Ownership and Management

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is a scholarly, peer-reviewed academic journal owned and administered by Turkish Science and Technology Publishing (TURSTEP). The Publisher is responsible for providing the organizational, technical, and administrative infrastructure necessary to ensure the high scientific and ethical quality of the journal.

Aims and Scope

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) publishes original research and high-quality review articles that contribute novel scientific knowledge across all areas of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Submissions must demonstrate a strong degree of originality, innovation, and broad scientific relevance.

The journal welcomes manuscripts that present new insights into any field within Agricultural and Food Sciences, provided that the work has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere for evaluation. Detailed instructions regarding manuscript preparation, formatting, and submission procedures are available under the “For Authors” section.

TURJAF does not consider for evaluation:

• Preliminary, confirmatory, or inconclusive studies,
• Case reports,
• Local-scale investigations with limited scientific impact,
• Manuscripts focused solely on new records or taxonomic identification without broader scientific contribution.

Open Access Policy

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) provides immediate and unrestricted open access to all published content, in accordance with the principle that free availability of research supports the global exchange of knowledge and advances scientific progress.

TURJAF fully supports the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and is a signatory to it.

Further information is available at:

http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/list_signatures

All articles published in TURJAF are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license permits users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, and share published material for non-commercial purposes, provided that proper credit is given to the authors and the journal.

Full details of the license are available at:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en

Authors retain full copyright ownership of their work. By submitting a manuscript to TURJAF, authors agree to publish their article as open access under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license and grant TURJAF an exclusive, unlimited license to publish the work and identify itself as the original publisher.

All articles are freely and permanently accessible at:

https://www.agrifoodscience.com

TURJAF Open Access articles comply with the open access requirements of major funding agencies and academic institutions. The journal is indexed in major abstracting and indexing databases and is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), ensuring high visibility and discoverability.

Online Access

All content published in the Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is available online with open access, allowing readers worldwide to freely and permanently access the journal through its official website:

https://www.agrifoodscience.com

Publication Frequency

Back to Contents

TURJAF is published on a monthly basis, with twelve issues released annually. Each issue is published during the first week of the corresponding month.

Peer Review Process

Back to Contents

All manuscripts submitted to TURJAF undergo a rigorous and transparent peer-review process:

Initial Review

The Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial evaluation to assess whether the manuscript fits the scope, aims, and minimum scientific standards of the journal. Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria are returned to the authors within one week of submission, enabling authors to make prompt revisions or seek a more appropriate journal without unnecessary delay.

Peer Review

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is committed to maintaining a rigorous, transparent, fair, and timely double-blind peer review process in accordance with international publication ethics and best editorial practices.

Initial Editorial Assessment

Upon submission, the Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the manuscript falls within the journal's aims and scope and meets the minimum scientific, ethical, and editorial standards. All manuscripts are also screened using plagiarism detection software before entering peer review.

Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be rejected or returned to the authors within one week of submission, allowing authors to revise their work or submit it to a more appropriate journal without unnecessary delay.

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial assessment are assigned to an Associate Editor, who selects at least two independent expert reviewers with relevant expertise.

TURJAF operates a double-blind peer review system, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on:

• Scientific originality;
• Methodological rigor;
• Validity and reliability of the results and conclusions;
• Ethical compliance;
• Contribution to the fields of Agriculture and Food Sciences.

Reviewers are normally requested to submit their evaluation reports within one month to facilitate the timely publication of accepted manuscripts.

Editorial Decision:

Based on the reviewers' reports and the recommendation of the Associate Editor, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final editorial decision.

Possible editorial decisions include:

• Accept Submission
• Revisions Required
• Resubmit for Review
• Resubmit Elsewhere
• Decline Submission

Authors are normally given up to six months to submit revised manuscripts. Revised manuscripts are generally returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation whenever appropriate.

Editorial Timeline and Transparency:

The duration of the peer review process may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, the extent of revisions required, and the responsiveness of the authors. Consequently, the period between submission and acceptance may differ among manuscripts.

In some cases, manuscripts may complete the review process within a relatively short period when reviewers promptly accept invitations, submit their reports without delay, only minor revisions are required, and authors return revised manuscripts within the requested timeframe.

