Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

Darussalam English Journal (DEJ) is committed to maintaining integrity, objectivity, independence, and transparency throughout the scholarly publication process. A conflict of interest occurs when financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional interests may influence, or be perceived to influence, the research process, manuscript evaluation, editorial decisions, or publication outcomes. The existence of a relationship or interest does not automatically constitute an ethical violation. However, all relevant conflicts of interest must be disclosed transparently to ensure fairness and accountability in scholarly publishing.

1. Authors’ Responsibilities

All authors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence their research, interpretation of findings, or manuscript publication. Such conflicts may include financial support, employment, consultancy, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, academic collaborations, or other interests related to the submitted manuscript. Authors must include a Conflict of Interest Statement in their manuscripts. If no conflict of interest exists, authors must explicitly state that they have no conflict of interest to declare. All sources of research funding must also be disclosed separately in the Funding Statement.

2. Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest to the editor before undertaking a review. Reviewers who have personal, financial, professional, institutional, or academic relationships that could compromise their impartiality must decline the review or withdraw from the process. Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, maintain confidentiality, and refrain from using unpublished information obtained during peer review for personal advantage or the benefit of others.

3. Editors’ and Editorial Board Members’ Responsibilities

Editors and editorial board members must maintain independence and impartiality in all editorial decisions. Any editor who has a conflict of interest involving a submitted manuscript must disclose it and withdraw from handling or making decisions on that manuscript. The manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor. Publication decisions must be based on the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s scope, academic quality, originality, research integrity, and peer-review outcomes, without undue influence from personal relationships, financial interests, institutional affiliations, or commercial considerations.

4. Handling Conflicts of Interest

Darussalam English Journal will assess reported conflicts of interest and take appropriate action to protect the integrity and fairness of the publication process. Such actions may include reassigning a manuscript to another editor, appointing a replacement reviewer, requesting additional disclosure, or issuing a correction when necessary. If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal will evaluate the matter and take appropriate editorial action in accordance with applicable publication ethics principles.