Publication Ethics

Trophos Science of Food is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. We strictly adhere to the guidelines and Core Practices set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publishing process—the publisher, the editors, the reviewers, and the authors—are expected to conform to these ethical standards.

1. Duties of the Editors

  • Fair Play and Independence: Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, or institutional affiliation.

  • Confidentiality: The Editor-in-Chief and the editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

  • Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Editors will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors' explicit written consent. Editors must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions connected to the papers.

  • Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief is ultimately responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published, driven by the validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers.

2. Duties of the Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with the authors, may assist authors in improving their manuscripts.

  • Promptness: Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review the research or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor and decline the invitation.

  • Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the Editor-in-Chief.

  • Standards of Objectivity & Competing Interests: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge must be reported to the editor.

3. Duties of the Authors

  • Reporting Standards: Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

  • Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior. Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal.

  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. The corresponding author ensures that all contributing co-authors are included in the author list and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication.

  • Hazards and Human/Animal Subjects: If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, or involves human or animal subjects, the authors must clearly identify these and state compliance with relevant institutional and legal ethical guidelines.

  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

4. Handling of Unethical Behavior Misconduct and unethical behavior may be identified and brought to the attention of the editor or publisher at any time, by anyone. The Editor-in-Chief will initiate an investigation. Minor breaches might be resolved without the need for wider consultation, while serious breaches will require the gathering of evidence and may result in the publication of a formal correction, a retraction of the article, and/or notification to the authors' institutions or funding bodies.