Publication Ethics
Frontiers in Plant Biotechnology is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and relevant scholarly publishing recommendations. (DOI)
1. Research Integrity
Authors must ensure that submitted work is original, accurately reported, and based on sound scientific methods. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data or images, plagiarism, and other forms of research misconduct are unacceptable. Allegations of misconduct will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken. (ICMJE)
2. Authorship and Contributions
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and who accept responsibility for the published work. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. Changes to authorship after submission require appropriate justification and agreement from the relevant authors. (ICMJE)
3. Originality and Duplicate Publication
Manuscripts must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal. Authors must properly acknowledge and cite previously published work. Duplicate publication, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and inappropriate text or data reuse are considered unethical.
4. Peer Review Ethics
Manuscripts are evaluated objectively and confidentially by qualified reviewers. Reviewers must provide constructive and unbiased assessments, disclose potential conflicts of interest, and must not use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage. (DOI)
5. Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, professional, personal, or other relationships that could influence—or appear to influence—the research or editorial decision-making process. Transparent disclosure is essential for maintaining confidence in the scholarly record. (ICMJE)
6. Research Ethics and Biosafety
Research involving plants, genetically modified organisms, biological materials, protected or threatened species, or other regulated resources must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international regulations. Where required, authors should provide relevant permits, approvals, and ethical statements.
7. Data and Image Integrity
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of reported data. Images must not be manipulated in a manner that misrepresents experimental findings. Editors may request original data, images, laboratory records, or other supporting information when concerns arise.
8. Corrections and Retractions
The journal will correct the published record when honest errors are identified. Articles containing serious errors that invalidate their findings, or articles associated with confirmed misconduct, may be retracted. Corrections and retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original publication. (ICMJE)
9. Editorial Independence and Fairness
Editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, and integrity of manuscripts. Decisions will not be influenced by authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, political views, religion, or other unrelated personal characteristics. (DOI)
10. Complaints and Ethical Concerns
The Editor-in-Chief and editorial team will consider complaints or allegations concerning authorship, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, peer review, research misconduct, or publication practices. Where appropriate, the journal may seek information from authors' institutions, funding bodies, or other responsible organizations and may follow relevant COPE procedures. (Publication Ethics)
11. Artificial Intelligence
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of manuscripts prepared with AI-assisted tools. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors should disclose relevant use of AI in manuscript preparation where required by the journal's policy. Reviewers and editors must maintain confidentiality and must not upload unpublished manuscripts or confidential information into AI systems that do not guarantee appropriate confidentiality.
Policy statement: Frontiers in Plant Biotechnology reserves the right to reject manuscripts or take appropriate post-publication action when ethical standards are not met. The journal will continually review and update its publication-ethics policies in accordance with recognized international standards. (DOI)
