Policies

Editorial Policy

The editorial policy of AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is designed to ensure that the published research is of the highest quality and integrity. This policy is based on the principles of single-blind peer review and is in line with accepted standards of scholarly publishing. Submission of a manuscript to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability implies that the authors have read and understood the editorial policy and agree to abide by it. Manuscripts submitted to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability should be original work and should not have been previously published elsewhere. Authors should also ensure that their work does not infringe on any copyright or intellectual property rights. All manuscripts should adhere to the ethical standards of research and publication and must include a statement to this effect. Once a manuscript is submitted to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability, it is reviewed by at least two members of the reviewer board. The review process is single-blind, meaning that the reviewers are aware of the authors' identities, but the authors do not know who the reviewers are. The reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the field of the manuscript. The reviewers provide their comments and recommendations to the editors who, in turn, decide on the manuscript based on the comments. The editors may accept the manuscript for publication, suggest revisions, or reject the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted, the authors are notified and asked to make the necessary changes and resubmit the revised version. If the authors accept the decision of the editorial board, they are expected to adhere to the editorial guidelines of AgroEnvironmental Sustainability. All authors must sign a copyright assignment form, which transfers non-exclusive publishing rights to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability. The authors also agree to grant the journal the right to use their work in any medium, including print and electronic formats. The editorial policy of AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is designed to ensure that the published research is of the highest quality and integrity.

Open Access Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is committed to providing open access to its published content. We believe that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. SAGENS offers all of the content using the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0) license. This license allows users to share and adapt the work, as long as they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Authors retain the copyright to their work and have the right to choose the appropriate license for their work. We are dedicated to making our content freely available to the public.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is a serious issue in the scientific community and can lead to questionable results, false claims, and unreliable data. Therefore, AgroEnvironmental Sustainability has adopted a strict plagiarism policy to ensure the integrity of the journal and its published works. This policy defines plagiarism as using another person’s work without giving the original author credit or using their words or ideas without acknowledgment. This includes direct copying, paraphrasing, or summarizing without giving proper credit. All submitted manuscripts to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability must be original works of the authors. Authors must properly cite any information or ideas used from other sources. The journal also requires that authors provide proof of any permission to use copyrighted material. Any manuscript found to contain plagiarism of more than 10% will be rejected and the authors informed. The journal reserves the right to inform the institution of the authors of any plagiarism detected. In severe cases, the authors may be barred from submitting to AgroEnvironmental Sustainability in the future. The journal also requires all authors to certify that the submitted material is their own work and is not plagiarized. If any plagiarism is found in a published work, the journal reserves the right to retract the article and inform the authors’ institution.

Article Publication Policy

The purpose of this article publication policy is to ensure that the AgroEnvironmental Sustainability journal is dedicated to publishing original, high-quality research and to provide a fair, transparent, and efficient publication process. The journal will accept articles from any field of both agriculture and environmental science, with preference given to those that have implications for the broader scientific and public communities. All articles submitted for consideration must be original and unpublished. All manuscripts will be subjected to rigorous checks to ensure originality. The journal reserves the right to reject any submission that does not meet the requirements set out in this policy. All published articles will be made freely available to the public. In order to ensure the highest standards of publication, the journal will adhere to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal will take appropriate steps in response to any complaints or ethical violations. The journal welcomes submissions from researchers worldwide. Authors are encouraged to follow the journal's instructions for authors and to submit their manuscripts via the online submission system. This article publication policy is subject to regular review and amendment as necessary.

Long-term Preservation Policy

This journal is securely preserved for the long term within the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN). All of the contents published in this journal undergo regular archiving within the PKP PN database to ensure their ongoing accessibility and integrity.

CrossMark Policy

CrossMark is an initiative of CrossRef that provides a standard for journal article versions and the ability to link to the most current version of the article. The aim is to ensure the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record by clearly identifying, linking, and distinguishing the various versions of a document. The CrossMark policy for AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is as follows: 1. All published articles will have a CrossMark logo with a link to the current version of the article. 2. The CrossMark logo will be displayed prominently at the top of the first page of each article. 3. The CrossMark logo will link to a page that contains the latest version of the article. 4. If any changes are made to the article, the journal will update the CrossMark page with the latest version of the article. These provisions are essential for maintaining the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record and are adhered to by AgroEnvironmental Sustainability.

Retraction Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability  is committed to correcting the scientific record when serious problems are found in a published article. A retraction is used when the reliability of the findings can no longer be trusted, whether because of honest error or misconduct. The journal follows the retraction guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

An article may be retracted for reasons that include, but are not limited to, the following: the results are found to be unreliable due to fabrication, falsification, or major errors in the data or analysis; the work has been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification (redundant publication); the article contains plagiarism; the findings were obtained through unethical research practices; peer review was compromised or manipulated; or authorship is found to be false or disputed in a way that undermines the record.

