Conflicts of Interest Policy

1. Introduction

Al-Musthofa: Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, objectivity, transparency, and publication ethics. The journal publishes original research articles and theoretical studies in Islamic economics, Islamic finance, Islamic banking, and related areas within Islamic economics and business.

Published by the Sharia Economics Study Program, Universitas Tarbiyatut Tholabah, Al-Musthofa is published twice a year, in June and December. The journal recognizes that transparency regarding actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest is essential to ensuring the credibility of scholarly research and the fairness of the editorial and peer-review processes.

This policy establishes the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff in identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest. It is intended to protect editorial independence and ensure that publication decisions are based on the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, and integrity of submitted manuscripts.

2. Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI), also referred to as a competing interest, exists when financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other interests could reasonably be perceived as influencing an individual's judgment, objectivity, or responsibilities in the research, peer-review, or publication process.

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived. Their existence does not automatically imply misconduct. However, failure to disclose relevant interests may undermine the transparency and credibility of the research and publication process.

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

2.1. Financial Interests

Financial interests that could influence, or appear to influence, research or publication decisions include:

Research grants, sponsorships, or financial support from public or private institutions.
Employment, consultancy, or paid advisory relationships with organizations related to the research.
Ownership of shares, equity, or other financial interests in relevant companies or institutions.
Honoraria, royalties, patents, licensing agreements, or other financial benefits.
Financial relationships with Islamic financial institutions, Islamic banks, sharia cooperatives, zakat institutions, or other organizations examined in the research.
Other financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as affecting the interpretation or presentation of research findings.

2.2. Non-Financial Interests

Non-financial interests that may influence professional judgment include:

Family relationships, friendships, or personal conflicts involving authors, reviewers, or editors.
Current or recent academic collaborations, supervisory relationships, or joint research projects.
Institutional affiliations or organizational responsibilities that may affect impartiality.
Professional competition or overlapping research interests.
Leadership, advisory, or decision-making positions in organizations discussed in a manuscript.
Strong ideological, religious, theoretical, or professional commitments that may compromise an individual's ability to assess a manuscript impartially.

2.3. Research-Related Interests

Authors must also disclose relationships or circumstances that may affect the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of research, including access to confidential data, institutional restrictions, commercial interests, or sponsor involvement in the research process.

3. General Principles

All individuals involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to the following principles:

Transparency: Relevant actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
Objectivity: Research evaluation and editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit and the journal's scope.
Editorial Independence: Publication decisions must not be influenced by financial, personal, institutional, or commercial interests.
Confidentiality: Disclosures must be handled responsibly and shared only with individuals who need the information to manage the conflict.
Accountability: All participants are responsible for reporting conflicts that may affect their professional responsibilities.

This policy applies to authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff.

4. Disclosure Requirements and Timing

4.1. Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial interests at the time of manuscript submission. They must update their disclosures if any new relevant interests arise during peer review, revision, or publication.

Authors must also disclose all sources of funding and explain whether the funders had any role in the research design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation, or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

If the funders had no involvement in these activities, this must be stated explicitly.

4.2. Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must assess whether they can evaluate a manuscript objectively before accepting a review invitation. Reviewers must decline an assignment if personal, financial, academic, institutional, or professional relationships could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality.

If a potential conflict becomes apparent after the review has begun, the reviewer must notify the handling editor promptly. The editor will determine whether the reviewer should continue or withdraw from the assignment.

4.3. Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors, editorial board members, and journal staff must disclose interests that could influence, or appear to influence, their editorial responsibilities.

An editor must not handle a manuscript when a significant conflict exists, including when the editor is an author, has a close personal or professional relationship with an author, or has a direct financial or institutional interest in the manuscript's outcome.

In such cases, the manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor who can oversee the review and decision-making process impartially.

5. Assessment and Management of Conflicts of Interest

The editorial team is responsible for assessing disclosed conflicts and determining appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the publication process.

Depending on the nature and severity of the conflict, the journal may:

Request additional information or clarification from the relevant individual.
Assign an independent editor or alternative peer reviewer.
Require a more explicit disclosure statement in the manuscript.
Publish a conflict-of-interest statement alongside the article.
Require revisions to address concerns regarding transparency or the interpretation of research findings.
Reject a manuscript if an undisclosed or unmanageable conflict seriously compromises its integrity.
Initiate a post-publication investigation if a significant conflict is discovered after publication.

