Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences (JRAFS) is a peer-reviewed international journal committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and ensuring the integrity of all published content.

The journal strictly follows the guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

All manuscripts submitted to JRAFS undergo a double-blind peer review process and are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate prior to publication.

Any manuscript found to involve research misconduct, plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical malpractice will be rejected or retracted, even after publication.

1. Ethical Responsibilities of All Parties

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal represents an essential contribution to the development of a reliable body of scientific knowledge.
It is therefore vital that all parties involved—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—adhere to recognized standards of ethical behavior.

2. Author Responsibilities

Authors submitting to JRAFS must:

• Ensure that their manuscripts are original works, free from plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or redundant publication.

• Properly cite and acknowledge all sources and contributions that have influenced the work.

• Confirm that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by any other journal.

• Ensure that all co-authors have made a significant contribution to the research and have approved the final version of the manuscript.

• Disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest that could affect the interpretation of the research.

• Clearly state all sources of financial support or funding for the work.

• Promptly notify the editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in their published article and cooperate in its correction or retraction.

• Agree to the journal’s open access and licensing terms prior to publication.

Submitting a manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes a violation of publication ethics and will result in rejection.

3. Editor Responsibilities

Editors of JRAFS are responsible for:

• Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and confidential review process for all submitted manuscripts.

• Selecting reviewers based on relevant subject expertise and the absence of any conflict of interest.

• Making publication decisions solely based on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

• Maintaining confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts and not using unpublished materials for personal research.

• Taking appropriate action in cases of ethical misconduct, including the publication of corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies when necessary.

The Editor-in-Chief oversees the editorial process and ensures adherence to the journal’s ethical standards.

4. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of the journal’s publications. Reviewers are expected to:

• Evaluate manuscripts objectively, confidentially, and within the agreed timeframe.

• Provide clear, constructive, and evidence-based comments to help authors improve their work.

• Identify any instances of plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data manipulation, and report these concerns to the editor.

• Decline to review a manuscript if they feel unqualified or if a conflict of interest exists with any of the authors, institutions, or funding sources.

• Refrain from using unpublished data or ideas from reviewed manuscripts for personal advantage.

5. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher of JRAFS is committed to supporting the editorial team in maintaining the integrity of the academic record by:

• Ensuring that all cases of ethical misconduct are handled consistently and transparently.

• Working closely with editors and authors to correct or retract articles when necessary.

• Providing digital preservation and open access to all published content in accordance with the journal’s Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.

6. Misconduct and Investigation

JRAFS takes research and publication misconduct seriously.
Any allegations of unethical behavior—such as plagiarism, data falsification, image manipulation, or duplicate publication—will be investigated following COPE guidelines.

Confirmed cases of malpractice will result in:

• Immediate rejection or retraction of the manuscript,

• Notification of the authors’ institutions, and

• Possible restrictions on future submissions.