Introduction

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology (JAE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, ethical conduct, and professional responsibility throughout the scholarly publishing process. The journal recognizes that maintaining public trust in scientific research requires rigorous editorial practices, responsible authorship, objective peer review, and adherence to internationally accepted publication ethics.

The journal expects authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher to comply with ethical principles throughout every stage of manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication activities. Every manuscript submitted to the journal is evaluated solely on its scientific quality, originality, relevance, and contribution to agricultural and ecological research without discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and continuously strives to improve editorial quality, research transparency, and publication integrity. The journal supports ethical research practices and encourages responsible dissemination of scientific knowledge for the benefit of the global academic community.

This Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement has been developed in accordance with internationally recognized recommendations and best practices, including those published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

The journal reserves the right to investigate any allegation of publication misconduct before or after publication and may take appropriate corrective actions, including rejection of manuscripts, publication of corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or notification of relevant institutions whenever necessary.

1. Scope of Publication Ethics

Publication ethics form the foundation of trustworthy scholarly communication. The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that maintaining ethical standards is a shared responsibility among authors, editors, reviewers, publishers, and readers. Every participant involved in the publication process plays an important role in ensuring that published research is accurate, reliable, reproducible, and scientifically valuable.

The journal is committed to promoting responsible research practices that encourage innovation while preventing scientific misconduct. Ethical publishing ensures that research findings are communicated honestly, research participants are protected, intellectual contributions receive appropriate recognition, and readers can rely on published information when advancing future research.

The journal applies ethical principles to every stage of the editorial workflow, including manuscript submission, editorial assessment, peer review, revision, publication, indexing, archiving, and post-publication corrections. These principles also extend to supplementary materials, datasets, graphical abstracts, multimedia files, and all other scholarly content published by the journal.

Any breach of publication ethics is treated seriously regardless of whether it occurs intentionally or unintentionally. Allegations of ethical misconduct are investigated objectively, confidentially, and fairly while ensuring that all concerned parties receive an opportunity to respond before editorial decisions are finalized.

The journal encourages all members of the scholarly community to report suspected ethical concerns whenever they identify potential misconduct relating to manuscripts submitted to or published by the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology.

2. Principles of Research Integrity

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to preserving the integrity, credibility, and reliability of the scholarly record by encouraging responsible conduct of research throughout the publication process. Research integrity extends beyond compliance with ethical regulations and reflects the values of honesty, accountability, transparency, fairness, and professional responsibility in scientific communication.

Authors are expected to conduct their research using scientifically sound methodologies and to report findings accurately without fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or inappropriate manipulation of data. The journal expects that all conclusions presented within a manuscript are supported by sufficient evidence and that limitations of the study are disclosed whenever applicable.

Editors evaluate submissions impartially and independently, making editorial decisions solely on the basis of scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope. Editorial decisions are never influenced by commercial interests, institutional affiliations, personal relationships, or financial considerations.

Peer reviewers contribute to research integrity by providing constructive, objective, confidential, and timely evaluations that assist editors in making informed publication decisions and help authors improve the quality of their manuscripts.

The journal promotes transparency by encouraging authors to maintain accurate research records, preserve original data, disclose funding sources, declare conflicts of interest, acknowledge contributors appropriately, and cooperate fully during editorial investigations whenever questions regarding published work arise.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology considers the integrity of the scholarly record to be of paramount importance and will take appropriate corrective action whenever credible evidence suggests that published work may contain significant errors or ethical violations.

3. Authorship and Contributorship Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes authorship as a significant academic responsibility that reflects both intellectual contribution and accountability for published research. Authorship should accurately represent the individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, drafting, or critical revision of a manuscript. The journal is committed to preventing inappropriate authorship practices such as guest authorship, honorary authorship, gift authorship, ghost authorship, and purchased authorship.

Every listed author must have participated sufficiently in the research to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the work. All authors should approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and agree to its submission to the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology. By submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author confirms that every co author has reviewed, approved, and consented to the submission and publication of the manuscript.

Individuals who contribute to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately within the Acknowledgements section after obtaining their permission. Examples include technical assistance, language editing, data collection support, funding acquisition, administrative support, or laboratory assistance that does not constitute substantial intellectual contribution.

The journal reserves the right to request clarification regarding each author's contribution whenever necessary. Authors may also be required to provide institutional confirmation or additional documentation if concerns regarding authorship arise during editorial assessment or after publication.

The journal strongly discourages disputes regarding authorship after manuscript submission. Authors are encouraged to determine the order of authorship and individual contributions before submitting their manuscript. Any disagreement among authors should be resolved internally before submission to the journal.

3.1 Criteria for Authorship

An individual should normally satisfy all of the following criteria to qualify as an author of a manuscript submitted to the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the research, acquisition of data, analysis of data, or interpretation of research findings.
• Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
• Approved the final version of the manuscript prior to submission.
• Agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the published work and to cooperate in resolving any questions relating to the accuracy or integrity of the research.

Merely obtaining research funding, providing laboratory facilities, supervising students, performing routine technical work, collecting data without intellectual contribution, or serving as a departmental head does not automatically qualify an individual for authorship.

3.2 Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary point of contact between the journal and all co authors throughout the editorial and publication process. The corresponding author assumes responsibility for ensuring that all submission materials are complete, accurate, and ethically compliant.

The corresponding author is expected to:

• Ensure that every listed author meets the journal's authorship criteria.
• Obtain approval from all co authors before manuscript submission.
• Confirm that the manuscript has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal.
• Ensure that all research data presented in the manuscript are accurate and authentic.
• Disclose all conflicts of interest and funding sources.
• Coordinate responses to reviewers and editors during peer review.
• Communicate editorial decisions promptly to all co authors.
• Cooperate fully with any investigation relating to publication ethics or research integrity.

The corresponding author also remains responsible for responding to editorial queries after publication whenever necessary.

3.3 Author Contributions

To improve transparency and accountability, the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology encourages authors to clearly describe the specific contribution of each author at the time of manuscript submission. Typical contributions may include:

• Conceptualization
• Research design
• Methodology
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Statistical analysis
• Software development
• Validation
• Visualization
• Investigation
• Project administration
• Funding acquisition
• Writing of the original manuscript
• Critical review and editing

Providing a transparent description of author contributions helps readers understand the role of each contributor and reduces the likelihood of authorship disputes.

3.4 Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission are considered exceptional circumstances and require a formal written request explaining the reasons for the proposed change.

Any request for changes in authorship must include:

• A signed statement from the corresponding author explaining the requested change.
• Written consent from every existing author.
• Written consent from any author being added or removed.
• Supporting documentation when requested by the Editorial Office.

The editorial office may suspend peer review or publication until the authorship issue has been satisfactorily resolved. In cases involving suspected authorship misconduct, the journal may contact the relevant institutions for clarification.

Changes to authorship after publication will only be considered under exceptional circumstances supported by sufficient evidence and may result in the publication of a formal correction notice.

3.5 Unacceptable Authorship Practices

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology considers the following practices to be unethical and unacceptable:

Gift Authorship

Listing an individual as an author despite making little or no intellectual contribution to the research.

Honorary Authorship

Including senior faculty members, department heads, supervisors, institutional administrators, or collaborators solely because of their position or reputation rather than genuine scholarly contribution.

Ghost Authorship

Excluding individuals who made substantial intellectual contributions to the manuscript, including professional writers or researchers whose involvement should have been acknowledged.

Purchased Authorship

Buying or selling authorship positions before or after manuscript acceptance.

Authorship Manipulation

Submitting false declarations regarding author contributions, changing author order without consent, or intentionally omitting deserving contributors.

Any confirmed violation of authorship ethics may result in manuscript rejection, publication of corrections or retractions, notification of authors' institutions, temporary submission restrictions, or other corrective measures considered appropriate by the editorial board.

3.6 Accountability of Authors

Every author shares collective responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the published work. Authors are expected to cooperate fully with editors during peer review, respond promptly to editorial communications, provide supporting documentation when requested, and assist in correcting or retracting published articles if significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication.

Authors should retain original research records, datasets, laboratory notebooks, and other supporting documentation for a reasonable period following publication to facilitate verification whenever necessary.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that responsible authorship strengthens scientific credibility, promotes public trust in scholarly communication, and supports the advancement of reliable agricultural and ecological research.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology expects all authors to uphold the highest standards of honesty, transparency, and professionalism throughout the research and publication process. Authors are responsible for ensuring that every manuscript submitted to the journal represents original scholarly work, has been prepared ethically, and accurately reports the research conducted.

Authors should submit manuscripts that contribute meaningful scientific knowledge to the fields of agriculture, ecology, environmental sciences, natural resource management, biodiversity, sustainable development, climate science, soil science, plant sciences, animal sciences, and related interdisciplinary areas. All research findings must be presented truthfully without fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, inappropriate image manipulation, or misleading interpretation of results.

By submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology, authors confirm that they have read and accepted the journal's publication ethics policies and agree to cooperate fully with editors during peer review, publication, and any post publication investigations.

4.1 Originality of Research

Authors must submit only original research that has not been previously published, either in whole or in substantial part, in any journal, book, conference proceedings, repository with formal publication status, or other scholarly publication.

The manuscript should represent the genuine intellectual work of the listed authors. Whenever the work of other researchers has influenced the submitted manuscript, appropriate citations and references must be provided.

Authors should avoid unnecessary duplication of previously published material, including extensive reuse of their own published text without proper citation.

The journal may employ plagiarism detection software during editorial assessment to verify originality before peer review.

4.2 Multiple, Duplicate and Simultaneous Submission

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

Submission of identical or substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals at the same time constitutes unethical publishing behavior and may result in immediate rejection of all related submissions.

Likewise, manuscripts that substantially overlap with previously published articles without appropriate justification or citation may be considered duplicate publication.

If portions of the work have previously appeared as conference abstracts, dissertations, preprints, technical reports, or institutional repositories, authors should disclose this information at the time of submission.

4.3 Accuracy of Research Reporting

Authors are expected to present an accurate, complete, and objective description of the research performed.

Research methods should be described in sufficient detail to allow independent researchers to understand and reproduce the study wherever appropriate.

Authors should report both positive and negative findings honestly and should not intentionally omit observations that may influence interpretation of the results.

Statistical analyses should be appropriate for the study design, and conclusions should be supported by the data presented.

The journal discourages exaggerated claims that are not adequately supported by experimental evidence.

4.4 Data Availability and Record Retention

Authors should maintain accurate records of the original research data supporting their published findings.

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized public repositories or make them available upon reasonable request, subject to ethical, legal, privacy, or commercial restrictions.

Editors may request access to original data during peer review or during investigations concerning research integrity.

Failure to provide supporting data when reasonably requested may lead to rejection of the manuscript or further editorial investigation.

Authors should retain original research records for an appropriate period following publication in accordance with institutional and funding agency requirements.

4.5 Proper Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must appropriately acknowledge the work, ideas, methods, figures, tables, software, datasets, and publications of other researchers whenever they have influenced the submitted work.

Direct quotations should be clearly identified and properly referenced.

Failure to acknowledge the contributions of previous researchers constitutes plagiarism and violates accepted standards of scholarly publishing.

Authors are also encouraged to acknowledge individuals or organizations that contributed to the research but do not satisfy the criteria for authorship.

4.6 Funding Disclosure

Authors should disclose all financial support received for conducting the research presented in the manuscript.

Funding information should include the name of the funding organization, grant number where applicable, project identification details, and any other relevant financial support.

If the research did not receive external funding, authors should clearly state that no external funding was received.

Disclosure of funding enhances transparency and assists readers in evaluating potential influences on the research.

4.7 Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or commercial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the interpretation of their research findings.

Examples include employment, consultancy, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, research funding, advisory roles, paid expert testimony, or personal relationships that may affect objectivity.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include a statement declaring that no competing interests are present.

Full disclosure enables readers and editors to evaluate the research fairly and transparently.

4.8 Ethical Approval for Research

Research involving humans, animals, biological materials, personal information, indigenous communities, genetically modified organisms, or environmentally sensitive areas must comply with applicable ethical regulations and institutional guidelines.

Authors should clearly state within the manuscript that appropriate ethical approval was obtained before commencing the research.

Where required, the manuscript should identify the approving ethics committee, institutional review board, or regulatory authority together with the approval number.

