About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Indian Journal of Agroforestry, a biannual journal, publishes scientific articles concerned with basic and applied research in the field of agroforestry and management, conservation, and improvement of woody species which have practical utility in biological, ecological, and social sciences. The Journal accepts original research papers, reviews articles, Research notes/reports and opinions. The contribution to the journal, except for invited articles, is open to the members of the Indian Society of Agroforestry and other researchers involved in agroforestry research and development.

Peer Review Process

The submitted articles are reviewed and got revised in the following manner:

Step 1. As soon as the chief editor receives a manuscript, he assigns a number to it. Thereafter, the chief editor sends the MS along with suggested referees to one of the editors.

Step 2. The assigned editor evaluates it and decides whether it is to be sent to the reviewer for referral comments or to be rejected at the level of the editor itself. In case it is rejected by the editor, the MS is sent back to Chief Editor along with the editor's comments for final decision and communication to authors.

Step 3. If the editor finds that the MS can be considered for IJAF, then it is sent to preferably two (at least one) independent referees of the editor's own choice giving due weightage to referees suggested by the authors. Depending on the comments of the referees, the editors communicate with the chief editor about the rejection of MS otherwise got revised by communicating with the corresponding author. The revised MS along with the referee's comments and author's response is sent to the chief editor for final decision. 

Step 4. After seeing the opinion of the editor's revised MS, referees' comments, and the author's response, the chief editor takes the final decision on MS. 

Publisher

Indian Society of Agroforestry, Jhansi (U.P.)

Journal History

The Indian Journal of Agroforestry is an official publication of the Indian Society of Agroforestry and published regularly twice a year since 1998.

Publication Ethics Policy

Indian Journal of Agroforestry (IJAF)

The Indian Journal of Agroforestry (IJAF) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. All participants in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, and the publisher—are expected to adhere to internationally accepted ethical principles and best publishing practices.

The journal promotes a publication environment founded on fairness, mutual respect, professionalism, inclusivity, and academic integrity. Any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, retaliation, plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, or unethical research and publication practices will not be tolerated.

 

Responsibilities of the Editor

The Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors are responsible for ensuring that all manuscripts are handled fairly, impartially, and confidentially throughout the editorial process.

The editors shall:

  • Evaluate manuscripts solely on their scientific merit, originality, relevance to agroforestry, and contribution to knowledge, without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs.
  • Ensure a fair, timely, and rigorous peer-review process.
  • Select qualified, independent reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.
  • Normally obtain reviews from at least two independent reviewers before making an editorial decision.
  • Seek additional expert opinions whenever necessary.
  • Avoid the use of fraudulent or inappropriate reviewers.
  • Identify and manage potential conflicts of interest involving editors, reviewers, or authors.
  • Evaluate reviewer comments critically, including recommendations for unnecessary or excessive citations.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and all editorial communications.
  • Take appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of research misconduct arise, following established ethical guidelines.
  • Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions whenever required to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.

 

Publication Ethics Policy

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the scientific quality of the journal.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Conduct reviews objectively, constructively, and professionally.
  • Provide clear, evidence-based comments supported by appropriate references wherever necessary.
  • Avoid personal criticism of authors.
  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly decline if unable to do so.
  • Declare any real or potential conflicts of interest and refrain from reviewing manuscripts where impartiality may be compromised.
  • Not use unpublished information, data, or ideas contained in the manuscript for personal research or professional advantage.
  • Inform the editor if substantial similarity with previously published work, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or ethical concerns are identified.
  • Communicate confidential comments intended only for the editor through the designated review system.

 

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted work represents honest, original, and scientifically sound research.

Authors shall:

  • Submit original manuscripts that have not been published elsewhere and are not under consideration by another journal.
  • Present accurate, complete, and reproducible research findings.
  • Retain original data and provide supporting information when requested by the editor.
  • Ensure that sufficient methodological details are provided to allow replication of the work.
  • Avoid fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or selective reporting of data.
  • Properly acknowledge and cite the work of others.
  • Ensure that all borrowed text, figures, tables, or data are appropriately referenced or reproduced with permission where required.
  • Avoid plagiarism, including self-plagiarism and duplicate publication.
  • Refrain from excessive self-citation or coordinated citation practices intended to manipulate citation metrics.
  • Disclose all sources of financial support, funding, sponsorship, and any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Obtain all necessary ethical approvals and permissions required for research involving humans, animals, or regulated biological resources.
  • Promptly notify the journal if significant errors are discovered after submission or publication and cooperate in issuing corrections, corrigenda, or retractions where appropriate.

 

Authorship

Authorship should accurately reflect individual contributions to the research.

The journal follows internationally accepted authorship criteria.

  • Only individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions should be listed as authors.
  • All authors must approve the final manuscript before submission.
  • Every author shares responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the published work.
  • Individual contributions should be declared using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).
  • The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible contributors are included as authors and that no inappropriate authorship practices (guest, honorary, or ghost authorship) have occurred.
  • Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and with written consent from all authors together with appropriate justification.

 

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence—or appear to influence—the publication process.

When conflicts of interest exist, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure an unbiased editorial decision.

 

Research Integrity

The journal does not tolerate research misconduct, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Data fabrication
  • Data falsification
  • Image manipulation
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Citation manipulation
  • Misrepresentation of authorship
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review.

Confirmed cases of misconduct may result in manuscript rejection, publication correction, retraction, notification of authors' institutions or funding agencies, and other appropriate actions.

 

Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to retain original datasets and supporting materials and make them available whenever appropriate to promote transparency and reproducibility of research.

Where applicable, authors should provide information regarding data repositories or data availability statements.

 

Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the published scientific record.

Where necessary, the journal may publish:

  • Erratum for publisher-introduced errors.
  • Corrigendum for author-introduced errors.
  • Expression of Concern when serious issues require investigation.
  • Retraction when published findings are unreliable due to error or misconduct.

Retractions will follow internationally accepted publication ethics guidelines.

 

Preprint Policy

The Indian Journal of Agroforestry recognizes that dissemination of research through reputable preprint servers supports scientific communication.

Accordingly:

  • Submission of manuscripts previously posted on recognized non-commercial preprint servers is permitted and is not considered prior publication.
  • Authors must disclose all preprint details, including the repository name and DOI or permanent link, at the time of manuscript submission.
  • Once the manuscript is accepted, authors should update the preprint record to acknowledge its acceptance for publication in the Indian Journal of Agroforestry.
  • After publication, the preprint should include the complete citation, DOI, and a direct link to the final published version on the journal website.

 

Ethical Oversight

The Indian Journal of Agroforestry follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and reserves the right to investigate allegations of misconduct at any stage of the publication process.

Where necessary, the journal may seek clarification from authors, reviewers, institutions, or funding agencies before reaching a final decision. Appropriate editorial actions will be taken to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.