1. Policy Statement

Jurnal Pengembangan Penyuluhan Pertanian (JP3) is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the scholarly publishing process. Authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process must disclose any interests that could improperly influence, or be perceived to influence, their professional judgment. This policy is based on the principles set out in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices on Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests.

JP3 requires potential conflicts of interest to be disclosed and assessed fairly, whether identified before or after publication. The journal will determine appropriate measures according to the nature of the conflict, its potential effect on the editorial process, and the need to protect the integrity of the published scholarly record, in accordance with COPE's guidance on competing interests.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, professional, financial, institutional, or other relationships may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, an individual's judgment, decisions, or actions in research and publication. A conflict does not necessarily mean that misconduct has occurred; however, failure to disclose a relevant interest may undermine trust in the fairness and reliability of the publication process. This approach reflects the principles described in COPE's guidance on conflicts of interest and competing interests.

Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial interests: employment, consultancy, honoraria, research funding, grants, stock ownership, paid services, or other financial relationships.
• Personal relationships: family relationships, close friendships, personal disputes, or other relationships that may affect impartial judgment.
• Professional or academic interests: collaboration, competition, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or professional rivalries.
• Institutional interests: relationships with an author's, reviewer's, or editor's institution that may influence the handling or evaluation of a manuscript.
• Intellectual interests: strong academic, theoretical, or ideological commitments that may affect an individual's assessment of a manuscript.
• Editorial interests: circumstances in which an editor or reviewer has a direct interest in the acceptance, rejection, or publication outcome of a manuscript.

These examples are consistent with the broad approach to competing interests described in COPE's guidance on conflicts of interest.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors submitting a manuscript to JP3 must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research, its interpretation, or the preparation of the manuscript. Authors should disclose relevant funding, affiliations, consultancy arrangements, personal or professional relationships, and other interests that could reasonably be considered relevant to the submitted work, in accordance with the principles in COPE's guidance on competing interests.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors are informed of the disclosure requirements and that the statement submitted to JP3 accurately reflects the interests declared by the author group. Each author remains responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information they provide, consistent with the transparency principles in COPE's Core Practices.

If no relevant conflict of interest exists, the authors must include the following statement in the manuscript: "The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest that could have influenced the research reported in this manuscript."

If a conflict of interest exists, the authors must provide a clear statement describing the nature of the conflict and its relationship to the submitted research. Disclosure allows the editor to assess the potential effect of the interest and determine whether additional measures are needed, in line with COPE's guidance on competing interests.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional relationships that could compromise their impartiality or reasonably be perceived as influencing their evaluation of a manuscript. Reviewers should inform the editor promptly if a conflict exists and decline the review when the conflict prevents an objective assessment, following the principles in the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal, professional, or financial advantage. They must also respect the confidentiality of manuscripts and the review process, as described in the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Where a potential conflict is identified after a reviewer has accepted an invitation, the reviewer must notify the editor as soon as possible. The editor will decide whether the reviewer may continue or whether another reviewer should be appointed, consistent with the journal's responsibility to maintain a transparent and properly managed peer-review process under COPE's guidance on peer-review processes.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and editorial board members must disclose any interests that could affect, or appear to affect, their editorial judgment. An editor must not handle a manuscript when a personal, financial, professional, academic, or institutional relationship could compromise impartiality. This requirement reflects COPE's guidance on conflicts of interest and competing interests.

When an editor has a conflict of interest, the manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor who can manage the submission objectively. The conflicted editor must not influence the review process or editorial decision for that manuscript. This procedure supports the transparent management of peer review described in COPE's Core Practice on peer-review processes.

Editors and editorial board members who submit their own manuscripts to JP3 must not participate in the editorial assessment, reviewer selection, or decision-making process for those submissions. An independent editor must oversee the manuscript, and the journal must ensure that the submission is evaluated according to the same editorial standards applied to other manuscripts, consistent with COPE's guidance on transparent and well-managed peer review.

6. Responsibilities of the Journal and Publisher

JP3 and its publisher must maintain clear procedures for identifying, disclosing, evaluating, and managing conflicts of interest involving authors, reviewers, editors, the journal, and the publisher. These procedures apply to concerns identified before submission, during peer review, after an editorial decision, or following publication, as outlined in COPE's Core Practice on Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests.

The journal will assess disclosures and determine whether additional steps are necessary, such as appointing an independent editor, replacing a reviewer, requesting further clarification, or publishing a disclosure statement where appropriate. The response will be proportionate to the circumstances and guided by COPE's guidance on competing interests.

7. Disclosure and Management Procedures

Authors must submit their conflict-of-interest declaration as part of the manuscript submission process. Reviewers and editors must disclose relevant conflicts as soon as they become aware of them. All disclosures should be sufficiently clear to enable the journal to assess the nature of the interest and determine an appropriate response, in accordance with COPE's guidance on conflicts of interest.

When a potential conflict is reported, JP3 may request additional information from the relevant party. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may allow the individual to continue in their role with appropriate safeguards, reassign editorial responsibilities, appoint a replacement reviewer, or take other reasonable measures to protect the impartiality of the process. These measures support the principles of transparent and properly managed editorial processes described in COPE's Core Practices.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If JP3 becomes aware of a potentially relevant conflict that was not disclosed, the journal may contact the authors, reviewer, editor, or other relevant party to request an explanation. The journal will assess the available information fairly and determine whether the omission affected the integrity of the research, the peer-review process, or the editorial decision, in line with COPE's guidance on competing interests.

Depending on the findings and the stage of publication, the journal may request a corrected disclosure, reconsider an editorial decision, arrange an independent assessment, publish a correction, or take other appropriate action. Where an undisclosed conflict raises concerns about the reliability or integrity of a published article, JP3 will consider the relevant procedures described in COPE's guidance on post-publication discussions and corrections.

9. Post-Publication Disclosure and Corrections

If a relevant conflict of interest is identified after publication, JP3 will assess whether the published disclosure remains accurate and sufficient. Where necessary, the journal may publish a correction or another appropriate notice to ensure that readers receive relevant information about the article. This approach is consistent with COPE's Core Practice on post-publication discussions and corrections.

Any editorial action will be proportionate to the nature of the undisclosed interest and its implications for the publication record. A conflict of interest does not automatically invalidate a study; however, the journal must consider whether the circumstances require clarification, correction, or further investigation, guided by COPE's guidance on competing interests.

10. Policy Review

JP3 will periodically review this policy to ensure that it remains appropriate for the journal's editorial practices and consistent with developments in publication ethics. The policy is informed by COPE's Core Practices and the COPE guidance on conflicts of interest and competing interests.