The Indonesian Journal of Criminal Law Studies (IJCLS) is committed to maintaining transparency, editorial independence, and integrity throughout the publication process. Authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher are expected to disclose relevant conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their research, manuscript evaluation, or publication decisions. IJCLS follows the ethical principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in identifying, disclosing, and managing competing interests.

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, may arise when personal, financial, professional, academic, institutional, or other relationships have the potential to affect an individual's objectivity or impartiality. The existence of a competing interest does not necessarily indicate misconduct. However, failure to disclose a relevant interest may undermine confidence in the fairness, credibility, and integrity of the research and publication process.

IJCLS requires relevant interests to be disclosed clearly and in a timely manner. Disclosures are assessed according to their nature, significance, and potential influence on the research, peer-review process, editorial assessment, or publication decision. Where a conflict is identified, the journal will take reasonable measures to manage it and safeguard editorial independence.

Authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests relevant to their submitted manuscripts. These may include employment, consultancy, honoraria, research grants, funding, financial ownership, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, professional collaborations, academic competition, or other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Where applicable, authors must disclose the role of any funding body or sponsor in the research design, collection or interpretation of information, preparation of the manuscript, and decision to submit the work for publication. If the funder had no involvement in these activities, this should be stated clearly where relevant.

Editors and editorial staff must disclose personal, professional, financial, or institutional interests that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality in handling a manuscript. Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance, methodological or analytical soundness, and contribution to the field, rather than personal relationships, institutional interests, commercial considerations, or other competing interests.

An editor who has a relevant conflict of interest concerning a submitted manuscript must inform the Editor-in-Chief or another appropriate editorial authority and withdraw from the assessment and decision-making process where necessary. The manuscript should then be assigned to an independent editor who can evaluate it fairly and objectively.

Editors must protect confidential manuscript information and must not use unpublished materials, research findings, arguments, data, or ideas obtained through editorial handling for personal or research advantage without the author's express written consent. This obligation applies regardless of whether the manuscript is accepted, rejected, or withdrawn.

Peer reviewers must disclose actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that could affect their ability to provide an independent and objective assessment. These may include financial interests, personal relationships, recent or ongoing collaborations, institutional affiliations, academic rivalries, professional competition, or involvement in substantially overlapping research.

Reviewers who identify a conflict that may prevent an impartial assessment must promptly notify the responsible editor. The editor will determine whether the review may proceed with appropriate safeguards or whether another reviewer should be appointed.

Reviewers must treat manuscripts and associated materials as confidential documents. They must not disclose, distribute, reproduce, or use unpublished information obtained during peer review without appropriate authorization. Unpublished arguments, legal analyses, research findings, and other intellectual contributions must not be exploited for personal, academic, professional, or financial advantage.

Reviewers should disclose any uncertain or potentially relevant relationship to the editor so that the circumstances can be assessed before the review proceeds.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from consideration or establish that the research is unreliable. IJCLS evaluates each disclosure individually and determines whether the interest can be managed without compromising editorial independence or the integrity of peer review.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request additional clarification, require a more complete disclosure statement, appoint an independent editor or reviewer, reassign editorial responsibilities, or take other reasonable measures to minimize the potential influence of the conflict. Relevant disclosures may also be included in the published article to provide readers with information necessary to assess the work.

The Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate independent editorial authority oversees significant conflicts involving editors, reviewers, or other participants in the publication process. Management decisions should be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the conflict and documented where appropriate.

If IJCLS becomes aware of a potentially relevant conflict that was not disclosed during submission, peer review, or publication, the Editors will assess the matter fairly and impartially. The relevant author, reviewer, editor, or other party may be asked to provide an explanation or additional information.

Where an undisclosed conflict is confirmed, the journal will determine whether it could have affected the research, manuscript evaluation, or editorial decision. Depending on the findings and publication stage, appropriate action may include adding or correcting a disclosure statement, publishing a correction, reviewing the editorial process, or taking further action under the journal's publication ethics and research misconduct policies.

Where credible concerns arise about research integrity or the reliability of a published article, IJCLS may seek additional information from the authors' affiliated institution or another competent body, where appropriate. Any subsequent action will be based on the available evidence and relevant ethical guidance.

Conflicts of interest identified after publication will be assessed to determine whether the published disclosure is incomplete or inaccurate and whether the omission could have materially affected the interpretation, evaluation, or editorial handling of the article.

Where a disclosure statement requires amendment, IJCLS may publish a correction or another appropriate notice linked to the original article. If the undisclosed conflict is associated with more serious concerns about the validity or integrity of the published work, the Editors will consider further action in accordance with the journal's policies and COPE guidance.

Corrective action is intended to maintain transparency and protect the integrity of the scholarly record, rather than to impose a predetermined sanction solely because a disclosure was incomplete.

The publisher and journal management must respect the independence of editorial decisions. Financial interests, advertising, sponsorship, institutional relationships, commercial considerations, and other external pressures must not improperly influence manuscript assessment, peer review, acceptance, rejection, or publication.

Relevant competing interests involving the publisher or journal management should be disclosed and managed appropriately. Editorial decisions must remain based on academic quality, ethical compliance, and the journal's stated editorial policies.

All authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for disclosure and clarification. Failure to disclose a relevant competing interest, misuse of confidential information, or deliberate exploitation of unpublished materials may be addressed under IJCLS's applicable publication ethics procedures.

IJCLS applies these principles consistently and fairly, taking into account the circumstances of each case, the available evidence, and relevant COPE guidance. This policy aims to maintain trust in the editorial process, protect intellectual contributions, and support the transparency and credibility of published legal scholarship.