Conflict of Interest Policy

BIMA — Bulletin of Intelligent Machines and Algorithms

1. Policy Statement

BIMA (Bulletin of Intelligent Machines and Algorithms) is committed to maintaining fairness, transparency, and academic integrity throughout the research and publication process. Authors, editors, and reviewers are expected to disclose any interests or relationships that could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their judgment. Such interests must be assessed and managed appropriately to preserve the credibility of editorial decisions and the scholarly record.

2. Definition of a Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when personal, financial, professional, academic, or other relationships may compromise, or may reasonably be perceived to compromise, an individual's impartiality in conducting research, reviewing a manuscript, or making an editorial decision.

A potential conflict does not automatically imply misconduct or invalidate research findings. However, failure to disclose or appropriately manage a relevant conflict may undermine confidence in the research, the peer-review process, and the publication itself. Disclosure enables the journal to assess the circumstances and determine appropriate safeguards.

3. Authors' Conflicts of Interest

Authors submitting manuscripts to BIMA must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that are relevant to the submitted work. Disclosure applies to all authors and should be made at the time of submission, including when the authors believe that the interests have not influenced their research.

Relevant interests may include, but are not limited to:

Authors must provide a clear conflict of interest statement in accordance with the journal's submission requirements. If no relevant conflict exists, the manuscript should include a declaration such as:

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their declarations are accurate and complete. Any relevant conflict identified after submission must be reported to the editorial office without undue delay.

4. Editors' and Reviewers' Conflicts of Interest

Editors and reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently. They are required to disclose any relationship or interest that could affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, their assessment of a submission.

Potential conflicts include:

• Recent or ongoing research collaborations with one or more authors.
• Personal, family, supervisory, or close professional relationships with an author.
• Financial interests or affiliations connected with the research or its outcomes.
• Direct academic competition or other circumstances that could compromise impartial judgment.
• Involvement in the research, manuscript preparation, or a closely related project that prevents an independent assessment.

Anyone who identifies a relevant conflict must inform the editorial office promptly and withdraw from the assessment when impartiality may be affected. The journal will arrange for an alternative editor or reviewer, as appropriate, who can assess the manuscript independently.

Editors must not make decisions on manuscripts in which they have a relevant competing interest. Where a conflict involves an editor, editorial responsibility must be transferred to an independent editor who is not involved in the conflict.

5. Disclosure and Management of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest should be disclosed at manuscript submission or as soon as they become known. The editorial team will consider the nature and significance of the disclosed interest and determine what action is necessary to protect the fairness of the review and publication process.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

• Request additional information or clarification from the authors, editors, or reviewers.
• Appoint an independent editor or replacement reviewer.
• Require a more complete or corrected disclosure statement.
• Include an appropriate conflict of interest declaration in the published article.
• Take further editorial action if a material conflict was not disclosed or was misrepresented.

Any action will be determined in light of the circumstances and the journal's applicable editorial and publication ethics policies. Where a concern may affect the reliability of the published record, the journal will assess the matter and consider appropriate corrective action.

6. Conflicts in AI and Computational Research

Given BIMA's focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, algorithms, and computational technologies, authors should pay particular attention to interests that may affect the design, evaluation, or interpretation of computational research.

Relevant circumstances may include financial relationships with technology vendors, ownership of software or patents, commercial interests in a model or algorithm, sponsored evaluations, and affiliations with organizations that may benefit from particular research outcomes.

Where relevant, authors should disclose these interests and explain their relationship to the submitted work. Disclosure does not in itself determine the acceptability of a manuscript; the editorial assessment will consider the relevance of the interest and whether appropriate safeguards are in place.

7. Responsibilities and Accountability

Authors are responsible for providing complete and truthful disclosures. Editors and reviewers must protect the independence of their assessments and report circumstances that may affect their impartiality. The editorial team is responsible for evaluating disclosures, implementing appropriate safeguards, and documenting relevant editorial actions where necessary.

BIMA handles disclosed conflicts consistently and in good faith. If a material conflict is discovered after publication, the journal will assess its potential effect on the integrity of the article and determine whether a correction, editorial notice, or other appropriate action is warranted.

8. Relationship with Other Publication Ethics Policies

This policy forms part of BIMA's broader commitment to responsible scholarly publishing. It should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics, Peer Review Policy, Corrections and Retractions Policy, and Allegations of Research Misconduct policy, where applicable.

Concerns involving undisclosed competing interests, inaccurate declarations, or related research misconduct will be assessed under the relevant journal policies. The journal will consider the available evidence and provide appropriate procedural safeguards when handling such concerns.

Commitment to Editorial Integrity

BIMA recognizes that transparent disclosure and appropriate management of competing interests are essential to trustworthy scholarly communication. Through this policy, the journal seeks to protect the independence of peer review, support fair editorial decisions, and maintain readers' confidence in published research.

BIMA — Bulletin of Intelligent Machines and Algorithms
Maheswari Publisher · Bandung, Indonesia
E-ISSN: 3123-5115