Regardless of the processing time, no manuscript is accepted without completing the journal's standard editorial assessment and independent double-blind peer review process. A short submission-to-acceptance period should not be interpreted as evidence that peer review has been omitted, abbreviated, or conducted below the journal's scientific, ethical, or editorial standards.

To ensure transparency, consistency, and accountability, all submissions are managed through the journal's online manuscript management system. The journal maintains complete editorial records for every manuscript, including submission dates, plagiarism screening results, editorial assessments, reviewer invitations, reviewer reports, author revisions, editorial correspondence, and final editorial decisions.

Upon request from recognized indexing services, accreditation bodies, research integrity investigations, or other authorized organizations (including DOAJ, TR DIZIN, Web of Science, and Scopus), TURJAF may provide documentation demonstrating that the editorial and peer review processes have been properly conducted. Such documentation will be provided only to authorized organizations and in accordance with applicable confidentiality, privacy, and publication ethics requirements.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that every editorial decision is based on independent peer review and complies with the journal's editorial policies, publication ethics, and internationally accepted publishing standards. TURJAF periodically reviews and audits its editorial and peer review procedures to ensure continuous compliance with international best practices.

Special and Supplementary Issue Policy

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) may publish Special Issues and Supplementary Issues on topics that fall within the journal's aims and scope. Such issues are published only when scientifically justified and in accordance with the journal's editorial policies, publication ethics, and international best practices.

Approval of Special and Supplementary Issues:

The publication of a Special or Supplementary Issue must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. Each proposal is evaluated based on its scientific merit, relevance to the journal's scope, editorial feasibility, and expected contribution to the field.

The appointment of Guest Editor(s), where applicable, is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief.

Editorial Oversight:

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for all Special and Supplementary Issues and retains full authority over the editorial process and final publication decisions.

Guest Editors assist in coordinating the Special Issue, promoting the call for papers, identifying suitable reviewers, and making editorial recommendations. However, Guest Editors do not have the authority to make final editorial decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

The final decision on every manuscript is made exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief or an editor designated by the Editor-in-Chief.

Peer Review:

All manuscripts submitted to Special and Supplementary Issues are subject to the same editorial evaluation and double-blind peer review process as manuscripts submitted to regular issues.

Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Submission to a Special or Supplementary Issue does not provide any preferential consideration for publication.

*Conflict of Interest: *

All editors, Guest Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Where a conflict of interest exists, the manuscript is assigned to an independent editor who has no conflict with the authors or Guest Editor. The Editor-in-Chief ensures that editorial decisions remain impartial and independent.

Manuscripts Submitted by Guest Editors:

If a Guest Editor submits a manuscript to a Special or Supplementary Issue that they are editing, they are completely excluded from every stage of the editorial process for that manuscript.

The manuscript is handled by an independent editor appointed by the Editor-in-Chief, who is solely responsible for selecting reviewers, managing the peer review process, and making the final editorial decision.

Conference Proceedings:

Manuscripts originating from scientific meetings, conferences, symposia, or workshops may be considered for publication in a Special or Supplementary Issue only after they have been substantially revised, prepared in accordance with the journal's Author Guidelines, and successfully completed the journal's standard editorial screening and double-blind peer review process.

Presentation at a scientific meeting does not guarantee publication.

Editorial Independence

Back to Contents

Editorial decisions are made independently of Guest Editors, conference organizers, sponsors, scientific committees, funding organizations, or any external institution.

Scientific quality, ethical standards, and the outcome of the peer review process are the sole criteria for publication.

Compliance with DOAJ and TR DIZIN Requirements:

Special and Supplementary Issues are managed in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and internationally accepted publishing standards.

In accordance with the TR DIZIN Journal Evaluation Criteria, the total number of Special and Supplementary Issues published in a calendar year shall not exceed one-third (1/3) of the journal's regular publication frequency.

Special and Supplementary Issues are published only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances and shall not replace, interrupt, or adversely affect the journal's regular publication schedule.

All manuscripts published in Special and Supplementary Issues are subject to the same editorial screening, ethical standards, plagiarism checks, peer review procedures, and acceptance criteria as manuscripts published in regular issues.

