Conflict of Interest

Napande: Jurnal Kebidanan, published by Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu, is committed to maintaining objectivity, transparency, fairness, and editorial independence throughout the research, peer-review, and publication processes. The journal requires all authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in scholarly publishing to disclose any relationships or circumstances that may influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their professional judgment.

A conflict of interest arises when financial, professional, institutional, personal, academic, or other relationships may influence, or appear to influence, the design, conduct, evaluation, interpretation, or reporting of research. Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived and must be disclosed to ensure transparency, research integrity, and the credibility of scholarly publications.

Authors

Authors are required to disclose all actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to their submitted manuscripts. These may include research funding, financial support, employment, consultancy, honoraria, institutional affiliations, commercial interests, intellectual property rights, patents, personal relationships, or other circumstances that could influence the research findings or their interpretation.

In midwifery and maternal and child health research, conflicts of interest may also arise from relationships with healthcare institutions, professional organizations, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, or organizations supporting research and healthcare interventions.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have disclosed relevant conflicts of interest and that the information provided is accurate, complete, and transparent. Any changes or newly identified conflicts must be promptly communicated to the editorial office before publication.

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting a manuscript review assignment. Such conflicts may include financial relationships, academic competition, previous or ongoing research collaborations, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, or other circumstances that could compromise their independence and impartiality.

Reviewers are expected to decline assignments when their objectivity may be compromised. If a conflict of interest becomes apparent after accepting a review assignment, the reviewer must immediately inform the editor so that appropriate action can be taken.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and ensure that their evaluations are based solely on the scientific quality, methodological rigor, originality, relevance, and ethical standards of the submitted manuscript.

Editors

Editors must maintain editorial independence and ensure that manuscript evaluations and publication decisions are conducted objectively, fairly, and without inappropriate influence.

Editors must disclose any personal, professional, institutional, financial, or academic relationships that could influence their editorial judgment. Editors must not handle manuscripts when such relationships create an actual or perceived conflict of interest.

When a conflict arises, the affected editor must withdraw from the editorial process, and the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified and independent editor.

Editorial decisions must be based on the scientific merit, methodological quality, originality, relevance to midwifery and related health sciences, and compliance with the journal's ethical and publication standards.

Disclosure Statement

All authors must include a clearly identified Conflict of Interest Statement in their manuscripts, regardless of whether any conflicts of interest exist.

The statement must accurately represent the circumstances of all authors and disclose any relationships or interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted research.

When no conflicts of interest exist, authors may use the following statement:

"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to this research."

When conflicts of interest exist, authors must provide a clear and complete disclosure describing the nature of the relationships or interests and their potential relevance to the research.

Disclosure of funding sources should also be provided in the appropriate funding or acknowledgment section of the manuscript, in accordance with the journal's author guidelines.

Management of Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. The Editorial Board of Napande: Jurnal Kebidanan will evaluate the nature, significance, and potential impact of any disclosed conflict to determine appropriate measures for maintaining transparency, objectivity, and editorial independence.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request additional information, assign an independent editor or reviewer, require clarification or revision of the disclosure statement, or implement other safeguards to ensure a fair and unbiased editorial process.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in further investigation and appropriate editorial action. Such actions may include requests for clarification, correction of published information, manuscript rejection, or post-publication measures when warranted.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

Napande: Jurnal Kebidanan is committed to promoting responsible research conduct, transparent disclosure, and impartial editorial decision-making in accordance with internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal encourages all parties involved in the publication process to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, professional responsibility, and ethical conduct to ensure the reliability and credibility of published research in midwifery and related health sciences.