Policies of Publication

Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries maintains the highest standards of peer review while increasing the efficiency of the process. All research articles published in this journal undergo full peer review, with the following key characteristics:

• All research articles are reviewed by at least two suitably qualified experts.
• All publication decisions are made by the journal's Editor-in-Chief based on the reviews provided.
• Members of academic and research institutions (both international and national) and experienced retired professionals provide insight, advice and guidance to assist decision making on specific submissions.
• Qualified editors provide professional and administrative support that allows the journal to maintain peer review integrity while delivering rapid turnaround and maximum efficiency.

Editorial Decision Process

• Editors will decide promptly whether to accept, reject, or request revisions based on reviews and editorial insight.
• Editors may seek additional reviews when needed and will advise authors when further review is required.
• Articles submitted directly to the journal will be fully peer reviewed by at least two qualified experts in the field.
• Editors assess whether submissions report well-conducted research with conclusions supported by the data.

Editorial Decisions

Editors make decisions based on reviewers' advice from among several possibilities:

• Accept - with or without editorial revisions
• Revise - invite authors to address specific concerns before final decision
• Reject with resubmission option - indicate that further work might justify resubmission
• Reject outright - typically for specialist interest, lack of novelty, insufficient conceptual advance, major technical/interpretational problems, or plagiarism/fabrication

The journal publishes open access articles under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

• Copyright on any research article is retained by the author(s).
• Authors grant the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.

Plagiarism occurs when an author attempts to pass off someone else's work as their own. Duplicate publication (self-plagiarism) occurs when an author reuses substantial parts of their own published work without appropriate references.

• Manuscripts with clear plagiarism (large chunks of cut-and-pasted text) will not be considered for publication.
• All submissions are checked for plagiarism and plagiarized works will be returned to authors.
• If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal will conduct an investigation and if confirmed:
  • The author will be prohibited from future publications in the journal
  • The case will be published in a subsequent issue

The increasing use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific publishing necessitates clear guidelines for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. This policy ensures transparency and responsible use while maintaining scholarly integrity.

For Authors

Use of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

This policy pertains specifically to the writing process (not data analysis or research insights):

• Generative AI may only be used to enhance readability and language
• Use must be under human supervision with critical review and editing
• Authors bear full responsibility for content accuracy and any AI-introduced errors/biases

Disclosure Requirements

• Authors must disclose AI use in manuscript preparation
• A declaration will be included in published work to ensure transparency

AI as an Author

• AI cannot be credited as author or co-author
• Authorship requires human accountability for content accuracy and ethical compliance
• Only human contributors meeting authorship criteria should be listed

Declaration of Generative AI Use

If AI tools were used, authors must include this statement before references:

By following these guidelines, authors support the integrity and ethical standards of scientific publishing in the Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries.