Editorial Policy

Journal of Agriculture and Food Science Applications (JAFSA) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal committed to promoting high-quality research, ethical scholarly publishing, and the dissemination of innovative knowledge in agriculture, food science, biotechnology, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and related applied sciences.

Open Access
Peer Reviewed
COPE Principles
ICMJE Standards
Creative Commons

1. Overview

The Journal of Agriculture and Food Science Applications (JAFSA) provides a reputable platform for publishing original research articles, review papers, short communications, technical notes, case studies, and innovative applications in agriculture and food sciences.

JAFSA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial integrity and publication ethics. The journal follows internationally recognized recommendations and best practices established by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
  • World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
  • International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM)
  • Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines
  • UNESCO ethical standards for scientific and cultural research
Submission Declaration: Submission of a manuscript confirms that all authors have read, understood, and agreed to this editorial policy and that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.

2. Scope of the Journal

JAFSA welcomes manuscripts in, but not limited to, the following areas:

  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Food Science and Food Technology
  • Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
  • Agricultural Biotechnology
  • Livestock and Animal Production
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Food Safety and Quality Assurance
  • Postharvest Technology
  • Agricultural Economics and Extension
  • Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sustainability
  • Nutrition and Functional Foods
  • Precision Agriculture and Digital Farming

3. Authorship Criteria

Authorship should accurately reflect significant intellectual contributions to the work. JAFSA adopts the ICMJE authorship recommendations.

Every listed author must satisfy all of the following:

  1. Substantial contribution to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation.
  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
  3. Approval of the final version before submission.
  4. Acceptance of accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the work.
**Author Contributions (CRediT Taxonomy):** Authors are encouraged to specify individual contributions such as conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing, supervision, project administration, and funding acquisition.

4. Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgements section. Financial sponsors, institutional support, technical assistance, laboratory facilities, and editorial assistance should also be disclosed.

5. Change of Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission or publication are considered only under exceptional circumstances and must comply with COPE guidelines.

The corresponding author must provide:

  • A formal written request;
  • Reason for the change;
  • Signed consent from all existing and proposed authors.

6. Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the official JAFSA online submission system. Submissions must follow the journal's Author Guidelines and prescribed formatting style.

Authors must provide:

  • Full names and institutional affiliations
  • ORCID iD (recommended)
  • Corresponding author contact details
  • Conflict of Interest statement
  • Funding statement
  • Data Availability statement
  • Ethics approval where applicable

7. Peer Review Policy

JAFSA operates a rigorous double-blind peer review system in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.

Stage Description
Initial Screening Editorial assessment for scope, originality, formatting, and plagiarism.
Peer Review Minimum of two independent expert reviewers.
Editorial Decision Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.
Final Acceptance Technical editing, proofreading, DOI assignment, and publication.
The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision based solely on scientific merit, ethical compliance, originality, and reviewers' recommendations.

8. Publication Ethics

Originality

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not contain plagiarism, duplicate publication, or manipulated data. Similarity screening is conducted before peer review.

Data Integrity

Authors must retain original research data and provide them upon editorial request. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting constitutes misconduct.

Artificial Intelligence

AI-assisted tools may be used only for language improvement. AI systems cannot be listed as authors, and authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript.

9. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence editorial decisions.

Examples include research grants, employment, consultancies, patents, stock ownership, or advisory positions related to the submitted work.

10. Ethical Approval for Research

Human Participants

Studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and must include:

  • Name of approving ethics committee
  • Approval/reference number
  • Informed consent statement

Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international animal welfare regulations, including ICLAS and Basel Declaration principles.

Plant Research

Research involving cultivated or wild plants must include appropriate collection permits, voucher specimen information, and compliance with biodiversity legislation where applicable.

11. Sex and Gender Reporting (SAGER)

JAFSA encourages authors to incorporate sex and gender considerations into research design, analysis, and reporting whenever scientifically appropriate.

  • Specify the sex or gender studied.
  • Provide sex-disaggregated data where applicable.
  • Discuss sex and gender implications in the results.
  • Justify exclusion of sex/gender analysis when necessary.

12. Data Availability and Reproducibility

To promote transparency and reproducibility, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets, codes, protocols, and supplementary materials in recognized public repositories.

Each manuscript should include one of the following statements:

  • Data are publicly available.
  • Data are available upon reasonable request.
  • Data are included within the article and supplementary files.

13. Open Access Policy

JAFSA is a fully open access journal. All published articles are immediately and permanently available online without subscription or access fees.

Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, print, and share published articles provided appropriate citation is given to the original work.

14. Copyright & Licensing

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

15. Biosafety and Biosecurity

Research involving microorganisms, genetically modified organisms, hazardous biological materials, or dual-use research must comply with institutional biosafety regulations and WHO biosecurity recommendations.

Editors may request additional documentation or conduct ethical assessment before peer review.

16. Misconduct

JAFSA investigates allegations of publication misconduct in accordance with COPE procedures.

Examples include:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Image manipulation
  • Duplicate submission
  • Citation manipulation
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Peer-review manipulation
Appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, retraction, notification of institutions, or prohibition from future submissions.

17. Corrections, Expressions of Concern & Retractions

When significant errors are identified after publication, JAFSA will issue one of the following:

  • Correction: For factual or typographical errors.
  • Expression of Concern: During ongoing investigations.
  • Retraction: For unreliable findings, misconduct, or ethical violations.

All correction and retraction notices remain permanently linked to the original article to preserve the scholarly record.

18. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of the publisher and are based exclusively on scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Neither commercial interests nor sponsorship influence editorial decisions.

19. Contact Information

For questions regarding editorial policies, ethics, or manuscript submissions, please contact the Editorial Office through the official JAFSA website.