Editors may request documentary evidence of ethical approval whenever necessary.

4.9 Informed Consent

For research involving human participants, authors should confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection.

Where identifiable information, photographs, videos, or clinical information are published, authors must ensure that appropriate written consent for publication has been obtained.

The journal respects participant privacy and expects authors to remove personally identifiable information whenever possible.

4.10 Image Integrity

Authors must ensure that all photographs, microscopy images, satellite images, graphs, electrophoresis gels, maps, and other visual materials accurately represent the original research findings.

Digital enhancement is permitted only when applied uniformly and when it does not alter the scientific interpretation of the image.

Selective enhancement, deletion of features, insertion of objects, misleading cropping, or manipulation intended to influence interpretation is considered scientific misconduct.

Editors may request original image files whenever questions regarding image integrity arise.

4.11 Artificial Intelligence Assisted Content

Authors may use artificial intelligence based tools for language editing, grammar improvement, formatting assistance, or translation provided that the authors retain complete responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted manuscript.

Artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for published work, approve manuscripts, disclose conflicts of interest, or respond to editorial correspondence.

If artificial intelligence tools have substantially assisted in manuscript preparation, authors should disclose such use in an appropriate statement within the manuscript.

Authors remain fully accountable for all content submitted to the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology regardless of any artificial intelligence assistance used during manuscript preparation.

4.12 Cooperation During Editorial Investigations

Authors are expected to cooperate fully with editors whenever questions arise regarding submitted or published manuscripts.

If editors request additional documentation, original datasets, ethics approvals, laboratory records, image files, or other supporting materials, authors should provide them promptly.

Where genuine errors are discovered after publication, authors should immediately inform the journal and cooperate in issuing corrections, corrigenda, expressions of concern, or retractions where appropriate.

Failure to cooperate during editorial investigations may result in manuscript rejection, publication of editorial notices, withdrawal of published articles, notification of institutional authorities, or temporary restrictions on future submissions.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that responsible authorship and transparent reporting are fundamental to maintaining public confidence in scientific research and advancing knowledge in agriculture and ecology.

5. Responsibilities of Editors

The Editors of the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology play a central role in maintaining the scientific quality, credibility, and integrity of the journal. Editors are entrusted with ensuring that every manuscript is handled fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing.

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, significance, clarity, ethical compliance, and relevance of the submitted manuscript to the aims and scope of the journal. Editors shall not discriminate against authors on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, age, disability, or any other non academic factor.

Editors are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct throughout the editorial process while promoting transparency, accountability, and fairness for authors, reviewers, and readers.

5.1 Editorial Independence

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology maintains complete editorial independence in all publication decisions. Editors exercise their professional judgment without interference from the publisher, sponsors, advertisers, funding agencies, institutions, or any external organizations.

Editorial decisions are never influenced by commercial interests, financial considerations, political pressure, personal relationships, or institutional affiliations. The editorial board is solely responsible for determining whether a manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected based on its scholarly quality.

The publisher fully respects the independence of the editorial process and does not interfere with scientific evaluations conducted by the editorial team.

5.2 Fair and Unbiased Evaluation

Editors evaluate all submitted manuscripts objectively and impartially.

Editorial assessment is based upon factors including:

• Scientific originality
• Novelty of research
• Methodological rigor
• Technical accuracy
• Statistical validity
• Clarity of presentation
• Ethical compliance
• Relevance to the journal
• Potential contribution to scientific knowledge

Editors do not consider an author's nationality, race, religion, gender, institutional reputation, seniority, political ideology, or commercial interests when making editorial decisions.

The journal supports equal opportunity for researchers worldwide and promotes diversity and inclusion within scholarly publishing.

5.3 Confidentiality

Editors must maintain strict confidentiality throughout the editorial process.

Information contained within submitted manuscripts shall not be disclosed to anyone other than individuals directly involved in the editorial and peer review process, including assigned reviewers, editorial staff, and publishing personnel where necessary.

Editors shall not use unpublished information obtained through manuscript handling for their own research, personal benefit, or professional advantage.

Confidentiality obligations continue even after editorial decisions have been completed.

5.4 Editorial Decision Making

Editors are responsible for ensuring that every editorial decision is based upon careful consideration of all available evidence.

Editorial decisions may consider:

• Reviewer recommendations
• Scientific validity
• Ethical compliance
• Originality
• Quality of presentation
• Relevance to journal objectives
• Compliance with submission guidelines

Although reviewer comments are carefully considered, the final publication decision always rests with the Editor.

Editors may seek additional expert opinions whenever reviewer reports are contradictory or insufficient to support a final decision.

5.5 Conflict of Interest

Editors should avoid handling manuscripts where any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest exists.

Conflicts may arise from:

• Personal relationships
• Professional collaborations
• Institutional affiliations
• Financial interests
• Research competition
• Family relationships
• Previous supervisory relationships

Whenever a conflict exists, the manuscript shall be reassigned to another qualified editor who can manage the review process independently.

Editors should disclose any potential conflicts to the Editor in Chief whenever necessary.

5.6 Handling Ethical Concerns

Editors are responsible for responding promptly and appropriately whenever concerns regarding publication ethics arise.

Potential concerns include:

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate publication
• Fabricated data
• Falsified results
• Image manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Authorship disputes
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Ethical approval deficiencies
• Reviewer misconduct

Editors may request additional documentation from authors, consult subject experts, communicate with institutional authorities, or seek independent ethical advice before reaching a final decision.

Every investigation shall be conducted confidentially, fairly, and without prejudice.

5.7 Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes that authors may occasionally disagree with editorial decisions.

Authors may submit a formal appeal if they believe:

• A factual error influenced the editorial decision.
• Reviewer comments contain objective inaccuracies.
• Important scientific evidence was overlooked.
• Procedural irregularities occurred during peer review.

Appeals must provide detailed scientific justification and supporting evidence.

Editors will review appeals independently and may obtain additional expert opinions where appropriate.

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reconsideration or acceptance of the manuscript.

Editorial decisions following the appeal process shall be considered final.

5.8 Handling Complaints

Editors will carefully investigate complaints relating to:

• Editorial misconduct
• Peer review quality
• Ethical concerns
• Publication delays
• Reviewer behavior
• Editorial communication
• Alleged bias
• Conflicts of interest

Every complaint will receive fair consideration while maintaining confidentiality for all parties involved.

Where necessary, complaints may be referred to the Editor in Chief, Editorial Board, Publisher, or relevant institutional authorities.

5.9 Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

Editors are responsible for preserving the accuracy of the scholarly record.

When significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, editors may initiate appropriate corrective actions, including:

• Publisher Correction
• Author Correction
• Corrigendum
• Erratum
• Expression of Concern
• Retraction
• Removal of Article in exceptional legal circumstances

Any corrective notice shall clearly describe the reason for the action while preserving the integrity of the scientific record.

Retraction decisions are made only after careful investigation and evaluation of available evidence.

5.10 Preservation of Research Integrity

Editors actively work to identify and prevent publication misconduct throughout the editorial process.

Editorial screening may include evaluation for:

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate publication
• Self plagiarism
• Image manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Artificial intelligence generated fraudulent content
• Paper mill submissions
• Fabricated reviewer identities
• Fabricated datasets
• Statistical inconsistencies
• Ethical approval deficiencies

Where misconduct is suspected, editors may suspend editorial processing until satisfactory clarification has been obtained.

Confirmed cases of serious misconduct may result in manuscript rejection, article retraction, notification of institutional authorities, funding agencies, indexing services, or other organizations responsible for maintaining research integrity.

5.11 Commitment to Transparency

The editors of the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology are committed to maintaining a transparent, ethical, and accountable editorial process that promotes scientific excellence and public trust.

Editors continuously review editorial policies and publication practices to ensure alignment with internationally recognized publishing standards and evolving ethical guidelines. By upholding these principles, the journal seeks to provide authors, reviewers, readers, and the wider scientific community with confidence that every published article has undergone a fair, rigorous, and ethically responsible editorial evaluation.

6. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer review is one of the fundamental pillars of scholarly publishing and plays a critical role in maintaining the quality, credibility, and integrity of scientific literature. The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology relies on qualified, independent, and ethical reviewers to evaluate the scientific merit, originality, methodological soundness, and relevance of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers are expected to conduct reviews objectively, professionally, confidentially, and within the agreed review period. Their evaluations should assist editors in making informed editorial decisions while providing constructive feedback that helps authors improve the quality of their research.

The journal recognizes peer review as a professional responsibility and expects reviewers to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct throughout the review process.

6.1 Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for peer review are confidential documents.

Reviewers must treat all submitted materials as privileged information and must not disclose, discuss, distribute, copy, or use any unpublished information contained within a manuscript for personal, academic, commercial, or research purposes.

Reviewers should not share manuscripts with colleagues, students, or third parties without obtaining prior permission from the Editor.

Confidentiality obligations continue even after completion of the review process.

6.2 Objectivity and Fairness

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts solely on their scientific merit.

Reviews should be objective, balanced, evidence based, and free from personal criticism of the authors.

Reviewer comments should focus on aspects such as:

• Originality
• Scientific contribution
• Methodological quality
• Experimental design
• Statistical analysis
• Interpretation of results
• Clarity of presentation
• Ethical compliance
• Literature review
• Overall significance of the research

Reviewers should avoid comments that are offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, or unrelated to the scientific content of the manuscript.

6.3 Competence

Reviewers should accept review invitations only when they possess appropriate expertise in the manuscript's subject area.

If reviewers believe that the manuscript falls outside their area of competence or that they cannot provide an informed scientific evaluation, they should decline the invitation promptly to allow editors to identify a more suitable reviewer.

The journal values high quality peer review over rapid review and encourages reviewers to accept assignments only when they can provide meaningful scientific feedback.

6.4 Timeliness

Peer review is essential for the efficient publication of scientific research.

Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the agreed review period.

If reviewers anticipate delays due to professional commitments or unforeseen circumstances, they should notify the Editorial Office as early as possible.

Timely reviews help minimize publication delays while maintaining the quality of editorial decisions.

6.5 Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.

Examples include:

• Current or recent collaboration with the authors
• Employment at the same institution
• Financial relationships
• Personal relationships
• Academic competition
• Joint research projects
• Supervisory relationships
• Commercial interests

If a conflict exists that may influence impartial judgment, the reviewer should decline the review invitation immediately.

Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may compromise the integrity of the peer review process.

6.6 Identification of Ethical Concerns

Reviewers are encouraged to assist editors in identifying potential ethical issues within submitted manuscripts.

These may include:

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate publication
• Self plagiarism
• Fabricated or falsified data
• Image manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Questionable statistical analyses
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Missing ethical approvals
• Inappropriate authorship
• Artificial intelligence generated fraudulent content

If reviewers suspect publication misconduct, they should report their concerns confidentially to the Editor together with supporting evidence whenever possible.

Reviewers should not independently contact the authors regarding suspected misconduct.

6.7 Constructive Feedback

Reviewer comments should help authors improve the scientific quality of their manuscripts.

Constructive reviews typically include observations regarding:

• Scientific strengths
• Methodological weaknesses
• Areas requiring clarification
• Literature that should be considered
• Statistical improvements
• Presentation quality
• Language improvements
• Recommendations for additional experiments where justified

Reviewers should distinguish clearly between mandatory revisions necessary for scientific validity and optional suggestions intended to improve readability or presentation.

6.8 Use of Artificial Intelligence During Peer Review

To preserve confidentiality and protect unpublished scholarly work, reviewers should not upload submitted manuscripts or any portion of their contents into publicly available artificial intelligence tools or external platforms that may retain, process, or reuse confidential information without explicit authorization from the journal.

If reviewers use approved artificial intelligence based tools for limited language assistance or editorial support, they remain fully responsible for the accuracy, confidentiality, integrity, and independence of their review.

The reviewer must ensure that any use of such tools does not compromise confidential manuscript content or influence the objectivity of the scientific assessment.

6.9 Recommendation to the Editor

Reviewer recommendations are advisory in nature and assist the Editor in making an informed editorial decision.

Reviewers may recommend:

• Accept without revision
• Minor revision
• Major revision
• Reject and encourage resubmission
• Reject

Final publication decisions are made solely by the Editor after considering reviewer reports, editorial assessment, journal policies, and the overall scientific merit of the manuscript.

