Editorial Ethics

Viterra: Agricultural, Biological and Natural Sciences adheres to and applies the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), internationally recognized as the leading standards for academic integrity, editorial transparency, scientific responsibility, and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Authorship and Contribution

Authors and reviewers must use the journal's official submission and peer-review system. If inconsistencies are identified between the credentials provided and the identity declared by an author or reviewer, a formal verification procedure will be initiated. If the identity cannot be clearly and adequately verified, the editorial process will be suspended. Should such irregularities be identified after publication, the article may be subject to a formal correction or retraction, depending on the severity of the case.

Authorship criteria are established in the journal's Author Guidelines. Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work shall be considered authors. Each author must have participated significantly in the conception or design of the study, the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, the development of methodologies, models, or tools where applicable, or the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript. All authors must approve the final submitted version and assume public responsibility for both their individual contributions and the overall integrity of the work.

Individual contributions must be explicitly declared during the submission process using full names or initials. The contribution statement should clearly identify who designed the study, collected and analysed the data, drafted the manuscript, and carried out substantial revisions. Only individuals who have effectively contributed to the final version of the manuscript may be listed as authors.

Before submitting a manuscript, several conditions must be fulfilled. Authors are required to appropriately acknowledge previous scientific work through relevant citations. The manuscript must be original and must not have been previously published in a manner that conflicts with the journal's Open Access licence. Simultaneous submission to another journal is not permitted. All authors must formally approve the submission and consent to the inclusion of their professional information. Authors must also hold the necessary legal rights to submit the manuscript and authorise its publication under the Open Access licence. Any third-party material included in the manuscript must have the appropriate permissions. The information provided must be accurate, complete, and compliant with current ethical and scientific standards. Data and materials used in the research must have been obtained legally and in accordance with applicable regulations. Authors acknowledge that their names, institutional affiliations, and contact information may be displayed on the journal's platform and in associated indexing and dissemination services.

Authorship issues will be monitored throughout the editorial process. Any modification to the list of authors, including changes in author order, addition, or removal of authors, shall require the written consent of all individuals concerned. In the event of an authorship dispute, the editorial process will be suspended until the matter has been formally resolved.

Research Ethics Statement

All research submitted to Viterra must comply with internationally recognised ethical standards applicable to the relevant discipline. Studies involving human participants or animals must explicitly state, within the Methodology section, that approval was obtained from an ethics committee or the appropriate institutional review board. Where no formal ethics review mechanism exists, authors must clearly explain how the applicable ethical principles were observed. Informed consent from human participants is mandatory unless a well-justified exception applies.

Research involving biodiversity, genetic resources, ecosystems, flora, fauna, or natural resources must also comply with the applicable national and international legislation, as well as with any permits or authorisations required for the collection, handling, or use of biological materials.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or the interpretation of its findings. These declarations must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission. If undisclosed conflicts of interest are identified during the editorial process, the review may be suspended until the matter has been clarified. If such conflicts are discovered after publication, the journal may take appropriate corrective measures, including the publication of corrections or, where necessary, the retraction of the article.

Disclosure of Funding and Financial Support

Authors must transparently disclose all sources of funding related to the research. The funding statement should include the full names of funding organisations, project or grant numbers where applicable, and a clear description of the role played by the funding bodies in the study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish.

Where no external funding has been received, authors must explicitly state this.

The purpose of the funding declaration is to promote academic transparency and does not imply any influence on editorial decisions. Viterra does not charge Article Processing Charges (APCs) and receives no financial benefit from funded research projects. All editorial decisions are made independently and are based exclusively on scientific, methodological, and ethical criteria.

Failure to disclose funding sources or the provision of false funding information shall be considered a breach of publication ethics.

Acknowledgement of Non-Author Contributions

Individuals who have contributed to the research without meeting the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section. Such contributions may include technical assistance, methodological advice, laboratory support, fieldwork assistance, specialised analyses, statistical support, or preliminary manuscript review.

Authors must obtain the consent of all individuals named in the Acknowledgements before submission. This section should be concise, relevant, and limited to genuine contributions.

Data Availability and Reproducibility

Viterra actively promotes transparency, reproducibility, and the verifiability of scientific research. Manuscripts must describe data, materials, methods, and procedures in sufficient detail to enable other researchers to reproduce the reported findings.

