Policy Statement
PUBLICATION ETHICS AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY POLICY
SCIENTARA JOURNAL
Journal of Agricultural, Environmental and Life Sciences
Publication Ethics Overview
Scientara Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access, research-driven quarterly journal dedicated to agricultural, environmental, plant and soil, biological, life sciences, and related interdisciplinary scientific areas. The journal is committed to responsible scholarly publishing and to maintaining the integrity of the academic record.
This policy reflects the journal's expectations for originality, transparency, responsible authorship, ethical research conduct, fair peer review, confidentiality, accurate reporting, responsible citation, and the correction of the scholarly record where needed.
Ethical responsibility is shared by authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and publisher or journal management.
Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to all material considered for publication in Scientara Journal, including submitted manuscripts, revised manuscripts, accepted articles, published articles, supplementary material, and any communication connected with editorial review and publication decisions.
The policy also applies to all parties involved in the publication process, including corresponding authors, co-authors, reviewers, section editors, editors, guest editors where applicable, and the journal team responsible for managing submissions and publication.
Authorship and Author Responsibilities
Authorship criteria
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, or drafting and critical revision of the manuscript.
Author approval
All listed authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and for ensuring that all author information is accurate.
Originality
Submitted work must be original and must not have been published previously in substantially the same form. Any overlapping or related submissions should be disclosed clearly to the editorial office.
Authorship changes
Changes in authorship after submission should be made only with the agreement of all authors and in line with the journal's editorial procedures.
Originality, Plagiarism, and Redundant Publication
Scientara Journal expects all submissions to be original and properly attributed. Plagiarism in any form, including verbatim copying, close paraphrasing without acknowledgment, or inappropriate reuse of previously published material, is not acceptable.
Redundant, duplicate, or fragmented publication should be avoided. Manuscripts derived from theses, dissertations, conference presentations, or preprints should be clearly disclosed where relevant, and authors must ensure that the submission offers a legitimate and distinct scholarly contribution.
Research Integrity and Data Ethics
Accurate reporting
Authors should report methods, observations, analyses, and results honestly and accurately. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, selectively omitted, or manipulated in a way that could mislead readers.
Reproducibility
Methods and procedures should be described with enough detail to support scholarly scrutiny and, where appropriate, reproducibility. Supporting data should be presented clearly and consistently.
Data availability
Where relevant, authors should be prepared to provide access to underlying data, datasets, code, or supporting material in a manner consistent with the journal's editorial expectations and any applicable ethical or legal restrictions.
Image integrity
Images, graphs, micrographs, and visual data must present research findings honestly. Any adjustments should not alter the scientific meaning or create a misleading impression.
Ethics in Research Involving Humans, Animals, or Sensitive Data
When research involves humans, animals, protected environments, sensitive observations, or regulated material, authors are responsible for following applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements before submission.
Manuscripts should include a clear statement describing ethical approval, informed consent, permissions, or other required authorizations where applicable. If a study was exempt from formal review, that basis should be stated clearly when relevant.
Peer Review, Confidentiality, and Editorial Independence
Fair review
Scientara Journal aims to support fair, responsible, and constructive peer review. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal's scope, originality, methodological soundness, and clarity of presentation.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review and related correspondence are confidential. Editors and reviewers must not disclose, distribute, or use unpublished material for personal advantage or outside the review process.
Reviewer conduct
Reviewers should provide objective, respectful, and timely evaluations. Any real or potential conflict of interest should be disclosed to the editor as soon as it is identified.
Editorial independence
Editorial decisions should be guided by academic merit and the journal's policies. Commercial, personal, or institutional considerations should not override fair editorial judgment.
Conflicts of Interest and Transparency
All authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose any financial, institutional, collaborative, personal, or academic relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work or the editorial process.
Where no conflict exists, a clear declaration of no conflict may be requested or published according to the journal's submission requirements.
Corrections, Retractions, and the Scholarly Record
Scientara Journal is committed to preserving the accuracy of the scholarly record. When an error, omission, or ethical concern is identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction as appropriate.
Authors are expected to cooperate promptly and constructively if the journal requests clarification, supporting evidence, or a corrective action related to a published article.
Research Misconduct and Publication Malpractice
The journal may take action when there is credible evidence of plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts, improper authorship practices, duplicate publication, manipulated peer review, or other forms of publication malpractice.
Depending on the severity and nature of the issue, the journal may request clarification, reject the manuscript, notify the authors' institutions, or publish a corrective notice in line with editorial procedures.
Policy Implementation
This policy applies to all submissions to Scientara Journal and should be read together with the journal's author instructions and submission requirements. The editorial team may update or interpret this policy as needed to address publication concerns, emerging best practices, or case-specific ethical questions.
Authors are encouraged to consult the journal website and follow the most current guidance before submission.
Closing statement
Scientara Journal promotes responsible scholarly publishing and expects all participants in the publication process to uphold integrity, transparency, and respect for the academic record.