6.10 Professional Conduct

Reviewers should maintain professional, respectful, and ethical communication throughout the peer review process.

Reviewers must not:

• Delay reviews intentionally to gain competitive advantage.
• Use confidential information for personal research.
• Contact authors directly regarding the manuscript.
• Attempt to identify anonymous reviewers or influence editorial decisions improperly.
• Request unnecessary citations to their own publications solely to increase citation counts.
• Recommend acceptance or rejection based on personal beliefs or institutional affiliations.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology values reviewers as essential contributors to scholarly communication and appreciates their voluntary efforts in maintaining the scientific quality and integrity of published research. Through ethical, objective, and constructive peer review, reviewers help ensure that published articles meet the highest standards of academic excellence and research integrity.

7. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The Publisher of the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to supporting ethical scholarly publishing by maintaining editorial independence, promoting research integrity, ensuring transparency in publication practices, and preserving the reliability of the scientific record. The Publisher works collaboratively with the Editor in Chief, Editorial Board, reviewers, authors, and readers to uphold internationally recognized standards of publication ethics.

The Publisher recognizes that maintaining confidence in scholarly communication requires responsible management of the editorial process while respecting the independence of editorial decision making. The Publisher therefore provides administrative, technical, and operational support without influencing editorial judgments regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts.

The Publisher is committed to continuously improving journal quality by adopting recognized publishing standards, maintaining transparent editorial policies, preserving published content, and supporting ethical research dissemination.

7.1 Editorial Independence

The Publisher fully respects the editorial independence of the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology.

Editorial decisions are made exclusively by the Editor in Chief and the Editorial Board based upon scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal.

The Publisher shall not interfere with editorial decisions for commercial, political, institutional, financial, or personal reasons.

Editors retain complete authority regarding the scientific evaluation of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

7.2 Commitment to Publication Ethics

The Publisher actively promotes responsible scholarly publishing by supporting internationally accepted ethical principles throughout the publication process.

The Publisher encourages compliance with recognized publication ethics guidelines and continuously reviews journal policies to ensure alignment with evolving international standards.

The Publisher supports ethical publishing practices relating to:

• Research integrity
• Responsible authorship
• Transparent peer review
• Conflict of interest disclosure
• Ethical oversight
• Data transparency
• Research reproducibility
• Intellectual property protection
• Post publication corrections

7.3 Support for Editorial Integrity

The Publisher provides the editorial office with appropriate technical infrastructure, editorial management systems, and administrative support necessary for maintaining an efficient, confidential, and transparent publication process.

The Publisher supports editors in implementing editorial policies consistently while respecting confidentiality and protecting sensitive information throughout manuscript handling.

The Publisher also encourages continuous training and professional development of editorial personnel regarding publication ethics, peer review, editorial best practices, and emerging ethical issues within scholarly publishing.

7.4 Handling Publication Misconduct

The Publisher supports the Editor in Chief whenever allegations of publication misconduct arise.

Where credible concerns exist regarding submitted or published manuscripts, the Publisher will cooperate fully in conducting confidential, fair, and objective investigations.

Potential forms of misconduct include:

• Plagiarism
• Duplicate publication
• Data fabrication
• Data falsification
• Image manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Authorship fraud
• Peer review manipulation
• Paper mill submissions
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Ethical approval violations

The Publisher supports appropriate corrective actions whenever misconduct is confirmed.

7.5 Corrections and Retractions

The Publisher is committed to preserving the integrity and permanence of the scholarly record.

Where significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the Publisher will cooperate with the Editor to publish appropriate notices including:

• Corrections
• Errata
• Corrigenda
• Expressions of Concern
• Retractions
• Article removals in exceptional legal circumstances

All corrective notices shall remain permanently linked to the original publication to maintain transparency and preserve the integrity of the published literature.

7.6 Protection of Intellectual Property

The Publisher respects the intellectual property rights of authors, reviewers, editors, and third parties.

Appropriate procedures are maintained to ensure compliance with copyright regulations, licensing agreements, permissions for reproduced materials, and applicable intellectual property laws.

The Publisher takes allegations of copyright infringement seriously and investigates reported violations promptly.

Where copyright infringement is confirmed, appropriate editorial or legal action may be taken.

7.7 Transparency and Accountability

The Publisher is committed to maintaining transparency regarding journal policies, editorial procedures, publication fees, peer review processes, and ethical standards.

Information relating to editorial policies, publication ethics, author guidelines, copyright, licensing, open access policies, and publication charges shall be made publicly available through the journal website.

The Publisher believes that transparency promotes trust among authors, reviewers, readers, indexing agencies, and the wider scientific community.

7.8 Long Term Preservation of Published Content

The Publisher recognizes the importance of preserving scholarly literature for future generations.

Appropriate digital preservation, archiving, and backup procedures are maintained to ensure continued accessibility of published articles.

The Publisher supports recognized digital preservation initiatives whenever applicable and continuously works toward ensuring the long term availability of published research.

7.9 Commitment to Continuous Improvement

The Publisher regularly reviews editorial policies, ethical guidelines, technological infrastructure, and publication practices to ensure that the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology continues to meet internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing.

Constructive feedback from authors, reviewers, readers, editorial board members, and indexing organizations is welcomed and carefully considered as part of the journal's ongoing quality improvement initiatives.

The Publisher remains committed to promoting scientific excellence, editorial transparency, ethical publishing practices, and responsible dissemination of agricultural and ecological research for the benefit of the global scholarly community.

8. Peer Review Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scientific quality through a fair, rigorous, transparent, and unbiased peer review process. Peer review serves as an essential quality assurance mechanism that enables independent experts to evaluate the scientific merit, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and overall contribution of submitted manuscripts before publication.

The journal believes that an effective peer review process enhances the quality of published research, promotes scientific integrity, improves manuscript clarity, and provides authors with constructive feedback for strengthening their work. Every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes editorial screening followed by independent peer review before any publication decision is made.

8.1 Type of Peer Review

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology follows a Double Blind Peer Review process.

Under this system, the identities of both the authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.

Authors do not know the identities of the reviewers, and reviewers do not know the identities of the authors. This approach helps minimize unconscious bias and promotes impartial evaluation based solely on the scientific quality of the manuscript.

The editorial office ensures that all identifying information is removed from manuscripts before they are sent for review wherever practicable.

8.2 Initial Editorial Assessment

Every submitted manuscript undergoes an initial editorial evaluation before being assigned to external reviewers.

During this stage, editors assess whether the manuscript:

• Falls within the aims and scope of the journal.
• Complies with the journal's submission guidelines.
• Demonstrates sufficient scientific quality.
• Meets basic standards of originality.
• Contains appropriate ethical declarations.
• Includes all required submission documents.
• Presents research of potential interest to the journal's readership.

Manuscripts that do not satisfy these preliminary requirements may be returned to the authors for correction or rejected without external peer review.

8.3 Reviewer Selection

Reviewers are selected based on their academic qualifications, subject expertise, publication record, and previous experience in peer review.

The editorial office seeks reviewers who possess appropriate knowledge relevant to the manuscript's research area while avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

Whenever possible, reviewers are selected from diverse institutions and geographical regions to ensure balanced scientific evaluation.

The journal normally assigns each manuscript to at least two independent expert reviewers. Additional reviewers may be invited when reviewer opinions differ significantly or when specialized expertise is required.

8.4 Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers are requested to evaluate manuscripts using objective scientific criteria, including:

• Originality and novelty of the research.
• Scientific significance.
• Relevance to the journal.
• Clarity of research objectives.
• Soundness of methodology.
• Quality of experimental design.
• Statistical analysis.
• Accuracy of data interpretation.
• Validity of conclusions.
• Quality of figures and tables.
• Adequacy of references.
• Compliance with ethical standards.
• Overall contribution to agricultural and ecological sciences.

Reviewer recommendations are intended to assist editors in making informed publication decisions.

8.5 Editorial Decisions

After considering reviewer reports, the Editor may reach one of the following decisions:

• Accept without revision.
• Accept subject to minor revisions.
• Invite major revisions and resubmission.
• Reject with encouragement to submit a substantially revised manuscript.
• Reject the manuscript.

The Editor retains full responsibility for the final publication decision and may seek additional reviewer opinions whenever necessary.

8.6 Revision Process

Authors receiving revision requests should respond carefully to every reviewer comment.

A revised manuscript should normally be accompanied by a detailed response letter explaining how each reviewer observation has been addressed.

Where authors disagree with reviewer comments, they should provide clear scientific justification supported by appropriate evidence.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation when considered necessary by the Editor.

8.7 Confidentiality During Peer Review

All materials submitted for peer review remain confidential.

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff shall not disclose manuscript contents or reviewer reports to unauthorized individuals.

Reviewer identities are protected throughout the review process unless the journal specifically adopts an alternative review model with the informed consent of all participants.

Confidential information obtained during peer review shall not be used for personal research or professional advantage.

8.8 Ethical Standards in Peer Review

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology expects all participants in the peer review process to adhere to the highest standards of professional ethics.

Reviewers should provide objective, respectful, constructive, and evidence based comments.

Editors monitor reviewer performance and may discontinue collaboration with reviewers who consistently provide unprofessional, biased, abusive, delayed, or scientifically inadequate reviews.

The journal also actively monitors for unethical practices including:

• Fake reviewer identities.
• Reviewer impersonation.
• Peer review manipulation.
• Review rings.
• Artificial reviewer recommendations.
• Fraudulent reviewer accounts.
• Undisclosed reviewer conflicts of interest.

Any confirmed attempt to manipulate the peer review process will be treated as serious publication misconduct.

8.9 Appeals Relating to Peer Review

Authors who believe that significant procedural errors occurred during peer review may submit a formal appeal to the Editor in Chief.

Appeals should include detailed scientific justification together with supporting evidence.

The journal may obtain additional independent reviews if considered appropriate.

The decision reached following the appeal process shall be considered final.

8.10 Commitment to Quality Peer Review

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology considers peer review to be an essential component of responsible scholarly publishing. Through rigorous editorial assessment and independent expert evaluation, the journal strives to publish scientifically sound, ethically conducted, and academically valuable research that contributes meaningfully to the advancement of agriculture, ecology, environmental science, and related disciplines.

The journal remains committed to continuously improving its peer review procedures in accordance with internationally recognized publishing standards and best practices to ensure fairness, transparency, efficiency, and scientific excellence.

9. Research Misconduct Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to preserving the integrity, reliability, and credibility of the scholarly record. The journal considers any form of research or publication misconduct to be a serious violation of ethical publishing standards. All allegations of misconduct will be investigated thoroughly, objectively, confidentially, and fairly, irrespective of whether they arise before or after publication.

The journal recognizes that scientific integrity depends upon honest research practices, transparent reporting, responsible authorship, objective peer review, and ethical editorial decision making. Any confirmed breach of these principles may result in editorial action ranging from manuscript rejection to article retraction and notification of relevant institutions or funding agencies.

The journal follows internationally recognized ethical principles when investigating allegations of research misconduct and ensures that every individual involved is given an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.

9.1 Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to actions that intentionally or negligently compromise the integrity of scientific research or scholarly publication.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Fabrication of research data.
• Falsification or manipulation of research findings.
• Plagiarism.
• Duplicate publication.
• Simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
• Image manipulation.
• Citation manipulation.
• Authorship fraud.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Peer review manipulation.
• Ethical approval violations.
• Misrepresentation of research methods or results.
• Fraudulent use of artificial intelligence generated content.
• Paper mill submissions.

Honest errors, differences in scientific opinion, or reasonable methodological disagreements generally do not constitute research misconduct unless accompanied by intentional deception.

9.2 Fabrication of Data

Fabrication involves creating data, observations, experiments, patient records, survey responses, laboratory results, images, or other research findings that never actually existed.

Authors must not invent research participants, experimental observations, laboratory measurements, field data, statistical analyses, interviews, questionnaires, or any other information reported within a manuscript.

The journal considers fabricated research to be one of the most serious forms of scientific misconduct.

If fabrication is confirmed, the manuscript will normally be rejected or the published article retracted.

9.3 Falsification of Research

Falsification refers to the intentional alteration, omission, selective reporting, or manipulation of research data, research procedures, statistical analyses, images, or experimental results in a manner that misrepresents the true findings.

