Publication Ethics

This policy promotes an ethical approach to publications and ensures high standards of academic integrity in the journal.

1. Research Funding Policy
The journal promotes maximum transparency regarding the funding of scientific research. Authors are required to disclose their funding sources, including grants from scientific institutions, government and non-governmental organisations, commercial or private sources, and internal funding from universities and other organisations. If no funding was received, it must be stated: "The research did not receive funding".

2. Data Sharing Policy
The journal supports the principles of open scientific research while safeguarding authors' rights. Data underlying published results may only be made available upon official request, following approval from the authors. Interested parties must contact the editorial office, which will forward the request to the author for consideration. If the author agrees, the editorial office will inform the requester of the next steps.

3. Advertising Policy
The journal does not accept any form of advertising, ensuring full editorial independence and adherence to the highest standards of academic integrity.

4. Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The journal follows the recommendations of WAME and Elsevier regarding the use of generative AI in scientific publications. Generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Bing AI, cannot be considered authors or co-authors of publications, as they cannot assume legal or ethical responsibility for the content of the publication. AI may only be used to improve the style or structure of the text. Any use of AI must be clearly stated in the "Acknowledgments" or "Abstract" and "Materials and Methods" sections.

5. Research Ethics
Research involving humans: All studies involving human participants must be approved by the relevant ethical committees. Manuscripts containing survey or interview results must include confirmation that respondents gave informed consent, ensuring anonymity, confidentiality, and protection from any form of discrimination or pressure.

Ethics of animal research: The journal adheres to the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting experiments involving live animals. Authors must follow the ARRIVE checklist and provide relevant documentation to confirm the ethical conduct of experiments.

Research involving plants: Experimental plant studies, including the collection of plant material, must adhere to institutional, national, or international guidelines. Authors are encouraged to follow the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

6. Conflict of Interest
Editors and reviewers must avoid any conflicts of interest when evaluating materials. In the event of a conflict of interest related to the author, the editorial office must be notified immediately. The editorial board also takes measures to address any violations of ethical standards or concerns about unethical scientific practices.

The journal aims to ensure objectivity and transparency at all stages of the publication process, and as such, all participants – authors, reviewers, and editors – are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. This policy is designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing the research results and the decision-making process regarding publication.

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest when submitting an article. This includes not only financial relationships, such as employment, fees, involvement in companies, or patent authorship, but also non-financial aspects, such as personal connections, academic competition, or ideological or religious beliefs. All conflicts of interest must be clearly identified so that readers can understand whether the authors might be biased and how this could affect the research. A "Conflict of Interest" note will be published at the end of the article. If no conflicts are present, the note will state "None."

Reviewers are also required to declare any conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to objectively evaluate the manuscript. They must immediately inform the editorial office if they have financial or personal ties to the author(s) or the organisation involved in the research. Additionally, if there is direct competition between their own research and the manuscript they are reviewing, or if there is personal interest or bias (such as friendship or rivalry) that could affect the objectivity of their assessment, the reviewer must decline to review the manuscript.

Editors also have an obligation to declare potential conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to make impartial decisions regarding articles. Editors must recuse themselves from reviewing articles if they have financial, personal, or academic ties to the author(s) or organisation that could create a conflict of interest. If an editor is a co-author of the article or works at the same institution as the author(s), they must pass the article on to another editor or involve an independent expert. Furthermore, if the editor's involvement might be perceived as biased, they must transfer the article to another editor.

The journal ensures complete transparency in disclosing conflicts of interest, which will be published at the end of each article. All participants in the publication process – authors, reviewers, and editors – are required to comply with this policy to ensure fairness, objectivity, and ethical scientific communication.

7. Editorial Board Responsibilities
The editorial board is committed to:

• ensuring impartial treatment of all participants in the publication process;
• reviewing materials for scientific value, relevance, adherence to the journal’s thematic focus, and the absence of plagiarism;
• using double-blind peer review and engaging competent reviewers.

8. Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers must:

• evaluate manuscripts impartially and within the established timeframes;
• maintain confidentiality of the materials reviewed and not share them with third parties;
• provide an objective assessment with a reasoned evaluation of the research findings.

9. Author Responsibilities
Authors must:

• ensure the originality and reliability of their research;
• follow citation guidelines and correctly reference scientific sources;
• avoid plagiarism and fabrication of results.

10. Statement of Authorship
All authors listed in the article must confirm their significant contribution to the conceptualisation, structure, analysis, or interpretation of data, preparation of the research material, and responsibility for the scientific accuracy of the work.

11. Submission Statement
The submission of an article means that the material has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors must provide written consent for publication and confirm that the responsible organisations approve of the submission.

12. Research Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose the sources of funding, including scientific institutions, government and non-governmental organisations, and other sources. If no funding was received, it must be stated: "The research did not receive funding."

13. Archiving Policy

The journal implements various measures to ensure continuous access to content stored on its servers. This includes data backups, monitoring technological aspects to prevent issues with formats or outdated software, processing metadata for digital preservation, and using Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).

14. Open Access Policy

This journal is an open-access publication, allowing free reading, downloading, copying, and distribution of all articles. Materials are reused under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to copy, adapt, and commercially use articles, provided that appropriate references to the publication and the license are given. Authors retain copyright, while the journal holds the rights for publication and distribution. Full text is available in the Archive section.

15. Acceptance Date and Decision‑Making Process

Final approval for publication is granted by the Academic Council of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. All manuscripts accepted for a given issue receive the same acceptance date, which corresponds to the date of the relevant Academic Council meeting. The number and date of the Academic Council protocol which approved the issue are indicated on the front page (title page) of each journal issue. This practice is part of the journal’s official editorial procedure and does not affect the integrity or the peer‑review process: peer review is conducted independently and prior to the Academic Council decision, which only serves as formal approval for publication.