When a concern is raised, the editors will look into the matter and, where appropriate, contact the authors and their institution for an explanation. Authors are given a fair chance to respond before any decision is made. If retraction is warranted, the journal will publish a retraction notice that is linked to the original article. The original article will not be removed; instead, it will be clearly marked as retracted so that readers understand its status. The retraction notice will state who is retracting the article and the reason for the retraction. In cases where only part of an article is affected, the journal may issue a correction or an expression of concern rather than a full retraction. The decision to retract rests with the editors and is made independently of the authors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability  recognises that authors, reviewers, and editors may use artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools during their work. This policy sets out how such tools may be used in material submitted to and handled by the journal.

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as an author. Authorship carries responsibility and accountability for the work, and only people can take on those duties. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of everything in their manuscript, including any part produced with the help of an AI tool. Authors who use AI tools for anything beyond basic language or grammar checking, such as generating text, producing images or figures, analysing data, or writing code, must say so in their manuscript. The disclosure should name the tool used and describe how it was used. Authors must check any AI-generated content for errors, false statements, or fabricated references before submission, since these tools can produce inaccurate or misleading results.

The creation or alteration of images, figures, or data using AI in a way that misrepresents the actual research is treated as a form of misconduct and will be handled under the journal's research integrity procedures.

Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, or any part of them, into AI tools, as this breaks the confidentiality of the material under review. Reviewers are also expected to write their own assessment rather than relying on an AI tool to produce their report. Editors handling a manuscript are held to the same standard of confidentiality and must not enter submitted work into AI tools. If AI is used to support any editorial task, the final decisions and judgements remain with the human editors.

Research Integrity Issues Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability  expects all research it publishes to be carried out and reported honestly. This policy explains how the journal deals with concerns about research or publication misconduct, whether in a submitted manuscript or a published article.

The journal treats the following as misconduct: fabrication of data or results; falsification, including the improper manipulation of images or figures; plagiarism of any kind; duplicate or redundant publication; failure to declare relevant conflicts of interest; disputes over authorship, including gift authorship or the omission of people who should be credited; ethical breaches in how research was conducted, such as missing approvals for work involving humans, animals, or the environment; and any attempt to interfere with the peer review process.

Anyone may raise a concern about work published in or submitted to the journal. Concerns should be sent in writing to the journal's administrative office at info@sagens.org, with enough detail for the matter to be looked into. The journal will keep the identity of the person raising the concern private where possible.

When a concern is received, the editors will assess it and decide whether it needs a fuller investigation. If it does, the authors will be told what the concern is and given a fair opportunity to respond and provide any supporting material or explanation. The journal may ask to see original data, and may contact the authors' institution or funding body where the matter is serious. The journal follows the flowcharts and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when working through these cases.

Depending on what is found, the journal may take one or more of the following steps: reject a manuscript under review; ask the authors to make corrections; publish a correction to an already-published article; publish an expression of concern while the matter is being resolved; retract a published article under the retraction policy; report the matter to the authors' institution; or, in serious cases, bar the authors from submitting to the journal for a set period. Authors will be kept informed of the outcome. All parties are treated fairly, and no conclusion is reached until the authors have had a chance to reply.

Complaint Policy

We are committed to providing a positive, high-quality experience for our authors, editors, and readers. We take any complaints very seriously, and we strive to resolve them in a timely and efficient manner. Our complaint policy outlines the procedure to follow when submitting a complaint. All complaints should be submitted in writing to the journal’s administrative office via email at info@sagens.org. The complaint should include the issue, the date, the name of the involved parties, and any other relevant information. Upon receipt of the complaint, the journal’s administrative office will assess the information and determine the appropriate response. If the complaint is found to be valid, the journal will take appropriate action to rectify the situation. This may include issuing a correction or apology, revising a policy, or providing a refund. The journal will keep the complainant informed of the progress of their complaint and will provide a response within a reasonable period of time. The journal reserves the right to refuse to address complaints that are deemed to be frivolous or without merit. We take all complaints seriously and will do our best to ensure that all complaints are addressed in a timely manner. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Privacy Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is committed to protecting the privacy of our users. This privacy policy explains how we collect and use personal data and other information, as well as how we protect and secure it. We collect information directly from our users, such as submissions, contact information, demographic information, and other information provided during the registration process. We also collect information about how our users use our website and services, including page visits, downloads, and interactions. We use the information we collect for a variety of purposes, including providing our services and analyzing usage data. We may also use the information to send promotional materials, such as newsletters and special offers. We take the security of our users’ data seriously. We use industry-standard encryption to protect all data collected and stored on our servers. We have also implemented appropriate physical and technical measures to protect against unauthorized access to our systems. We do not share information with third parties, such as our partners and advertisers. However, we will only share data with such third parties if we have obtained appropriate consent from our users.

Cookie Policy

AgroEnvironmental Sustainability is committed to protecting the privacy of our users. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use cookies, how third parties we may partner with may use cookies on the Service, your choices regarding cookies, and further information about cookies. What are cookies? Cookies are small pieces of text sent by your web browser on a website you visit. A cookie file is stored in your web browser and allows the Service or a third party to recognize you and make your next visit easier and the Service more useful to you. Please note, however, that if you delete cookies or refuse to accept them, you might not be able to use all of the features we offer, you may not be able to store your preferences, and some of our pages might not display properly. You can learn more about cookies and the following third-party websites: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/.