Editorial Policies

Editorial Policy

The Direct Research Journal of Management and Strategic Studies(DRJMSS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that provides a platform for the publication of high-quality research articles relevant to the fields of agriculture, food science, and related disciplines. The journal serves as an essential resource for disseminating innovative and impactful research that addresses global agricultural and food security challenges.

DRJMSS welcomes the submission of original, unpublished research papers. The journal publishes a variety of article types, including scientific research articles, reviews, case studies, short communications, and conference papers. We also remain open to considering other formats based on future editorial direction.

The journal is published in English (UK) and is committed to making all of its content freely accessible to researchers worldwide.

The Direct Research Journal of Management and Strategic Studiesis issued quarterly, and all digital versions of the journal are archived in CrossRef.

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief holds the final authority on the decision to publish a manuscript, assisted by the editorial team and section editors as needed. Decisions will be guided by the editorial policy and informed by legal and ethical considerations, including but not limited to, copyright, libel, and plagiarism issues.

The Editor-in-Chief may reject a manuscript if it does not meet the journal’s scientific or formal standards. Authors will receive a decision on their manuscript within four to six weeks from submission.

Conflict of Interest: The Editor-in-Chief, section editors, and reviewers must ensure no conflicts of interest exist when making editorial decisions. If a potential conflict arises, decisions will be handled by the section editor, or another editorial member not involved in the conflict.

Peer Review Process: DRJMSS upholds a rigorous, double-blind peer review process, where both the identities of the authors and reviewers are kept confidential before, during, and after the review process. The editorial team ensures unbiased evaluation based on scientific merit, free from racial, gender, political, or other types of discrimination.

Author’s Responsibilities

Authors submitting to DRJMSS are expected to ensure the originality of their work. Manuscripts must not be submitted or published elsewhere simultaneously. Submitting to multiple journals is considered unethical and will result in immediate rejection from DRJMSS. However, posting on preprint servers is acceptable, provided authors disclose the preprint information at the time of submission, including a link to the server and preprint version details.

As a guide, authors should refer to the criteria for authorship that have been developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). In order to be named on the author list, one must have:

  • made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  • contributed to the drafting the work, or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  • provided final approval of the version to be published; AND
  • agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved; AND
  • agreed to be named on the author list, and approved of the full author list.

Each author’s contribution must be detailed in the manuscript according to the fourteen possible contributor roles detailed on credit.niso.org.

Ethical Standards: All submitted manuscripts must adhere to ethical research practices. Authors must guarantee that their work does not contain defamatory content, and it does not infringe on third-party rights. The publisher is not responsible for any legal claims arising from authorship or content.

If the manuscript is based on prior research, conference presentations, or involves collaboration with other parties, the authors must acknowledge these in the appropriate sections, either in the manuscript’s footnote or acknowledgment.

Data Sharing and Ethics: Authors are responsible for ensuring that all data included in their manuscript meets ethical standards. All research involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive data must comply with relevant ethical guidelines and be supported by the necessary permissions.

Authors should provide all necessary permissions to reproduce third-party content, such as figures, tables, or copyrighted material. Evidence of permissions may be required upon submission.

Reporting Standards

To foster transparency and reproducibility, authors must ensure that their manuscripts provide sufficient detail to allow others to replicate their work. DRJMSS adheres to reporting standards that align with the Equator Network and other research guidelines to ensure accuracy and reliability in scientific publications.

Manuscripts must clearly describe the methods used, provide data analysis protocols, and cite relevant references to substantiate the claims made. Any instances of false data or misleading claims will be treated as serious ethical violations.

Copyright and Licensing

By submitting to DRJMSS, authors agree to retain the copyright of their work but grant the journal the right to publish and distribute it under an open-access license. Authors will also ensure that their submission complies with copyright laws, and any third-party materials must be appropriately credited and licensed for use.

Review and Decision Process

Once submitted, manuscripts will be evaluated by the editorial team for quality, relevance, and adherence to the journal’s guidelines. Accepted papers will undergo a peer-review process with feedback provided to authors. Following revisions (if needed), the final decision will be made regarding publication.

In case of any disagreement or if a manuscript is rejected, authors may appeal the decision to the Editor-in-Chief, who will review the case in accordance with journal policies.

 

 

Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must properly cite all sources that have significantly influenced their research or manuscript. This includes citing data, publications, and any material used in the development of their manuscript. Any private information obtained from personal conversations or correspondence, such as feedback from project applications or manuscripts, must not be used without explicit written consent from the source.

