Ethical Guidelines

The Journal of Smart Farming and Food Security (JSFFS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal follows the ethical guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers involved in the publication process are expected to adhere to ethical principles related to authorship, originality, transparency, research integrity, and responsible reporting of scientific results.

Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. All authors should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authors must have contributed to the following:

• The conception or design of the research; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
• Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
• Final approval of the version to be published.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included in the manuscript and that no inappropriate authors are listed. Submission of the manuscript confirms that all authors have read and approved the final version and agree to its submission to this journal.

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original and have not been previously published or submitted elsewhere. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be provided. Plagiarism in any form—including copying text, ideas, figures, or data without proper citation—is considered unethical and unacceptable. All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software.

Duplicate or Redundant Publication
Authors should not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior. A manuscript that significantly overlaps with previously published work—including similar hypotheses, data, methodology, results, or conclusions—will be considered redundant publication. Such practices are prohibited even if the manuscript is submitted in a different language. Authors should also avoid “salami slicing”, which refers to dividing a single research study into multiple publications without meaningful scientific distinction.

Data Integrity and Fabrication
Authors must present accurate data and a truthful account of the research performed. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data and research results constitutes serious scientific misconduct and is strictly prohibited. Authors may be asked to provide the raw data supporting their findings during the editorial review process.

Citation Integrity
Authors must cite relevant and appropriate sources that directly contribute to the development of their research. Excessive or irrelevant citations, including self-citations intended to artificially increase citation metrics (e.g., h-index), are considered unethical. Citation manipulation intended to influence journal metrics or author impact indicators is not permitted.

Ethical Approval for Research Involving Humans or Animals
Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional regulations. Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board before conducting such studies. Details of ethical approval must be clearly stated in the Materials and Methods section. Research involving human participants must follow the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. Identifiable personal information should only be included when essential for scientific purposes and must be accompanied by written informed consent from the participant or their legal guardian.

Intellectual Property Rights
Authors must respect intellectual property rights and ensure that all materials used in their research—including images, datasets, and proprietary technologies—are used legally and with proper authorization where required.

Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their research. All sources of funding, including institutional, governmental, or private financial support, must be clearly acknowledged in the manuscript.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and DeepSeek, cannot be listed as authors under any circumstances. Authors may use AI tools for assistance, ethically. Any use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript, typically in the Acknowledgements section or in a dedicated AI Use Declaration. Human authors remain fully responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the manuscript. Any submission found to contain fabricated data, manipulated content, or unverifiable references generated by AI tools will be rejected or retracted. This policy is consistent with the recommendations of COPE and major international academic publishers.

Editorial Responsibility
Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the scientific merit, originality, clarity, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions must be free from discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political philosophy. Editors must ensure confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished information for personal research without explicit written consent from the authors.

Reviewer Responsibility
Peer reviewers play an essential role in assisting editors in making editorial decisions and improving the quality of published manuscripts. Reviewers must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for personal advantage. Reviewers should:

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of manuscripts
• Maintain confidentiality of the review process
• Identify relevant published work not cited by the authors
• Disclose any potential conflicts of interest

Publisher Responsibility
The publisher of the Journal of Smart Farming and Food Security is committed to ensuring the integrity of the academic record. In cases of suspected misconduct, the publisher will work with editors and reviewers to investigate and address ethical concerns in accordance with COPE guidelines, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.