The journal ensures transparency, editorial independence, and consistency in the management of all Special and Supplementary Issues.

Attribution and Reuse

When sharing or reusing an article published in TURJAF, full and proper attribution must be provided using the following format:

The final, published version of this article is available at

https://doi.org/[DOI]

Example:

https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v9i3.460-469.3516

Commercial use of published content requires prior written permission from the Publisher and may be subject to a fee.

For translations or adaptations not formally approved by TURJAF, the following disclaimer must be included:

“This is an unofficial translation (or adaptation) of an article originally published in the Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) and is not endorsed by the publisher.”

Plagiarism and Similarity Screening and Policy

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and ethical publishing. TURJAF has developed and implements its own procedures to prevent, detect, and address plagiarism and unethical text reuse. These procedures are informed by internationally accepted best practices in scholarly publishing, particularly the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and are fully owned and administered by the Journal and its Publisher.

All submissions to TURJAF are screened using recognized similarity detection software, such as Turnitin, iThenticate, Intihal.net, or other equivalent text similarity detection systems, prior to entering the peer-review process. Manuscripts with an overall Similarity Index (SI) exceeding 19% may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected before peer review. Authors are required to reduce the similarity index below the acceptable threshold before resubmission. Manuscripts that fail to meet this requirement are rejected at the initial editorial evaluation stage.

Similarity screening aims to identify:

• Plagiarism,
• Self-plagiarism,
• Redundant or duplicate publication,
• Inappropriate or excessive text reuse.

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring that all submitted content is original and that any use of previously published material is properly cited and clearly indicated.

If plagiarism or unethical text reuse is detected after publication, TURJAF will take appropriate corrective actions in accordance with its ethical procedures, which are informed by COPE recommendations. These actions may include:

• Immediate retraction of the published article and removal from the journal website,
• Issuance of a correction or expression of concern where appropriate,
• Notification of the authors’ affiliated institutions,
• Temporary or permanent bans on future submissions to TURJAF (up to five years),
• Any other measures necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

For transparency, TURJAF’s handling of plagiarism and similarity-related misconduct is guided by the following COPE resources:

• COPE Core Practices:

https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

• COPE Flowcharts for handling suspected plagiarism:

https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts

• COPE Guidelines and Best Practice:

https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines

This policy ensures that TURJAF’s approach to plagiarism and similarity screening is transparent, consistently applied, clearly owned by the journal, and fully aligned with COPE guidelines for ethical editorial practice.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement of TURJAF

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and malpractice prevention. The journal follows the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly established by COPE.

TURJAF has adopted ethical policies informed by:

• COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors
• COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers

Any manuscript found to violate ethical principles may be rejected or withdrawn at any stage of the publication process, including after publication.

A fundamental objective of TURJAF is to publish scientifically reliable and ethically sound research. Maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record is central to all editorial and publishing activities. All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher, are required to comply fully with TURJAF’s ethical policies.

TURJAF expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers to adhere strictly to these principles to ensure transparency, accountability, and scientific reliability.

 

International Guidelines Supporting TURJAF Policies

TURJAF’s ethical standards are informed by internationally recognized principles and best practices in scholarly publishing. The full texts of the following guidelines are available through their official sources:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Core Practices https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
• COPE – Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) – Publication Ethics Policies https://www.wame.org/resources
• World Medical Association (WMA) – Declaration of Helsinki https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/

These guidelines are used as reference documents to support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of TURJAF’s own ethical standards. The policies presented below represent the journal’s independently developed ethical framework, informed by these international recommendations.

Research and Publication Ethics

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics in accordance with internationally accepted principles of scholarly publishing, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All manuscripts submitted to the journal must comply with ethical, legal, and professional standards relevant to the nature and scope of the research.

Ethical Approval and Compliance

Research involving human participants, animals, or biological materials must be conducted in compliance with internationally accepted ethical guidelines and applicable national regulations. Such studies must receive prior approval from an appropriate institutional or national ethics committee or review board. The Ethics Statement should be included in the Materials and Methods section and/or in a separate Ethics Statement section of the manuscript. The Editorial Office may request a copy of the Ethics Committee approval document at any stage of the editorial or peer-review process.