Examples include:

• Altering datasets.
• Removing unfavorable observations without justification.
• Modifying statistical outcomes.
• Manipulating laboratory measurements.
• Misrepresenting experimental procedures.
• Selective reporting of positive results while suppressing negative findings.

Scientific conclusions must accurately reflect the complete research evidence.

9.4 Plagiarism

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology maintains a zero tolerance approach toward plagiarism.

Plagiarism includes presenting another person's ideas, text, figures, tables, datasets, software, methodologies, or intellectual contributions as one's own without proper acknowledgment.

Forms of plagiarism include:

• Direct copying.
• Mosaic plagiarism.
• Paraphrasing without attribution.
• Translation plagiarism.
• Figure plagiarism.
• Data plagiarism.
• Source plagiarism.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review.

Where plagiarism is identified, editors may request clarification, reject the manuscript, or initiate further investigation depending upon the seriousness of the case.

9.5 Self Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

Authors should avoid excessive reuse of their own previously published material without appropriate citation.

Self plagiarism includes:

• Republishing previously published text.
• Duplicate presentation of research findings.
• Reusing figures without disclosure.
• Publishing substantially similar manuscripts across multiple journals.

Where previous publications are relevant, authors should cite them appropriately and clearly explain how the submitted manuscript provides substantial new scientific contribution.

9.6 Citation Manipulation

The journal discourages inappropriate citation practices intended solely to increase citation counts rather than improve scientific quality.

Examples include:

• Excessive self citation.
• Citation stacking.
• Reciprocal citation agreements.
• Irrelevant citations.
• Coercive citation requests.
• Artificial inflation of journal metrics.

Editors and reviewers should recommend citations only where they genuinely improve the scientific quality and completeness of the manuscript.

9.7 Image Manipulation

Scientific images should accurately represent original research observations.

Unacceptable practices include:

• Selective enhancement.
• Removal of image features.
• Addition of objects.
• Misleading cropping.
• Duplication of images.
• Reuse of images representing different experiments.
• Composite images without disclosure.

Routine adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only when applied uniformly and without altering scientific interpretation.

The journal may request original image files whenever concerns arise.

9.8 Peer Review Manipulation

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology strictly prohibits any attempt to manipulate the peer review process.

Examples include:

• Submission of fabricated reviewer identities.
• Use of false reviewer email addresses.
• Reviewer impersonation.
• Coordinated review rings.
• Undisclosed reviewer relationships.
• Attempts to influence reviewer recommendations improperly.

Any confirmed attempt to manipulate peer review may result in immediate rejection, retraction of published work, notification of institutions, and restrictions on future submissions.

9.9 Authorship Misconduct

Improper attribution of authorship undermines the integrity of scholarly publishing.

Examples include:

• Gift authorship.
• Honorary authorship.
• Ghost authorship.
• Purchased authorship.
• Unauthorized addition or removal of authors.
• False declarations of contribution.

The journal may request documentary evidence supporting author contributions whenever concerns arise.

9.10 Ethical Approval Violations

Research involving humans, animals, biological materials, personal information, or environmentally sensitive activities must receive appropriate ethical approval before the study begins.

Failure to obtain required approvals, falsification of ethics approval documents, or misrepresentation of ethical compliance constitutes serious misconduct.

Editors may request official ethics approval documentation whenever necessary.

9.11 Artificial Intelligence Misuse

The journal recognizes the increasing use of artificial intelligence technologies in scholarly publishing but strictly prohibits their misuse.

Examples of unacceptable practices include:

• Submitting entirely AI generated manuscripts as original research.
• Fabricating references using artificial intelligence.
• Creating fictional datasets.
• Generating fabricated images.
• Producing false statistical analyses.
• Concealing substantial AI generated content where disclosure is appropriate.

Authors remain fully responsible for every aspect of the submitted manuscript regardless of any technological tools used during manuscript preparation.

9.12 Reporting Suspected Misconduct

Anyone, including authors, reviewers, editors, readers, or members of the public, may report suspected publication misconduct involving manuscripts submitted to or published by the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology.

Reports should include sufficient supporting evidence to enable proper investigation.

The journal will treat all allegations confidentially and protect whistleblowers acting in good faith from retaliation.

Anonymous reports may also be considered where credible supporting evidence is provided.

9.13 Investigation Procedure

When an allegation of research misconduct is received, the journal will generally follow these steps:

1. Conduct an initial assessment of the allegation.
2. Gather relevant evidence and documentation.
3. Request an explanation from the corresponding author.
4. Consult reviewers, editors, or independent experts where appropriate.
5. Seek clarification from affiliated institutions if necessary.
6. Reach a fair and evidence based editorial decision.
7. Implement appropriate corrective action where misconduct is confirmed.

Investigations will be conducted impartially while ensuring procedural fairness for all parties.

9.14 Editorial Actions

Depending upon the nature and seriousness of the misconduct, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification from the authors.
• Require manuscript revision.
• Reject the manuscript.
• Suspend editorial processing.
• Publish a correction.
• Publish an expression of concern.
• Retract the published article.
• Notify authors' institutions.
• Notify funding agencies where appropriate.
• Notify indexing databases if necessary.
• Restrict future submissions for a specified period.
• Take any other action necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

9.15 Commitment to Research Integrity

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is dedicated to fostering a culture of honesty, accountability, transparency, and responsible scientific conduct. By implementing robust procedures for preventing, detecting, investigating, and addressing research misconduct, the journal seeks to preserve the trust of authors, reviewers, readers, indexing services, and the global research community.

The journal encourages all participants in the publication process to uphold the highest standards of ethical scholarship and to work collaboratively in maintaining the integrity and reliability of scientific literature.

10. Plagiarism Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to publishing only original, authentic, and scientifically credible research. Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is considered a serious violation of publication ethics. The journal maintains a zero tolerance approach toward plagiarism and expects all authors to ensure that submitted manuscripts represent their own original scholarly work.

Every manuscript submitted to the journal may be screened using recognized plagiarism detection software before peer review, after revision, or at any stage of the publication process whenever deemed necessary by the editorial office. Similarity reports are evaluated carefully by editors because similarity percentages alone do not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. Editorial decisions are based on the nature, context, source, and significance of overlapping text rather than numerical similarity scores alone.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all borrowed ideas, concepts, methodologies, data, figures, tables, illustrations, software, images, and textual material are appropriately cited and acknowledged.

10.1 Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's intellectual work, ideas, words, research findings, data, figures, images, tables, or creative expressions as one's own without proper acknowledgment or permission.

Plagiarism violates academic integrity, infringes intellectual property rights, and undermines public confidence in scientific research.

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology considers plagiarism unacceptable regardless of whether it occurs intentionally or unintentionally.

10.2 Forms of Plagiarism

The journal recognizes several forms of plagiarism, including but not limited to:

Direct Plagiarism

Copying text, sentences, paragraphs, or substantial portions of another publication without appropriate quotation or citation.

Mosaic Plagiarism

Mixing copied phrases with minor modifications while retaining the original structure or meaning without proper attribution.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism

Rewriting another author's ideas using different words without acknowledging the original source.

Self Plagiarism

Reusing one's own previously published material without proper citation or disclosure.

Data Plagiarism

Using another researcher's datasets, experimental results, statistical analyses, or observations without appropriate acknowledgment.

Figure and Table Plagiarism

Reproducing figures, photographs, charts, maps, illustrations, diagrams, or tables without permission where required and without proper citation.

Image Plagiarism

Using or modifying photographs, microscopy images, satellite images, laboratory images, or graphical materials created by others without appropriate acknowledgment.

Translation Plagiarism

Translating material published in another language and presenting it as original work without citing the original publication.

Source Based Plagiarism

Citing secondary references while falsely implying direct consultation of the original source or intentionally concealing the true source of information.

10.3 Similarity Assessment

The journal recognizes that some textual similarity may naturally occur in scholarly writing, particularly within:

• Standard scientific terminology.
• Names of organizations.
• Institutional affiliations.
• References.
• Methodological descriptions.
• Ethical declarations.
• Funding statements.
• Standard reporting guidelines.

Editors evaluate similarity reports carefully to distinguish acceptable overlap from unethical copying.

A high similarity percentage does not automatically indicate plagiarism, and a low similarity percentage does not necessarily guarantee originality.

Each manuscript is evaluated individually using editorial judgment.

10.4 Acceptable Text Reuse

Limited reuse of text may be acceptable under specific circumstances, including:

• Properly quoted material with appropriate citation.
• Standard methodology descriptions where no reasonable alternative wording exists.
• References and bibliographic information.
• Publicly available legal or regulatory statements where accurate wording is required.

Authors should nevertheless minimize unnecessary textual overlap wherever possible.

10.5 Detection of Plagiarism

Potential plagiarism may be identified through:

• Editorial screening.
• Plagiarism detection software.
• Reviewer observations.
• Reader reports.
• Institutional notifications.
• Post publication investigations.

The journal reserves the right to conduct plagiarism assessments at any stage before or after publication.

10.6 Editorial Response to Plagiarism

When plagiarism is suspected, editors may undertake one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification from the corresponding author.
• Request revision and proper citation.
• Require rewriting of affected sections.
• Reject the manuscript.
• Suspend editorial processing.
• Conduct a formal investigation.
• Consult the Editorial Board.
• Contact affiliated institutions where appropriate.

If plagiarism is confirmed after publication, the journal may publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions depending upon the seriousness of the violation.

10.7 Self Plagiarism

Authors should avoid excessive reuse of their own previously published material without appropriate citation.

Examples include:

• Republishing substantially similar manuscripts.
• Reusing previously published figures without disclosure.
• Copying extensive sections from earlier publications.
• Republishing identical datasets without appropriate explanation.

Where previous publications are relevant, authors should clearly cite them and explain how the submitted manuscript differs significantly from earlier work.

10.8 Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The manuscript is entirely original.
• All borrowed material is properly cited.
• Necessary permissions have been obtained where required.
• Previously published content is appropriately acknowledged.
• Similarity has been minimized before submission.
• All co authors have reviewed the final manuscript.

The corresponding author assumes primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with the journal's plagiarism policy.

10.9 Responsibilities of Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors are encouraged to remain alert to possible plagiarism during manuscript evaluation.

Whenever suspected plagiarism is identified, reviewers should confidentially inform the Editor and provide supporting evidence where possible.

Editors will investigate all credible allegations fairly, objectively, and confidentially before reaching an editorial decision.

10.10 Post Publication Plagiarism

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal will investigate the matter promptly.

Depending upon the seriousness of the findings, appropriate actions may include:

• Publication of a correction.
• Publication of an editorial notice.
• Expression of concern.
• Retraction of the article.
• Notification of the author's institution.
• Notification of funding agencies where applicable.
• Notification of indexing and abstracting databases if required.

The journal remains committed to preserving the integrity and accuracy of the scholarly record.

10.11 Commitment to Original Scholarship

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology strongly encourages authors to produce innovative, original, and ethically conducted research that advances scientific knowledge in agriculture, ecology, and related disciplines. By maintaining rigorous plagiarism screening procedures and promoting responsible citation practices, the journal seeks to protect intellectual property, uphold academic integrity, and maintain the confidence of authors, reviewers, readers, and indexing organizations worldwide.

11. Conflict of Interest Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to ensuring transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. Conflicts of interest, whether actual, potential, or perceived, may influence or appear to influence the interpretation of research findings, editorial decisions, or peer review outcomes. Accordingly, the journal requires authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher to disclose all relevant conflicts of interest that could reasonably be perceived to affect their professional judgment.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent publication or participation in the editorial process. Rather, transparent disclosure enables editors and readers to evaluate the research objectively and helps preserve confidence in the integrity of the published scholarly record.

11.1 Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual's personal, financial, academic, institutional, professional, political, or other relationships could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, their objectivity, judgment, or responsibilities in relation to a submitted or published manuscript.

Conflicts of interest may be actual, potential, or perceived, and all three forms should be disclosed whenever relevant.

11.2 Financial Conflicts of Interest

Financial relationships that may create a conflict of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Research grants or project funding.
• Employment or prospective employment.
• Consultancy agreements.
• Honoraria or speaker fees.
• Paid expert testimony.
• Stock ownership or shareholding.
• Patents or patent applications.
• Royalties.
• Commercial sponsorship.
• Membership on advisory boards.
• Paid editorial services.

