Physicochemical Characteristics, Antioxidant Properties, and Microbiological Quality of Bee Pollen Collected from Three Distinct Locations in Sakarya Province, Türkiye

AUTHORS GUIDELINE

1. SCOPE AND GENERAL INFORMATION
The Journal of Apitheraphy and Nature (JAN) is published twice a year electronically by Turkish Journal Park Academic (DergiPark) and accepts English-language original articles and letters to the editor on various research topics. The editor may invite reviews covering recent developments in particular fields of interest. Contribution is open to researchers of all nationalities. The journal adopted a Continuous Publication model in January 2026. Articles that successfully complete the peer-review process and are accepted are published online immediately. These articles are then compiled into two issues per year, in June and December.

2. LANGUAGE AND EXPRESSION
From 2026, all submissions must be in English. Manuscripts should be prepared in a clear, concise and academic style, adhering to a formal scientific tone. Third-person narration should be used when describing the work conducted by the author(s) (e.g. experimental studies or analyses). Authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with grammatical, spelling and punctuation conventions.

3. SUBMISSION PROCESS
All manuscripts must be submitted electronically via the Internet to the Journal of Apitheraphy and Nature through the online system for DergiPark Academic at (https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jan). You will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. There are no page charges. Papers are accepted for publication on the understanding that they have not been published and are not going to be considered for publication elsewhere. The Copyright Transfer Form must be uploaded online along with the manuscript at the time of submission. The current manuscript template and the Copyright Transfer Form are available on the Author Forms page of the journal’s website.

Authors must also carefully review the “Ethical Principles and Publication Policy” available on the journal’s homepage. In studies involving animals or harmful substances, an “Ethics Committee Approval Certificate” must be attached. For studies involving human participants, authors must certify compliance with the ethical standards of the authorized committee on human experimentation and with the revised Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/)

4. EVALUATION AND PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Journal of Apitherapy and Nature employs a double-blind peer review system to ensure the scientific quality, integrity, and impartiality of published work. Within this framework, the identities of authors and reviewers are kept strictly confidential; reviewers do not have access to author information, and authors are not informed of reviewer identities.

Submitted manuscripts undergo the following stages:

Initial Screening:
The Editor-in-Chief first evaluates all submissions in terms of relevance to the journal’s scope, scientific merit, and compliance with author guidelines. In addition, manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software. The overall similarity index must be below 25%, and similarity from any single source must not exceed 5%. Submissions lacking required documents or exceeding these thresholds are not considered for further evaluation.

Editorial Assessment:
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned by the Editor-in-Chief to an appropriate Associate Editor to manage the review process.

Reviewer Assignment:
The Associate Editor appoints at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise to evaluate the manuscript. Reviewers are selected, where possible, from outside the editorial board and are expected to provide objective and unbiased assessments in accordance with confidentiality principles.

Peer Review:
Reviewers evaluate the manuscript in terms of originality, scientific contribution, methodological rigor, reliability of results, and relevance to the existing literature.

Editorial Decision:
Based on the reviewer reports, the Associate Editor submits a recommendation along with their assessment to the Editor-in-Chief, who makes the final decision. If necessary, additional reviewers may be consulted. Decisions are communicated to the authors with justification and fall into one of the following categories: (I) Accept, (ii) Minor Revision, (iii) Major Revision, and (iv) Reject

Manuscripts published in the journal must not be published elsewhere and may not be used in whole or in part without proper citation. All submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors are required to declare this status in a cover letter at the time of submission. In the case of rejection, the Copyright Transfer Form becomes null and void. Upon acceptance and submission of the signed form, authors transfer the rights of reproduction and distribution, in whole or in part, to the journal.

5. ARTICLE TYPES
Information on the different types of manuscripts published in the journal and the requirements for each category are outlined below:

Research Articles: Research articles should present original scientific findings and provide sufficient methodological detail to allow reproducibility by experts in the field. These manuscripts must be prepared in English and should include the following sections: title, author(s) and affiliations, abstract, keywords, introduction, objective, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion. Where applicable, additional sections such as ethical statements, author contributions, acknowledgements, references, and figure and table captions should be included.

Review Articles: Review articles aim to critically evaluate previously published studies within the authors’ field of expertise, synthesize existing knowledge, and offer new perspectives or interpretations. These manuscripts must be written in English and generally follow a structure similar to research articles. Although there is no strict limit on manuscript length, review articles should provide a comprehensive discussion of the literature and include at least 40 references.

Letter to the Editor: Letters to the Editor may include comments, critiques, or discussions related to articles previously published in the journal, as well as evaluations of current topics within the journal’s scope. These submissions are assessed in terms of relevance and adherence to ethical standards. They must be written in English, with the main text not exceeding 1000 words and a maximum of 10 references.

6. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
Manuscripts submitted for evaluation must be prepared in accordance with the journal’s manuscript template. Authors are required to format their submissions using the current template available on the journal’s website and upload them to the system together with all required documents.

Publishing Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Journal of Apitherapy and Nature (JAN) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical guidelines and principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the preparation, evaluation, and publication of manuscripts submitted to the journal are expected to comply with these ethical standards. The full text of COPE’s ethical guidelines can be accessed at: https://publicationethics.org/

Human and Animal Research Ethics
Studies involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards. Research involving human subjects must comply with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The full text of the Declaration of Helsinki is available at: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/

For studies requiring ethical approval, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board. The name of the ethics committee, approval date, and approval number must be clearly stated in the manuscript. The editorial office may request documentation of ethical approval if necessary. Ethics committee approval is required for studies involving, but not limited to:

• Surveys or interviews involving human participants
• Clinical research
• Animal experiments
• Biomedical studies involving personal data
• Studies involving personal or sensitive data

Editors’ Responsibilities
Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts solely based on their academic merit. Editorial decisions are based on the following criteria:
• Originality of the study
• Scientific contribution to the field
• Methodological soundness
• Clarity and quality of presentation
• Relevance to the aims and scope of the journal

Editorial decisions are made without regard to the authors’ race, gender, religious belief, citizenship, or political philosophy. Editors are responsible for ensuring that the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and conducted in a timely manner. They must also manage potential conflicts of interest and ensure that reviewers are selected based on appropriate expertise. Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information regarding manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial staff involved in the review process.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities
The review process in Journal of Apitherapy and Nature follows a double-blind peer review system. Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and provide constructive and scholarly feedback. Reviewers should avoid personal criticism and maintain a professional and respectful tone in their reports. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and must not share or discuss them with others unless authorized by the editor. If reviewers identify potential conflicts of interest or feel unqualified to review a manuscript, they must notify the editor and decline the invitation to review. Information obtained during the peer review process must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal advantage.

Authors’ Responsibilities
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted work is entirely original and has not been published elsewhere. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be under consideration for publication in another journal simultaneously. Authors must appropriately cite the work of others and provide accurate references. All individuals listed as authors must have made significant contributions to the research. Individuals who did not contribute substantially to the study should not be listed as authors. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the data presented in the manuscript and may be requested to provide raw data during the review process. Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of their research. If a significant error is discovered in a published article, the corresponding author must promptly inform the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the article if necessary.

Publisher’s Responsibilities
The publisher of the journal supports the dissemination of scientific knowledge through open access publishing. All articles published in the journal are freely accessible to readers without subscription or payment. The publisher guarantees editorial independence and supports the editorial board in maintaining high ethical publishing standards.

Retraction Policy
Journal of Apitherapy and Nature is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. Published articles may be retracted under the following circumstances:
• Serious scientific errors or misleading findings
• Data fabrication or data manipulation
• Plagiarism or other ethical violations
• Duplicate publication
• Copyright infringement
• Violations of research or publication ethics

Retracted articles will not be removed from the journal archive. Instead, the article will be clearly marked as “Retracted Article,” and the reason for retraction will be publicly stated. Retraction procedures follow the guidelines established by COPE. COPE retraction guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines

Correction and Erratum Policy
Errors discovered after publication may be corrected through formal notices. Two types of corrections may be issued:

Erratum: issued for errors introduced during the publication process by the journal or publisher.

Corrigendum: issued for errors made by the authors.

Corrections are permanently linked to the original article and remain part of the journal’s permanent record.

Open Access Policy
Journal of Apitherapy and Nature is a fully open-access journal. All articles published in the journal are freely available to readers without subscription fees. The journal supports the principle that making scientific research freely accessible contributes to the global dissemination of knowledge.

Publication Fee Policy
The journal does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, or publication. Authors are not required to pay article processing charges (APC) at any stage of the publication process. All editorial and publication services, including DOI assignment, layout editing, and technical processing, are provided free of charge.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted Technologies Policy
The Journal of Apitherapy and Nature recognizes the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies and acknowledges that such tools may be used in the preparation of scholarly manuscripts. The journal establishes the following principles to ensure transparency, accountability, and academic integrity in the use of these technologies.

1. Scope of the Policy:
This policy regulates the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies during the manuscript preparation and writing process. The policy does not apply to AI-based analytical tools or computational methods used as part of the research itself (e.g., data analysis, modelling, image processing, or bioinformatic analysis). When such methods are employed, authors must describe them clearly and transparently in the Methods section of the manuscript.

2. Acceptable Use of AI During Manuscript Preparation:
Authors may use AI-assisted technologies only for limited editorial purposes such as improving language clarity and readability, grammar and spelling correction and formatting and stylistic refinement. The use of these tools must always occur under direct human supervision. Authors must carefully review, verify, and edit any AI-generated output to ensure scientific accuracy and consistency. Artificial intelligence systems cannot be credited as authors or co-authors, nor can they be cited as scholarly sources. Authorship implies intellectual contribution, responsibility, and accountability, which can only be attributed to human researchers.

