Academic integrity and publication ethics policy
The Editorial Board of the research collection “Plant Breeding and Seed Production” (Selektsiia i nasinnytstvo) is guided in its activities by the values, principles, and rules of academic integrity proclaimed by the Law of Ukraine “On Academic Integrity” (No. 4742-IX of December 18, 2025), specifically Articles 6, 8, 15, 18, and 24–29 of this Law. The Editorial Board maintains a position of zero tolerance toward any violations of academic integrity.
In addition to national legislation, the Editorial Board consistently adheres to internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, responsible scholarly editing, and the contemporary Open Science movement. In our workflow, we strictly comply with the recommendations and requirements of the following global initiatives:
· COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics);
· DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment);
· Plan S (the initiative for full and immediate open access to scientific publications);
· FAIR Data Principles (ensuring research data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable);
1. Ethical Obligations of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to the research collection “Plant Breeding and Seed Production” bear personal responsibility for the content of their materials and are obliged to adhere to the following principles:
· Data Reliability and Accuracy: Authors must provide honest, accurate, and verified results of their research. Conscious submission of knowingly false, falsified, or fabricated information constitutes a gross violation of scientific ethics and is unacceptable. Upon request by the Editorial Board, authors are required to provide raw/primary data for editorial review and ensure its preservation for a reasonable period after publication in accordance with the FAIR Data Principles.
· Originality and Plagiarism Prevention: The manuscript must be the result of independent and original research. Any borrowings, citations, or paraphrases of the works of other researchers (or the authors' own previously published papers) must be properly formatted as bibliographic references. All forms of plagiarism (including text plagiarism, plagiarism of ideas, or misappropriation of results) are unacceptable. Review or compilation articles that do not contain original scientific analysis and creative contribution from the author will not be accepted for publication.
· Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Unfair use of results generated by artificial intelligence is unacceptable. Generative AI tools (large language models, text or graphics generators) cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript, as they are incapable of bearing legal and public responsibility for the reliability of the results. If AI elements were used by the author solely for technical language polishing, optimization of visualization code, or primary statistical processing, this must be openly declared in the text of the manuscript (in a dedicated section or note), specifying the concrete tool and the purpose of its application. The factual and scientific content of the article must remain the exclusive result of human creative labor.
· Uniqueness of Submission: Only manuscripts that have not been previously published elsewhere and are not currently under consideration by other publications are accepted for review. Simultaneous submission of the same article to multiple research collections or journals is a serious ethical violation.
· Clarity and Legitimacy of Authorship: The list of co-authors must exclusively include individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the concept, design, execution of experiments, or interpretation of the research results (in accordance with the ICMJE standards). The inclusion of individuals who did not participate in the research ("gift" or "honorary" authorship) is strictly prohibited. Authors are required to thoroughly verify and agree upon the list and order of co-authors prior to the initial submission of the manuscript. Any subsequent changes to the author collective (addition, removal, or rearrangement of names) post-submission are permissible only in exceptional cases, with the written consent of all authors and subject to approval by the Editor-in-Chief. No changes to the authorship list are allowed after the manuscript has been accepted for publication. All co-authors share collective responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the research.
· Bioethics and Safety: If the research involved the use of specific chemical compounds, toxicants, pesticides, or complex technical processes or equipment that potentially pose a risk to human or animal health, this must be clearly stated in the text. Experiments related to biological safety or the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must strictly comply with the current legislation of Ukraine and international protocols, with copies of the relevant permits provided.
· Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest and Funding: Authors are required to clearly indicate the sources of financial support for their research (grants, state budget funding, commissions from business entities) and must describe the role of the sponsor/funding party in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, report writing, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. If the funding source had no such involvement, this must be explicitly stated (for example: "The funding organization was not involved in the study design or data analysis"). Authors must also report any potential financial or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity of the conclusions.
· Correction of Errors: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their article during the review stage or after its publication, they are obliged to immediately notify the editorial staff to promptly introduce corrections (erratum) or retract the work.
