Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Ensuring transparency, independent editorial judgment, and responsible disclosure of competing interests in scholarly publishing.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, exists when a financial, professional, institutional, academic, personal, or other relationship could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, an individual's judgment or actions in the research and publication process.

Conflicts may be actual, potential, or perceived. They may arise even when the individual concerned believes that their judgment remains objective.

2. Types of Conflicts of Interest

Potential conflicts may include, but are not limited to, the following.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to JHNR must disclose relevant actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Authors are responsible for:

• Disclosing financial, personal, professional, institutional, and other relevant interests.
• Including a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript, even when no conflict exists.
• Identifying relevant research funding and sponsor involvement separately, where applicable.
• Ensuring that the declaration accurately represents the interests of all listed authors.
• Informing the editorial office if a relevant conflict becomes known during review or publication.

The corresponding author should coordinate the collection and confirmation of declarations from all co-authors.

4. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must disclose relevant actual or potential conflicts of interest before accepting a manuscript review assignment.

Reviewers should decline an invitation when a financial, professional, academic, institutional, or personal relationship could prevent impartial evaluation.

If a potential conflict is identified after accepting the assignment, the reviewer should promptly notify the handling editor and seek further guidance.

Reviewers must also preserve manuscript confidentiality and must not use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must disclose any relevant conflict of interest that may affect their editorial responsibilities.

Editors must:

• Declare relevant conflicts associated with manuscripts assigned to them.
• Avoid handling manuscripts in which their personal, financial, professional, or institutional interests could compromise editorial independence.
• Recuse themselves when a relevant conflict exists.
• Ensure that affected manuscripts are reassigned to another qualified editor.
• Maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the editorial process.

6. Responsibilities of Journal Management and Publisher

The JHNR editorial team is responsible for assessing relevant disclosed conflicts and determining appropriate measures to preserve impartial editorial evaluation.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

• Request additional information or clarification.
• Require an appropriate conflict-of-interest declaration in the manuscript.
• Assign a different reviewer or handling editor.
• Require recusal from an editorial or review assignment.
• Publish an appropriate disclosure statement with an accepted article.
• Take further action consistent with the journal's publication ethics policies where necessary.

The publisher and journal management must respect editorial independence. Payment of article processing charges does not determine the selection of reviewers, editorial recommendations, acceptance, or rejection of manuscripts.

7. Conflict of Interest Statements in Manuscripts

Every manuscript submitted to JHNR must contain a Conflict of Interest Statement, regardless of whether the authors have competing interests to disclose.

Funding information should be reported separately in the appropriate Funding section. Authors should clarify the role of funders or sponsors when relevant.

8. Identification and Management of Undisclosed Conflicts

Where a potential undisclosed conflict of interest is identified during editorial processing or after publication, JHNR may request clarification and relevant supporting information.

The editorial team will assess the nature and significance of the concern in accordance with the journal's Editorial Policy, Complaints and Appeals Policy, and relevant publication ethics guidance.

Depending on the evidence, appropriate action may include updating a declaration, reassigning editorial responsibilities, requesting a correction, or taking other measures consistent with JHNR's research integrity policies.

Allegations will be evaluated fairly and confidentially, without automatically presuming wrongdoing.

9. Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Appeals

Authors who believe that a conflict of interest may have affected the peer-review process or an editorial decision may raise their concern through the JHNR Complaints and Appeals Policy.

Appeals should identify the specific concern and provide relevant evidence.

Where an appeal is considered valid for further assessment, an independent editor or qualified editorial board member may be assigned to review the matter in accordance with the journal's existing appeal procedures.

10. Policy Implementation and Review

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and relevant individuals involved in JHNR's publication process.

The policy clarifies the conflict-of-interest requirements already established in the JHNR Editorial Policy, Policies on Conflict, and Author Guidelines.

JHNR may periodically review and update this policy to maintain consistency with current editorial procedures and recognized publication ethics guidance.

Journal of Health and Nutrition Research (JHNR)
Published by CV Media Publikasi Cendekia Indonesia (MPCI)
Last Updated: 9 October 2026