Journal Policy

Scifood operates in accordance with the highest international standards of editorial integrity, transparency, and publication ethics. The journal adheres to its established Editorial Governance Framework, Publication Ethics Policy, Article Processing Charge (APC) Policy, Complaints and Appeals Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, and the COPE Core Practices (Committee on Publication Ethics).

The complete and legally binding version of all policies is publicly available in PDF format at:
https://scifood.eu/documents/policy.pdf

 

The journal policy establishes a comprehensive governance and compliance framework covering:

  • Editorial governance and structural independence safeguards, including defined decision-making authority and separation of editorial and commercial functions

  • Single-blind peer review procedures and clearly defined responsibilities of the publisher, editors, reviewers, and authors

  • Research integrity and publication ethics oversight, including prevention and investigation of scientific misconduct

  • Plagiarism screening using Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate)

  • Formal procedures for allegations of misconduct, whistleblower protection, complaints and appeals

  • Correction, withdrawal, retraction, and removal policies safeguarding the scholarly record

  • Copyright and Open Access licensing (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) with author copyright retention

  • Repository and self-archiving policy permitting immediate deposit without embargo

  • Article Processing Charge (APC) transparency, including waiver and refund principles and strict separation from editorial decisions

  • Conflict of interest disclosure requirements for authors, editors, and reviewers

  • Data availability, research data transparency, and ethical approval requirements, including clinical trial transparency

  • Patient informed consent and GDPR compliance

  • Image integrity standards and AI usage disclosure obligations

  • Advertising standards and prohibition of predatory or deceptive practices

  • Responsible use of third-party materials

  • Research involving humans, animals, tissues, GMOs, and protected heritage sites

  • Metadata sharing, text and data mining permissions, and interlibrary loan policy

  • Digital preservation through recognized archiving systems (CLOCKSS, WEBDEPOZIT, PKP PN)

  • Long-term protection of the integrity, completeness, and accessibility of the scholarly record