Policies of Publication

Peer Review Policy

Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries maintain the higher standards of peer review while increasing the efficiency of the process. All research articles published in this journal undergo full peer review, key characteristics of which are listed below:
All research articles are reviewed by at least two suitably qualified experts.
All publication decisions are made by the journals’ Editor-in-Chief’ on the basis of the reviews provided.
Members of the academic and research institutions both in international and national arenas and experienced retired professionals lend insight, advice and guidance to the Editor-in-Chief and to assist decision making on specific submissions. Qualified editors provide the professional and administrative support that allows the journals to maintain the integrity of peer review while delivering rapid turnaround and maximum efficiency to authors, reviewers and editors alike.
Editors of the journal will decide promptly whether to accept, reject, or request revisions of referred papers based on the reviews and editorial insight of the supporting journals. In addition, Editors will have the option of seeking additional reviews when needed. Authors will be advised when Editors decide further review is needed.
Articles submitted directly to the journal will be fully peer reviewed by at least two appropriately qualified experts in the field selected by the Editor-in-Chief/Editors. The Editor-in-Chief or a designated member of the Editorial Team will then decide whether to accept, reject or request revisions based on the reviews and comments received.
Editors will decide whether each submission reports well-conducted research with conclusions supported by the data presented in the paper. Assessments of priority will not be a factor in decision-making, but all papers must make an incremental or novel addition to the literature.
The editors then make a decision based on the reviewers' advice, from among several possibilities:
• Accept, with or without editorial revisions
• Invite the authors to revise their manuscript to address specific concerns before a final decision is reached
• Reject, but indicate to the authors that further work might justify a resubmission
• Reject outright, typically on grounds of specialist interest, lack of novelty, insufficient conceptual advance or major technical and/or interpretational problems or in cases of plagiarism/fabrication found out.

Copyright & License

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 in the journal 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 and fabrication

Plagiarism is when an author attempts to pass off someone else's work as his or her own. Duplicate publication, sometimes called self-plagiarism, occurs when an author reuses substantial parts of his or her own published work without providing the appropriate references. Plagiarism can be said to have clearly occurred when large chunks of text have been cut-and-pasted. Such manuscripts would not be considered for publication in this journal and the submissions will be tracked to find out plagiarism and will be returned to the author. If a case of plagiarism comes to light after a paper is published in the journal, the journal will conduct a preliminary investigation and if found correct, the author will not be permitted to publish further in the journal and the information in this regard will be published in subsequent issue of the journal.

Generative AI Policy

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 of AI tools in the writing process while maintaining the integrity of scholarly work. The journal will continue to review and update this policy as needed.

For Authors Generative AI Policy

Use of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

This policy pertains specifically to the writing process and does not apply to the use of AI tools for data analysis or research insights.

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may only be used to enhance the readability and language of a manuscript.

• The use of such technologies must be conducted under human supervision. Authors must critically review and edit AI-generated content to ensure accuracy, completeness, and impartiality.

• Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their work and any potential errors or biases introduced by AI tools.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation. A declaration will be included in the published work to promote transparency and uphold ethical publishing standards.

Use of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

This policy pertains specifically to the writing process and does not apply to the use of AI tools for data analysis or research insights.

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may only be used to enhance the readability and language of a manuscript.

• The use of such technologies must be conducted under human supervision. Authors must critically review and edit AI-generated content to ensure accuracy, completeness, and impartiality.

• Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their work and any potential errors or biases introduced by AI tools.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation. A declaration will be included in the published work to promote transparency and uphold ethical publishing standards.