Conflict of Interest in Journal Management

Jambura Journal of Community Empowerment (JJCE) is committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, independence, and integrity in all aspects of journal management and scholarly publishing. All individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members, are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence, or be perceived to influence, their professional judgment or editorial decisions.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, professional, academic, institutional, or other relationships may compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, an individual's objectivity, independence, or impartiality in the editorial and publication process.

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence the research, its interpretation, or its publication. Such interests may include funding arrangements, employment, consultancy, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, intellectual property interests, or other relevant professional commitments.

Authors must also disclose the sources of research funding and any relevant role played by funders in the research or manuscript preparation.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must make editorial decisions based on the manuscript's academic quality, relevance, originality, and compliance with publication ethics, without undue influence from personal, financial, institutional, or professional interests.

An editor who has a conflict of interest concerning a submitted manuscript must disclose the conflict and recuse themselves from handling that manuscript. An independent editor will be appointed to manage the peer-review process and make the editorial decision.

Conflicts may arise when a manuscript is authored by a close colleague, research collaborator, student, supervisor, family member, or an individual with whom the editor has a significant financial or professional relationship.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment. Reviewers should decline the assignment when a conflict could compromise their impartiality.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage. They must also maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and the review process.

5. Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

Editorial board members must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and refrain from participating in decisions where their impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

Membership of the editorial board, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships must not be used to obtain preferential treatment in the submission, review, or publication process.

6. Handling and Management of Conflicts of Interest

JJCE will assess disclosed conflicts and determine appropriate measures to protect the integrity of editorial decisions. Such measures may include reassignment of editorial responsibilities, appointment of independent reviewers or editors, disclosure statements in published articles, or other appropriate safeguards.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in further editorial action, depending on the circumstances and the applicable publication ethics standards.

7. Disclosure Statement

Authors must include a conflict-of-interest statement in their submitted manuscripts. If no competing interests exist, authors should state:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

If a relevant conflict exists, the authors must clearly describe its nature.

8. Commitment to Transparency

JJCE is committed to managing conflicts of interest fairly, consistently, and transparently to preserve the credibility of the journal, protect the integrity of peer review, and maintain public trust in published research.

This policy is implemented in accordance with recognized publication ethics principles and may be reviewed periodically to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.