Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences is committed to the highest standards of research and publication ethics in line with
COPE, ICMJE, CSE, EASE, and NISO. The journal adheres to the
Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (DOAJ, COPE, OASPA, WAME). This policy defines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher to ensure integrity, transparency, objectivity, and accountability.

General Ethical Standards

• Only original, unpublished, and high-quality manuscripts are considered.
• Plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, duplicate/overlapping publication, image manipulation, citation manipulation, and unethical experimentation are prohibited.
• All submissions undergo plagiarism screening (e.g., iThenticate, intihal.net); editors evaluate reports holistically.
• Human/animal studies must include required ethical approvals, consent, and compliance with international guidelines.

Authorship, Contributions, and Acknowledgements

• Authorship follows ICMJE criteria; all four conditions must be met.
• Use the CRediT taxonomy to declare individual contributions.
• Non-author contributors should be acknowledged with consent; ghost/guest/gift authorship is unacceptable.

Data Availability, Materials, and Reproducibility

• Provide a Data Availability Statement indicating access to data, code, and materials (repository link or justified restrictions).
• Deposit datasets/code in recognized repositories and cite persistent identifiers when applicable.
  

Preprints and Prior Dissemination

• Submissions previously posted as preprints are allowed with disclosure at submission; update the preprint with the article DOI upon acceptance.
• Conference abstracts/theses are acceptable but overlap must be disclosed.
  

Editorial and Peer Review Process

• Double-blind peer review with at least two independent reviewers and oversight by an editorial board member.
• Decisions are based on scientific merit, originality, and relevance to scope.
• Submissions from editors/board members are handled independently.

Responsibilities of Authors

• Ensure originality, accurate citation, ethical conduct, and compliance with approvals/consents.
• Disclose all funding sources and conflicts of interest.
• Provide transparent methodology; share data/code as stated; cooperate in post-publication actions.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Provide constructive, objective, timely reviews; keep confidentiality; avoid personal criticism.
• Declare conflicts and recuse when needed; report suspected ethical issues.

Responsibilities of Editors

• Ensure fair, unbiased, and timely decisions; safeguard confidentiality; manage conflicts of interest.
• Follow COPE flowcharts for suspected misconduct; uphold academic integrity.

Research Involving Humans and Animals

• Human studies: IRB/ethics approval (name/ID), informed consent, clinical trial registration (where applicable), and permissions for identifiable data/images.
• Animal studies: Institutional approval and compliance with international standards (e.g., ARRIVE); minimize suffering and justify procedures.

Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure

• Declare all financial and non-financial conflicts (employment, consultancies, stock, patents, grants, personal relationships, academic competition).
• State funders and their role in study design, analysis, and publication.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools

• AI tools cannot be authors. Disclose tool name/version and purpose (e.g., language editing) in the manuscript; authors remain fully responsible for accuracy/integrity.
• No fabricated data/references/images; no privacy/confidentiality breaches.

Open Access, Licensing, and Revenue Sources

Articles are published under CC BY-NC 4.0. The journal is fully open access (no paywalls). No submission fee or APC is charged. An Editorial Processing Charge (EPC) is requested prior to peer review to support editorial/technical operations; waiver/discount options are available (see Price Policy).

The journal does not carry advertising or sponsored content that could compromise editorial independence.

Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

• Actions follow COPE Retraction Guidelines and flowcharts.
• Where necessary, the journal issues retractions, corrections/errata, or expressions of concern; notices are free to access and linked to the original article.

Appeals and Complaints

• Submit appeals/complaints with justification to editorialoffice@jaefs.com. The journal aims to acknowledge within 7 days and resolve within a reasonable timeframe; unresolved cases may be referred to an ombudsperson or external expert in line with COPE recommendations.

Disclaimer

Opinions in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, publisher, or affiliated institutions. Authors bear full responsibility for their work.