Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Journal of Agriculture and Local Food (JALF) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against any publication malpractices. This statement is based on the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) , the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME) , and the specific editorial policies of JALF to meet Scopus indexing requirements .

All parties involved in publishing—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to agree to the following ethical standards.

SECTION 1: DUTIES OF EDITORS

1.1 Publication Decisions
The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published, based on the validation of the work, its originality, and its relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope (Agroecology and Local Food Systems) . Decisions are guided by the journal's policies and constrained by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may confer with associate editors or reviewers .

1.2 Fair Play and Non-Discrimination
Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on their intellectual content, originality, and methodological rigor. Editors must not discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, academic rank, or institutional affiliation of the authors .

1.3 Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, potential reviewers, and the publisher. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author .

1.4 Declaration of Competing Interests
Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a competing interest (financial, personal, institutional, or collaborative). Such manuscripts must be reassigned to another editor or member of the editorial board .

1.5 Citation Manipulation
Editors are strictly prohibited from coercing authors to cite their own journal’s articles or any specific references to artificially inflate citation metrics. Any detected coercion will result in immediate editorial reassignment and notification to COPE .

1.6 Oversight of Peer Review
Editors must ensure that the double-blind peer review process is fair, unbiased, and timely. They are responsible for verifying reviewer identities and monitoring for signs of peer review manipulation (e.g., fake reviewer accounts, citation rings) .

1.7 Handling of Allegations and Misconduct
Editors have a duty to act if misconduct is suspected, whether before or after publication. Editors will follow COPE Flowcharts to investigate concerns regarding plagiarism, fabricated data, authorship disputes, and unethical research. This includes communicating with institutional ethics boards and funders when necessary .

SECTION 2: DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

2.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and may also assist the author in improving the manuscript through constructive feedback .

2.2 Promptness and Responsiveness
Reviewers who feel unqualified to assess a manuscript or cannot meet the deadline must notify the editor immediately. Delays in response to invitation emails or review submission are considered a serious disruption to the editorial process .

2.3 Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or show the manuscript with any unauthorized third party. The use of Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to draft review reports or analyze manuscript content is strictly prohibited, except for basic language assistance which must be declared .

2.4 Standards of Objectivity
Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author(s) is unacceptable. Reviewers must clearly express their views with supporting arguments and provide specific recommendations for improvement .

2.5 Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers must identify relevant published work not cited by the authors. Any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published paper must be immediately reported to the editor .

2.6 Competing Interests
Reviewers should not accept manuscripts in which they have a competing interest (e.g., recent collaboration, competitive relationship, same institution). Any discovered conflict must be declared to the editor prior to review .

SECTION 3: DUTIES OF AUTHORS

3.1 Reporting Standards and Originality
Authors must present an accurate account of the original research performed. Manuscripts must contain sufficient detail and references to permit replication. Fraudulent, fabricated, or falsified data constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. JALF adheres to a zero-tolerance policy for such practices .

3.2 Originality, Plagiarism, and Self-Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that the manuscript is entirely original. All work, ideas, data, or wording taken from other sources (including the authors’ own previous publications) must be appropriately cited or quoted. Text recycling (self-plagiarism) without proper citation is prohibited. JALF screens all submissions using plagiarism detection software. A manuscript is considered acceptable if the overall similarity index is below 30%, with no single source exceeding 12% .

3.3 Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Submission
Authors must not submit the same manuscript concurrently to more than one journal. Submitting a manuscript describing essentially the same research in more than one journal constitutes unethical behavior. Simultaneous submission will result in immediate rejection and a submission ban .

3.4 Authorship and Contributorship
JALF mandates multi-authored submissions, as per editorial policy. Sole authorship is permitted only for scholars explicitly invited by the editors or those with an established reputable record in agroecology or food systems.

  • Authorship criteria: Authorship must be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, or interpretation of the study.

  • CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) : Authors must specify individual contributions using CRediT statements.

  • AI Tools: Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Use of AI for writing assistance, data analysis, or figure generation must be fully disclosed in the manuscript .

  • Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the agreement of all co-authors and maintaining communication with the journal .

3.5 Data Integrity and Reproducibility
Authors must provide a Data Availability Statement. Raw data related to the submission should be retained and made available to the editor upon request. JALF encourages deposit of data in trusted public repositories with persistent identifiers (DOIs) .

3.6 Competing Interests / Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be construed to influence the results or interpretation of the manuscript. This includes funding sources, employment, affiliations, patents, and personal relationships. Disclosure must be included in the manuscript prior to submission .

3.7 Mandatory Proofreading Certificate (2026 Policy)
As per JALF policy effective for the 2026 edition, a proofreading certificate is mandatory and must be uploaded as a supplementary file. Manuscripts with poor English grammar will be desk-rejected without review [citation:website].

3.8 Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they have an obligation to immediately notify the editor and cooperate in the issuance of a correction, erratum, or retraction .

3.9 Ethical Oversight (Human and Animal Subjects)
Research involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive personal data must include a statement confirming institutional review board (IRB) approval or ethics committee clearance, including the approval number and date. Informed consent must be obtained and declared .

SECTION 4: ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT AND MALPRACTICE

4.1 Definition of Misconduct
Misconduct includes, but is not limited to: plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, duplicate submission, salami slicing, citation manipulation, authorship disputes, undeclared competing interests, peer-review manipulation, and undisclosed use of AI or third-party writing services .

4.2 Investigation and Sanctions
JALF will investigate all allegations of misconduct, whether submitted by readers, reviewers, or discovered during routine screening. Investigations will follow COPE guidelines and be conducted confidentially.

Sanctions may include :

  • Immediate rejection of the manuscript.

  • Prohibition from submitting to JALF for a defined period (e.g., 2–5 years).

  • Publication of a retraction, expression of concern, or correction notice linked to the original article.

  • Notification to the authors’ employing institution(s) and funders.

  • Public notification of misconduct in the journal.

SECTION 5: POST-PUBLICATION DISCUSSIONS AND CORRECTIONS

5.1 Corrections and Retractions
JALF recognizes its responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. If errors or misconduct are identified post-publication, the journal will issue:

  • Erratum/Corrigendum: For unintentional errors that do not invalidate the work.

  • Expression of Concern: During an ongoing investigation.

  • Retraction: If the findings are unreliable, plagiarized, or unethical .

Retracted articles will be clearly marked (watermark) and remain publicly accessible with metadata linking to the retraction notice. All corrections and retractions will be submitted to Scopus and other indexers for metadata update .

5.2 Complaints and Appeals
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed appeal letter with substantive methodological or ethical grounds. Appeals will be reviewed by a senior editor uninvolved in the original decision. Frivolous or vexatious appeals will be summarily dismissed .

SECTION 6: JOURNAL MANAGEMENT AND PUBLISHER’S RESPONSIBILITIES

6.1 Publisher Commitment
The publisher (Gammabeta Edu and Tech) commits to ensuring editorial independence, maintaining an efficient infrastructure, and supporting editors in adhering to COPE Core Practices .

6.2 Archiving and Preservation
JALF ensures long-term digital preservation of all published content via appropriate archiving arrangements (e.g., PKP PN, LOCKSS, or national libraries) .

6.3 Transparency and Licensing
All publication costs (if any), copyright, and licensing terms are clearly displayed on the journal website. JALF applies open-access licenses compliant with DOAJ standards .

How to Raise Concerns
Any individual—including readers, authors, or whistleblowers—may raise ethical concerns by contacting the editorial office at [admin@gammabeta.id] . All reports will be acknowledged within five working days, treated with strict confidentiality, and investigated in accordance with COPE protocols .