Authors should disclose all financial relationships that are directly or indirectly related to the submitted research.

11.3 Non Financial Conflicts of Interest

Non financial interests may also influence scholarly judgment and should be disclosed where appropriate.

Examples include:

• Personal relationships.
• Family relationships.
• Academic rivalry.
• Professional competition.
• Institutional affiliations.
• Membership in advocacy organizations.
• Political affiliations relevant to the research.
• Religious or ideological beliefs that may influence interpretation.
• Personal convictions closely associated with the study.

Transparency regarding non financial interests promotes confidence in the objectivity of the research.

11.4 Responsibilities of Authors

All authors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission.

Authors should include a dedicated Conflict of Interest Statement within the manuscript clearly identifying any relevant relationships.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should include a statement such as:

"The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or non financial interests that could have influenced the work reported in this manuscript."

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that conflict of interest disclosures have been obtained from every co author before submission.

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in editorial investigation, publication of corrections, or other appropriate actions.

11.5 Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers should disclose any conflict of interest that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, the impartiality of their evaluation.

Examples include:

• Current or recent collaboration with the authors.
• Employment at the same institution.
• Financial interests related to the research.
• Personal relationships.
• Academic competition.
• Joint research projects.
• Supervisory or mentoring relationships.

Where a significant conflict exists, reviewers should decline the review invitation promptly.

Reviewers must not use confidential manuscript information for personal research or professional advantage.

11.6 Responsibilities of Editors

Editors should avoid handling manuscripts where they have any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest.

Conflicts may arise through:

• Personal relationships with authors.
• Professional collaborations.
• Institutional affiliations.
• Financial interests.
• Academic competition.
• Previous supervisory relationships.
• Family relationships.

Whenever such conflicts exist, responsibility for handling the manuscript shall be delegated to another qualified editor to ensure an impartial editorial process.

Editors must not use unpublished manuscript information for personal benefit.

11.7 Responsibilities of Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board members are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional integrity.

Board members should disclose conflicts of interest whenever participating in editorial decisions, policy development, or peer review activities.

Where conflicts arise, they should recuse themselves from discussions and decisions involving the affected manuscript.

11.8 Responsibilities of the Publisher

The Publisher supports transparent disclosure of conflicts of interest and respects the editorial independence of the journal.

The Publisher shall not influence editorial decisions for commercial, financial, or political reasons and shall support editors in implementing appropriate conflict management procedures.

11.9 Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified before publication, the journal may request additional disclosures, revisions, or clarification before proceeding with editorial evaluation.

If an undisclosed conflict is discovered after publication, the journal may initiate an investigation and, depending on the circumstances, take one or more of the following actions:

• Publish a correction or disclosure notice.
• Publish an editorial statement.
• Issue an Expression of Concern.
• Retract the published article in cases where the undisclosed conflict has significantly compromised the integrity of the publication.
• Notify the author's institution or funding organization where appropriate.

11.10 Commitment to Transparency

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that transparent disclosure of conflicts of interest strengthens public trust in scientific research and promotes objective scholarly communication. The journal encourages all participants in the publication process to disclose relevant interests honestly and completely, thereby ensuring that editorial decisions and published research remain fair, unbiased, credible, and scientifically reliable.

Through comprehensive conflict of interest management, the journal aims to safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record and uphold the highest standards of ethical publishing in agriculture, ecology, environmental sciences, and related disciplines.

12. Data Sharing and Research Reproducibility Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology supports transparency, openness, and reproducibility in scientific research. The journal encourages authors to make the data, methodologies, software, protocols, and other research materials underlying their published findings available whenever possible and appropriate. Transparent reporting and responsible data sharing improve scientific verification, facilitate future research, promote collaboration, and strengthen public confidence in scholarly publications.

The journal recognizes that certain legal, ethical, privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, or commercial considerations may restrict public access to research data. In such cases, authors should clearly explain the reasons for any limitations on data availability.

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that all shared data comply with applicable laws, institutional policies, funding agency requirements, and ethical standards relating to human participants, animals, indigenous communities, environmental protection, and confidential information.

12.1 Data Availability Statement

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement in every manuscript describing the accessibility of the research data supporting the published findings.

The statement should clearly indicate one of the following:

• The data are publicly available in a recognized repository.
• The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
• The data are available through institutional archives.
• The data cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, privacy, confidentiality, or commercial restrictions.
• No new data were generated during the study.

Providing a clear Data Availability Statement improves research transparency and assists readers in understanding how supporting information may be accessed.

12.2 Research Data Management

Authors are expected to maintain complete, accurate, and organized records of all research activities.

Research records may include:

• Raw experimental data.
• Laboratory notebooks.
• Survey responses.
• Statistical analyses.
• Computer code.
• Software scripts.
• Field observations.
• Image files.
• Audio or video recordings.
• Supplementary datasets.
• Metadata describing the research process.

Authors should retain original research records for an appropriate period after publication in accordance with institutional policies, funding agency requirements, and applicable regulations.

12.3 Public Data Repositories

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit research datasets in recognized public or institutional repositories before or shortly after publication.

Suitable repositories may include discipline specific repositories, institutional repositories, government archives, or internationally recognized data repositories that provide persistent identifiers and long term preservation.

Whenever data are deposited in a repository, authors should include the repository name, accession number, persistent identifier, or Digital Object Identifier (DOI) within the manuscript.

12.4 Reproducibility of Research

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology encourages authors to report their research in sufficient detail to enable qualified researchers to understand, evaluate, and where appropriate, reproduce the reported work.

Authors should provide clear descriptions of:

• Research objectives.
• Experimental design.
• Study location.
• Materials used.
• Sampling procedures.
• Laboratory methods.
• Statistical analyses.
• Software employed.
• Data processing methods.
• Limitations of the study.

Complete and transparent reporting promotes scientific verification and strengthens confidence in published findings.

12.5 Availability of Software and Code

Where computer software, programming scripts, statistical code, machine learning models, or computational workflows form an essential component of the research, authors are encouraged to make these resources available whenever feasible.

Software documentation should include sufficient information to enable independent researchers to understand the computational methods used in the study.

Where proprietary software has been used, authors should clearly identify the software and version utilized.

12.6 Sharing of Biological and Research Materials

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to facilitate access to biological materials, plant varieties, microbial strains, genetic resources, environmental samples, chemical compounds, laboratory protocols, or other research materials necessary to verify published findings.

Requests for research materials should be handled in accordance with applicable laws, institutional regulations, intellectual property rights, biosafety requirements, and material transfer agreements.

12.7 Restrictions on Data Sharing

The journal recognizes that unrestricted public sharing of research data may not always be appropriate.

Legitimate reasons for restricting access may include:

• Protection of personal privacy.
• Confidentiality agreements.
• National security considerations.
• Indigenous knowledge protection.
• Commercial confidentiality.
• Intellectual property rights.
• Ongoing patent applications.
• Legal restrictions.
• Environmental protection requirements.

Where data cannot be made publicly available, authors should provide a clear explanation within the manuscript.

12.8 Editorial Access to Research Data

Editors may request access to original datasets, supporting documentation, laboratory records, software code, or other research materials whenever questions arise regarding the validity, integrity, or reproducibility of submitted or published research.

Authors are expected to cooperate fully with such requests and provide supporting information within a reasonable timeframe.

Failure to provide requested data without adequate justification may result in rejection of the manuscript, suspension of editorial processing, publication of an editorial notice, or other appropriate editorial action.

12.9 Data Integrity

Authors must ensure that all reported data accurately represent the research performed.

The journal strictly prohibits:

• Fabrication of datasets.
• Falsification of research records.
• Selective omission of results without scientific justification.
• Manipulation of statistical analyses.
• Misrepresentation of research findings.
• Creation of fictional datasets using artificial intelligence or other automated systems.

All published data should faithfully reflect the original research observations and analyses.

12.10 Long Term Preservation of Research Data

Authors are encouraged to preserve important research data for an appropriate period following publication to facilitate future verification, replication, and scientific collaboration.

Long term preservation contributes to the reliability of the scholarly record and supports future advances in agricultural and ecological sciences.

12.11 Commitment to Open and Reproducible Science

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that responsible data sharing and transparent reporting are essential components of high quality scholarly publishing. By encouraging authors to preserve, document, and where appropriate share the evidence supporting their research findings, the journal promotes reproducibility, accountability, and scientific progress.

The journal remains committed to supporting open science principles while balancing ethical responsibilities, legal obligations, participant privacy, and intellectual property rights. Through responsible data management and transparent reporting, the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology seeks to strengthen confidence in published research and contribute to the advancement of reliable scientific knowledge.

13. Ethical Oversight Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to ensuring that all published research is conducted in accordance with internationally accepted ethical principles, applicable laws, institutional regulations, and recognized professional standards. Ethical oversight is essential for protecting the rights, dignity, welfare, safety, and privacy of research participants, ensuring responsible treatment of animals, preserving environmental integrity, and maintaining public confidence in scientific research.

Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary ethical approvals before commencing their research and for accurately reporting ethical compliance within their manuscripts. The journal reserves the right to request documentary evidence of ethical approval or informed consent whenever necessary during editorial evaluation or after publication.

Failure to comply with applicable ethical requirements may result in rejection of the manuscript, withdrawal of the submission, publication of corrections, retraction of published articles, or notification of relevant institutions or regulatory authorities.

13.1 Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles and applicable national regulations.

Authors must ensure that research involving human participants has received prior approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent regulatory authority before the commencement of the study.

The manuscript should clearly identify:

• Name of the approving ethics committee.
• Approval or reference number where applicable.
• Date of ethical approval if required.
• Confirmation that the research complied with applicable ethical standards.

Editors may request copies of ethics approval documents during editorial evaluation.

13.2 Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants, authors must obtain informed consent from all participants before data collection.

Participants should receive sufficient information regarding:

• Purpose of the research.
• Study procedures.
• Potential risks and benefits.
• Confidentiality arrangements.
• Voluntary participation.
• Right to withdraw from the study without penalty.

Where applicable, written informed consent should be obtained before publication of identifiable personal information, photographs, videos, or clinical details.

For minors or individuals unable to provide legal consent, consent should be obtained from parents, legal guardians, or authorized representatives in accordance with applicable regulations.

13.3 Protection of Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must protect the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of research participants throughout the research and publication process.

Personally identifiable information should not be published unless essential for scientific purposes and accompanied by appropriate written consent.

Where possible, authors should anonymize or de identify participant information before publication.

Editors may require additional documentation demonstrating compliance with applicable privacy regulations where necessary.

13.4 Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with recognized standards of animal welfare and applicable national legislation.

Authors should ensure that:

• Animal experiments received prior approval from an appropriate Animal Ethics Committee or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
• Animal suffering was minimized wherever possible.
• Appropriate anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints were employed.
• The number of animals used was scientifically justified.
• Experiments followed accepted principles of humane animal care.

The manuscript should include an ethical approval statement identifying the approving authority and approval reference where applicable.

13.5 Research Involving Plants

Research involving cultivated plants, wild plant species, seeds, germplasm, medicinal plants, forestry resources, or plant genetic materials should comply with applicable national and international regulations.

Authors should ensure that plant collection, conservation, transportation, and utilization comply with biodiversity protection legislation and relevant institutional policies.

Where permits are required for field collection or protected species, authors should indicate that appropriate permissions were obtained before conducting the research.

13.6 Environmental and Ecological Research

Research involving environmental sampling, wildlife, protected ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, natural habitats, or ecological restoration should be conducted responsibly and in compliance with environmental regulations.

Authors should minimize environmental disturbance and ensure that necessary permits were obtained from competent authorities where required.

Studies involving endangered species, protected habitats, or ecologically sensitive areas should clearly state the relevant permissions obtained before conducting the research.

13.7 Biosafety and Biosecurity

Research involving microorganisms, genetically modified organisms, recombinant DNA, hazardous biological materials, toxic substances, pesticides, chemicals, or potentially dangerous laboratory procedures should comply with applicable biosafety and biosecurity regulations.

Authors should describe relevant safety procedures where appropriate and confirm that all required institutional approvals were obtained before conducting the research.

13.8 Indigenous Knowledge and Community Research

Research involving indigenous communities, traditional ecological knowledge, cultural heritage, or community based research should be conducted with respect, transparency, and appropriate community engagement.

