Editorial Policies

Peer Review Policy

The Journal of Soil Future Research (JSFR) maintains the highest standards of scientific integrity through a rigorous Double-Blind Peer Review process.

1. Anonymity: Both the reviewer and the author identities are concealed throughout the review process to eliminate bias.
2. Initial Assessment: All submitted manuscripts undergo an internal desk review by the Editorial Board to evaluate scope, formatting, and basic scientific merit.
3. External Review: Qualified manuscripts are assigned to at least two independent subject-matter experts for technical evaluation.
4. Final Decision: The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision (Accept, Reject, or Revision) based on the reviewers' recommendations and the manuscript's contribution to soil science.

Research and Publication Ethics

JSFR is committed to following the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Plagiarism Policy: We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All manuscripts are screened using professional software (iThenticate/Turnitin). A similarity index exceeding 15% may result in immediate rejection.
2. Data Integrity: Authors must ensure that all data presented is original and authentic. Any evidence of data fabrication or falsification will lead to a permanent ban from the journal.
3. Simultaneous Submission: Manuscripts must not be under consideration by any other journal while being processed by JSFR.

Authorship and Contributorship

1. Authorship Criteria: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the study’s design, execution, or interpretation.
2. Corresponding Author: The designated corresponding author is responsible for all communication with the journal and ensuring all co-authors have approved the final version.
3. Changes in Authorship: Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names must be requested before the manuscript is accepted, with a valid justification.

Conflict of Interest (COI)

1. Disclosure: All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing their research findings.
2. Reviewer Responsibility: Reviewers are required to declare any conflict of interest with the authors or the research topic and recuse themselves from the review process if necessary.

Open Access and Copyright

1. Access Model: JSFR is a Gold Open Access journal. All published articles are immediately available to the global community free of charge.
2. Licensing: Content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
3. Copyright: Authors retain full copyright of their work, granting the journal the right of first publication.

Ethical Approvals and Field Studies

1. Human/Animal Rights: Studies involving human participants or animals must include a statement of approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.
2. Environmental Ethics: Research involving sensitive soil sites or protected ecosystems must demonstrate that the necessary permits and ethical clearances were obtained.

Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

1. Corrections: In the event of a significant scientific error, the journal will issue a formal Correction (Corrigendum/Erratum) to maintain the accuracy of the scientific record.
2. Retractions: Following COPE guidelines, the journal will retract articles that provide unreliable data or engage in unethical research practices.