Ethics Committee approval is generally required for, but is not limited to, clinical studies, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observational studies involving human participants, animal experiments, studies involving human biological materials or identifiable personal data, and any research requiring ethical approval under institutional or national regulations.

Where ethical approval is not required, authors must explicitly declare the reason.

Ethics Committee approval is required for, but is not limited to, the following studies:

• Research involving human participants;
• Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and observational studies involving humans;
• Clinical and biomedical research;
• Animal experiments;
• Studies involving human biological samples or identifiable personal data;
• Any research for which ethical approval is required by institutional or national regulations.

The Ethics Statement must include the name of the Ethics Committee, approval date, and approval number. This information should be reported in the Materials and Methods section and/or in a separate Ethics Statement of the manuscript.

Ethical Approval Statement

Manuscripts reporting research that required ethical approval must include a dedicated Ethical Approval Statement. This statement should confirm that the study was reviewed and approved by a recognized ethics committee and conducted in accordance with relevant ethical standards. For studies involving human participants, authors must also confirm that informed consent was obtained and that participant confidentiality and data protection were ensured.

Ethical Approval and Research Involving Humans

For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that:

• The research was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
• Ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate institutional or national ethics committee.
• Informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians.
• Participant privacy, confidentiality, and data protection were fully ensured.

All manuscripts must include an Ethical Statement specifying:

• The name of the ethics committee,
• Approval number and date,
• A statement confirming informed consent.

Example:

“This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of … (Approval No: …, Date: …). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.”

Ethical Approval and Research Involving Animals

For studies involving animals, authors must confirm that:

• All experimental procedures complied with national and international regulations on animal welfare.
• Ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate animal ethics committee.
• Efforts were made to minimize animal suffering and to use the minimum number of animals necessary.

The manuscript must include:

• Name of the animal ethics committee,
• Approval number and date.

Example:

“All animal experiments were approved by the … Animal Ethics Committee (Approval No: …) and conducted in accordance with international guidelines for animal care and use.”

Research Involving Biological Materials

For studies using plant material, microorganisms, or genetically modified organisms, authors must:

• Comply with national and international biosafety regulations.
• Clearly state the origin and legal status of biological materials.
• Confirm that necessary permissions, permits, and material transfer agreements were obtained where required.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation of their results.

If no conflicts exist, authors should include the following statement:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

If a conflict of interest exists, authors must clearly describe its nature. Examples of acceptable disclosure statements include:

• “Author A has received research funding from [Company/Organization Name]. Author B serves as a consultant for [Company Name]. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.”
• “Author A is a shareholder of [Company Name], which develops products related to the subject of this study.”
• “This study was partially supported by a grant from [Funding Agency/Company]. The sponsor had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.”
• “Author B is employed by [Company Name], which may benefit from the outcomes of this research.”
• “Author C holds a patent (Patent No: …) related to the methodology described in this article.”
• “Author D has received honoraria and travel support from [Organization Name] for conference presentations.”
• “The authors declare that financial relationships with [Company Name] did not influence the study design, data interpretation, or publication decision.”

These disclosures must be included in a dedicated Conflicts of Interest section of the manuscript to ensure full transparency and to maintain the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record.

Data Integrity and Availability

Authors are responsible for maintaining original research data and ensuring the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of all results reported in their manuscripts.

Authors must be prepared to provide access to raw data upon reasonable request for editorial or ethical review. Data must be securely stored and reported honestly and completely.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Back to Contents

The use of artificial intelligence–based tools in the preparation of manuscripts must be transparent, responsible, and compliant with the principles of research integrity. AI technologies may be used to support language editing, formatting, and technical improvements; however, they must not be listed as authors and must not replace essential scholarly tasks such as data interpretation, critical analysis, experimental design, or scientific judgment.

Authors are required to clearly disclose any use of AI-assisted tools during manuscript preparation. This includes, but is not limited to, tools used for:

• Text generation or language enhancement,
• Image processing or figure preparation,
• Data visualization or statistical analysis.

The disclosure must specify:

• The name of the AI tool,
• Its purpose,
• The extent of its use.