The existence of a disclosed conflict does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. The journal will assess whether the conflict can be managed adequately without compromising editorial independence or research integrity.

6. Publication of Conflict of Interest Statements

All articles published in Al-Musthofa: Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah must include a Conflict of Interest Statement.

If no competing interests exist, authors may use the following statement:

"The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or non-financial interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article."

If competing interests exist, authors must describe them clearly and accurately. The editorial team may request further clarification before making a publication decision.

Funding information must be provided separately or in the appropriate disclosure section, according to the journal's manuscript format. Authors must identify the funding sources and describe the role of the funders in the research. If no external funding was received, authors should state:

"This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

7. Specific Procedures for Authors

7.1. Disclosure During Submission

Authors are required to provide accurate information about relevant conflicts of interest during the manuscript submission process in the journal's Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform or through any additional disclosure form required by the editorial team.

A conflict-of-interest statement must also be included in the manuscript before the reference list or in another designated section specified by the journal.

7.2. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors are informed of the disclosure requirements and that the submitted statement accurately reflects the interests of all authors.

If any co-author has a relevant financial, professional, personal, or institutional interest, that interest must be disclosed.

7.3. Failure to Disclose

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in a request for clarification, delays in editorial processing, rejection of the manuscript, or post-publication corrective action, depending on the circumstances and severity of the omission.

8. Specific Procedures for Peer Reviewers

Reviewers must maintain impartiality, confidentiality, and professional integrity throughout the peer-review process.

Reviewers must disclose circumstances that could affect their objectivity, including:

Recent or ongoing collaboration with one or more authors.
Close personal relationships or significant professional disputes.
Financial interests related to the subject of the manuscript.
Direct involvement in the research being evaluated.
Institutional or organizational relationships that may influence their judgment.

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

If a conflict cannot be managed adequately, the reviewer must decline or withdraw from the assignment. The editor will appoint an alternative reviewer when necessary.

9. Specific Procedures for Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must ensure that editorial decisions are made independently and fairly.

An editor who has a conflict of interest must disclose it and withdraw from handling the affected manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief or another authorized independent editor will appoint an alternative editor to manage the review process and make the editorial recommendation or decision.

Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, or other individuals with editorial authority must be handled by an independent editor. The submitting individual must not participate in reviewer selection, access confidential reviewer identities or reports beyond what is necessary for their own submission, or influence the editorial decision.

The journal will take reasonable steps to ensure that such manuscripts undergo the same standards of independent peer review as other submissions.

10. Journal-Level Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Independence

Al-Musthofa: Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah is committed to maintaining editorial independence from its publisher, affiliated academic institutions, sponsors, and other external parties.

Neither the publisher nor any affiliated institution may improperly influence editorial decisions on the basis of financial interests, institutional reputation, personal relationships, or other considerations unrelated to scholarly merit.

The journal's editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's originality, academic quality, relevance to the journal's scope, methodological rigor, and compliance with publication ethics.

Where a journal-level or institutional conflict arises, the matter must be referred to an independent and appropriately authorized person for assessment and resolution.

11. Post-Publication Discovery of Undisclosed Conflicts

If a potential undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after an article has been published, the journal will assess the concern fairly and confidentially, giving the authors and other relevant parties an opportunity to respond.

The journal will investigate the matter in accordance with its publication ethics procedures and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

Depending on the findings and the effect on the integrity of the published record, corrective actions may include:

Publishing a correction or additional disclosure.
Publishing an editorial expression of concern when warranted.
Retracting the article when the circumstances meet the journal's retraction criteria.

Any corrective action will be proportionate to the findings and intended to preserve the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

12. Confidentiality and Record Keeping

The journal will maintain appropriate records of conflict-of-interest disclosures and decisions made to manage significant conflicts. Such information will be handled confidentially and accessed only by authorized individuals when necessary for editorial or publication ethics purposes.

Disclosure information may be published alongside an article when transparency requires it. Personal or confidential information that is not relevant to readers' assessment of the research will not be disclosed unnecessarily.

13. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with recognized publication ethics standards and developments in scholarly publishing.

By submitting a manuscript to Al-Musthofa: Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah, authors agree to comply with the journal's conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements. Reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff are likewise expected to follow this policy in carrying out their respective responsibilities.

The journal is committed to ensuring that the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest support transparent scholarship, fair peer review, and public confidence in published research.