Publication Ethics

PUBLICATION ETHICS 

AGRO BALI : AGRICULTURAL

Introduction

Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal is a peer-reviewed journal committed to ensuring the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publishing process (editors, authors, reviewers and the publisher) have to agree upon standards of ethical behaviour. Our Publication Ethics is based on the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors of the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE (available at http://publicationethics.org/).

Authors should be aware that Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal is an open-access journal. Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal publishes three issues a year (published in March, July, and November). All articles are made available to the readers free of charge without any subscriptions. All content is made available online, including previous issues and articles.

Information on ownership and management is clearly stated in the journal’s homepage (https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/index). The journal’s website has been designed in a way that high ethical and professional standards are ensured. The name of the journal is unique and is not aimed to be confused with any other journals.

 

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board

Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal has an established Editorial Board with recognized experts in 3 main aspects of agricultural sustainability; namely: environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. The full names and affiliations of Editorial Board Members are available at https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/about/editorialTeam. Contact information for the Editorial Office is available at https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/about/contact, as well as copyright and licensing information also given on our journal’s website and are available at https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/copyright_and_licensing. We are highly committed to full editorial independence.

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board of Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal are responsible for

  • Deciding on whether the manuscripts submitted to the journal should be published or not. In making such decisions, they are guided by the policies of the journal and the instruction for Authors, available here: https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/authorguidelines;
  • Providing guidance to guest editors, authors and reviewers on the whole publication process;
  • Providing new editorial board members with guidelines and keeping existing members updated;
  • Evaluating manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic and intellectual merit, without regard to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, religious belief, citizenship, political orientation or social class;
  • Ensuring a fair and unbiased double-blind peer review of the manuscripts with all information kept confidential;
  • Ensuring that authors’ and peer reviewers’ identities are protected;
  • Ensuring that reviewers selected do not have any conflict of interest with the author(s) and that reviewers have the knowledge and experience to undertake a decent review;
  • Developing and maintaining a database of suitable reviewers and updating it on the basis of reviewer performance;
  • Taking appropriate actions when ethical complaints are raised concerning a submitted or published manuscript. In cases of a suspected misconduct, they follow the COPE guidelines available at http://publicationethics.org/.

Authors and Authors’ Responsibilities

We acknowledge that different institutions and countries have different norms on who is listed as an author of the manuscript submitted. However, all authors should apply to the following principles:

  • Authors should have substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work and/or data gathering & analysis and/or the interpretation of the results;
  • Authors should not publish the outcomes of the same research in more than one journal, including Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal;
  • Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal at a time;
  • Authors must ensure that they have written original works and that any work or ideas of others authors, contributors or sources have been appropriately cited and referenced;
  • Authors should take full responsibility and are accountable for all aspects of the work submitted including all important intellectual content and property rights;
  • Authors are obliged to participate in the peer review process and provide retractions or corrections of the mistakes;
  • Authors should provide a list of references and all financial support;
  • Authors should approve the final version of the manuscript published.

We are committed to the highest standards of authorship transparency. We believe that the corresponding author has the right to act on behalf of all co-authors from the beginning of the publication process.

Peer-review process

All submitted papers are reviewed using the double-blind peer review process through which advice is asked on individual manuscripts from expert reviewers, available at https://ejournal.unipas.ac.id/index.php/Agro/peer-review-process. All author names and affiliations are removed before sending the paper out for review. On submission, an article receives a manuscript number. This number should be quoted in all correspondence relating to the article.

New submissions are sent to two independent, anonymous reviewers, selected by the Editor-in-Chief who may be assisted by the appropriate Editorial Board. The recommendations of the reviewers are sent to the authors by the Editor-in-Chief who is responsible for the objectivity of the judgements and findings of the reviews. Revised articles should be sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief. When an article has been accepted, the Editor-in-Chief will inform the author(s) in which issue the paper will be published.

Reviewers have the following responsibilities:

  • Reviewers assists the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board in making editorial decisions and in improving the manuscript;
  • Reviewers who feel unqualified to provide a scientifically correct review in the amount of time given should immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief so that alternative reviewers can be contacted;
  • Reviewers treat all manuscripts as confidential documents;
  • Reviewers must report the Editor-in-Chief if they are aware of any copyright infringement and plagiarism;
  • Reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments;
  • Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

Human Subjects Research

The Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal requires that research involving human subjects (e.g., surveys, sensory panels, or other participation) complies with all appropriate laws, regulations, and policies (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki) governing the use of human subjects in research. The authors should state explicitly that institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent approval was obtained before commencement of the study, including the name of the IRB that granted approval. The human object identity as respondent (information source) is securely protected according to the local authority policy.

Data Access and Retention 

Access to raw data should be granted for editorial review. 

Plagiarism

“Plagiarism ranges from the unreferenced use of others’ published and unpublished ideas, including research grant applications to submission under “new” authorship of a complete paper, sometimes in a different language” (COPE Guidelines on Good Publication Practice, available at: http://publicationethics.org/).

Examples of plagiarism include using another person’s ideas and/or language as if they were one’s own by quoting or using ideas without citing the source; paraphrasing; cutting and pasting internet-based materials and/or submitting someone else’s work as part of one’s own work.

Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal do not tolerate plagiarism in any forms and keep the right to check all submissions with appropriate plagiarism check tools. Turnitin software will be used by the Editorial Board to check for similarities of a submitted manuscript with existing literature. Submissions containing plagiarism, in whole or part, are automatically rejected. If plagiarism is discovered post-publication, we will follow the Retractions, Corrections and Expressions of Concern section guidelines.

