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. Conflicts of interest include anything that might introduce bias into the review, editorial, or publication processes. This could include financial, personal, or institutional relationships. For transparency, authors should disclose funding, even if the research was self-funded. All disclosed conflicts of interest will be used to guide the editorial processes. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include:
• Received compensation for consulting services.
• Obtained financial support for research activities.
• Previously employed by a company connected to the subject matter.
• Own stocks or shares in a company that the publication of your paper may impact.
• Received reimbursement for expenses related to attending a relevant symposium or talk.

The AAD Editorial Team will not encourage or allow research misconduct to occur, such as data fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, and undisclosed conflicts of interest. 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 retract 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. If authors wish to appeal any decision made by journal staff, they should provide a written letter outlining the grounds for the appeal and submit it to the Editor in Chief within 30 days of the decision. The Editorial Team, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, will review all appeals.

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.

Editorial Independence

AAD is committed to maintaining editorial independence consistent with the principles articulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE states that editorial decisions should be made independently and free from undue influence from publishers, sponsoring organizations, institutions, funders, commercial interests, or other external parties.

To uphold these principles:

  • Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, originality, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, and peer-review outcomes.
  • The Editor in Chief retains final editorial authority and cannot be overruled by the publisher regarding individual manuscript decisions.
  • Neither publication fees nor financial considerations influence editorial decisions.
  • Editorial decision makers operate independently from any organizational, commercial, or institutional interests that could affect manuscript evaluation.
  • Peer review is conducted using a double-blind process to reduce potential bias.
  • Editorial policies and publication ethics procedures are publicly available and applied consistently across all submissions.
  • Ethical concerns are evaluated using established publication ethics standards and COPE guidance when appropriate.

These safeguards ensure that editorial judgments remain independent, transparent, and focused on the integrity of the scholarly record.

Relationship Between the Publisher (AAD, Inc.) and the Journal (AAD)

Advancements in Agricultural Development is published by AAD, Inc., a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance scholarly communication and research in agricultural development.

Several individuals serving in journal leadership roles, including the Editor in Chief and Senior Editors, also serve as officers of AAD, Inc. To ensure editorial independence, AAD, Inc. maintains a clear distinction between its organizational governance responsibilities and the journal's editorial decision-making processes.

AAD, Inc. is responsible for:

  • Strategic planning and oversight of the organization;
  • Financial stewardship and sustainability;
  • Management of publishing infrastructure and journal operations;
  • Support for dissemination, promotion, and indexing activities;
  • Adoption of publication ethics and governance policies.

The journal's editorial leadership is responsible for:

  • Peer-review management;
  • Manuscript evaluation;
  • Editorial policies and standards;
  • Publication ethics case management;
  • Acceptance and rejection decisions.

Editorial decisions are made independently and are based solely on scholarly merit, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, and peer-review outcomes.

The dual service of certain individuals as both officers of AAD, Inc. and members of the journal's editorial leadership reflects the nonprofit, scholar-led nature of the organization. However, organizational authority and editorial authority are exercised separately. Individuals acting in their capacity as officers of AAD, Inc. do not participate in governance discussions regarding specific manuscript decisions, and individuals acting in editorial roles make publication decisions independently of organizational interests. The Editor in Chief remains accountable for the journal's editorial content and final publication decisions, under the oversight of the editorial board.

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.

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.

Oversight of AAD policy and operations is provided 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.

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.

 

Additional Information

Publishing Fees

Copyright and Archiving

Peer Review Process

Artificial Intelligence

Author Contributions