Conflict of Interest

MATHEdunesa: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Matematika is committed to the objectivity, transparency, and integrity of the research it publishes and of its editorial decisions. This policy sets out how conflicts of interest and competing interests are defined, disclosed, and managed by Authors, Reviewers, Editors, and the editorial team.

This policy follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). It also reflects disclosure practices widely adopted by internationally reputable, Scopus-indexed journals.

1. Definition

A conflict of interest (or competing interest) exists when a person’s professional judgment about a manuscript or published work could be influenced, or could reasonably be perceived to be influenced, by a secondary interest. Such interests may be financial, professional, institutional, or personal.

Having a competing interest is not, in itself, misconduct, and it does not automatically disqualify a manuscript or a person from the editorial process. Failure to disclose a relevant interest, however, is a breach of publication ethics.

When in doubt, an interest should be disclosed.

2. Types of Competing Interests

Competing interests may include, but are not limited to, the following categories.

Financial interests, which apply both currently and within the past three years:

  • research funding, grants, or sponsorship related to the work;
  • employment, consultancy, honoraria, or paid speaking engagements;
  • ownership of shares or other financial stakes in a company whose products or services are discussed, such as learning applications, textbooks, assessment platforms, or educational software;
  • patents, copyrights, or royalties, whether held or pending, related to the work; and
  • payment for writing or developing the manuscript.

Non-financial and professional interests:

  • authorship or development of a textbook, curriculum, learning media, instrument, or teaching model evaluated in the study;
  • membership in advisory boards, professional associations, or government bodies whose interests relate to the work;
  • academic rivalry or close collaboration with persons whose work is being evaluated; and
  • strongly held intellectual, ideological, or religious positions that may affect objectivity.

Personal interests:

  • family relationships, close friendships, or personal conflicts with persons involved in the manuscript; and
  • supervisory, student–supervisor, or employment relationships.

Institutional interests:

  • financial or reputational interests of the Authors’ institution in the outcome of the study, such as evaluation of a program run by that institution.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

3.1 Disclosure Requirement

All Authors must disclose any interests that could be perceived as influencing the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of the work. The Corresponding Author is responsible for collecting disclosures from all co-Authors and confirming them in the Originality Statement submitted through OJS.

3.2 Declaration of Competing Interests

Every manuscript must contain a Declaration of Competing Interests section, placed before the References. If there are no competing interests, the following statement must be used:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

If competing interests exist, each relevant interest must be described clearly. For example:

Author A is the developer of the learning application evaluated in this study. Author B has received honoraria from [organization] for teacher training activities. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

3.3 Funding Statement

Manuscripts must include a Funding statement that identifies every source of financial support for the research, together with grant or contract numbers where available. The statement must also describe the funder’s role, if any, in:

  • study design;
  • data collection, analysis, and interpretation;
  • writing the manuscript; and
  • the decision to submit for publication.

If the funder had no such role, this must be stated explicitly. If no funding was received, the manuscript must state:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

3.4 Updating Disclosures

Authors must notify the Editor promptly if a new competing interest arises, or if a previously undisclosed one becomes known, during review, revision, or after publication.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must declare any competing interests before accepting a review invitation. They must decline to review, or consult the Editor first, if they:

  • are, or have been in the past three years, collaborators, co-authors, colleagues in the same department or institution, supervisors, or students of any of the Authors;
  • have a family or close personal relationship with, or known personal conflict against, any Author;
  • have a financial or professional interest in the outcome of the work;
  • are working on closely competing research that could benefit from delayed or negative review; or
  • feel unable, for any other reason, to provide an objective assessment.

Reviewers must not use any information obtained during the review process for their own advantage or that of others. They must not disclose the content of the manuscript.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Staff

5.1 Recusal

Editors and members of the editorial team must declare competing interests and recuse themselves from handling any manuscript in which they have a conflict, including manuscripts authored by:

  • colleagues in the same department, close collaborators, or recent co-authors;
  • their students or supervisees; and
  • family members or persons with whom they have a close personal relationship.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another Editor who has no conflict. That Editor makes all decisions independently.

5.2 Submissions by Editors and Editorial Team Members

MATHEdunesa may accept manuscripts authored or co-authored by its own Editors, editorial team members, or faculty of the publishing department. To protect the integrity of the review process:

  • the authoring Editor or staff member will have no access to, or involvement in, the editorial handling of their own manuscript;
  • the manuscript will be handled by an independent Editor and reviewed under the journal’s standard double-blind peer review process, with no special treatment;
  • the competing interest will be disclosed in the published article; and
  • the journal monitors the proportion of articles authored by editorial team members, to avoid any appearance of preferential publication.

5.3 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on a manuscript’s scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal’s scope, and ethical compliance. Decisions are not influenced by the Authors’ institutional affiliation, nationality, seniority, funding sources, or commercial interests, or by the interests of the publisher.

6. Handling Undisclosed or Suspected Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed competing interest is suspected or reported, whether before or after publication, the journal will follow COPE guidance. The journal may:

  • contact the Authors, Reviewers, or Editors concerned and request an explanation;
  • request supporting documentation, or seek clarification from the relevant institution;
  • re-evaluate the manuscript or the peer review process; and
  • take proportionate action, depending on the nature and impact of the undisclosed interest. Such action may include:
    • amending the competing interests statement;
    • suspending processing or rejecting the manuscript;
    • publishing a Correction or an Expression of Concern;
    • retracting the article, where the undisclosed interest substantially undermines the reliability of the work; or
    • referring the case to the relevant institution.

7. Confidentiality

Information disclosed under this policy will be treated confidentially and used only for editorial assessment. Competing interests that are relevant to readers will be published with the article.

8. Related Policies and Policy Review

This policy should be read together with the journal’s Authorship and Contributorship Policy, Publication Ethics, Peer Review, Research Misconduct, and Generative AI policies.

MATHEdunesa may revise this policy in response to developments in publication ethics and international publishing practice. In cases not covered here, the Editor will exercise professional judgment in accordance with COPE guidance and the protection of the scholarly record. The current approved version remains in force until a revised version is formally adopted.

References:

  • COPE, Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests guidance and flowcharts;
  • ICMJE, Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work, Section on Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest;
  • COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.