The editor is responsible for ensuring that all submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using Turnitin. Every manuscript submitted to this journal will be checked for plagiarism twice:  first, at the initial submission stage before entering the peer review process, and second, prior to publication.

The similarity index must be below 20%, excluding the References section, for the manuscript to be considered for publication, to ensure academic integrity and originality. Manuscripts that exceed this threshold will be rejected or returned to the authors for revision.

If plagiarism is identified at any stage, including after publication, the editor reserves the right to take appropriate actions in accordance with publication ethics, including correction, retraction, or other necessary editorial measures.

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board will take all the necessary and reasonable steps to identify plagiarism and prevent publishing papers where any research misconduct occur. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board will, under no circumstances, encourage or knowingly allow such misconducts.

Corrections, Retractions, and Manuscript Withdrawal

Agro Bali: Agricultural Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the scholarly record. Concerns regarding published articles, including errors, unreliable findings, plagiarism, redundant publication, or other potential breaches of publication ethics, will be assessed fairly and handled in accordance with the journal’s established policies and applicable guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction. Removal or replacement of a published article will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the journal’s policy. Decisions will be based on the available evidence and the need to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Requests to withdraw manuscripts before publication are handled separately under the journal’s Manuscript Withdrawal Policy. The procedures for correcting, retracting, removing, or replacing published articles are described in the Retraction, Correction, Expression of Concern, Removal and Replacement Policy. Both policies are available on the journal’s website.

Conflict of Interest 

Any indication of conflict of interest should be disclosed as clearly as possible. All financial supports, working relations, consultation, resources ownership, honoraria, paid expert revelation, patent application/registration, grant, or another funding scheme should be clearly stated. 

Declaration of Generative AI Use

Authors preparing a manuscript for the Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools to support them. However, these tools must never be used as a substitute for human critical thinking, expertise, and evaluation. AI technology should always be applied with human oversight and control. For this reason, Agro Bali : Agricultural Journal adopts the following policy regarding the use of Generative AI and AI-assisted tools in manuscript preparation, analysis, and review.

Transparency and Disclosure

Authors must fully disclose any use of Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Midjourney, DALL·E, Grammarly, etc.) in the preparation of the manuscript.
Disclosure should be included in a dedicated section titled “Declaration of AI Use” at the end of the manuscript, specifying:

  • The tool(s) used
  • The purpose of use (e.g., language editing, figure creation, coding assistance)
  • The scope and extent of assistance

Undisclosed use of AI tools may be considered a breach of publication ethics.

AI Cannot Be Listed as an Author

Generative AI tools cannot be credited as authors, co-authors, contributors, or correspondents.
Only humans with verifiable intellectual contributions may be listed as authors.

Responsibility and Accountability

Authors bear full responsibility for:

  • The accuracy and validity of all content generated with or assisted by AI
  • Checking for errors, fabricated information, incorrect citations, or biased outputs
  • Ensuring that text, data, figures, or code produced with AI do not infringe copyright or ethical standards

The journal will not accept manuscripts containing unverifiable or fabricated data produced by AI tools.

Restrictions on AI-Generated Content

AI tools may be used for:

  • Grammar correction and language refinement
  • Drafting text that is then substantially revised by the author
  • Figure enhancement, image clarity improvement, or aesthetic editing
  • Data analysis assistance (e.g., coding help), where authors retain full control and verify results

AI tools may NOT be used for:

  • Generating research data, experimental results, or statistical outcomes
  • Fabricating citations or literature summaries
  • Producing images or figures that may misrepresent scientific findings
  • Writing substantial sections of the manuscript without human revision
  • Peer review reports or confidential material assessment

Data, Images, and Figure Integrity

All data, images, and figures must reflect factual and verifiable results.
If image-editing AI tools are used (e.g., to improve brightness, clarity, or color), authors must ensure that:

  • No scientific information is altered
  • No manipulation misleads interpretation

AI Use by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must NOT use Generative AI tools to analyze, summarize, or provide feedback on confidential manuscripts.
AI tools may only be used for non-confidential tasks such as grammar checking or non-sensitive text drafting.

Ethical Considerations

Misuse of AI tools, such as generating false data, misrepresenting findings, or failing to disclose AI use, may lead to:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Retraction after publication
  • Reporting to the authors’ institution
  • Future submission restrictions

Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections

The journal encourages open scholarly dialogue and maintains the integrity of the published scientific record. Mechanisms are provided for post-publication discussions, reader feedback, and formal corrections:

  • Post-Publication Discussions & Reader Comments: Readers and researchers can submit formal scientific comments, questions, or critical evaluations regarding published articles. Submissions must be evidence-based and submitted via the Letters to the Editor section or direct contact with the Editorial Office.
  • Responses from Authors: Authors of the original work are provided the opportunity to reply to constructive comments and critiques, which may be published alongside the submitted commentary after editorial review.
  • Corrections, Retractions, and Expression of Concern: If errors or issues affecting the accuracy or scientific integrity of a published article are identified post-publication, the journal will follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines to issue appropriate notices:
    • Erratum / Corrigendum: Issued for minor, non-fatal errors (e.g., typographical mistakes or minor data errors) that do not alter the main conclusions of the paper.
    • Retraction: Issued in cases of severe ethical violations, data fabrication, plagiarism, or major scientific errors that invalidate the findings.
    • Expression of Concern: Issued if there are serious concerns or ongoing investigations regarding the validity or integrity of a paper.