The Journal of Plant Science and Phytopathology (JPSP) is dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards in plant science and phytopathology research. The journal ensures strict confidentiality in the editorial and peer review process, while promoting integrity, transparency, and responsible research practices in plant biology, pathology, genetics, and agriculture.

Confidentiality and Ethics

1. Confidentiality in Peer Review and Publication

Editors, reviewers, and all individuals involved in the peer review process must maintain strict confidentiality to ensure fairness and protect intellectual property.

• Manuscript Confidentiality: All submitted manuscripts must be handled confidentially and not shared outside of the peer review process.
• Reviewer Anonymity: If the journal follows a double-blind peer review system, the identities of both authors and reviewers must remain confidential.
• Unpublished Data Protection: Editors and reviewers must not use or distribute unpublished research findings for personal or professional gain.

2. Ethical Standards in Plant Science Research

All research published in JPSP must comply with ethical principles governing plant sciences, genetic modification, and environmental impact studies.

• Biosafety and Genetic Research Compliance: Research involving genetically modified plants must follow national and international biosafety regulations.
• Environmental and Agricultural Ethics: Studies examining plant diseases, pest control, and ecosystem interactions must follow ethical agricultural and environmental guidelines.
• Reproducibility and Data Transparency: Authors must provide sufficient details about methodologies, experimental conditions, and datasets to ensure reproducibility.

3. Ethical Conduct in Scientific Publishing

JPSP enforces strict ethical publishing policies to ensure transparency, accuracy, and credibility.

• Plagiarism and Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and duplicate publication.
• Authorship Transparency: All listed authors must have made significant contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.
• Data Integrity: Research data, figures, and experimental results must be presented truthfully, without falsification or selective reporting.

4. Managing Conflicts of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence research evaluation or editorial decisions.

• Editorial Independence: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a personal, professional, or financial conflict of interest.
• Author and Reviewer Disclosure: All potential conflicts, including funding sources, institutional affiliations, and industry relationships, must be disclosed.
• Funding Transparency: Research supported by agribusiness, biotech companies, or environmental organizations must fully disclose funding sources.

5. Corrections and Retractions

JPSP is committed to maintaining the scientific record by addressing errors and ethical concerns transparently.

• Errata and Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect research validity will be corrected through an erratum.
• Article Retractions: Research misconduct, ethical violations, or significant errors may lead to article retractions with a formal statement.
• Expression of Concern: If ethical concerns arise but require further investigation, an expression of concern may be issued.

6. Transparency and Ethical Accountability

JPSP ensures that its editorial policies and ethical guidelines are publicly accessible, consistently enforced, and aligned with global plant science research standards.

• Ethical Complaints: Any ethical concerns raised by authors, reviewers, or readers will be investigated following COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
• Editorial Integrity: Editorial decisions are made solely based on scientific quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to plant science.
• Diversity and Inclusivity: JPSP promotes diversity in authorship, peer review selection, and editorial board representation.

By submitting to the JPSP, authors, reviewers, and editors agree to adhere to these confidentiality and ethical guidelines. For any ethical concerns or clarifications, please contact the editorial office.