Authors should ensure that:

• Appropriate community permissions were obtained.
• Cultural sensitivities were respected.
• Benefit sharing arrangements were considered where applicable.
• Traditional knowledge holders received appropriate acknowledgment.

Research should comply with applicable legal frameworks governing indigenous rights and traditional knowledge.

13.9 Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence

Where artificial intelligence technologies are used during research, authors should ensure that such use complies with applicable ethical principles relating to transparency, accountability, privacy, fairness, and scientific integrity.

Artificial intelligence should not be used to fabricate data, generate fictitious research findings, manipulate experimental results, or misrepresent scientific evidence.

Authors remain fully responsible for all research findings regardless of any technological tools employed during the research process.

13.10 Editorial Assessment of Ethical Compliance

Editors evaluate ethical aspects of submitted manuscripts during the editorial assessment process.

Where ethical concerns arise, editors may request:

• Ethics approval certificates.
• Participant consent documentation.
• Animal ethics approvals.
• Research permits.
• Additional methodological information.
• Institutional confirmation of ethical compliance.

Failure to provide satisfactory documentation may delay editorial processing or result in rejection of the manuscript.

13.11 Investigation of Ethical Concerns

If concerns regarding ethical compliance arise before or after publication, the journal may conduct an independent investigation.

Such investigations may involve:

• Requesting clarification from the authors.
• Consulting independent experts.
• Contacting affiliated institutions.
• Seeking advice from ethics committees.
• Reviewing supporting documentation.

Where ethical violations are confirmed, the journal may implement appropriate corrective measures including manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, expressions of concern, retraction of published articles, or notification of relevant institutions and regulatory authorities.

13.12 Commitment to Responsible Research

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that ethical oversight is fundamental to responsible scientific publishing. The journal is committed to promoting research that respects human dignity, protects animal welfare, preserves environmental sustainability, safeguards biodiversity, and complies with internationally accepted ethical standards.

By requiring transparent reporting of ethical approvals, informed consent, and responsible research practices, the journal seeks to maintain the trust of authors, reviewers, readers, research participants, regulatory authorities, and the global scientific community while contributing to the advancement of high quality agricultural and ecological research.

14. Intellectual Property, Copyright and Licensing Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology respects and protects the intellectual property rights of authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, and third parties. The journal is committed to ensuring that all published content complies with applicable copyright laws, licensing requirements, and international standards governing scholarly communication.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the work submitted to the journal is original, does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, and that all necessary permissions have been obtained for the use of copyrighted material. The journal expects all participants in the publication process to respect copyright, trademarks, patents, database rights, and other forms of intellectual property.

The journal reserves the right to reject, withdraw, or retract manuscripts where violations of intellectual property rights are identified.

14.1 Ownership of Intellectual Property

Authors retain responsibility for the originality and lawful ownership of all materials submitted for publication.

The submitted manuscript should represent the genuine intellectual work of the listed authors and should not infringe the copyright or proprietary rights of any individual, institution, publisher, or organization.

Authors should ensure that:

• The manuscript is their own original work.
• All borrowed material has been appropriately acknowledged.
• Permissions have been obtained where required.
• No confidential or proprietary information has been disclosed without authorization.
• The work does not violate existing copyright, patent, trademark, or licensing agreements.

14.2 Copyright

Upon acceptance for publication, authors may be required to complete the journal's copyright agreement or publishing license as specified by the journal.

The copyright arrangement shall clearly define the respective rights and responsibilities of both the authors and the publisher.

Authors should carefully review the copyright agreement before publication to understand:

• Rights retained by the authors.
• Rights granted to the journal.
• Rights relating to redistribution.
• Rights relating to educational use.
• Rights concerning future reuse of the published work.

14.3 Licensing

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology publishes scholarly content under the licensing terms specified on the journal website.

The applicable license determines how readers may:

• Read published articles.
• Download publications.
• Share content.
• Reproduce materials.
• Adapt published work.
• Use content for educational or research purposes.

Authors should familiarize themselves with the journal's licensing policy before manuscript submission.

Where Creative Commons licenses are adopted, the applicable license version shall be clearly displayed with each published article.

14.4 Use of Third Party Material

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce copyrighted material owned by third parties whenever such permission is required by law or by the copyright holder.

Examples include:

• Figures.
• Tables.
• Photographs.
• Maps.
• Illustrations.
• Graphical abstracts.
• Charts.
• Software screenshots.
• Large portions of previously published text.

Proper acknowledgment should accompany all reproduced materials.

Editors may request copies of permission letters during editorial assessment.

14.5 Use of Previously Published Material

Authors wishing to reuse material from their own previously published work should ensure that:

• Appropriate citations are provided.
• Copyright restrictions are respected.
• Necessary permissions have been obtained where applicable.
• The reused material does not constitute duplicate publication.

Excessive reuse of previously published content without appropriate disclosure may be considered self plagiarism.

14.6 Patent Rights

Publication of research may affect future patent applications.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that publication does not compromise their intellectual property rights or pending patent applications.

The journal assumes no responsibility for protecting patentable inventions disclosed through submitted manuscripts.

Authors should consult their institutions, legal advisors, or technology transfer offices before submission if patent protection is anticipated.

14.7 Trademarks

Authors should respect registered trademarks, service marks, product names, and commercial identifiers belonging to third parties.

Trademarked names should be used accurately and appropriately throughout the manuscript.

Use of a trademark within a manuscript does not imply endorsement by the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology.

14.8 Copyright Infringement

The journal treats allegations of copyright infringement seriously.

Where potential infringement is identified, editors may:

• Request clarification from the authors.
• Request evidence of permission.
• Suspend editorial processing.
• Reject the manuscript.
• Initiate an investigation.
• Remove infringing material.
• Publish corrections.
• Retract published articles where necessary.

The journal may also communicate with copyright holders, institutions, publishers, or legal authorities when appropriate.

14.9 Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The submitted manuscript is original.
• All intellectual property rights are respected.
• Proper citations have been provided.
• Required permissions have been obtained.
• Copyright restrictions have been observed.
• Licensing conditions have been followed.
• All co authors agree to publication.

Submission of a manuscript constitutes confirmation that the authors have complied with these responsibilities.

14.10 Responsibilities of Editors and Publisher

Editors and the Publisher work together to safeguard intellectual property rights throughout the publication process.

The Editorial Office may request additional documentation relating to copyright ownership, permissions, licensing, or authorship whenever necessary.

Where credible concerns arise regarding intellectual property, editorial evaluation may be suspended until the matter has been satisfactorily resolved.

14.11 Open Access and Responsible Use

Where articles are published under an open access model, readers are encouraged to use published content responsibly and in accordance with the applicable licensing terms.

Users should:

• Properly acknowledge the original authors.
• Cite the published article accurately.
• Preserve the integrity of the work.
• Avoid misleading modifications.
• Comply with the conditions of the applicable publication license.

Responsible sharing of scholarly work promotes scientific collaboration while respecting authors' intellectual contributions.

14.12 Commitment to Intellectual Property Protection

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of all contributors while promoting the responsible dissemination of scientific knowledge. By respecting copyright, licensing requirements, patents, trademarks, and permissions, the journal seeks to maintain the highest standards of legal compliance, ethical publishing, and academic integrity.

The journal encourages authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and publishers to work collaboratively in protecting intellectual property while supporting the global exchange of reliable, innovative, and high quality agricultural and ecological research.

15. Post Publication Discussions, Corrections and Retractions Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes that scholarly publishing is an ongoing process and that scientific knowledge continues to evolve after publication. The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record by providing appropriate mechanisms for post publication discussion, correction of errors, and retraction of unreliable research where necessary.

The journal encourages constructive scientific dialogue and welcomes well founded comments, critiques, correspondence, and evidence relating to published articles. Legitimate post publication discussion contributes to scientific progress by allowing researchers to clarify findings, identify errors, propose alternative interpretations, and improve the quality of future research.

All post publication communications are handled fairly, objectively, and confidentially while ensuring that the integrity of the published literature remains the primary consideration.

15.1 Post Publication Discussions

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology encourages responsible academic discussion regarding published articles.

Readers, researchers, reviewers, and authors may communicate with the Editorial Office regarding:

• Scientific interpretations.
• Methodological concerns.
• Statistical observations.
• Requests for clarification.
• Ethical concerns.
• Identification of factual errors.
• Replication studies.
• Constructive scientific criticism.

The Editorial Office may invite the original authors to respond to significant comments before determining whether further editorial action is necessary.

Constructive scientific disagreement is considered a normal and valuable part of scholarly communication.

15.2 Reader Feedback

Readers who identify potential concerns within published articles are encouraged to notify the Editorial Office.

Examples include:

• Possible plagiarism.
• Duplicate publication.
• Data inconsistencies.
• Image manipulation.
• Citation errors.
• Ethical concerns.
• Authorship disputes.
• Statistical errors.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Reports should include sufficient evidence to enable appropriate editorial evaluation.

The identity of individuals reporting concerns will be treated confidentially whenever reasonably possible.

15.3 Author Corrections

Authors have a continuing responsibility to ensure the accuracy of their published work.

If authors discover significant errors or omissions after publication, they should promptly notify the Editorial Office and cooperate fully in correcting the scholarly record.

Examples include:

• Typographical errors affecting interpretation.
• Incorrect author affiliations.
• Funding information.
• Errors within figures or tables.
• Incorrect references.
• Minor data corrections.
• Clarification of methodological descriptions.

Where the scientific conclusions remain unchanged, the journal may publish an appropriate correction notice linked permanently to the original article.

15.4 Publisher Corrections

The journal may issue Publisher Corrections when errors are introduced during the editorial production or publication process.

Examples include:

• Formatting errors.
• Typesetting mistakes.
• Production related figure errors.
• Incorrect pagination.
• Metadata inaccuracies.
• Broken supplementary files.

Publisher Corrections are intended to preserve the accuracy and usability of published articles while maintaining transparency regarding the nature of the correction.

15.5 Corrigendum

A Corrigendum may be published when authors identify significant errors within their published article that require formal correction but do not invalidate the overall scientific conclusions.

Examples include:

• Data presentation errors.
• Author information corrections.
• Methodological clarifications.
• Funding acknowledgements.
• Reference corrections.

Corrigenda remain permanently linked to the original publication.

15.6 Erratum

An Erratum may be issued to correct errors introduced during manuscript preparation, editorial handling, or publication that affect the accuracy of the published article but do not invalidate its principal findings.

Errata are published promptly after verification of the reported error.

15.7 Expression of Concern

The journal may publish an Expression of Concern when credible evidence raises serious questions regarding the reliability or integrity of a published article, but a full investigation has not yet been completed.

Situations that may justify an Expression of Concern include:

• Ongoing institutional investigations.
• Unresolved allegations of misconduct.
• Inconclusive evidence of data integrity concerns.
• Serious ethical questions requiring further clarification.

An Expression of Concern serves to inform readers while investigations remain in progress.

The notice may subsequently be updated, replaced by a correction, or followed by a retraction depending upon the outcome of the investigation.

15.8 Retraction of Published Articles

Retraction is reserved for situations where published research is determined to be unreliable due to serious errors or publication misconduct.

Grounds for retraction may include:

• Fabrication of research data.
• Falsification of results.
• Plagiarism.
• Duplicate publication.
• Image manipulation affecting scientific conclusions.
• Fraudulent peer review.
• Serious authorship misconduct.
• Unethical research practices.
• Significant undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Major methodological errors rendering conclusions unreliable.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record rather than to punish authors.

Whenever possible, authors will be informed and given an opportunity to respond before a retraction decision is finalized.

Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the original article and will clearly state the reasons for the retraction.

15.9 Article Removal

The journal recognizes that complete removal of published articles should occur only in exceptional circumstances.

Article removal may be considered only where publication:

• Violates applicable laws.
• Infringes copyright.
• Presents a serious legal risk.
• Endangers public safety.
• Contains confidential information published unlawfully.
• Is subject to a binding court order.

Where removal becomes necessary, bibliographic information and an explanatory notice will normally remain available to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

15.10 Editorial Investigation

When concerns regarding a published article are received, the journal may undertake an investigation that includes:

• Preliminary editorial assessment.
• Communication with the corresponding author.
• Consultation with reviewers or subject experts.
• Review of supporting documentation.
• Examination of original research data where necessary.
• Consultation with affiliated institutions when appropriate.

