Plant Disease Research (PDR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and preventing any form of malpractice in the scholarly publishing process. One of the priorities of the editorial team is to publish quality papers. The journal adheres to the guidelines and principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is dedicated to promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in all aspects of its operations. The authors, peer reviewers, and members of the editorial board are expected to fully adhere to the journal’s policy regarding publication ethics and malpractice. Anyone who believes that research published in the PDR is not in line with these principles should raise their concerns with the Editor-in-Chief at e-mail: [email protected]

Duties/ Responsibilities of the Authors:

Authors submitting their work to PDR must ensure that their manuscripts represent original research, free from any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification. Proper acknowledgment of the contributions of others must be provided, and all sources used in the research should be appropriately cited. Concurrent submissions to other journals or redundant publications of the same work are considered unethical and are not acceptable. Authors who submit papers to our Journals attest that their work is original and unpublished and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. In addition, authors confirm that their paper is their own original work that has not been copied or plagiarized, in whole or in part, from other works, and if the authors have used the works of others the same has been appropriately cited or quoted.

It is ensured that the applicable copyright laws and conventions are followed. Copyright materials are reproduced only with the permission and due acknowledgment.

·         Authorship criteria: Authors should meet specific criteria for authorship, which typically include substantial contributions to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the research, as well as drafting and revising the manuscript. All individuals who meet these criteria should be included as authors, while those who do not, should be acknowledged for their contributions. All authors must take public responsibility for the content of their papers. Upon discovery of any significant error in the published work, authors are informed that it is their responsibility to promptly notify the editors and cooperate in the retraction or correction of the paper in the form of a corrigendum.

·         Authorship order: The order of authors should reflect their relative contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. The first author usually made the most significant contributions, followed by subsequent authors in decreasing order of contribution.

·         Corresponding author: One author or more should be designated as the corresponding author, responsible for communication with the journal and readers. This author's contact details are often provided for inquiries and correspondence. The corresponding author is directed to ensure that all co-authors are included in the paper and that the co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

·         Authorship changes: Any changes to authorship (additions, removals, or order changes) after submission should be agreed upon by all authors and communicated to the journal with a clear explanation.

·         Transparency: Authors should provide a clear description of each author's contributions to the research and manuscript.

·         Conflict of interest: Authors should disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their research or its interpretation. This could include financial, personal, or professional relationships that might be seen as influencing the work.

·         Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly cited. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and redundant publication (submitting the same work to multiple journals) are unethical practices and should be avoided.

·         Data integrity: Authors should provide accurate and transparent reporting of data, methods, and results. Fabrication (is making up data or results and recording or reporting them), falsification (is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record), and selective reporting of data are considered serious ethical breaches.

·         Image editing and manipulation: We expect that the authors should specify image editing for legitimate reasons in Materials and Methods. However, manipulation of images to misrepresent the results is unacceptable.

·         Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools: Use of AI tools as an author and generative AI images in publication is not acceptable in PDR. Also, the authors should mention the use of AI tools in the Materials and Methods section. Nevertheless, the PDR will permit the utilization of AI tools by authors to enhance readability and refine language through meticulous editing.

Retractions, Corrections, Clarifications, and Apologies:

All authors are responsible for promptly notifying and cooperating with the editors to rectify any errors discovered in their published works. Additional instances of misconduct encompass violations of explicit ethical and legal obligations, such as misrepresenting interests, breaching confidentiality, failing to obtain informed consent, and mishandling research subjects or materials. The Editorial Board will look into the event of potential misconduct, if any.  Authors will have the opportunity to respond to allegations of severe misconduct and any necessary corrections will be prominently indicated in the journal. In cases of significant misconduct, the author(s) may be blacklisted. Employers and funding agencies of authors implicated in substantiated instances of severe misconduct will be informed. The journal's response to misconduct will vary based on its gravity and may involve retractions, corrections, clarifications, or apologies.