For citing data sources, authors are encouraged to follow the FORCE11 Data Citation Principles, ensuring that data is cited with the same rigor as publications. Authors should ensure that all cited sources are appropriately acknowledged, and failure to do so may result in the rejection of the manuscript.

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, which involves using someone else’s ideas, words, or other creative work without proper attribution, is a serious violation of academic integrity and scientific ethics. Plagiarism may also result in legal consequences, including copyright infringement.

Plagiarism includes:

  • Copying text or paraphrasing substantial portions of another author’s work without clear attribution or quotation marks.
  • Reproducing equations, figures, or tables from other works without proper citation or permission.

Anti-Plagiarism Measures: DRJMSS employs plagiarism detection software, such as the free version of Grammarly, to screen all manuscripts for originality. Any manuscript found to contain significant plagiarism will be automatically rejected.

In cases where plagiarism is detected in a paper that has already been published, the journal will follow the retraction policy outlined below to address the situation accordingly.

 

Conflict of Interest

Authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that might influence the research, interpretation, or presentation of their findings. If no conflict of interest exists, the authors should include the statement: "No competing interests were disclosed."

Examples of potential conflicts of interest include (but are not limited to):

  • Receiving funding, salary, or benefits from organizations that could gain or lose financially from the research findings.
  • Holding patents related to the content of the paper or the research project.
  • Affiliations with organizations that may have an interest in the research findings, including interest groups, political entities, or religious organizations.

Authors from pharmaceutical companies or commercial organizations sponsoring clinical trials or research should disclose this relationship in the Competing Interests section of their manuscript. The manuscript must not contain advertising for commercial products.

 

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If an author identifies a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their responsibility to promptly notify the journal's Editor-in-Chief or Publisher. The author should cooperate with the journal in retracting or correcting the work. DRJMSS follows a clear retraction policy to address such situations.

 

ORCID

The journal encourages all authors to register for an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID). Authors should include their ORCID iDs upon manuscript submission, and these will be published alongside the accepted paper.

Benefits of ORCID:

  • Provides a unique and persistent digital identifier for authors.
  • Ensures accurate attribution of authorship and enhances the discoverability of published works.
  • Helps maintain a clear record of an author’s contributions across various platforms.

 

Funding Information

If the research described in the manuscript was funded, authors must provide details of the funding sources in their manuscript according to their contractual agreements with the funding organizations. This information should be clearly stated in a Funding Information section. This helps ensure transparency and accountability in the research process.

 

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of the journal’s content. As such, reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide unbiased, constructive, and timely feedback on the scholarly merit of the manuscript.
  • Assess the manuscript’s relevance, originality, scientific value, and clarity, in addition to evaluating the applied methods and overall presentation.
  • Notify the Editor-in-Chief of any ethical concerns or possible violations in the manuscript, including undisclosed conflicts of interest, plagiarism, or duplicate submissions.
  • Identify any significant published works that have not been cited by the authors and bring them to the editor’s attention.

Reviewers should not have any conflicts of interest with the authors, their affiliations, or the funding sources of the research. Any reviewer with a potential conflict should immediately report it to the editor.

If a reviewer feels unqualified to assess a manuscript or knows that they will not be able to meet the review deadline, they should notify the Editor-in-Chief and decline the review request.

 

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to DRJMSS undergo a double-blind peer review process. This means both the authors and the reviewers are anonymized to prevent bias in the review process.

  • Number of Reviewers: Each manuscript will be evaluated by three to four expert reviewers.
  • Review Timeframe: Reviewers are given two weeks to submit their reviews, with an additional one-week grace period. If no response is received, the manuscript may be reassigned to new reviewers unless a valid reason is provided.
  • Review Decision: The final decision to accept or reject a manuscript is based on the majority vote of the reviewers. The process aims to complete within four to six weeks.
  • Selection of Reviewers: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the manuscript’s subject area. They must not be affiliated with the authors’ institution, and they should not have co-published with any of the authors recently.

During the review process, authors may be asked to provide additional information, including raw data or detailed methodology, if required for evaluation.

 

Quality Control for Reviews

The journal is committed to ensuring high-quality reviews. In cases where authors challenge the quality or objectivity of a review, the Editor-in-Chief or Section Editor will ensure that reviews meet academic standards. If necessary, additional reviewers may be assigned to ensure fairness and objectivity.

