment, or other safeguards.

3. Conflicts of Interest Involving Editors

Editors must exercise independent judgment and disclose circumstances that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality.
An editor must not handle a manuscript when they have a relevant competing interest, including situations in which:
a. They are an author or co-author of the submitted manuscript.
b. They have a close personal, family, supervisory, or collaborative relationship with an author.
c. They have a direct financial or commercial interest in the research.
d. They have a significant professional dispute or other relationship that could reasonably affect their judgment.
e. They have another material interest that makes impartial editorial handling inappropriate.
When a conflict arises, the editor must disclose it to the editor-in-chief or another authorized editorial decision-maker and withdraw from the relevant editorial process.
The manuscript must be assigned to an independent editor who can oversee the review and decision-making process without undue influence from the conflicted individual.
The editor-in-chief must also recuse themselves when a relevant conflict exists. The journal should designate an independent editor or other appropriately authorized decision-maker to handle the manuscript.
Editorial independence must be maintained regardless of an author's seniority, institutional position, professional reputation, or relationship with the journal.

4. Conflicts of Interest Involving Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must assess manuscripts objectively and disclose any relationship or interest that could affect their impartiality.
Reviewers should decline an invitation when they:
a. Have a close personal, professional, supervisory, or collaborative relationship with an author.
b. Have a direct financial or commercial interest in the research.
c. Have a significant competing research project or other interest that could materially affect their assessment.
d. Have a substantial professional dispute with an author or another relevant party.
e. Believe they cannot provide an independent and fair assessment.
Reviewers must inform the handling editor if a potential conflict becomes apparent after accepting the assignment.
A disclosed conflict does not automatically preclude participation. The editor will determine whether the reviewer may proceed or should be replaced, taking account of the nature and significance of the conflict.
Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained through peer review to advance their own research, professional standing, or commercial interests.

5. Disclosure and Editorial Management

Authors must submit their competing-interest declaration during manuscript submission and update it when relevant circumstances change.
Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts before undertaking their assigned responsibilities.
The journal may take one or more of the following actions when a conflict is identified:
a. Request additional disclosure or clarification.
b. Publish a competing-interest statement alongside the article.
c. Asd Assign an independent editor or reviewer.
d. Introduce additional review or verification procedures.
e. Decline or discontinue the editorial process when the conflict cannot be managed adequately.
f. Correct a published disclosure or take further action when a material omission is identified after publication.
All disclosures and relevant editorial decisions will be handled confidentially, subject to applicable ethical and legal obligations.

6. Failure to Disclose

Failure to disclose a material competing interest may result in further editorial inquiry.
Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request a corrected declaration, reconsider an editorial decision, reject a manuscript, publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or consider retraction when the omission materially compromises the integrity of the published work.
The journal will distinguish between an inadvertent omission and deliberate concealment and will respond proportionately to the evidence.

7. Responsibility and Review

Authors, editors, and reviewers are responsible for identifying and disclosing relevant competing interests.
The editor-in-chief or an appropriately authorized independent editor is responsible for determining how a disclosed conflict should be managed.
This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with recognized publication-ethics standards and the journal's editorial practices.
Guiding principle: Transparency about competing interests protects the independence of scholarly judgment and strengthens trust in the research published by UltimaComm.