The Journal of Digital Islamic Thought is firmly committed to safeguarding the integrity, objectivity, and credibility of the scholarly work it publishes. Transparency regarding actual or potential conflicts of interest—also known as competing interests—is essential to ensuring fairness in the editorial and peer-review processes. This policy outlines the obligations of authors, reviewers, editors, and journal staff to disclose and manage interests that may reasonably be perceived as influencing professional judgment or editorial impartiality. The Journal of Digital Islamic Thought aligns this policy with the ethical principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Definition

A conflict of interest (COI), or competing interest, arises when an individual’s primary scholarly responsibilities—such as the assessment of research validity, the review of manuscripts, or editorial decision-making—may be influenced by secondary interests. Such interests may include:

• Financial interests: employment; consultancies; stock or equity ownership; honoraria; received or pending research funding; patent ownership or applications; royalties; paid advisory roles; expert testimony; or travel grants related to the manuscript under consideration.

• Non-financial interests: personal relationships (e.g., relatives, close friends); academic or professional affiliations (e.g., recent collaborations, supervisory or mentoring relationships); institutional connections; unpublished competing work; or firmly held personal, religious, or political views directly relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript.

The mere existence of a conflict is not inherently unethical; however, failure to disclose relevant interests may compromise the credibility of both the research and the publication process. This policy applies to all contributors—including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and staff—engaged in the Journal of Digital Islamic Thought’s publishing workflow.

Policy

Principle of Full Disclosure

All participants in the publication process must fully and proactively disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest relevant to their roles. When no such conflicts exist, a formal declaration of the absence of competing interests is required.

Timing of Disclosure

• Authors: Must disclose all potential conflicts at the time of manuscript submission and update disclosures promptly if new conflicts emerge during review or revision.

• Peer Reviewers: Must declare any possible conflicts upon invitation to review and before accepting the assignment. If a conflict becomes evident during the review, the reviewer must immediately notify the editorial office.

• Editors and Journal Staff: Must report any conflicts that could compromise editorial judgment and recuse themselves from involvement in submissions where a significant conflict exists.

Assessment and Management of Disclosed Conflicts

The Journal of Digital Islamic Thought reviews all disclosed interests to determine their potential to bias scholarly evaluation or editorial decisions. Appropriate actions may include:

• Publishing authors’ conflict-of-interest statements alongside the accepted article.

• Reassigning editors or reviewers to avoid compromised impartiality.

• Rejecting submissions when a conflict is deemed to threaten research integrity substantively.

Publication of Disclosure Statements

All published manuscripts will include conflict-of-interest declarations. If authors report no competing interests, a statement such as “The authors declare no known competing interests” will be provided. All funding sources must also be disclosed, including any involvement of the funder in study design, data analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions. If the funder played no role, this must be stated explicitly.

Post-Publication Discovery of Undisclosed Conflicts

Should an undisclosed significant conflict emerge post-publication, the Journal of Digital Islamic Thought will undertake a formal investigation in accordance with COPE guidelines. Depending on the severity, appropriate actions may include issuing a correction, expressing concern, or retracting.

Implementation Procedures

For Authors

What to Disclose. Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence their work.
Financial interests include research sponsorship; employment or consulting relationships; equity ownership; patents or royalties; honoraria; or grants.
Non-financial interests include institutional affiliations; personal, academic, or advisory relationships; and firmly held views directly connected to the research topic.

Funding Sources. All research funding must be disclosed, along with the specific role of the funding body—if any—in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation. If the funder had no involvement, this must be clearly stated.

How to Disclose. Authors must submit a completed conflict-of-interest disclosure form—either the ICMJE Uniform Disclosure Form or a journal-specific form—at submission. A corresponding disclosure statement (or confirmation of no competing interests) must also appear in the manuscript before the references.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure. Failure to disclose relevant interests may delay editorial processing or lead to rejection. If nondisclosure is discovered after publication, corrective actions may include issuing a correction or retracting the article.

For Peer Reviewers

What to Disclose. Reviewers must disclose any circumstances that could compromise objectivity, including:

• Recent or ongoing collaborations with the authors.

• Personal relationships or professional rivalries.

• Financial interests in the research outcomes.

• Prior involvement with the manuscript or related submissions.

• Strongly held views likely to influence impartial assessment.

How to Disclose. Reviewers must declare conflicts when invited. If a conflict becomes apparent during the review process, they must notify the editor immediately.

Action on Disclosure. Reviewers with significant conflicts will be excused from reviewing the manuscript, and alternative reviewers will be assigned.

For Editors and Journal Staff (Including Editorial Board Members)

What to Disclose. Editors and staff must declare any relationships or interests that could influence, or appear to influence, their editorial responsibilities, including:

• Financial relationships with relevant organizations.

• Personal or professional relationships with authors or reviewers.

• Submissions authored by editors or their close associates.

• Overlapping research interests with submitted manuscripts.

How to Disclose. Disclosures must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher. The journal may maintain a publicly accessible register of editors’ disclosures, updated periodically.

Management and Recusal. Editors or staff with significant conflicts must recuse themselves from all editorial activity related to the manuscript in question. Manuscripts authored by editorial personnel will undergo independent peer review.

Journal-Level Conflicts of Interest

The Journal of Digital Islamic Thought and its publisher are committed to full editorial independence. Operational structures are designed to prevent commercial, institutional, or ideological pressures from influencing editorial decisions. Any journal-level conflicts will be addressed with full transparency.

Record Keeping

The journal maintains confidential records of all conflict-of-interest disclosures submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, and staff.

This policy promotes transparency, supports ethical publishing practices, and strengthens public trust in the scholarly work disseminated by the Journal of Digital Islamic Thought. It is reviewed periodically to remain aligned with evolving international standards.

Reference

This policy is adapted from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Handling Conflicts of Interest (Discussion Document, 2015). Available at: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/discussion-document/handling-conflicts-interest.