Editorial Policies
Preprints
The RCA accepts for evaluation manuscripts previously deposited on preprint servers for review, such as SciELO Preprints and EmeRI, provided that:
- The manuscript has not been published in a scientific journal;
- The deposit is clearly marked as a preprint;
- The author(s) must inform, at the time of submission, the DOI or link to access the preprint;
- It is assured that there is no conflict with copyright policies.
Prior deposit as a preprint is not considered prior publication and does not compromise the originality of the manuscript.
After publication of the article in the journal, it is recommended that authors update the preprint record, inserting the DOI and the link to the final version published in the journal.
The journal may inform, in the published version of the article, that the manuscript was previously available as a preprint.
Peer Review Process
The Revista Ciência Agronômica (RCA) journal adopts the double-blind evaluation system, in which authors and reviewers have their identities preserved. The evaluation flow involves:
1. Preliminary analysis: verification of compliance with the journal’s standards and guidelines.
2. Evaluation of merit and scope: initial analysis for scientific relevance and thematic suitability, which may result in acceptance to proceed or rejection.
3. Submission to Section Editor: responsible for selecting ad hoc reviewers.
4. Peer review: two review reports are sought, but in exceptional cases, the decision can be made based on a single reasoned report.
5. Editorial decision: issued by the Editor-in-Chief or Section Editors based on the evaluations and recommendations received.
The RCA follows good practices of editorial ethics and is committed to scientific rigor, impartiality and transparency at all stages of the evaluation process. In the final article that is published, the names of the editors responsible for the evaluation are informed. RCA offers reviewers and corresponding authors the opening of their identities according to the use of the Open Science Compliance
Form, which can be submitted as a supplementary file to the manuscript.
Open Data
It is recommended that all data, codes, and materials underlying the article and used in the research design and execution be appropriately cited in the text and listed in the References section, preferably with a persistent identifier such as the DOI.
Example of data reference:
ANDRADE, Márcio. Estudo de genes em ratos albinos na América Latina. OSF [dataset], 2018, ASM0000v1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0123-45620187214
Information on the availability of the data that support the results of the study must be presented in a specific section, titled “Data availability”, inserted after the Conclusions and before the References. RCA encourages authors to share their data in trusted repositories such as Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo, Mendeley Data, OSF and SciELO Data.
The suggested texts for information on data availability are:
- The entire dataset supporting the results of this study has been made available at [repository name] and can be accessed at [URL or DOI].
- The entire dataset supporting the results of this study is available upon request to the corresponding author [name of corresponding author].
Fee Collection
The Revista Ciência Agronômica journal adopts the model of Contribution to the Cost of Publications (CCP), intended for the partial funding of editorial expenses, including DOI registration, editing and standardization services, as well as maintenance and updating of editing equipment and software.
The value of the CCP is: R$ 80.00 (eighty reais) per page edited in the final format.
Payment details:
CETREDE REVISTA AGRONOMIC
Banco do Brasil - BB
Branch number: 2937-8
Checking account: 46.375-2
Foreign authors must request the data for payment by international transaction from the Editorial Office (ccarev@ufc.br). Any bank fees are the responsibility of the author.
Proof of payment of the publication fee must be sent by email to the Editorial Office (ccarev@ufc.br), informing the ID and title of the manuscript.
Ethics and Misconduct Policy, Erratum and Retraction
The Revista Ciência Agronômica (RCA) journal adopts good practices of ethics, integrity and transparency in scientific publication, in accordance with the Guide to Best Practices for Strengthening Ethics in Scientific Publication and with the Guidelines for the Registration, Marking and Publication of
Erratum, Retraction and Addendum.
RCA does not tolerate plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, simultaneous submission, inappropriate authorship, undeclared conflicts of interest, or ethical violations in research. Suspicions of misconduct are investigated by the editorial team, ensuring confidentiality, the right of reply and reasoned decision, which may result in rejection, erratum, retraction and communication to the institutions involved.
An erratum is published to correct specific errors that do not compromise the results or conclusions of the article. Retraction is adopted when serious errors or misconduct compromise the reliability or scientific integrity of the work. Addendum is used to add relevant information without substantially altering the data or conclusions.