All investigations will be conducted objectively, confidentially, and fairly while ensuring due process for all parties involved.

15.11 Permanence of the Scholarly Record

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to preserving the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, Corrigenda, Errata, and Retractions shall remain permanently associated with the original publication so that readers can understand the publication history of the article.

The journal does not alter or conceal the publication history except where legally required.

15.12 Commitment to Scientific Integrity

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology believes that maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record is a shared responsibility of authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, and readers. By providing transparent mechanisms for post publication discussion, corrections, and retractions, the journal promotes accountability, protects scientific integrity, and supports the continued advancement of agricultural and ecological research.

The journal remains committed to addressing post publication concerns promptly, fairly, and transparently while ensuring that readers have access to the most accurate and reliable scientific information available.

16. Complaints and Appeals Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, objective, and accountable editorial process. The journal recognizes that authors, reviewers, readers, editorial board members, and other stakeholders may occasionally wish to raise concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication ethics, peer review, publication practices, or other matters relating to the journal.

The journal welcomes legitimate complaints and appeals submitted in good faith and is committed to investigating them impartially, confidentially, and without prejudice. Every complaint or appeal will be evaluated based on its merits, supporting evidence, and consistency with the journal's editorial policies and internationally accepted publication ethics principles.

The submission of a complaint or appeal will not adversely affect the complainant's future interactions with the journal, provided that communications remain professional, respectful, and evidence based.

16.1 Scope of Complaints

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology accepts complaints relating to matters including, but not limited to:

• Editorial decisions.
• Peer review quality.
• Publication delays.
• Editorial misconduct.
• Reviewer misconduct.
• Alleged conflicts of interest.
• Ethical concerns.
• Publication malpractice.
• Authorship disputes.
• Copyright concerns.
• Plagiarism investigations.
• Corrections and retractions.
• Journal policies.
• Editorial communication.
• Technical issues affecting publication.

Complaints unrelated to the journal's editorial activities may be referred to the appropriate institution or authority where applicable.

16.2 Submission of Complaints

Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.

The complaint should include:

• Full name and contact information of the complainant.
• Manuscript title or published article title where applicable.
• Manuscript identification number if available.
• Detailed description of the concern.
• Supporting documentation or evidence.
• Desired resolution where appropriate.

Complaints should be submitted promptly after the issue becomes known.

The Editorial Office may request additional information before initiating an investigation.

16.3 Initial Assessment

Upon receiving a complaint, the Editorial Office will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine:

• Whether the complaint falls within the journal's jurisdiction.
• Whether sufficient supporting information has been provided.
• Whether immediate action is necessary.
• Whether additional clarification should be requested.

Complaints that are anonymous, abusive, defamatory, or unsupported by reasonable evidence may not proceed to formal investigation.

16.4 Investigation Procedure

Where a complaint requires formal investigation, the journal may undertake one or more of the following steps:

• Review editorial records.
• Examine manuscript history.
• Consult the handling editor.
• Consult peer reviewers where appropriate.
• Request clarification from authors.
• Obtain advice from independent experts.
• Review institutional documentation.
• Seek guidance from the Editorial Board.

Investigations will be conducted confidentially while respecting the rights of all individuals involved.

The journal aims to resolve complaints as efficiently as possible while ensuring procedural fairness.

16.5 Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions if they believe that:

• Significant factual errors influenced the decision.
• Reviewer comments contain objective inaccuracies.
• Important scientific evidence was overlooked.
• Editorial procedures were not followed appropriately.
• Bias or conflicts of interest affected the review process.

Appeals must present scientific arguments supported by appropriate evidence.

Appeals based solely upon disagreement with reviewer opinions, without scientific justification, are unlikely to result in reconsideration.

16.6 Appeal Review Process

Appeals are reviewed independently by the Editor in Chief or another appropriately qualified editor who was not directly responsible for the original editorial decision whenever possible.

The appeal process may involve:

• Independent editorial assessment.
• Additional peer review.
• Consultation with subject experts.
• Review of reviewer reports.
• Examination of supporting documentation.

The journal reserves the right to uphold, modify, or reverse the original editorial decision following completion of the appeal.

The decision reached after completion of the appeal process shall normally be considered final.

16.7 Complaints Against Reviewers

Complaints regarding reviewer conduct may include:

• Unprofessional language.
• Personal attacks.
• Breach of confidentiality.
• Excessive delays.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Scientifically inappropriate comments.
• Evidence of bias.
• Requests for inappropriate citations.

The journal will investigate reviewer related complaints confidentially.

Where reviewer misconduct is confirmed, appropriate corrective measures may include removal from the reviewer database or restriction from future reviewing activities.

16.8 Complaints Against Editors

Complaints concerning editorial conduct may involve:

• Alleged editorial bias.
• Conflict of interest.
• Inappropriate communication.
• Failure to follow journal policies.
• Unreasonable publication delays.
• Ethical concerns.

Where appropriate, such complaints may be reviewed by the Publisher or an independent senior editor to ensure impartiality.

Editors who are the subject of a complaint shall not participate in the investigation of that complaint.

16.9 Complaints Concerning Published Articles

Readers, researchers, institutions, or other stakeholders may submit concerns regarding published articles involving:

• Plagiarism.
• Fabricated data.
• Falsified research.
• Ethical approval deficiencies.
• Authorship disputes.
• Copyright infringement.
• Image manipulation.
• Duplicate publication.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Such complaints may result in editorial investigations and, where appropriate, publication of corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.

16.10 Confidentiality

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology treats all complaints and appeals confidentially.

Information relating to ongoing investigations will be disclosed only to individuals directly involved in resolving the matter or where disclosure is required by law or institutional policy.

The journal seeks to protect the privacy and professional reputation of all parties while investigations remain ongoing.

16.11 Protection Against Retaliation

Individuals who report concerns in good faith should not experience retaliation for raising legitimate ethical or editorial issues.

The journal encourages responsible reporting of concerns and values constructive feedback that contributes to improving publication quality and maintaining research integrity.

Knowingly submitting false, malicious, or misleading allegations, however, may itself constitute unethical conduct and may be referred for appropriate action.

16.12 Commitment to Fair Resolution

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to resolving complaints and appeals fairly, transparently, and consistently. The journal believes that an effective complaints and appeals process strengthens accountability, promotes confidence in editorial decision making, and supports continuous improvement in scholarly publishing.

By providing an accessible mechanism for raising concerns and seeking review of editorial decisions, the journal reinforces its commitment to ethical publishing, editorial excellence, and the integrity of the scientific record.

17. Archiving, Digital Preservation and Permanent Accessibility Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to ensuring the long term preservation, accessibility, authenticity, and integrity of the scholarly content it publishes. Scientific publications constitute an important part of the global research record, and their continued availability is essential for future research, education, policy development, and public knowledge.

The journal recognizes that digital preservation is a fundamental responsibility of scholarly publishers. Appropriate measures are therefore implemented to ensure that published articles remain permanently accessible, discoverable, and citable, even in the event of technological changes, hardware failures, software obsolescence, or organizational restructuring.

The journal continuously reviews its preservation strategies to align with internationally recognized best practices in digital scholarly publishing.

17.1 Commitment to Long Term Preservation

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to preserving all published scholarly content for future generations.

Published materials intended for long term preservation include:

• Research articles.
• Review articles.
• Editorials.
• Short communications.
• Case studies.
• Letters to the Editor.
• Supplementary files.
• Figures and tables.
• Metadata.
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), where applicable.

The journal endeavors to maintain permanent accessibility of all published content through reliable digital preservation practices.

17.2 Digital Archiving

To ensure the long term availability of published content, the journal supports recognized digital archiving and preservation mechanisms wherever applicable.

These mechanisms may include:

• PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN).
• LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe).
• CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe).
• Institutional repositories.
• National library preservation initiatives.
• Trusted digital preservation services.

The journal may adopt one or more preservation systems depending on technical infrastructure and operational requirements.

17.3 Permanent Article Availability

Once an article has been formally published, the journal seeks to ensure that it remains permanently accessible through the journal website and associated preservation systems.

Published articles shall not ordinarily be removed from the scholarly record except under exceptional legal or ethical circumstances as described in the journal's Article Removal Policy.

Where corrections, retractions, or Expressions of Concern become necessary, the original publication record will generally remain available together with the associated editorial notices to preserve publication transparency.

17.4 Persistent Identifiers

Where applicable, published articles are assigned persistent identifiers such as Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to facilitate reliable citation, discovery, indexing, and long term accessibility.

Persistent identifiers assist researchers by ensuring that published articles remain discoverable even if website structures or server locations change over time.

Authors are encouraged to cite published articles using their permanent identifiers whenever available.

17.5 Metadata Preservation

The journal recognizes that bibliographic metadata are essential for scholarly discovery and indexing.

Accordingly, the journal endeavors to preserve important metadata including:

• Article titles.
• Author names.
• Author affiliations.
• Abstracts.
• Keywords.
• Publication dates.
• Volume and issue information.
• Citation information.
• Persistent identifiers.
• Licensing information.

Accurate metadata facilitate long term discoverability through indexing databases, library catalogues, and search services.

17.6 Backup and Disaster Recovery

The Publisher maintains appropriate technical procedures designed to reduce the risk of data loss resulting from hardware failures, software malfunctions, cybersecurity incidents, accidental deletion, or natural disasters.

Backup procedures may include:

• Regular database backups.
• Website backups.
• File system backups.
• Secure offsite storage.
• Redundant storage systems.
• Disaster recovery planning.

The journal periodically reviews these procedures to ensure continued reliability and operational resilience.

17.7 Preservation of Supplementary Materials

Where supplementary datasets, multimedia files, appendices, software code, graphical materials, or additional supporting documents accompany published articles, the journal endeavors to preserve these materials alongside the primary publication whenever technically feasible.

Authors are encouraged to submit supplementary files in widely accepted, non proprietary formats to facilitate long term accessibility.

17.8 Website Availability

The Publisher makes reasonable efforts to maintain continuous access to the journal website.

Scheduled maintenance, software upgrades, infrastructure improvements, or unforeseen technical issues may occasionally result in temporary service interruptions.

Whenever practical, the Publisher seeks to minimize disruption and restore access promptly.

17.9 Migration to Future Technologies

Recognizing that digital technologies evolve over time, the journal is committed to maintaining compatibility with future publishing platforms and preservation technologies.

Where necessary, digital content may be migrated to newer storage formats or publishing systems while preserving the authenticity, completeness, and integrity of the scholarly record.

Migration activities are undertaken carefully to prevent loss, corruption, or unauthorized modification of published content.

17.10 Withdrawal and Preservation of Publication History

Even where articles are corrected, retracted, or exceptionally removed, the journal endeavors to preserve an appropriate publication history.

Editorial notices explaining the reasons for corrections, retractions, or removals will normally remain permanently available to ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal discourages silent removal of published material except where required by law or necessary to prevent significant legal or ethical harm.

17.11 Commitment to Permanent Scholarly Access

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes that scholarly publications represent a permanent contribution to scientific knowledge. By implementing appropriate archiving, preservation, backup, and accessibility practices, the journal seeks to ensure that published research remains available to researchers, educators, policymakers, and the wider public for many years to come.

The journal remains committed to continuously improving its digital preservation infrastructure in accordance with internationally recognized standards and technological advancements, thereby supporting the long term reliability, discoverability, and integrity of the global scholarly record.

18. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies in scholarly research and scientific publishing. While AI based tools can assist researchers in improving language, grammar, formatting, data organization, coding assistance, and literature discovery, they must never compromise the originality, integrity, transparency, or accountability of scholarly work.

The journal supports the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies while maintaining that authors remain fully accountable for every aspect of the submitted manuscript. AI systems cannot assume responsibility for published research, verify scientific accuracy, disclose conflicts of interest, respond to editorial correspondence, or accept legal and ethical accountability. Therefore, AI tools cannot be recognized as authors of scientific manuscripts.

Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to use AI technologies responsibly and transparently in accordance with the principles of academic integrity and responsible scholarly communication.

18.1 Acceptable Use of Artificial Intelligence by Authors

Authors may use AI assisted tools for limited purposes that support manuscript preparation without replacing the authors' intellectual contribution.

