1. Introduction

The Sunan Ampel Review of Political and Social Sciences (SARPASS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and credibility of its editorial and peer-review processes. A conflict of interest may arise when personal, professional, financial, institutional, or other relationships could reasonably be perceived as influencing the objectivity or impartiality of decisions concerning a manuscript.

SARPASS requires authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the Editorial Board to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may affect the publication process.

2. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's personal, professional, financial, academic, or institutional interests could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their judgment regarding a manuscript.

Potential conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships, funding, grants, consultancy, employment, or other financial interests related to the research.

• Personal relationships or conflicts between authors, reviewers, or editors.

• Professional or institutional affiliations that may benefit from or be affected by publication of the manuscript.

• Academic competition, collaboration, or close professional relationships.

• Ownership of intellectual property, patents, or other rights related to the research.

• Political, ideological, or organizational interests that may reasonably affect the impartial assessment of the manuscript.

• Any other circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as compromising editorial or peer-review independence.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. Authors are responsible for identifying financial and non-financial relationships that may influence, or appear to influence, the research or its interpretation.

Authors must also disclose all sources of financial support or research funding relevant to the submitted manuscript.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors should provide an appropriate statement, such as:

"The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest that could have influenced the research, authorship, or publication of this article."

Any conflict of interest identified after publication should be reported to the Editorial Office as soon as possible.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript.

Reviewers should decline the review assignment if:

• They have a personal or professional relationship with one or more of the authors that could affect their objectivity.

• They have recently collaborated with the authors or are from the same immediate institution or research group, where this could compromise impartiality.

• They have a direct academic, professional, financial, or competitive interest in the research.

• They believe they cannot provide an objective and independent assessment.

Reviewers must not use information obtained through the peer-review process for personal, professional, or competitive advantage.

5. Responsibilities of Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and Editorial Board members must maintain independence and impartiality when handling manuscripts.

An editor should not participate in the editorial decision-making process when a conflict of interest exists. This includes situations in which the editor:

• Is an author or co-author of the submitted manuscript.

• Has a close personal or professional relationship with one or more authors.

• Has recently collaborated with the authors.

• Has a financial, institutional, academic, or other interest that could affect impartiality.

• Has another relationship or interest that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the editorial decision.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict of interest.

6. Disclosure of Funding and Support

Authors must disclose all sources of financial and non-financial support relevant to the research. This includes research grants, institutional funding, sponsorship, fellowships, equipment, data access, or other forms of support that may have influenced the research.

Funding information should be stated clearly in the manuscript where applicable.

7. Management of Conflicts of Interest

The Editorial Office will assess disclosed conflicts of interest and determine appropriate measures to protect the integrity and impartiality of the publication process.

Depending on the circumstances, actions may include:

• Assigning an alternative editor or reviewer.

• Requesting additional disclosure from the authors.

• Requiring clarification or amendment of the conflict-of-interest statement.

• Introducing additional independent review.

• Publishing a conflict-of-interest disclosure or correction where appropriate.

• Taking further action if a previously undisclosed conflict is subsequently identified.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily mean that a manuscript cannot be published. The primary consideration is whether the conflict can be appropriately disclosed and managed without compromising the integrity of the editorial process.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a significant conflict of interest is discovered after publication, SARPASS will assess the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with relevant publication-ethics principles.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may publish a correction or clarification, require an updated disclosure statement, or take other appropriate editorial action.

9. Confidentiality and Editorial Independence

All conflict-of-interest disclosures will be handled appropriately and, where applicable, kept confidential throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

SARPASS does not allow financial, institutional, personal, political, or other external interests to determine editorial decisions. Manuscripts are evaluated according to their scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, and contribution to the fields of political and social sciences.

The journal is committed to ensuring that conflicts of interest are transparently disclosed and appropriately managed to preserve trust in the scholarly publishing process.