RCA reaffirms its commitment to editorial accountability, traceability of corrections, and transparency of scientific record.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Commitment to Transparency and Scientific Integrity
RCA adopts a strict policy of management and transparency of conflicts of interest, with the aim of ensuring the impartiality, credibility and ethical integrity of the entire editorial and scientific process. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board involved in any stage of submission, evaluation, or publication of manuscripts.
Conflict Statement and Handling
a) Authors: Authors must declare all potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission of the manuscript, through the specific form provided by the journal. The absence of conflicts must also be formally declared.
b) Reviewers: Reviewers must immediately report any situations that may compromise their impartiality before accepting the evaluation of a manuscript. If they identify a conflict during the review process, they must notify the editor in charge and refrain from continuing the review.
c) Editors: Members of the editorial team, when recognizing conflicts of interest with authors or submitted content, must **refuse to participate in the editorial decision and appoint another editor responsible for monitoring the process.
Conflict Management
The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily imply automatic disqualification of the manuscript. Each case will be analyzed individually by the Editorial Committee, which may adopt measures such as:
- Publication of a declaration of conflict of interest next to the article;
- Designation of alternative reviewers or editors;
- In more severe cases, rejection, correction or public retraction of the manuscript.
The omission or non-disclosure of a conflict identified later may result in corrective editorial actions, including disqualification of the manuscript, formal retraction, or public notification, depending on the severity of the case.
Ethical Commitment
The RCA reaffirms its commitment to the principles of ethics and transparency in
scientific communication, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on
Publication Ethics (COPE) and other international standards of good editorial
practices.
Questions or statements related to conflicts of interest should be sent to the
Editorial Committee by email: ccarev@ufc.br.
Adoption of similarity checking software
Editorial Policy for Similarity Checking and Combating Plagiarism
1. Commitment to Academic Integrity
RCA has as a fundamental principle the ethical and scientific integrity of all published works. The journal repudiates any form of plagiarism, self- plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, adopting strict practices of textual similarity checking and academic misconduct prevention, in line
with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
2. Definitions
- Plagiarism: full or partial use of texts, ideas, data, images, graphs or results of third parties without proper citation of the original source.
- Self-plagiarism: substantial reuse of text or data already published by the author(s) themselves, without reference or explicit authorization from the previous journal.
- Textual similarity: coincidence between the submitted text and content available in other sources, identified through automatic detection software.
3. Verification Procedures
All manuscripts submitted to RCA are checked using the Turnitin software. The similarity check takes place before the peer review stage and before the final publication in the journal.
The similarity report is analyzed by the Editorial Team, considering:
- Total Percentage of Similarity;
- Sources of coincidence identified;
- Context, relevance, and type of textual overlap (e.g., standardized methodological excerpts may be tolerated).
4. Acceptance Criteria
- Works with a similarity score of less than 20%, considering only relevant excerpts, are generally accepted to continue in the editorial process;
- Scores between 20% and 30% will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis by the Editor-in-Chief or by the Editorial Ethics Committee, and revisions and justifications may be requested from the authors;
- Works with similarity greater than 30% or identification of direct plagiarism will be rejected immediately, with formal notification to the authors.
5. Treatment of Plagiarism or Self-Plagiarism Cases
In confirmed cases of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, RCA may adopt one or more of the following measures:
1. Rejection of the manuscript during submission;
2. Public retraction of the article, if plagiarism is identified after publication;
3. Communication to the authors’ home institution and/or funding agencies;
4. Temporary restriction of future submissions by the authors involved;
5. Publication of an editorial note informing the occurrence and the measures adopted.
6. Authors’ Responsibility
Authors are fully responsible for the originality and authenticity of the content submitted.
Before submission, it is recommended that authors ensure the correct citation of all sources used.
7. Transparency and Ethics
RCA reaffirms its commitment to best editorial practices and scientific transparency, following the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Council of Science Editors (CSE) and the guidelines of SciELO Brazil.
