Conflict of Interest Policy

Justitia et Pax requires transparency about any relationship or circumstance that could be seen as influencing the research, its review, or its publication. A conflict of interest (COI) is not misconduct in itself; failing to disclose one is a breach of this policy. The policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and the Editorial Board.

1. Conflict of Interest Scope

A COI exists when professional judgement about a primary interest (such as the validity of research or the fairness of peer review) may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. Conflicts may be financial or non-financial, and actual, potential, or perceived.

2. Examples 

  • Involvement in matters discussed: acting as counsel, party, expert witness, judge, or adviser in a case, legislative process, or policy that the manuscript analyses.
  • Financial: employment, consultancy, fees, grants, or other payments from an organisation (for example, a law firm, company, or government body) with an interest in the topic.
  • Funding: every funder of the research, and whether the funder had a role in design, analysis, writing, or the decision to publish.
  • Institutional and professional: roles in bodies, commissions, or organisations affected by the findings.
  • Personal: close relationships with parties or persons concerned, and supervisor–student relationships.
  • Intellectual or ideological: advocacy positions directly related to the subject matter.

Disclosure covers where the relationship remains relevant.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

  • Every author discloses relevant interests at submission, through the Author Declaration and a statement in the manuscript.
  • The manuscript includes a Conflict of Interest statement. If none exists: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
  • The manuscript includes a Funding statement naming each funder and its role, or stating that the funder had no role.
  • Authors update their disclosures if circumstances change before publication.
  • The corresponding author collects and confirms disclosures from all co-authors.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Reviewers decline the invitation, or tell the editor, if they have a conflict with the authors, their institutions, the funders, or the subject matter, including recent collaboration, shared affiliation, close ties, or involvement in the matter discussed.
  • Reviewers do not use information from a manuscript for personal advantage and do not share it without the editor's permission.
  • Reviewers do not ask authors to cite their own work unless there is a genuine scholarly reason.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board

  • Editors withdraw from handling a manuscript if they have a COI with its authors, institutions, or funders, including collaboration, shared affiliation, or a close relationship.
  • Because JEP is published by the Faculty of Law of Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, manuscripts submitted by editors, Editorial Board members, or faculty members closely connected to the editorial process are handled by an independent editor with no conflict. The identities of reviewers and the decisions for such manuscripts are not accessible to the author-editor.
  • The journal aims to ensure that a majority of published authors come from outside the publishing institution, and monitors this each year.
  • Editors disclose their own interests each year; the disclosures are kept on file.
  • Editorial decisions are based only on scholarly merit and are not influenced by commercial, institutional, or political considerations.

6. Steps

  1. The editorial office checks that COI and funding statements are present; incomplete submissions are returned.
  2. The handling editor considers whether a disclosed interest affects the integrity of the work and may consult the Editor-in-Chief.
  3. Author disclosures are published with the article. Disclosures by reviewers and editors are used for the editorial process only and kept confidential.
  4. If a conflict is significant, the editor may choose a different reviewer, request additional review, or ask the authors to clarify the role of the interested party in the text.

7. Undisclosed or Later-Discovered Conflicts

If a conflict is found after a decision or after publication, the journal will ask for an explanation and handle the case under its policy on allegations of research misconduct and its correction and retraction policy. Actions may include a corrigendum, an expression of concern, or retraction, and notification of the authors' institution or funder.

8. Fees

JEP charges no article submission or publication fees. Funders, sponsors, and advertisers have no influence on editorial decisions, peer review, or content.