Ethics and Malpractice

Journal of Postharvest Technology: Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Our publication ethics and malpractice statement is based on the guidelines for journal editors developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated based on their scientific content. Measures are adopted to uphold the standards of publication ethics and to avoid malpractices. We ensure that the submitted papers are original, unpublished, and not submitted for publication elsewhere. Authors certify that their research papers are their own original work, neither copied nor plagiarized in part or whole, and appropriately cite or quote the works of others.

Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

The Editorial Team of the Journal of Postharvest Technology, comprising the Editorial Board and the Editorial Staff, with the Publisher, is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal are to be published. Editors have complete discretion to accept or reject an article. The Editorial Team may consult with other reviewers or editors in making its decisions. Manuscripts are evaluated based on their scholarly and intellectual content, without regard to the authors' gender, race, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. The journal follows a policy of fair play in its editorial evaluation. Editors are expected to exercise caution to avoid conflicts of interest with respect to the articles they accept or reject. Editors and editorial staff must maintain confidentiality and are required not to disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher. Authors are encouraged to correct errors identified during the review process while preserving reviewer anonymity.

Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Editorial decisions are based on peer review. Reviewers must maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the content of manuscripts. Reviews should be conducted objectively, with referees expressing their views clearly with supporting reasons. Reviewers should have no conflicts of interest with the authors or the subject matter of the research. They are required to identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and should notify the editors of any substantial similarity or overlap with other published papers of which they are aware. Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.

Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must present accurate original research work followed by an objective discussion of its significance. Papers should include details of the available literature and references. All authors must have significantly contributed to the research. Inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Authors must ensure that the submitted work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal. If authors use the work of others, it must be appropriately cited or quoted. Authors must follow applicable copyright laws and conventions, seeking permission for copyrighted materials and acknowledging sources. The submitted article should not be sent to another journal. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be made. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the paper, and all co-authors must have seen and approved the final version of the paper before submission. All sources of financial support should be disclosed. Upon discovering any significant error in the published work, authors must promptly notify the editors and cooperate in the retraction or correction of the paper.

Peer Review Policy

The practice of peer review is to ensure that only good science is published. It is an objective process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is carried out by all reputable scientific journals. Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of the Journal of Postharvest Technology, and all manuscripts are peer-reviewed following the outlined procedure.

Initial Manuscript Evaluation

Editors first evaluate all manuscripts. Exceptional manuscripts may be accepted at this stage. Those rejected are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, poor grammar, or are outside the journal's aims and scope. Manuscripts meeting the minimum criteria are passed to experts for review. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage are informed within two weeks of receipt.

Type of Peer Review

The Journal of Postharvest Technology employs a double-blind review process, where reviewers remain anonymous to the authors throughout.

Reviewer Selection

Reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise. The reviewer database contains contact details and subject areas of interest, which are constantly updated.

Reviewer Reports

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on originality, methodological soundness, adherence to ethical guidelines, clarity of presented results, support of conclusions, and correct referencing of previous work. Reviewers are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Personal opinions should be expressed in the “Reviewer confidential comments to Editor” section.

Peer Review Process Duration

The review process typically takes 2-8 weeks. If reviewers' reports contradict one another or are delayed, further expert opinion may be sought. Revised manuscripts are usually returned to the editors within three weeks. The Editors may request multiple revisions.

Final Report

A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript is sent to the author along with recommendations and verbatim comments from reviewers.

Editor’s Decision

Editors advise on the final decision to accept or reject an article, which is binding.

Special Issues and Conference Proceedings

Special issues and conference proceedings may have different peer review procedures. Authors contributing to these projects may request full details from the editorial office.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language and ideas of another author and representation of them as one’s own original work. Duplicate publication, or self-plagiarism, involves reusing substantial parts of one's own published work without appropriate references. Plagiarism occurs when large chunks of text are copied. Such manuscripts are not considered for publication. Minor plagiarism without dishonest intent is more frequent, such as reusing parts of an introduction from an earlier paper. Editors will judge each case of plagiarism on its merits. If plagiarism is found after publication, the journal will investigate and, if confirmed, notify the author's institute and funding agencies. The journal will mark the paper with a statement noting the plagiarism, provide a reference to the plagiarized material, and may retract the paper. The journal considers manuscripts with less than 20% plagiarism. Manuscripts with more will be returned for revision. If not revised, the manuscript will be rejected.

Duplicate Publication

The Journal does not accept duplicate publication. Manuscripts should not have been published, accepted for publication, or submitted elsewhere. Possible duplicate manuscripts should be submitted with the original publications, and authors must justify the originality of the newly submitted manuscript.

Prior Publication

The Journal accepts original manuscripts that have not been reported elsewhere, except as an abstract of not more than 250 words or an alternative short communication. Preliminary reports other than an abstract must be submitted with the manuscript and noted in the cover letter to the editor. Prior abstract presentations must be described in a footnote to the title.

Article Withdrawal

Articles in Press may be withdrawn for containing errors, accidental duplication, or ethical infringements. Withdrawn articles are removed and replaced with a notice stating the withdrawal reason and linking to the policy document.

Article Retraction

Articles may be retracted for ethical infringements or to correct errors. Retractions are linked to the original paper and provide a history of the document.

Article Replacement

Authors may retract flawed originals and replace them with corrected versions. The database will link the retraction notice to the corrected article.

Sending a Revised Manuscript

Authors revise the manuscript as advised by reviewers and submit the revised version, following the journal’s style and format instructions, in electronic form.

Proofs and Reprints

Corresponding authors receive email notification with a password and web address to download a PDF. Hard copy proofs are not mailed. Corrections to proofs must be returned within 48 hours. Authors are charged for excessive corrections. Delays in returning proofs may delay publication or proceed without author corrections.

Ethics Approval

Authors must obtain prior permission from their institution for experiments involving animals or humans and ensure no violation of laws. Experiments on animals must be approved by an Institutional Ethical Committee. Research on humans must comply with the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association and other relevant directives. Human/animal details are included only if essential, with written permission from the relevant individuals or guardians. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming informed consent and ethical approval. Cruelty in animal experiments is not acceptable.

Intellectual Property Rights

Authors must respect legal and ethical standards in research, ensuring material sources and intellectual property rights are legal.

Conflict of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial and logistical support within the manuscript.

Fundamental Errors

Authors discovering significant errors in their published work must promptly notify the editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.