8. Contact
Questions, complaints or clarifications about the similarity and plagiarism policy can be sent to the Editorial Committee by email: ccarev@ufc.br
Adoption of software and use of Artificial Intelligence resources
The Revista Ciência Agronômica (RCA) journal establishes, through this policy, guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools in the process of writing, analyzing, and reviewing manuscripts. The objective is to ensure the scientific integrity, transparency and editorial quality of the research published in this journal.
1. Authorship: Artificial intelligence tools, or any automated technologies, do not qualify as authors and therefore cannot be included as co-authors of manuscripts submitted to RCA.
2. Authors’ responsibility: The use of AI must be fully supervised by the authors, who remain fully responsible for all content presented, including any errors, inconsistencies, similarity, plagiarism, biases, or bad practices arising from the use of such tools. RCA reaffirms that the intellectual and ethical responsibility for the article falls exclusively on the people who sign it.
3. Authenticity and originality: The use of AI in content generation, treatment, or analysis should preserve the originality of the manuscript and contribute significantly to the advancement of knowledge in the field. The use of AI should not compromise scientific authorship or the integrity of results.
4. AI use statement: Any manuscript that uses AI tools — at any stage, such as generation, translation, data analysis, linguistic review, or formatting — must clearly indicate the use of these technologies in the “Materials and Methods” section (or equivalent). Authors should detail the nature and extent of AI involvement by mentioning, whenever possible, the tool name, version, model, source, prompt, and parameters used.
5. Transparency: Authors should adopt a posture of complete transparency regarding the role of AI in the development of the manuscript, accurately describing how and to what extent the technology was employed. This practice is essential for scientific traceability and reproducibility.
6. Limitations and biases: When AI is used as a research support tool, authors should explicitly discuss its limitations and potential biases, recognizing possible impacts on the results or interpretations presented.
For further guidance on the ethical and responsible use of AI-based technologies, it is recommended to consult the Guide to EI tools and resources - SciELO.
Sex and Gender Issues
The editorial staff of RCA, in addition to the authors who publish in the journal, must always observe the guidelines on Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER). SAGER guidelines comprise a set of guidelines that encourage the systematic reporting of sex and gender information in study design, data analysis, results and interpretation of findings. In addition, RCA observes the gender equity policy in the formation of its editorial board.
Ethics Committee
Authors must attach a statement of approval from the ethics committee of the institution responsible for approving the research, when applicable.
Copyright
The Revista Ciência Agronômica journal adopts the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which allows the use, sharing, distribution, reproduction and adaptation of published articles, including for commercial purposes, as long as the original work is properly cited.
The CC BY 4.0 license ensures wide circulation of scientific knowledge in open access, preserving the integrity of the work and ensuring proper recognition of authorship.
The authors retain the copyright of their works, granting the journal the right of first publication.
Under the terms of the license, the following is allowed:
- Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format;
- Adapt: Remix, transform, and create from the material for any purpose, including commercial.
The license is considered compatible with free cultural works and cannot be revoked, as long as its terms are respected.
License conditions
- Attribution: due credit must be given to the authors and the journal, including a link to the license and indication of any modifications made tothe material. Attribution should be made in a reasonable manner, without suggesting endorsement by the authors or the journal.
- Prohibition of additional restrictions: legal terms or technological measures that restrict rights granted by the license cannot be applied.
The authors are fully responsible for the veracity, originality and authenticity of the data presented, as well as for the opinions expressed and the content of the submitted and/or published work.
Intellectual Property and Terms of Use
Site Responsibility:
All contents of the journal and articles published by Revista Ciência Agronômica, except where otherwise specified, are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY.
Author’s responsibility:
Authors of articles published by Revista Ciência Agronômica retain the copyright of their work, licensing it under the Creative Commons Attribution license, which allows articles to be reused and distributed without restriction, as long as the original work is correctly cited.
Revista Ciência Agronômica encourages authors to self-archive their accepted manuscripts by publishing them on personal blogs, institutional repositories, and scholarly social media, as well as posting them on their personal social media, as long as the full citation is included in the journal’s website version.
