Policies & Statements

Peer Review Policy

The Journal of Agricultural Innovation and Sustainability (JAIS) is committed to maintaining a rigorous, fair, and transparent peer-review process to ensure the publication of high-quality scholarly research.

1. Review Model

JAIS employs a Double-Blind Peer Review system, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed to ensure impartial and unbiased evaluation.

2. Initial Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine:

  • Relevance to the journal’s scope

  • Originality and academic quality

  • Compliance with ethical standards

  • Plagiarism (screened using reliable plagiarism-detection software)

Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria may be rejected prior to external peer review.

3. External Peer Review

Manuscripts passing initial screening are reviewed by at least two independent subject experts. Reviewers evaluate submissions based on:

  • Originality and significance

  • Research design and methodology

  • Quality and validity of analysis

  • Contribution to the field

  • Clarity, organization, and presentation

Possible review decisions include:

  • Accept

  • Minor Revision

  • Major Revision

  • Reject

4. Revisions and Final Decision

Authors must revise their manuscripts in accordance with reviewer feedback and submit a detailed response to comments. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision, considering reviewer recommendations and the quality of revisions.

5. Confidentiality and Ethics

All manuscripts and reviewer reports are treated as confidential. JAIS adheres strictly to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical research practices.

6. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews

  • Maintain confidentiality

  • Declare any conflicts of interest

7. Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written justification. Appeals are reviewed by the Editorial Board, and the decision following appeal is final.

Article Retraction Policy

The Journal of Agricultural Innovation and Sustainability (JAIS) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Articles may be retracted in accordance with COPE guidelines when serious ethical or scientific issues are identified.

Grounds for Retraction

1. Significant Scientific Errors

Retraction may occur if:

  • Results are unreliable due to data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation

  • Honest errors (e.g., methodological flaws or miscalculations) critically invalidate the study’s conclusions

2. Redundant or Duplicate Publication

Articles may be retracted if they contain substantial material previously published elsewhere without proper citation, permission, or justification, including simultaneous or repeated submissions to multiple journals.

3. Ethical Misconduct

This includes:

  • Plagiarism, including misuse of confidential peer-review material

  • Improper authorship practices, such as guest, gift, or ghost authorship, or unresolved authorship disputes

4. Unethical Research Practices

Retraction may result from:

  • Absence of required ethical approval

  • Violation of human or animal research standards

  • Manipulation or misrepresentation of data

5. Non-Compliance with Financial Obligations

Failure to fulfil mandatory publication fee requirements—after a grace period of up to 60 days—may result in retraction to ensure procedural fairness and sustainability of the open-access model.

Open Access Policy

The Journal of Agricultural Innovation and Sustainability (JAIS) operates under a Gold Open Access model and is committed to the unrestricted dissemination of scholarly research.

Access and Usage Rights

  • All articles are freely available online without subscription, access fees, or registration

  • Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to, and reuse articles for lawful purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given

Licensing

All articles published in JAIS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits:

  • Sharing and redistribution in any medium or format

  • Adaptation and reuse for any purpose, including commercial use

  • Proper credit to the original authors and source

Commitment to Open Knowledge

JAIS aims to:

  • Enhance global visibility and accessibility of research

  • Promote interdisciplinary collaboration in agricultural and sustainability sciences

  • Support researchers from diverse regions

  • Advance innovation and sustainable development research

Privacy Statement

The Journal of Agricultural Innovation and Sustainability (JAIS) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of all users, authors, reviewers, and contributors.

Collection and Use of Personal Information

Personal data, including names, email addresses, affiliations, and contact details, is collected solely for journal operations such as:

  • Manuscript submission and peer-review management

  • Editorial communication

  • Publication, indexing, and administrative processes

Confidentiality and Data Protection

JAIS ensures that:

  • Personal information is used exclusively for journal-related purposes

  • Data is not shared, sold, or disclosed to third parties unrelated to journal operations

  • Access is restricted to authorized editorial and administrative personnel

  • Industry-standard security measures are implemented to protect user data

User Rights

Users have the right to:

  • Request correction or updating of personal information

  • Inquire about how their data is used

  • Request removal of personal data, subject to editorial and legal obligations

Commitment to Ethical Data Handling

JAIS follows internationally recognized best practices in data protection and ethical publishing, ensuring transparency, trust, and respect for all stakeholders.