Journal of Soil and Water Conservation is committed to meeting the international ethical standards at all stages of the publication process. In accordance with the relevant guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and combined with the actual situation of the journal, the ethical standards are formulated for the publication of the journal, which should be strictly complied by all authors, reviewers, and editors.

I. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors should be contributors to the academic content, creative ideas, and analytical work of the manuscript, including contributions to the research concept, design, analysis, or manuscript preparation. Authors are responsible for the content of their manuscripts. Providing laboratory facilities or funding does not make someone an author of the manuscript. The responsibilities of authors include the following aspects:

1.     Authors should ensure the authenticity of the data in the article. The journal does not accept any false data, images, etc. Original and unprocessed images should be used, but if adjustments are made to the images for scientific purposes, they should be clearly explained in the figure legend.

2.     Authors should provide a concise and accurate research report that objectively discusses the research significance of the article.

3.     Manuscripts should contain necessary research data and details to facilitate evaluation by the editorial department and reviewers, as well as replication by other researchers. If unique research materials, software applications, etc., were used in the study, authors are encouraged to provide information on how to obtain such materials for other researchers.

4.     Individuals who have contributed to the research other than the authors should be acknowledged, and publication requires their consent.

5.     The corresponding author should ensure that all major contributors to the article are listed as co-authors without omission, and their approval should be obtained before submission. The corresponding author may sign the "Copyright Transfer Agreement" on behalf of all authors.

6.     Authors should appropriately use or reference the research findings of others:

·       Plagiarism of others' research results, ideas, text, images, etc., is not allowed. If other researchers' findings are used in the article, clear acknowledgment should be given, and permission from the original author should be obtained in accordance with copyright law.

·       Authors should conduct a literature test before submitting their manuscript to identify any similar research findings and avoid infringing on others' intellectual property rights.

·       Authors should ensure that the references cited in the article are highly relevant to the research, avoiding citing weakly related literature.

7.     Authors should not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals. A manuscript previously submitted to another journal may be submitted again only after being rejected or withdrawn.

8.     Authors must not duplicate the publication of already formally published works.

9.     Authors must not split a complete article into multiple shorter articles for publication.

10.  Changes to authorship information should not be made arbitrarily. Any additions or deletions of authorship should be made before the manuscript is accepted. If modifications to authorship information are necessary, the corresponding author must explain the reasons for the changes and send a confirmation letter from all authors agreeing to the modifications to the editorial department. When adding or removing authors, the confirmation letter should also include the consent of the added or removed authors.

11.  The individual contributions of each author should be declared. To prevent issues such as gift authorship and guest authorship, authors must complete and upload the "Author Contribution Statement" to declare their personal contributions to the article.

12.  Authors should declare the funding sources for their research. Other unrelated funding information should not be included.

13.  Authors should disclose all potential conflicts of interest. Authors must complete and upload the "Conflict of Interest Statement" to disclose all potential conflicts of interest involved in the research. Potential conflicts of interest exist when the author's financial/personal/affiliated relationships may influence their decisions, work, or manuscript. When mentioning certain products in the manuscript, the author should also disclose whether there are any conflicting interests with competing products.

14.  Authors should clearly state the potential harm that the research may cause to health or the environment and discuss appropriate preventive measures.

15.  Authors should engage in discussions with the editorial department and reviewers professionally. While constructive criticism of others' research is acceptable, it is unacceptable to engage in personal insults or defamation.

II. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors can be dedicated editors within the industry or influential researchers. Editors represent the editorial department and assume the role of editing. The responsibilities of editors include the following (these standards also apply to members of relevant editorial committees):

1.     Editors make decisions based solely on the scientific value of the manuscript, without considering the authors' affiliations, nationality, race, gender, age, or other personal factors.

2.     Editors must make every effort to ensure fair and timely evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

3.     Editors should handle submitted manuscripts in a confidential manner. Details should not be disclosed to anyone other than reviewers without the authors' permission, unless it is part of a formal investigation into unethical behavior.

4.     Editors should promptly inform the editorial department of any potential conflicts of interest:

·       If an editor is the author of a submitted manuscript, the manuscript must be reviewed independently by another editor.

·       If authors are current or former colleagues or frequent collaborators with the editor, the manuscript must be assigned to another editor.

·       Editors must not use unpublished research findings from a manuscript for their own work. If the research topic is too closely related to their own projects, the manuscript must be assigned to another editor.

5.     Editors should carefully select reviewers to ensure fairness in the peer review process:

·       Caution should be exercised when using reviewers suggested by the authors to avoid excessive affirmation (e.g., avoiding reviewers who were previous co-authors or mentors/students of the authors).

·       Information about reviewers suggested by the authors should be verified to ensure the impartiality of the peer review process.

·       If authors propose reviewers to avoid, editors should try to avoid selecting those reviewers.

6.     Editors should ensure the confidentiality of reviewers' names and other details.

7.     Fair and careful investigation and handling of appeals against the review results and handling decisions should be conducted.

8.     Data protection regulations should be complied with.

9.     Editors should rigorously examine whether there is academic misconduct in the manuscript. For manuscripts accused of academic misconduct, editors should promptly conduct investigations and take appropriate actions.

III. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are responsible for assisting the editorial department in reviewing manuscripts and should be experts in relevant fields. The responsibilities of reviewers mainly include the following aspects:

1.     Reviewers should maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and the review process:

·       Data, information, arguments, etc., in the manuscript should not be shared with others. Permission from the editorial department should be obtained before allowing others to view the content of the manuscript.

·       The identity of the reviewers and details of the review process should not be disclosed to third parties.

·       Reviewers must not retain manuscripts in any form after completing the review. Reviewers must comply with data protection regulations.

2.     Reviewers must not use confidential information such as data and results from the manuscript they are currently reviewing for their own research.

3.     If reviewers find a manuscript below standards or if they are unable to review it, they should promptly notify the editorial department.

4.     If reviewers identify apparent conflicts of interest during the review process, they should inform the editorial department. Potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

·       Personal or professional relationships between reviewers and authors, such as colleagues or mentors/students.

·       Direct competition between the manuscript being reviewed and the reviewer's current projects.

5.     Reviewers should review manuscripts promptly. If reviewers cannot continue the review or need more time, they should immediately notify the editorial department.

6.     Reviewers should provide careful and objective reviews of manuscripts, offering corresponding comments and, when appropriate, providing references of previously published articles for the authors' consideration.

7.     Reviewers should provide professional and polite comments on the manuscript, focusing on the content and avoiding personal criticism.

8.     If reviewers identify similarities between the manuscript being reviewed and other published or unpublished articles, they should inform the editorial department.

9.     If reviewers identify potential ethical issues in the manuscript, they should alert the editorial department, including but not limited to:

·       Any academic misconduct, such as plagiarism or data fabrication.

·       Ethical issues related to human or animal experiments or research.

IV. Declaration of Advertising Ethics

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation currently does not accept advertising collaborations. The journal, as well as its official website, will not publish any commercial advertisements.