Where publicly available datasets are used, authors should provide the information necessary to facilitate replication of the analyses. For studies generating original datasets, authors are encouraged to deposit their data in reliable digital repositories whenever possible, unless ethical, legal, confidentiality, or intellectual property restrictions apply.

Ethical Oversight

All research published in Viterra must comply with the ethical and regulatory frameworks in force in the country where the study was conducted. Particular attention will be given to research involving human participants, animals, biodiversity, natural resources, and ecosystems, ensuring compliance with all applicable national and international legislation.

Authors must ensure the protection of participants' rights, welfare, and confidentiality whenever applicable, as well as the responsible handling of biological samples, genetic resources, and research materials. In cases of suspected ethical non-compliance, the journal may initiate an investigation, providing authors with the opportunity to respond before adopting any editorial measures deemed appropriate.

Preprints

Viterra permits the dissemination of preliminary versions of manuscripts (preprints) through institutional repositories or recognised non-commercial preprint servers. The posting of a preprint shall not be regarded as prior publication and will not prevent subsequent consideration of the manuscript by the journal.

Once the final version of the article has been published, authors are expected to update the preprint record by including a link to the official published version.

Roles and Responsibilities

Reviewer Profile

Reviewers must demonstrate recognised academic expertise in agricultural sciences, biological sciences, natural sciences, or related disciplines, supported by advanced academic qualifications and a proven record of scientific research. They are expected to perform their duties with independence, objectivity, confidentiality, and adherence to the ethical principles governing scholarly peer review. Reviewers must decline invitations whenever a conflict of interest exists.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers shall evaluate manuscripts in a critical, objective, and constructive manner while maintaining strict confidentiality throughout the review process. They are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, provide well-reasoned reports within the established deadlines, notify the editorial team of any suspected ethical concerns, and refrain from using generative artificial intelligence tools to prepare substantial portions of their peer-review reports.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their manuscripts, complying with the journal's authorship criteria, declaring individual contributions in accordance with the CRediT taxonomy where applicable, safeguarding the integrity of research data, complying with all relevant ethical standards, disclosing conflicts of interest and funding sources, obtaining the necessary permissions for third-party materials, responding appropriately to editorial and reviewer comments, and assuming full responsibility for the scientific content of their published work.

Responsibilities of Editors and the Editorial Board

Editors and members of the Editorial Board shall perform their duties with academic independence, impartiality, and a commitment to scientific excellence. Their responsibilities include ensuring rigorous peer-review procedures, making editorial decisions based solely on scientific merit, selecting qualified reviewers, protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, monitoring compliance with ethical standards, managing cases of suspected research misconduct, and safeguarding editorial independence throughout every stage of the publication process.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

Reports or suspicions of research or publication misconduct shall be handled with strict confidentiality and in accordance with the principles and procedures established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Each case will be assessed individually by the editorial team, ensuring that all parties involved have the opportunity to provide explanations and supporting evidence.

Depending on the nature and severity of the misconduct, the journal may take appropriate editorial actions, including rejection of the manuscript, requests for corrections, publication of expressions of concern, article retraction, or notification of the relevant institutions where appropriate.

Communications regarding suspected research or publication misconduct should be submitted to the journal's official editorial email address.

Complaints

Complaints concerning editorial decisions, peer-review procedures, or any aspect of the publication process will be considered in an impartial, objective, and transparent manner, in accordance with internationally recognised principles of publication ethics.

Where a complaint is found to be justified, the editorial team will implement the appropriate corrective actions to preserve the integrity, transparency, and quality of the editorial process.

Formal complaints should be submitted to the journal's official editorial email address for evaluation and follow-up.

Post-Publication Corrections, Retractions, and Record Permanence

Articles published in Viterra form part of the permanent scholarly record and, therefore, will not be modified after publication except under exceptional and duly justified circumstances.

Whenever necessary to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record, the journal may issue corrections, errata, expressions of concern, or retractions, following the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other internationally recognised best practices in scholarly publishing.

Retracted articles will remain accessible through the journal's platform with a clear indication of their retracted status and an explanation of the reasons for the retraction, thereby ensuring transparency and preserving the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal encourages post-publication scholarly discussion. Comments, responses, or scientific debates concerning published articles may be considered by the editorial team and, where appropriate, may undergo peer review before publication.