Conflict of Interest Policy

Editorial Ethics Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

PTJI is committed to the highest standards of transparency and impartiality in all editorial, peer review, and publishing processes. All parties must disclose any interest that could influence — or appear to influence — their professional judgment.

COPE Compliant

ICMJE Standards

Mandatory Disclosure

Zero Tolerance for Concealment

1. Overview and Statement of Policy

The Physical Therapy Journal of Indonesia (PTJI) is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of openness and honesty in its editorial and peer review procedures. A Conflict of Interest (COI) occurs when a secondary interest — such as financial gain, academic competition, or personal relationships — may influence professional judgment on a primary concern, such as the legitimacy of a manuscript or the impartiality of a reviewer.

This policy mandates that authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members disclose any potential conflicts of interest in full accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Disclosure is required whether or not the individual believes the interest influences their judgment.

2. Disclosure Scope

All parties involved in the publication process must disclose any potential COI that might affect the evaluation or outcome of a submission. The following roles are covered:

Authors

All corresponding and co-authors

Peer Reviewers

All assigned reviewers

Editor-in-Chief

Final decision authority

Associate Editors

Handling editors

Editorial Board

All board members

3. Conflict of Interest — Definitions

Section 3.1

Financial COI

Financial conflicts are the most straightforward to identify. They include:

Employment

Recent or current work — including consulting — with a company that could profit or lose from the publication's results

Research Funding

Receiving grants, fees, or payment for services from any entity with a direct financial stake in the study's results

Stocks or Shares

Owning equity or shares in businesses that could be financially impacted by the manuscript's conclusions

Patents

Holding or applying for patents directly related to the substance or technology described in the manuscript

Honoraria

Receiving payment for writing, lecturing, or providing advisory services to an interested party

Section 3.2

Non-Financial COI

Non-financial conflicts are equally significant and must be disclosed:

Personal Relationships

Family ties or close personal friendships with authors, competitors, or parties who might benefit from the publication

Academic Competition

Direct scholarly rivalry with authors or writing teams in the same research area

Institutional Ties

Having worked with an author within the previous 5 years as a mentor, student, thesis adviser, or close institutional collaborator

Intellectual Beliefs

Strong personal or ideological convictions that could prevent objective, impartial assessment of the manuscript's scientific merit

Ongoing Disputes

Involvement in legal proceedings or major scholarly disagreements with any of the manuscript's authors

4. Author Obligations

When submitting a manuscript, all authors — both corresponding and co-authors — are required to disclose all pertinent financial and non-financial conflicts of interest at the time of submission. Disclosure must be updated if any COI arises during the review process.

COI Declaration

At the end of the manuscript, authors must publish a detailed "Conflict of Interest Statement" outlining any pertinent COIs for each individual author. If none exist, authors must expressly state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

Funding Statement

All sources of research financing must be clearly stated. This includes institutional grants, industry funding, foundation support, and personal funding. The absence of external funding must also be explicitly declared.

Funder's Role

Authors must explain the specific role — if any — that study sponsors played in the research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, report writing, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Example Declaration Format

With COI:

"Author A has received consulting fees from [Company X], which manufactures [Product Y], a subject of this study. Authors B and C declare no conflict of interest. This study was funded by [Funder]; the funder had no role in study design, data collection, or decision to publish."

No COI:

"The authors declare no conflict of interest. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

5. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are essential guardians of the review process's integrity and must ensure their evaluation is entirely impartial. Upon receiving a review invitation, reviewers must immediately assess for any COI before agreeing to review.

Immediate Declaration

If reviewers identify any financial, non-financial, or other conflict that could affect their capacity for unbiased review, they must notify the Editorial Office immediately — before beginning the review.

Mandatory Decline

If a COI is identified — e.g., the reviewer is a direct competitor, recent collaborator, or personal acquaintance of an author — they are required to decline the review invitation.

Strict Confidentiality

Reviewers are strictly prohibited from using any information about manuscripts under review for personal gain, prior to publication, or disclosing it to third parties without explicit editorial permission.

6. Editor and Editorial Board Duties

Editors must abstain from any actual or perceived conflicts of interest and are ultimately responsible for publishing decisions. They must lead by example in upholding this policy.

Recusal from Decision-Making

If the EiC or Associate Editor has a COI with a manuscript — whether as an author, close colleague, direct competitor, or institution-affiliated party — they are required to recuse themselves completely. An independent guest editor or another impartial Editorial Board member will take over processing of that manuscript.

Editorial Board Participation

All Editorial Board members are required by COPE rules to abide by this COI policy, especially when making manuscript recommendations or acting as guest reviewers. Board membership does not exempt any individual from disclosure requirements.

No Personal Financial Benefit

Editors are strictly prohibited from using their editorial position to solicit or obtain any personal financial advantage related to the journal. This includes accepting gifts, payments, or favors from authors, institutions, or publishers in exchange for favorable editorial treatment.

7. Administration and Implementation

Internal Audit

COI statements submitted by authors and reviewer declarations are routinely audited by the PTJI Editorial Office to ensure completeness and accuracy before publication.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose a substantial conflict of interest may result in rejection of the submission, retraction of a published article, or removal from the reviewer pool or Editorial Board.

Appeals Process

Any disagreements pertaining to COI complaints are investigated by the PTJI Ethics Committee in accordance with the processes specified in the PTJI Appeal Policy and COPE flowcharts.

Policy Updates

This policy is reviewed annually by the Editorial Board and updated as necessary to align with current COPE, ICMJE, and WAME guidelines. Changes are communicated to all parties at the start of each volume year.

To report a COI concern or seek guidance on disclosure requirements, contact the PTJI Editorial Office:

editorptji@gmail.com

Governing Standards & References

COPE COI Guidelines COPE Reviewer Ethics COPE Editorial Board

ICMJE Recommendations

WAME Standards

DOAJ Transparency Principles