· Jurisdictional Claims and Institutional Affiliations: The editorial board maintains a neutral position regarding territorial disputes or jurisdictional claims in submitted materials (specifically on geographical maps). If maps are used in the manuscript, they must depict exclusively the immediate study area, and authors must include a note clearly stating that "map lines delineate study areas and do not necessarily depict accepted national boundaries." To ensure the verification of research integrity, authors are required to use exclusively the full official standard titles of their institutions (affiliations) or their officially recognized international abbreviations.
2. Ethical Principles for Reviewers
Peer review in the research collection is conducted on the principles of confidentiality and objectivity. By agreeing to evaluate a manuscript, a reviewer undertakes to:
· Objectivity and Impartiality: The evaluation of a manuscript must be of an exclusively scientific nature. Personal criticism of the authors is absolutely unacceptable. When evaluating work, reviewers are required to adhere to professional etiquette. All comments must be expressed clearly, objectively, in a polite manner, and accompanied by compelling scientific arguments. The Editorial Board reserves the right to remove aggressive, hostile, or unconstructive comments by reviewers before sending the feedback to the authors.
· Confidentiality: The manuscript is a confidential document. It is prohibited to show it to third parties, discuss it with outside colleagues, or use unpublished ideas and data for one's own purposes prior to the official publication of the article.
· Conflict of Interest Elimination: A reviewer cannot be an author or co-author of the reviewed work, a scientific supervisor of degree seekers who are authors, or an employee of the department/unit where the author works. The reviewer must decline the evaluation if they have a direct conflict of interest resulting from competition, collaboration, or other relationships with the authors or institutions connected to the article.
· Vigilance Regarding Violations: The reviewer is obliged to draw the attention of the Editor-in-Chief if they notice substantial similarity between the reviewed manuscript and any other already published work (suspicion of plagiarism or duplicate publication), or if justified doubts arise regarding the authenticity of the experimental data.
· Citation Manipulation Prohibition: Reviewers are strictly prohibited from requiring or recommending that authors include references to the reviewer’s own publications (or the publications of their close colleagues or institutions) solely for the purpose of artificially inflating citation metrics or the visibility of their work. Any recommendation for additional citation must be based exclusively on clear and valid scientific justifications.
3. Principles of Professional Ethics for the Editorial Board
The Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editors-in-Chief, and Executive Secretary of the research collection bear responsibility for the quality and reputation of the publication:
· Decision Independence and Metrics Ethics: The decision to accept a manuscript for publication or to reject it is based exclusively on the scientific value, novelty, relevance of the material, and its alignment with the profile of the research collection. The evaluation of submitted articles is grounded solely on scientific significance and reliability, regardless of the origin or status of the authors. The editorial board strictly refrains from any attempts to artificially influence the ratings or metrics of the research collection. Editors are prohibited from requiring authors to include references to articles from this same research collection (or any other publication) without direct and compelling scientific grounds.
· Ensuring Anonymity: The editors ensure strict compliance with peer review rules, protecting the confidentiality of reviewers and authors.
· Quality and Ethics Control: The editorial staff promptly responds to all manifestations of unethical behavior or violations of academic integrity, utilizing specialized software to check manuscripts for text borrowings (anti-plagiarism systems). Unpublished materials from manuscripts cannot be used by editorial board members for their own research without the written consent of the author. Articles accepted for publication are placed in open access, and copyrights are retained by the authors.
4. Principles of Professional Ethics for the Publisher
As the publisher of the research collection, the Yuriev Plant Production Institute of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS) of Ukraine ensures:
· Strict adherence to the non-commercial status of the publication (Diamond Open Access model).
· Support for the independence of the Editorial Board and assistance in implementing best publishing practices.
· Technical and legal assistance in the event of disputes, complaints, or the need to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when necessary, as well as providing the opportunity to retract publications with justified signs of violations.
