Conflict of Interest Policy

Transparency & Editorial Integrity

Conflict of Interest Policy

Dentaphora: Journal of Dental Perspectives and Oral Health (Dentaphora JDPOH) requires transparent disclosure of interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, reporting, peer review, or editorial assessment of research in dentistry and oral health.

This policy is informed by the ethical publishing guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members are expected to disclose actual, potential, or perceived financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. Disclosure helps maintain trust in published findings and editorial decisions.

1. What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest exists when financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional relationships could affect, or be reasonably perceived to affect, the objectivity of a study, peer review, or editorial decision. Relevant interests may exist even when no improper influence has occurred.

Financial interests

Research grants, industry funding, sponsorships, honoraria, consultancy fees, paid lectures, employment, patents, royalties, stock ownership, paid expert testimony, or commercial relationships involving dental clinics, pharmaceutical companies, dental implant manufacturers, orthodontic suppliers, dental material producers, medical-device companies, or other related organizations.

Non-financial interests

Personal relationships, institutional affiliations, recent collaborations, supervisory relationships, academic competition, professional memberships, intellectual commitments, editorial roles, or other circumstances that could compromise impartiality.

Important: Having a conflict of interest does not automatically constitute misconduct or disqualify a manuscript. The relevant interests must, however, be disclosed and appropriately managed.

2. Responsibilities

Authors

Disclose all relevant financial and non-financial interests for every author, including relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.
Declare relevant funding, consultancy, sponsorship, product support, or other relationships with dental clinics, hospitals, professional associations, pharmaceutical companies, dental-material manufacturers, implant or orthodontic suppliers, and other commercial or institutional partners.
State the role of funders or sponsors, if any, in study design, participant recruitment, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit for publication.
Include a Conflict of Interest Statement in the manuscript, including an explicit declaration when no relevant conflicts exist.
Update the declaration whenever relevant circumstances change during review, revision, or production, and provide supporting disclosure documentation if requested by the Editorial Office through OJS.

When no conflict exists: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any competing interests before accepting a review invitation. Reviewers should decline or withdraw from assignments when financial, personal, institutional, collaborative, supervisory, competitive, or other relationships could impair independent assessment. Information obtained through peer review must not be used for personal or professional advantage.

Editors & Editorial Board Members

Editors and Editorial Board members must disclose relevant interests and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where impartiality could be questioned, including submissions from close collaborators or individuals with significant personal or institutional relationships. An independent, qualified editor should be assigned to manage the manuscript and the editorial decision.

3. Evaluation & Management of Conflicts

The Editorial Office evaluates disclosed interests and determines appropriate safeguards according to the nature and seriousness of the conflict. Measures may include:

✓ Reassigning a reviewer or handling editor

✓ Requesting clarification or additional disclosure

✓ Publishing an appropriate conflict-of-interest statement

If an undisclosed conflict is discovered after publication, the journal will assess its effect on the reliability of the work and the integrity of the editorial process. Depending on the findings, action may include a published disclosure update, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate and in accordance with applicable publication-ethics guidance.

4. Transparency & Editorial Independence

Conflict of Interest Statements will be included in published articles. When no conflicts are declared, the statement may read: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

The Editorial Board of Dentaphora JDPOH maintains editorial independence from the publisher, Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi, Universitas Hang Tuah Surabaya, as well as from advertisers, research sponsors, industry partners, and other external parties. Funding, institutional affiliation, sponsorship, or commercial relationships must not determine peer-review outcomes or editorial decisions.

Ethical Guidance & Author Disclosure

For additional guidance, consult COPE guidance on competing interests and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency.

Authors must include their conflict-of-interest declaration in the submitted manuscript. If a separate signed disclosure form is required, the Editorial Office will provide instructions through the journal's submission system.

View Submission Guidelines →