Information for Authors

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

AAD believes in the highest ethical standards for research. AAD adheres to standards established by COPE (the Committee on Publishing Ethics; https://publicationethics.org). By submitting, authors are acknowledging compliance with these principles.

The Editorial Team will take all reasonable steps to prevent the publication of research that does not adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Authors must notify the Editor in Chief of any conflicts of interest when submitting an article for review. If a conflict of interest becomes apparent after submission or publication, the author should notify the Editor in Chief immediately.

The AAD Editorial Team will not encourage or allow research misconduct to occur. If research misconduct is suspected or reported, the Editorial Team will immediately investigate the allegations. If research misconduct is confirmed, manuscripts under review will immediately be rejected. If an article is published, the Editorial Team will immediately remove the article from the AAD website. Depending on the nature of the misconduct: (a) authors will be asked to make corrections or clarifications to the article, or (b) the article will be retracted. When appropriate, authors will be asked to submit a written apology to AAD.

In the event anyone has a complaint about a member of the Editorial Team, the Editor in Chief should be notified, and the issue will be investigated. If the complaint is against the Editor in Chief, then either a Senior Editor or a member of the Editorial Board should be contacted. Complete contact information can be found on the Editorial Team page. 

If a member of the Editorial Team at AAD is an author or co-author (now referred to as editor/author) of an article submitted for consideration, then the editor/author will be excluded from any involvement in the review process or discussion of publication decision. The review process will be managed by a different editor and validated by another member of the Editorial Team. If necessary, a guest editor or member of the Editorial Board may be asked to join the process to provide an additional unbiased opinion.

Artificial Intelligence

AAD only allows authors to use generative AI technologies to improve the writing quality and readability of submitted manuscripts. By submitting, you are acknowledging compliance with this policy. AAD does not allow editors or reviewers to use AI technologies in the review of an article.

Authors and Authors’ Responsibilities

AAD does not have fees to submit a manuscript for review. If a manuscript is accepted for publication, a publishing fee of $395 USD will be assessed. The corresponding author will be responsible for submitting payment before the article is published.

Reviews of submitted manuscripts are conducted by researchers in the field. By submitting to AAD, authors are agreeing to enter the pool of potential reviewers for other manuscripts submitted to AAD.

AAD expects that all authors listed on a manuscript have made a significant contribution to the research. AAD recommends that an author contribution statement be included in the acknowledgements section of published manuscripts. Additional information can be found on the Author Contributions page. 

If an error or mistake is discovered, authors are expected to immediately notify the Editor in Chief and then to either retract the article or submit corrections.

Authors are expected to provide a complete and accurate set of references for all materials cited in a manuscript. Authors are also expected to disclose financial support for the research.

Authors are expected to adhere to human subjects research requirements of their institutions. Additionally, authors are expected to adhere to data storage and archival policies required by their institutions and funding agencies. 

AAD does not publish research which has been published in another journal. By submitting to AAD, authors are indicating the research has not been previously published and is not under current review at another journal.

Peer-review Process

Our goal is to provide a timely review of your research by highly qualified reviewers. Articles submitted to AAD will first be screened by one of the editors to ensure manuscripts align with the aims and scope of the journal, closely follow submission guidelines, and have scientific merit. If deemed acceptable, each article will then go through a rigorous double-blind peer review process guided by criteria outlined in the submission guidelines. Based on reviews, articles will be returned to the authors with the following possible decisions: Accept, Minor Revisions Required, Major Revisions Required, or Reject. We strive to have reviews completed within two weeks and to publish immediately once final edits of accepted manuscripts are submitted. 

Reviewers are asked to provide an objective assessment of the merits of the research using AAD’s review rubric. As a part of the review, reviewers are asked to point out any relevant publications that were not cited by the authors. Reviewers are also asked to disclose if they have a conflict of interest on any manuscript they are asked to review.

Copyright and Access

AAD is an open-access journal. Access to content published in AAD is freely available. Copyright of published articles is retained by authors. Published content is distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Authors are free to post any version of their articles in institutional repositories, websites, and other locations they deem appropriate.

Archiving

AAD uses the Open Journal System (OJS) and is hosted by the Public Knowledge Project (http://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs). Published articles are archived on the PKP Preservation Network.

Editorial Board

Daily operation of Advancements in Agricultural Development (AAD) is managed by the Editorial Team, which includes the Editor in Chief, Senior Editors, Editors, and Editorial Assistants. Contact information for the Editorial Team is available on the AAD website.

Oversite of AAD policy and operations is provide by the Editorial Board. AAD has a diverse Editorial Board of recognized scholars in the field. Current Editorial Board members and their institutional affiliations are listed on the AAD website.

Ownership, Management, and Finances

AAD is published by Advancements in Agricultural Development, Inc. a registered nonprofit organization in the State of Florida, USA. Advancements in Agricultural Development, Inc. is also registered as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization by the United States Internal Revenue Service. The Editorial Team and the Editorial Board are all volunteers. AAD's sole source of income is the publishing fees paid by authors of accepted articles. As a nonprofit organization, AAD sets the publishing fee at a rate to cover the journal's expenses for the year. 

Website

AAD’s website is designed to provide all information needed by authors, reviewers, researchers, and libraries. The Editorial Team strives to make sure the website consistently communicates AAD’s high ethical and professional standards. If you notice an inconsistency or have a suggestion for improvement, please contact the Editor in Chief.

Publishing Schedule

AAD is published continually. After an article is accepted, authors will be asked to make final revisions and format articles using the Post-Acceptance Guidelines. Once the final page proof is approved by the corresponding author and the publishing fee is paid, the article is immediately published in AAD. AAD publishes one volume per calendar year. Each article is assigned to an issue for cataloging purposes.

Name of Journal

Advancements was chosen to emphasize improvements in practical outcomes. Agricultural Development was chosen as an inclusive term to include the breadth of education, extension, human capacity building, diffusion of innovations, leadership, and communication in the context of food, agriculture, and natural resources. Omitting the word “Journal” was done to intentionally differentiate AAD from related journals.