3. Disclosure of AI Use:
If any generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, or similar systems) or AI-assisted software has been used during manuscript preparation, authors must explicitly disclose this in the manuscript. Routine language editing activities such as basic spelling, grammar, or punctuation checks do not require disclosure. The declaration should be placed before the References section using the following format:

Declaration of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL / SERVICE] for [SPECIFIC PURPOSE]. Following the use of this tool/service, the author(s) critically reviewed, edited, and approved the final text and accept full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

If no AI tools were used in the writing process, no declaration is required.

4. Author Responsibility and Editorial Oversight:
The authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content included in the manuscript. Editors and reviewers may request clarification regarding the use of AI tools if concerns arise about inappropriate or excessive reliance on such technologies. When necessary, the editorial office may request revisions, suspend the review process, or take appropriate editorial action, including withdrawal or retraction of the article.

5. Future Revisions of the Policy:
As artificial intelligence technologies continue to evolve rapidly, the Journal of Apitherapy and Nature reserves the right to update or revise this policy when required. Authors are responsible for complying with the most current version of the policy at the time of manuscript submission.

Peer Review Process
All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Apitherapy and Nature (JAN) undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure the scientific quality, originality, and relevance of the published research.

Initial Editorial Screening:
Upon submission, manuscripts are first evaluated by the editorial office to determine whether they comply with the journal’s scope, formatting requirements, and ethical standards. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be returned to the authors without external review.

Double-Blind Peer Review:
The journal applies a double-blind peer review system, in which both the authors and the reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process. This approach ensures impartial and objective evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewer Evaluation:
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers in the relevant field. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on several criteria, including:
• Originality and novelty of the research
• Scientific significance and contribution to the field
• Methodological rigor and validity
• Clarity of presentation and organization
• Relevance to the aims and scope of the journal

Editorial Decision:
Based on the reviewers’ reports, the editor may reach one of the following decisions:
• Accept the manuscript
• Minor revision required
• Major revision required
• Reject the manuscript

The final decision regarding publication rests with the editor.

Revision Process:
If revisions are requested, authors are expected to respond to the reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript within the specified timeframe. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the reviewers for further evaluation when necessary.

Confidentiality:
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to individuals not involved in the review process.

Plagiarism Screening Policy
The Journal of Apitherapy and Nature maintains strict policies to prevent plagiarism and ensure the originality of published work. All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software before being sent for peer review. The similarity reports are carefully examined by the editorial office.

Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 25% may be rejected or returned to the authors for revision, depending on the nature of the similarity detected.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, direct copying of text without proper citation, substantial similarity to previously published work, duplicate or redundant publication and self-plagiarism without appropriate reference. If plagiarism or unethical similarity is detected at any stage of the editorial or publication process, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines. Such actions may include manuscript rejection, withdrawal of the article from the review process, or retraction after publication.

Conflict of Interest Policy
The Journal of Apitherapy and Nature requires all participants in the publication process, authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation or interpretation of a manuscript. The journal is committed to maintaining transparency and objectivity throughout the editorial and peer review process.

Authors: Authors must declare any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their research. All sources of funding must be clearly acknowledged in the manuscript.

Reviewers: Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, institutions, or organizations associated with the manuscript.

Editors: Editors must avoid handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest. In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another editor to ensure an unbiased review process.

Complaint and Appeal Policy
The Journal of Apitherapy and Nature provides a transparent process for handling complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions, publication ethics, or the journal’s editorial processes. Authors who believe that an editorial decision has been made in error may submit a formal appeal to the editorial office. Appeals must be supported by a clear explanation and, where appropriate, additional evidence or clarification regarding the manuscript. All complaints and appeals will be reviewed carefully by the editorial board. When necessary, the journal may seek advice from independent experts or follow the procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) https://publicationethics.org/. The journal is committed to addressing complaints and appeals in a fair, objective, and timely manner while maintaining the integrity of the editorial process.

Archiving Policy
Journal of Apitherapy and Nature ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content through digital archiving systems. The journal is hosted on the DergiPark platform, which is based on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) infrastructure. In this context, all published content is preserved through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which provides secure and permanent archiving for scholarly journals. This system guarantees that the journal’s content will remain accessible even in the event that the journal ceases publication. In addition, all articles are assigned a DOI and are stored in multiple digital repositories, ensuring permanent access and citation.

Unethical Behavior
• If you encounter an unethical situation, content or behavior that does not comply with the ethical responsibilities outlined above, please report it by e-mail to the following address: oktayyildiz@ktu.edu.tr