The use of AI tools does not diminish the authors’ responsibility for the originality, accuracy, validity, and integrity of the submitted work. Authors remain fully accountable for all content, including text, figures, data, and conclusions.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate, falsify, or manipulate data, images, or results, and must not be used to generate or alter research findings in a misleading manner. Any misuse of AI that compromises scientific integrity will be treated as research misconduct.

If AI tools were used, authors must include a statement such as:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of AI tool] for [specific purpose, e.g., language editing/formatting]. The authors take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.”

Handling of Ethical Misconduct

Back to Contents

Suspected cases of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research practices) are investigated according to TURJAF’s procedures, which are informed by the recommendations and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Relevant COPE resources include:

• COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices
• COPE Flowcharts for handling misconduct: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
• COPE Guidelines and Best Practice: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines

Actions taken by TURJAF in cases of confirmed misconduct may include:

• Manuscript rejection,
• Retraction of published articles,
• Notification of authors’ institutions,
• Temporary or permanent submission bans.

Mandatory Ethics Statement in Manuscripts

All manuscripts reporting original research must include a separate Ethics Statement section specifying:

• Whether ethical approval was required,
• The name of the ethics committee and approval number (if applicable),
• Confirmation of informed consent (for human studies),
• Compliance with animal welfare regulations (for animal studies).

This requirement applies to all experimental, clinical, and observational studies.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

Quality Assurance and Ethical Standards

The Publisher holds primary responsibility for ensuring the academic integrity, scientific quality, and ethical standards of the journal and its published content. To this end, the Publisher provides appropriate human resources, technical infrastructure, and administrative support necessary for the effective operation of the journal and applies internationally accepted principles of research quality and publication ethics in its management.

The Publisher undertakes initiatives to enhance the journal’s academic visibility and impact, including submission to reputable indexing and abstracting services. Practices such as plagiarism, citation manipulation, data fabrication, or data falsification are neither encouraged nor knowingly permitted under any circumstances.

In collaboration with the Editorial Board, the Publisher implements all reasonable measures to prevent, detect, and address research misconduct. Allegations of ethical violations related to submitted or published manuscripts are handled in accordance with the recommendations and procedures of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Editorial Governance

The Publisher appoints the Editors-in-Chief and members of the Editorial Board based on their academic qualifications, professional expertise, and scholarly achievements, with the objective of maintaining high scientific standards.

While providing administrative, technical, and organizational support, the Publisher fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Editors-in-Chief and the Editorial Board in all matters related to manuscript evaluation, editorial decision-making, and publication processes. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the scope of the journal.

Crossref and Scholarly Record Management

The journal actively participates in Crossref by submitting complete and accurate metadata for all published articles. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are assigned to ensure permanent accessibility and traceability of scholarly content.

Crossref metadata are updated, where applicable, to reflect corrections, retractions, and other amendments to published articles, thereby supporting the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record.

Fairness and Transparency

The Publisher is committed to upholding principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability in all editorial and publication practices. All relevant editorial, ethical, and publication policies are clearly defined and publicly accessible on the journal’s official website to ensure awareness and compliance by authors, reviewers, editors, and readers.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editorial Responsibility and Decision-Making

Editors are responsible for ensuring the academic quality, originality, and integrity of all manuscripts submitted to the journal. Editorial decisions to accept, revise, or reject manuscripts are based solely on the scholarly merit of the work, its relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with ethical and scientific standards.

Fairness and Impartiality

Editors evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, citizenship, or political philosophy. All submissions are assessed fairly, objectively, and confidentially.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, or the Publisher, as appropriate.

Conflicts of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, institutions, or organizations involved.

Ethical Oversight

Editors take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts involving research misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, and unethical research practices. Allegations of misconduct are handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions by providing objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of submitted manuscripts. Reviews should aim to improve the quality, clarity, and scientific rigor of the research.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, discuss, or use the content of the manuscript for personal or professional advantage.

Objectivity and Professionalism

Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear and reasoned arguments. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate and unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and alert editors to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published works.

Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts could compromise impartiality.

Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their submissions are original works and that any use of the work or words of others has been appropriately cited. Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors should not submit the same manuscript, or substantially similar content, to more than one journal simultaneously. Redundant or duplicate publication is not permitted.

Authorship and Contribution

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All contributors who meet authorship criteria should be listed, and all listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.

Data Accuracy and Availability

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the data presented in their manuscripts and must be prepared to provide access to raw data when requested for editorial or ethical review.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of their findings.

Ethical Approval

Where applicable, authors must confirm that research involving humans, animals, or biological materials was conducted in accordance with relevant ethical standards and approved by appropriate institutional review boards or ethics committees.

Corrections (Errata)

TURJAF is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the scholarly record. When errors are identified in a published article, the journal will assess the nature and impact of the error and take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Correction Procedure

The correction process consists of the following steps:

1. Notification of Error

   • Errors may be reported by authors, readers, reviewers, editors, or other stakeholders.
   • All correction requests should be submitted to the Editorial Office with a clear description of the error and the proposed correction.

2. Editorial Assessment

   • The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board evaluate whether the reported error affects the scientific accuracy, interpretation, or reliability of the published work.
   • Additional information or supporting documents may be requested from the authors when necessary.

3. Editorial Decision

   • If the error is minor and does not affect the scientific conclusions, a Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum) will be prepared and published.
   • If the error substantially affects the validity or reliability of the findings, the journal may consider issuing an Expression of Concern or retracting the article in accordance with the journal's Retraction Policy and COPE recommendations.

4. Publication of the Correction

   • Approved corrections will be published as a separate, citable document and electronically linked to the original article.
   • The original article will remain part of the scholarly record. Where appropriate, a note indicating that a correction has been published will be added to the article.

5. Indexing and Transparency

   • Correction notices will be assigned their own publication details and will remain permanently accessible.
   • The journal will ensure that corrections are communicated transparently to readers and reflected in relevant indexing and metadata whenever applicable.

Authors are encouraged to notify the Editorial Office immediately if they discover an error in their published work.

Appeals and Complaints

TURJAF is committed to ensuring a fair, transparent, and impartial editorial process. Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may submit appeals or complaints regarding editorial decisions, peer review, publication ethics, or the journal's editorial processes.

Appeals

Authors who believe that a manuscript has been rejected based on a misunderstanding, procedural error, or factual mistake may submit a written appeal to the Editorial Office within 30 days of the editorial decision. The appeal should clearly explain the reasons for the request and include any supporting evidence.

The Editor-in-Chief will review the appeal, and, when appropriate, may consult the Editorial Board or independent experts. The decision reached after the appeal review is final.

Complaints

Complaints concerning editorial procedures, peer review, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, or other aspects of the publication process should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office via the journal's official email address.

All complaints are handled confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Editorial Office will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and make every reasonable effort to resolve the matter in a timely manner.

Privacy Statement

Back to Contents

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all users, authors, reviewers, and editors.

Collection of Personal Information

TURJAF collects personal information necessary for the submission, evaluation, and publication of manuscripts. This includes names, institutional affiliations, and contact details such as email addresses and postal addresses.

Names and email addresses entered on this journal site are used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and are not made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Use of Personal Information

Personal information is used only for legitimate journal-related activities, including:

• Managing journal operations and website administration
• Processing manuscript submissions and peer review
• Communication with authors, reviewers, and editors
• Issuing notifications, statements, or invoices
• Managing publication-related services

Where personal data is shared with service providers, they are required to comply with this Privacy Statement.

TURJAF may disclose personal data if required by law or legal process.

Data Security

Appropriate technical and organizational measures are implemented to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

Cross-Border Data Transfers

Personal data may be stored or processed in different countries for journal-related purposes. Submission of personal data implies consent to such transfers.

Updates to This Privacy Statement

TURJAF reserves the right to update this Privacy Statement by publishing revisions on its website.

External Websites

The TURJAF website may contain links to external websites. TURJAF is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites.

Contact Information

For questions related to privacy or data protection, please contact:

Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) Email: editor@agrifoodscience.com

Archiving

The Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) participates in the program to ensure long-term digital preservation of its published content.

LOCKSS enables participating libraries to collect, preserve, and provide access to the journal’s content for the purposes of long-term archiving and restoration.