Conflict of Interest Policy

MUMTAZ : Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam is fully committed to upholding objectivity, independence, and academic integrity across all scholarly publishing processes. Conflicts of interest (COIs) may arise when relationships, financial interests, or personal engagements of authors, peer reviewers, or editors inappropriately influence—or may be perceived to influence—the objectivity of research evaluation and editorial decision-making. This policy outlines disclosure requirements and management procedures for all stakeholders.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual (author, peer reviewer, or editor) has personal, financial, professional, or institutional interests that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their impartiality and judgment regarding the publication of academic work.

2. Conflict of Interest for Authors

All authors submitting manuscripts to MUMTAZ : Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam are required to disclose any financial, commercial, institutional, or personal relationships that could bias their research or data interpretation.

Potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Financial Support: Grants, research funding, stock ownership, honoraria, consultancies, or sponsorships from commercial or non-commercial organizations connected to the research topic.
• Personal and Professional Relationships: Family ties, close research collaborations, or academic rivalries with individuals involved in evaluating the manuscript.
• Institutional Affiliations: Affiliations with organizations that hold a vested economic, political, or ideological interest in the research outcomes.

Authors must include a Conflict of Interest Statement at the end of the manuscript prior to the References section. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

3. Conflict of Interest for Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, impartially, and confidentially. A reviewer must decline to review a manuscript—or promptly recuse themselves—if they identify any conflict of interest, such as:

• Having a personal, familial, or close professional relationship with any of the authors;
• Being currently affiliated with the same institution or research group as the authors, or having collaborated with them within the past 3 years;
• Holding financial interests or direct academic competition regarding the subject matter of the manuscript.

Reviewers must not use knowledge or data obtained from the review process for personal advantage or before the manuscript is officially published.

4. Conflict of Interest for Editors

Editors (including the Editor-in-Chief and section editors) handling submissions must maintain high standards of neutrality:

• An editor must never handle manuscripts submitted by themselves, close family members, or immediate colleagues at their home institution.
• Whenever an editor has a potential conflict of interest regarding a specific submission, the editorial management and final decision-making for that manuscript will be reassigned entirely to an independent editorial board member with no competing interests.

5. Handling of Undeclared Conflicts

If an undeclared conflict of interest is discovered after submission or publication, the Editorial Board will investigate the matter in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Appropriate corrective measures, including manuscript rejection or article retraction, will be enforced if a serious ethical breach is substantiated.

---

Related Policies: Publication Ethics | Peer Review Process | Author Guidelines