Editorial Policies

"Știința Agricolă" (Agricultural Science) is committed to publishing high-quality research in the field of agricultural sciences and adheres to rigorous standards of scientific integrity, transparency, and ethics. The journal promotes responsible research practices and strives to ensure a fair and objective editorial process.

Scope and Acceptance Criteria

The journal welcomes original, unpublished manuscripts that provide significant contributions to agricultural research. Submitted papers are evaluated for originality, scientific rigor, methodological soundness, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to Știința Agricolă undergo a double-blind peer review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential to ensure an unbiased and objective evaluation. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts in the field. The editorial decision is based on reviewers’ comments and the scientific merit of the submission.

More details are provided in the section Peer Review Process.

Plagiarism Prevention

The journal has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. All submissions are screened using similarity detection software, which compares the text against published literature, online content, and databases. Manuscripts with an overall similarity exceeding 15% are not considered for publication unless technical or standard phrases explain the match.

Types of Plagiarism:

• Direct copying (using exact text from another source without quotation marks or attribution);
• Improper paraphrasing (changing a few words or sentence structure without altering meaning or citing the source);
• Self-plagiarism (reusing one's previously published work without proper acknowledgment);
• Mosaic plagiarism (blending copied material from several sources);
• Improper citation (citing the source but poorly paraphrasing its content).

Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content are immediately rejected. Editors pay particular attention to the abstract, introduction, methods, discussion, and conclusion sections, where similarity must be minimal and properly attributed.

Research Ethics

Authors must ensure that their research complies with international ethical standards, especially when involving human participants or animal subjects. Required measures include:

• Approval from an appropriate ethics committee
• Informed consent from human participants
• Clear statements regarding animal welfare and ethical treatment

Authors must declare ethical approvals in their manuscripts, where applicable.

Citations

Authors must support all claims in their manuscripts with relevant, accurate, and appropriate citations. The research articles must reference the scientific literature correctly.

The following practices are strictly prohibited:

• Excessive self-citation or coordinated citation between authors
• Unjustified citation of articles from the same journal
• Citation of sources not personally consulted
• Biased citation favoring one’s own or affiliated publications
• Overuse of citations to support a single point
• Citing advertisements or non-peer-reviewed sources

Authors should prioritize citing original, peer-reviewed research and ensure that all references genuinely support the statements made.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose if artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the preparation of the manuscript (e.g., for writing assistance, data analysis, image generation). The use of AI should be transparent and clearly acknowledged in the manuscript.

The authors remain fully responsible for the content, accuracy, and originality of the work, including any material produced with the aid of AI. Manuscripts generated or heavily assisted by AI without proper human oversight and attribution will not be accepted.

Editors and reviewers will consider the ethical implications of AI use and ensure that the integrity of the scientific record is maintained.

Competing Interests

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity of the manuscript. These include financial, institutional, or personal relationships. When a conflict is identified, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure impartial handling of the manuscript.

Confidentiality

All submitted manuscripts and related communications are treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share or use any manuscript content for personal benefit. The editorial team ensures the protection of author and reviewer identities and information throughout the editorial process.

Open Access and Licensing

All articles published in Știința Agricolă are available in open access. Readers can freely read, download, and print articles at no cost.

Articles are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the work, provided that the original source is properly cited. Authors retain all proprietary rights other than copyright, including patent rights.

Copyright and Publication Rules

The author retains copyright but grants the publisher an exclusive license to publish and distribute. Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not be published or under consideration elsewhere.

• Redundant or multiple publication is not permitted unless clearly indicated and justified. Authors wishing to publish translations of previously published articles must declare this and provide proper attribution to the original work.
• Proofs will be sent to authors via email and should be returned promptly with any corrections.
• The editorial board reserves the right to request copies of related publications to assess possible overlap.

Disclaimer

The opinions and conclusions expressed in articles published in Știința Agricolă are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or the publisher.