Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Pure and Applied Agriculture (JPAA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers—are expected to adhere to these principles to ensure the integrity of the scientific record.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must:

• Ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere.
• Properly cite and acknowledge the work of others.
• Avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification.
• Disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Obtain necessary ethical approvals for research involving humans, animals, or hazardous materials.
• Provide accurate data and methodology to allow reproducibility.
• Declare sources of funding and financial support.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

• Making decisions based solely on the manuscript’s intellectual merit, relevance, and originality.
• Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
• Managing conflicts of interest and disclosing any personal or professional relationships.
• Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process.
• Taking appropriate action in cases of suspected ethical violations, including corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of manuscripts.
• Maintain confidentiality and not use information gained during peer review for personal advantage.
• Declare any conflicts of interest.
• Avoid personal criticism and respect intellectual property rights.

Malpractice and Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate any form of misconduct, including but not limited to:

• Plagiarism: Copying or close imitation of another author’s work without proper attribution.
• Data Fabrication/Falsification: Manipulating research data or results dishonestly.
• Duplicate Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or publishing redundant work.
• Authorship Misconduct: Including “guest,” “ghost,” or “gift” authorship practices.
• Unethical Research Practices: Conducting research without necessary ethical clearances.

Handling Ethical Violations

Upon suspicion of ethical breaches, the editorial board will:

• Conduct a thorough investigation following COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
• Communicate with authors and, if necessary, their affiliated institutions.
• Retract or correct published articles when warranted.
• Ban authors found guilty of serious misconduct from future submissions.

Transparency and Accountability

JPAA upholds transparency in all publishing processes and encourages the reporting of unethical behavior. Authors, reviewers, and readers are invited to report any concerns regarding publication ethics to the editorial office.