Editorial members, including the Editor-in-Chief and Section Editors, are permitted to submit their own manuscripts to the journal. In these cases, the editorial team member will be recused from any editorial decisions regarding their submission, and a different editorial team member will take responsibility for overseeing the peer review process.

 

Complaints and Appeals

Anyone may report suspected unethical behaviour or misconduct by providing adequate evidence to the Editors or Editorial Staff.

1.1 Investigation

  • The Editor-in-Chief will consult with the Editorial Board before initiating an investigation.
  • Evidence collected will be treated as strictly confidential and shared only with those directly involved.
  • The accused will be given the opportunity to respond.
  • Misconduct will be classified as either minor or major.

1.2 Minor Misconduct

Handled directly with those involved, without escalation. Examples include:

  • Clarification with authors/reviewers regarding misunderstandings of academic standards.
  • Issuing a warning letter to an author or reviewer.

1.3 Major Misconduct

Serious cases will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with Section Editors, the Editorial Board, and subject experts if necessary. Possible outcomes include:

  1. Publication of a formal editorial/announcement on the misconduct.
  2. Notification of the author’s or reviewer’s institution/employer.
  3. Retraction of the publication (see Retraction Policy).
  4. Ban on submissions from the individual for a defined period.
  5. Referral to a professional organisation or legal authority.

DRJMSS follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and flowcharts: COPE Guidance.

 

2. Retraction Policy

Articles may be retracted for:

  • Copyright infringement or legal violations.
  • Research misconduct (e.g., duplicate submissions, false authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent/fabricated data, undisclosed use of generative AI tools).
  • Honest errors (e.g., faulty equipment or sample mix-ups).
  • Ethical breaches or other major misconduct.

Implementation:

  • Retraction notices will clearly state the reason and the responsible party.
  • The electronic version of the retraction note will link to the original article.
  • The original article will remain accessible but watermarked on each page as “Retracted.”

 

3. Research Data Policy

DRJMSS supports open science and encourages authors to share research data under the principle:
“As open as possible, as closed as necessary.”

3.1 Accepted Data Types

  • Software applications, datasets, images, appendices, tables, audio, or video files.

3.2 Data Submission

  • Data may be submitted via the journal system and published as supplementary material or in trusted repositories (e.g., OSF, Zenodo) with assigned DOIs.
  • Alternatively, data may be deposited in a FAIR-compliant repository: Repository Finder | re3data.

3.3 Exceptions

Open sharing is not mandatory when restricted by:

  • Confidentiality agreements.
  • Ethical/security concerns.
  • Protection of personal data.

In such cases, authors must explain the restrictions and provide details enabling validation of findings within ethical limits.

 

4. Ethical and Security Considerations

  • If data access is restricted, authors must provide a clear description of restrictions, IRB approvals (if applicable), and guidance for controlled access.
  • Studies involving humans must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki, ensure informed consent, and anonymise identities unless explicit written consent is provided.
  • A Data Availability Statement is required in all submissions, providing repository details, DOIs, or explanations for restricted access.

 

5. Open Access Policy

  • DRJMSS is a fully Open Access journal.
  • All content is free to read, download, copy, distribute, print, and link without restriction.
  • No fees are charged at submission, peer review, or production stages.

 

6. Self-Archiving Policy

Authors may deposit the following versions in repositories or personal/departmental websites at any stage:

  • Preprints (before peer review).
  • Author Accepted Manuscripts (AAMs).
  • Version of Record (VoR).

Deposits must include bibliographic details, a DOI link, and the license.

 

7. Copyright and Licensing

  • Authors retain copyright.
  • Authors grant DRJMSS a non-exclusive right to publish and distribute.
  • All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
  • Authors may engage in additional non-exclusive arrangements (e.g., book chapters, institutional repositories) with acknowledgement of first publication in DRJMSS.

 

8. Metadata Policy

DRJMSS metadata is freely accessible and reusable under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

 

9. Disclaimer

  • The views expressed in published articles are solely those of the authors.
  • Authors bear full legal and moral responsibility for their work.
  • DRJMSS and its publisher accept no liability for damages or compensation claims arising from published content.

 

Acknowledgement

This framework was developed by DRJMSS, inspired by:

  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): Core Practices.
  • Open Research Europe: Policies.
  • Glossa: Journal of General Linguistics – Journal Policies.