Al-Ghazali: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan Islam dan Studi Islam is committed to upholding transparency, impartiality, and ethical standards throughout the scholarly publishing process. This policy establishes the principles and procedures for identifying, disclosing, and managing conflicts of interest involving authors, reviewers, editors, journal staff, and the publisher, both before and after publication.

In addressing conflicts of interest, the journal refers to relevant publication ethics principles and the Core Practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). These principles serve as guidance for protecting editorial independence, ensuring fair manuscript evaluation, and maintaining the credibility of published research.

1. Definition of Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when financial, personal, professional, institutional, or intellectual relationships may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, an individual's judgment, objectivity, or responsibilities in conducting research, reviewing manuscripts, making editorial decisions, or participating in scholarly publication.

Actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest must be considered to ensure that research evaluation and publication decisions are conducted fairly, independently, and without inappropriate influence.

2. Identification and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

All individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, journal staff, and other relevant contributors, are expected to disclose interests that may affect, or appear to affect, their impartiality in manuscript evaluation or publication.

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

• Financial interests: Research funding, grants, employment, consultancy, honoraria, shareholdings, or other financial relationships that may be related to the research or its findings.

• Personal relationships: Family relationships, close personal friendships, personal disputes, or other circumstances that may affect impartial judgment.

• Professional and academic relationships: Current or previous research collaborations, supervisory relationships, institutional affiliations, or other professional connections that may compromise objectivity.

• Institutional interests: Relationships with institutions, organizations, or other entities whose interests may be affected by the research findings or publication outcomes.

• Intellectual property interests: Patents, copyrights, licensing arrangements, or other intellectual property rights that may be influenced by the research or its publication.

The disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection or disqualification. Instead, disclosure enables the editorial team to assess the circumstances and implement appropriate measures to maintain fairness, transparency, and the integrity of the publication process.

3. Management of Conflicts of Interest

Al-Ghazali: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan Islam dan Studi Islam manages identified conflicts of interest through appropriate and proportionate measures designed to preserve the independence of scholarly evaluation and editorial decision-making.

A. Authors

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest when submitting their manuscripts. They must also provide accurate information about research funding and other relationships that may influence the study, its interpretation, or its reporting.

If an undisclosed conflict is identified after submission or publication, the authors should promptly inform the editorial team. The Editors will evaluate the circumstances and determine whether an additional disclosure, correction, expression of concern, or other appropriate action is necessary.

B. Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest before accepting a manuscript review assignment. They should decline the invitation when personal, financial, professional, or academic relationships could compromise their impartiality or reasonably create an appearance of bias.

If a conflict arises or becomes apparent during the review process, the reviewer must notify the editorial team promptly. The Editors will assess the situation and, where necessary, appoint an alternative reviewer to ensure an objective evaluation.

C. Editors and Journal Staff

Editors and journal staff must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and refrain from participating in manuscript handling or editorial decisions whenever their impartiality may be compromised.

This includes manuscripts submitted by themselves, close collaborators, family members, or individuals with whom they have relationships that could reasonably affect their judgment. Such submissions should be assigned to an independent editor who can manage the review process and make editorial recommendations without inappropriate influence from the conflicted individual.

When uncertainty arises regarding a potential conflict, the journal will determine appropriate safeguards to protect editorial independence and the fairness of the decision-making process.

D. Publisher

The publisher is expected to support editorial independence and maintain appropriate arrangements for identifying and managing organizational, financial, and institutional conflicts of interest.

Commercial considerations, financial interests, institutional relationships, or other competing interests must not improperly influence peer review, editorial decisions, or the publication of scholarly work.

4. Transparency and Disclosure Statements

Authors are required to include a conflict of interest statement in their manuscripts, clearly identifying any relevant competing interests. If no competing interests exist, authors may use the following declaration:

“The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

Where applicable, information concerning funding sources, competing interests, and other relevant relationships may be published alongside the article to provide readers with a transparent account of circumstances that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Information relating to conflicts involving reviewers, editors, or other individuals will be handled in accordance with confidentiality requirements and the journal's editorial policies.

Individuals with relevant conflicts of interest must not participate in the evaluation or decision-making process for manuscripts in which their impartiality may be compromised. Appropriate safeguards, including reassignment to an independent editor or reviewer, will be implemented when necessary.

5. Conflicts of Interest Identified After Publication

When a conflict of interest is identified after an article has been published, the editorial team will assess the available information and determine whether the undisclosed interest affects the transparency, credibility, or interpretation of the published work.

Depending on the nature and significance of the issue, the journal may publish an additional disclosure, issue a correction, publish an expression of concern, or take other appropriate action in accordance with relevant publication ethics principles.

Any corrective action will be proportionate to the circumstances and intended to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record.

Commitment to Editorial Independence

Through this policy, Al-Ghazali: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan Islam dan Studi Islam seeks to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated on their scholarly merit and that editorial decisions are made fairly, transparently, and independently. All parties involved in scholarly publishing share responsibility for disclosing relevant competing interests and protecting the integrity of academic communication.