Acceptable uses include:

• Grammar correction.
• Language editing.
• Improvement of readability.
• Formatting assistance.
• Translation support.
• Code debugging.
• Statistical programming assistance.
• Literature organization.
• Reference formatting.
• Preparation of graphical summaries where scientifically accurate.

Authors must carefully review and verify all AI generated outputs before manuscript submission.

The use of AI does not reduce or transfer the authors' responsibility for the accuracy, originality, or integrity of the manuscript.

18.2 Disclosure of AI Use

Where AI or Generative AI tools have made a substantial contribution to manuscript preparation beyond routine language editing, authors should disclose such use in an appropriate section of the manuscript.

The disclosure should identify:

• The AI tool used.
• The purpose for which it was used.
• Confirmation that all outputs were reviewed and verified by the authors.

Transparency regarding AI use helps readers and editors understand the role of technology in manuscript preparation.

18.3 AI Cannot Be an Author

Artificial Intelligence systems, language models, chatbots, machine learning systems, or automated content generation tools cannot be listed as authors or co authors of manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology.

This is because AI systems:

• Cannot take responsibility for published work.
• Cannot approve manuscript submission.
• Cannot respond to reviewer comments.
• Cannot disclose conflicts of interest.
• Cannot provide informed consent.
• Cannot assume legal or ethical accountability.

Only individuals who satisfy the journal's authorship criteria may be recognized as authors.

18.4 Unacceptable Uses of Artificial Intelligence

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology considers the following uses of AI to constitute unethical publication practices:

• Generating fabricated research findings.
• Creating fictional datasets.
• Inventing experimental observations.
• Producing false statistical analyses.
• Generating fictitious references or citations.
• Creating fabricated reviewer reports.
• Manipulating scientific images.
• Altering research conclusions.
• Producing fraudulent peer review recommendations.
• Concealing substantial AI generated scientific content without disclosure.

Any confirmed misuse of AI that compromises scientific integrity may result in rejection, retraction, or other editorial action.

18.5 Verification of AI Generated Content

Authors are solely responsible for verifying the accuracy of any content generated with AI assistance.

Authors should ensure that:

• Scientific facts are accurate.
• References are genuine and correctly cited.
• Statistical analyses are valid.
• Images have not been misleadingly altered.
• Conclusions are supported by research evidence.
• No confidential information has been disclosed to unauthorized AI platforms.

Submission of inaccurate AI generated content constitutes the responsibility of the authors rather than the software used.

18.6 AI Use by Reviewers

Reviewers are entrusted with confidential unpublished manuscripts.

Accordingly, reviewers should not upload submitted manuscripts or substantial portions of manuscript content into publicly available AI systems or external platforms that may retain, process, or reuse confidential information without authorization.

Where AI tools are used solely for limited language assistance or editorial support, reviewers remain fully responsible for maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that AI tools do not influence the scientific objectivity of their review.

18.7 AI Use by Editors

Editors may use AI assisted technologies for limited administrative purposes such as:

• Language improvement.
• Detection of incomplete metadata.
• Editorial workflow support.
• Technical quality checks.

However, editorial decisions concerning acceptance, rejection, revision, ethical investigations, or publication shall always be made by qualified human editors.

Editors remain fully responsible for every editorial decision.

18.8 AI Generated Images and Multimedia

Authors should clearly disclose the use of AI generated images, illustrations, graphical abstracts, videos, or multimedia elements whenever such content is included within submitted manuscripts.

AI generated visual content should not misrepresent experimental observations or scientific findings.

Images representing actual research data should accurately reflect the original observations without misleading manipulation.

18.9 Confidentiality and Data Protection

Authors, reviewers, and editors should exercise caution before submitting confidential, proprietary, unpublished, or sensitive research information to AI platforms.

Users should ensure compliance with applicable:

• Data protection regulations.
• Confidentiality agreements.
• Institutional policies.
• Funding agency requirements.
• Intellectual property obligations.

The journal encourages the responsible use of AI technologies that adequately protect confidential research information.

18.10 Editorial Response to AI Misuse

Where inappropriate or undisclosed use of AI is suspected, the journal may:

• Request clarification from the authors.
• Request disclosure of AI use.
• Request manuscript revision.
• Conduct an editorial investigation.
• Reject the manuscript.
• Publish corrections after publication where appropriate.
• Retract published articles involving serious AI related misconduct.

The journal will evaluate each case individually based on the available evidence and the potential impact on the integrity of the published work.

18.11 Commitment to Responsible AI

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology recognizes that Artificial Intelligence technologies will continue to evolve and influence scholarly communication. The journal supports innovation while emphasizing that scientific integrity, transparency, accountability, and human responsibility must remain the foundation of academic publishing.

By encouraging the responsible, ethical, and transparent use of AI technologies, the journal seeks to promote trustworthy scientific communication while preserving the authenticity, reliability, and credibility of published agricultural and ecological research.

19. Advertising, Sponsorship and Commercial Independence Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to maintaining complete editorial independence and ensuring that commercial interests do not influence editorial decisions, peer review, publication standards, or scientific integrity. The journal recognizes that scholarly publishing must remain free from inappropriate commercial influence in order to preserve public confidence in published research.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on the scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Commercial considerations, advertising relationships, sponsorship arrangements, or financial interests shall never influence editorial evaluations or publication decisions.

The Publisher, Editor in Chief, Editorial Board, reviewers, and editorial staff are committed to maintaining a clear separation between editorial activities and commercial operations.

19.1 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor in Chief and the Editorial Board without influence from:

• Advertisers.
• Sponsors.
• Commercial organizations.
• Funding agencies.
• Institutional administrators.
• Political organizations.
• Government agencies.
• Private companies.
• Individual donors.

The acceptance or rejection of manuscripts is determined solely by scientific merit and compliance with the journal's editorial and ethical standards.

19.2 Advertising Policy

Where advertising is accepted on the journal website or within journal publications, advertisements shall be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.

Advertisements shall not influence:

• Editorial decisions.
• Peer review outcomes.
• Manuscript acceptance.
• Editorial policies.
• Publication schedules.

The journal reserves the right to reject advertisements that are misleading, deceptive, unethical, discriminatory, illegal, or inconsistent with the journal's mission and values.

Advertisements should not create the impression that the journal endorses any product, service, organization, or commercial entity.

19.3 Sponsored Content

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology does not permit sponsored articles, sponsored editorials, sponsored peer reviews, or commercially influenced editorial decisions.

Where research has received financial support from commercial organizations, funding sources must be disclosed transparently by the authors through the Funding Statement and Conflict of Interest Statement.

Funding alone does not influence editorial decisions.

All sponsored research undergoes the same independent editorial assessment and peer review process as any other manuscript.

19.4 Commercial Independence

The Publisher maintains a strict separation between commercial operations and editorial responsibilities.

Commercial activities relating to subscriptions, publication services, website management, sponsorship, or advertising are managed independently from editorial evaluation.

Editorial staff are not involved in commercial negotiations relating to advertisers or sponsors.

Similarly, commercial personnel do not participate in editorial decision making.

19.5 Product and Service References

Authors may mention commercial products, equipment, software, chemicals, agricultural inputs, laboratory instruments, or proprietary technologies where scientifically necessary.

Such references should:

• Be scientifically justified.
• Remain objective.
• Avoid promotional language.
• Include generic names where appropriate.
• Not imply endorsement by the journal.

Editors may request revision where product descriptions appear promotional rather than scientific.

19.6 Commitment to Editorial Integrity

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology remains committed to protecting editorial independence and ensuring that scientific publishing remains free from commercial influence. The journal believes that maintaining a clear separation between editorial decision making and commercial interests strengthens public trust, promotes research integrity, and supports the publication of unbiased, high quality scientific research.

20. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Non Discrimination Policy

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and equitable scholarly publishing environment that values diversity of perspectives, cultures, disciplines, institutions, and geographical regions. The journal believes that scientific excellence is strengthened through diversity and equal opportunities for participation in research and scholarly communication.

The journal promotes fairness throughout the editorial, peer review, and publication processes and does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or exclusion on any unlawful or unethical basis.

20.1 Equal Opportunity

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific considerations, including:

• Originality.
• Scientific quality.
• Methodological rigor.
• Ethical compliance.
• Relevance to the journal.
• Contribution to knowledge.

Editorial decisions are not influenced by an author's:

• Nationality.
• Race.
• Ethnicity.
• Gender.
• Age.
• Disability.
• Religion.
• Citizenship.
• Political beliefs.
• Institutional affiliation.
• Socioeconomic status.

20.2 Inclusive Editorial Practices

The journal encourages diversity within its:

• Editorial Board.
• Reviewer database.
• Author community.
• Readership.

The journal values contributions from researchers representing different countries, disciplines, institutions, and career stages.

20.3 Respectful Communication

Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and journal staff are expected to communicate respectfully and professionally.

The journal does not tolerate:

• Harassment.
• Discrimination.
• Personal attacks.
• Offensive language.
• Intimidation.
• Bullying.
• Defamatory remarks.

Professional conduct is expected throughout all editorial interactions.

20.4 Accessibility

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology strives to make scholarly communication accessible to researchers worldwide through transparent editorial policies, clear author guidelines, and internationally recognized publication standards.

The journal continuously seeks opportunities to improve accessibility for authors, reviewers, readers, and researchers from diverse academic communities.

20.5 Commitment to Inclusive Scholarship

The journal believes that diversity and inclusion enrich scientific research by encouraging broader perspectives, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global participation. Through equitable editorial practices and respectful scholarly communication, the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology seeks to create an environment where scientific excellence can flourish regardless of personal background or institutional affiliation.

21. Sanctions for Publication Misconduct

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology treats publication misconduct seriously and reserves the right to impose appropriate sanctions when ethical violations are confirmed. Sanctions are intended to protect the integrity of the scholarly record rather than to punish individuals.

Depending on the nature, severity, and evidence of the misconduct, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification or additional documentation from the authors.
• Require revision of the manuscript before further consideration.
• Reject the manuscript.
• Suspend editorial processing pending investigation.
• Publish a correction, corrigendum, or erratum.
• Publish an Expression of Concern.
• Retract the published article.
• Remove the article where legally required.
• Notify the authors' affiliated institutions.
• Notify funding agencies where appropriate.
• Notify relevant indexing and abstracting services.
• Temporarily restrict future submissions from the responsible authors.
• Permanently prohibit future submissions in cases of repeated or serious misconduct.

Each case will be evaluated individually, ensuring fairness, confidentiality, proportionality, and due process throughout the investigation.

22. Contact for Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Questions, concerns, complaints, or reports relating to publication ethics, research integrity, peer review, authorship disputes, plagiarism, corrections, retractions, conflicts of interest, or any other ethical matter may be submitted to the Editorial Office.

The journal encourages concerns to be reported in good faith together with supporting evidence whenever possible.

All communications relating to publication ethics will be treated confidentially and investigated fairly, objectively, and promptly.

Editorial Office

Journal of Agriculture and Ecology

Email: saaerjae2016@gmail.com

Website: https://saaer.org.in/journals/index.php/jae/

Authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions are encouraged to communicate ethical concerns directly with the Editorial Office so that appropriate action can be taken to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

23. References and International Publishing Standards

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology has developed this Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement in accordance with internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing. The journal continuously reviews and updates its policies to remain aligned with evolving international best practices.

The journal's publication ethics framework is informed by the principles and recommendations of the following organizations and guidelines:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA and WAME)
• Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB) requirements for journal evaluation

Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these internationally recognized publishing standards.

24. Final Statement of Commitment

The Journal of Agriculture and Ecology is fully committed to promoting ethical research, responsible authorship, transparent editorial practices, rigorous peer review, and the long term integrity of the scholarly record. The journal recognizes that maintaining public confidence in scientific publishing requires the collective efforts of authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, readers, and research institutions.

This Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement reflects the journal's commitment to fairness, accountability, transparency, research integrity, and continuous improvement in scholarly publishing. These policies apply to all manuscripts submitted to or published by the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology and are intended to ensure that published research meets the highest standards of scientific and ethical excellence.

The journal will periodically review and revise this policy to incorporate developments in publication ethics, technological advancements, international guidelines, and best practices in scholarly communication. By adhering to these principles, the Journal of Agriculture and Ecology seeks to contribute to a trustworthy, credible, and globally respected scientific literature while supporting the advancement of knowledge in agriculture, ecology, environmental science, and related disciplines.