Preamble
Plant Science Today (PST) is committed to the highest standards of scholarly publishing, transparency, and research integrity. PST adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines, and expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and associated parties to comply fully.

1. General Ethical Principles

1.1 PST publishes original, high-quality research and review articles in plant sciences following rigorous peer review and editorial standards.
1.2 All participants in the publication process are expected to behave professionally, ethically, and transparently, avoiding any actions that mislead readers or compromise scientific integrity.

2. Scope of Policy

This policy covers unacceptable practices related to:

• Authorship integrity
• Unethical use of AI in manuscript development
• Third-party authorship sales and manuscript brokering
• Research misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication, dual submission, etc.)
• Competing interests
• Misrepresentation of journal metrics or indexing

It applies to submitted, accepted, and published manuscripts and governs actions by authors, co-authors, reviewers, and editors.

3. Authorship and Contribution Standards

3.1 Authors must meet internationally accepted criteria for authorship and must have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work.
3.2 All authors must disclose their specific contributions and confirm accountability for the integrity of the work.
3.3 Listing individuals as authors solely for prestige, listing individuals without contribution, or purchasing authorship is prohibited.

4. Prohibition of Authorship Sale and Manuscript Brokering

4.1 The sale or purchase of authorship, assignment of authorship positions via third parties, or the use of pre-written (human- or AI-generated) manuscripts offered for sale is strictly prohibited.
4.2 PST does not authorize any third-party agents, brokers, or campaigns claiming to secure publication, author positions, or fast-track acceptance.
4.3 Manuscripts linked to such practices will be rejected or retracted, and involved parties may be sanctioned.
4.4 Article Processing Charges (APC) will NOT be refunded for rejected or retracted manuscripts resulting from ethical violations.

5. AI Use and Ethical Manuscript Preparation

5.1 Responsible use of AI for non-substantive language assistance may be acceptable if clearly disclosed; however, AI-generated scientific content, data analysis, interpretation, or authorship is unethical.
5.2 Manuscripts must be original, written primarily by the authors, and not reproduced from external AI sources without major human intellectual contribution.

6. Plagiarism and Reporting Misconduct

6.1 PST uses plagiarism detection and image screening tools to verify originality. Plagiarism in text or figures is unacceptable.
6.2 Suspected misconduct (plagiarism, data falsification, duplicate publication, etc.) will be investigated according to PST’s COPE-aligned procedures.
6.3 PST reserves the right to contact authors’ institutions, funders, or regulatory bodies if required.

7. Competing Interests

7.1 All authors must declare any financial, commercial, personal, or professional competing interests.
7.2 Editors and reviewers must also disclose potential conflicts and recuse themselves when appropriate.

8. Review and Editorial Conduct

8.1 PST follows a blind peer review process. Reviewers must treat manuscripts confidentially and disclose conflicts of interest.
8.2 Editors must ensure unbiased decisions and must not handle submissions from close collaborators without appropriate safeguards.

9. Procedures for Misconduct Investigation

9.1 Allegations of misconduct are reviewed by the Ethics Panel (including the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor), following COPE flowcharts and procedures.
9.2 The corresponding author will be asked for explanation and supporting data.
9.3 Outcomes may include warnings, increased scrutiny of future submissions, publication corrections, retraction, or publication bans.

10. Appeals and Corrections

10.1 Authors may appeal an ethics decision in writing to the PST Ethics Committee within 30 days.
10.2 Corrective actions (erratum, corrigendum) or retractions will be clearly indicated and linked to the original publication.

11. Enforcement and Sanctions

Violations of this policy may result in:

• Manuscript rejection
• Immediate or retrospective retraction
• Permanent ban from future submissions
• Notification to institutions or indexers
• No refund of APCs for ethical violations

12. Author Acknowledgment on Submission

As part of submission, authors must confirm that:

• The work is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Authorship reflects true contributions.
• No part of the work was purchased or brokered.
• Unethical AI use was not employed in producing scientific content.

This policy supplements PST’s existing Editorial and Journal Policies and is effective immediately. Continued submission to PST implies acceptance of these terms.