Conflict of Interest Policy

Transparency & Editorial Integrity

Conflict of Interest Policy

Commercium: Journal of Business and Management requires full disclosure of any interests that may affect research, peer review, or editorial decisions.

The journal follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members must disclose any actual or potential financial or non-financial conflict of interest that could affect the conduct, interpretation, review, or publication of business and management research.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is any relationship, activity, commitment, or interest that could reasonably be perceived as affecting the impartiality, objectivity, independence, or integrity of research, peer review, or editorial decision-making.

Financial: research funding, sponsorship, honoraria, consultancy, employment, stock or equity ownership, business partnerships, paid expert activity, patents, or other financial relationships. Non-Financial: personal relationships, institutional affiliations, professional competition, academic rivalry, organizational interests, ideological positions, advisory roles, or editorial responsibilities.
Important: The existence of a conflict does not automatically imply misconduct or invalidate the research. However, relevant relationships and interests must be disclosed transparently so that readers, reviewers, and editors can assess their potential influence.

2. Responsibilities

Authors
  • Disclose all relevant financial and non-financial interests related to the submitted research.
  • Identify funding, sponsorship, consultancy, employment, ownership interests, or organizational relationships that may reasonably be perceived as influencing the study.
  • Disclose relationships with organizations, companies, employers, research participants, clients, or other parties whose interests may be affected by the findings.
  • Include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript.
  • Ensure that funding sources and sponsors have not improperly influenced the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or decision to publish.
  • After acceptance, upload the signed disclosure form through Production → Discussion.
If no conflict exists: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose potential conflicts before accepting a review invitation and must decline the assignment where personal, professional, financial, institutional, competitive, supervisory, collaborative, or other interests could reasonably affect impartiality. Examples include recent collaboration with the authors, employment at the same institution, direct professional competition, financial interests related to the subject matter, or involvement with organizations evaluated in the manuscript.

Editors & Editorial Board

Editors and Editorial Board members must disclose relevant conflicts and recuse themselves from handling affected manuscripts. This may include manuscripts submitted by close collaborators, colleagues, students, supervisors, family members, business partners, or organizations in which the editor has a direct professional or financial interest. Where necessary, the manuscript will be reassigned to another qualified and independent editor.

3. Evaluation & Management

Disclosed conflicts are reviewed confidentially by the Editorial Office. The existence, relevance, and potential influence of the conflict will be considered before an editorial decision is made. Appropriate actions may include:

✓ Reassigning editors or reviewers ✓ Requesting clarification or additional disclosure ✓ Publishing a disclosure note
✓ Requesting independent review ✓ Excluding conflicted individuals from decisions ✓ Taking corrective action when necessary

If an undisclosed conflict is discovered during review, the Editorial Office may pause the process while the issue is assessed. If discovered after publication, corrective action may include a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the case and its effect on the reliability or integrity of the published article.

4. Transparency & Editorial Independence

Conflict of Interest Statements are published with the article to ensure transparency for readers. When no conflict is declared, the published article may state: “No conflicts of interest were declared.”

The journal expects authors to distinguish clearly between independent research findings and conclusions that may relate to commercial, organizational, consulting, employment, or other professional interests.

The Editorial Board and Indonesian Scientific Publication (IDSCIPUB) maintain editorial independence. Advertising, sponsorship, funding arrangements, organizational relationships, commercial partnerships, or other external interests do not determine peer-review outcomes, editorial decisions, or the content of published articles.

Ethical Guidance & Disclosure Form

This policy is aligned with international principles of transparency and ethical publishing, including guidance from COPE and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency.

↓ Download Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form