Advertising and Direct Marketing Policy

1. Introduction

The Andalasian International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (AIJANS) is committed to maintaining transparency, editorial independence, and ethical practices in all advertising, promotional, and direct marketing activities associated with the journal.

AIJANS recognizes that appropriate communication and promotional activities may support the dissemination of scholarly information and increase awareness of research opportunities. However, such activities must never compromise the integrity of scholarly publishing or create misleading expectations about manuscript acceptance, editorial treatment, or the journal's academic standing.

This policy establishes the principles governing advertising and direct marketing conducted by or on behalf of AIJANS.

It is informed by the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, Version 5, particularly the principles concerning editorial independence, revenue sources, advertising, and direct marketing.

2. Advertising Status and General Principles

AIJANS may consider advertising arrangements that are compatible with its academic mission, publishing policies, and editorial independence.

Any advertising activity must be clearly distinguished from editorial content and must not influence manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, rejection, or publication decisions.

Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products, services, claims, or activities by AIJANS, its editors, or Universitas Andalas.

Advertising status: [CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLICATION: State explicitly whether AIJANS currently accepts paid advertising, accepts only noncommercial academic announcements, or does not accept advertising.]

3. Types of Advertising That May Be Considered

Where advertising is permitted, AIJANS may consider promotional material relevant to scholarly communication, agriculture, natural sciences, environmental research, education, and related academic activities.

Potential categories include:

Academic conferences, seminars, workshops, and scientific meetings.
Research training programs and educational activities.
Academic books and scholarly publications.
Research equipment, software, and services relevant to the journal's disciplines.
Research funding opportunities and academic programs.
Other legitimate scholarly activities compatible with the journal's mission.

All advertising proposals are subject to the journal's applicable screening and approval procedures.

AIJANS reserves the right to reject or withdraw advertising material that is misleading, unlawful, discriminatory, scientifically unsupported, incompatible with the journal's mission, or potentially damaging to the integrity and reputation of the journal.

4. Advertising Content Standards

Advertising material must be accurate, identifiable, and consistent with applicable professional and legal standards.

Advertisements must not:

Make false or misleading claims about products, services, or scientific evidence.
Misrepresent the advertiser's identity, qualifications, or institutional affiliations.
Suggest that AIJANS guarantees or endorses the advertised product or service.
Imply that purchasing an advertised service provides an advantage in manuscript evaluation or publication.
Promote fraudulent research services, fabricated publications, citation manipulation, or other unethical academic practices.
Contain discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful material.
Imitate editorial content in a manner likely to confuse readers.

Where scientific or technical claims appear in advertising, the advertiser is responsible for ensuring that such claims are accurate and appropriately supported.

AIJANS may request clarification or supporting documentation when necessary to assess the suitability of proposed advertising material.

5. Authority for Advertising Decisions

Decisions concerning advertising must remain separate from decisions concerning submitted manuscripts.

Advertising proposals should be evaluated by personnel authorized to perform the journal's administrative or publishing functions. Such personnel must consider the advertising criteria established in this policy and any applicable institutional requirements.

The Editor-in-Chief may raise concerns when proposed advertising creates risks to editorial independence, scholarly integrity, or the journal's reputation.

Individuals involved in advertising arrangements must not use those arrangements to influence manuscript acceptance, rejection, peer review, or editorial treatment.

Designated decision-making authority: [CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLICATION: Identify the position or organizational unit authorized to approve advertising, such as the publisher's designated administrative representative. Do not publish an unverified appointment.]

6. Separation of Advertising and Editorial Content

AIJANS maintains a clear separation between advertising and editorial activities.

The following principles apply:

Editorial decisions must be based on scholarly merit and publication ethics.
Advertising revenue or promotional arrangements must not influence decisions concerning individual manuscripts.
Advertisers must not be permitted to select peer reviewers, influence reviewer recommendations, or direct editorial decisions.
Advertisers must not receive privileged access to confidential manuscripts, reviewer identities, or editorial correspondence.
Advertisements must be distinguishable from scholarly articles, editorial notices, and other journal content.
Advertising arrangements must not provide preferential publication opportunities.

Any attempt by an advertiser or sponsor to interfere improperly with editorial decisions must be rejected and may result in termination of the relevant arrangement.

7. Advertising Placement and Identification

Where advertisements are displayed, they must be clearly identified as advertising or sponsored material.

Advertisements should be visually and contextually distinguishable from peer-reviewed articles, editorial decisions, journal policies, and other scholarly content.

The journal must not present advertisements in a manner that could cause readers to mistake promotional material for independently evaluated scientific research.

Advertising placement must not suggest that the advertised product or service has received editorial approval or scientific validation from AIJANS.

Advertising placement and targeting: [CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLICATION: Explain whether advertising, if accepted, is displayed through fixed placement, contextual placement, random display, or another method. State explicitly whether reader behavior or personal data is used to determine advertising placement.]

8. Advertising, Sponsorship, and Financial Independence

Any advertising or sponsorship arrangement must be consistent with the journal's publicly disclosed business model.

Financial contributions must not give advertisers or sponsors authority over editorial policies, the selection of reviewers, or decisions concerning individual manuscripts.

Where applicable, advertising and sponsorship income should be disclosed consistently with the journal's Author Fees and Business Model policy.

The journal must not make publication conditional upon authors purchasing advertising, promotional services, or other commercial products.

Likewise, advertisers and sponsors must not receive guaranteed manuscript acceptance or preferential editorial treatment.

9. Direct Marketing Principles

AIJANS may communicate information about its scholarly activities, calls for papers, publication opportunities, academic events, and other legitimate journal-related matters.

All direct marketing conducted by or on behalf of AIJANS must be:

Accurate: Information about the journal, publisher, editorial process, indexing status, fees, and publication opportunities must be truthful and verifiable.
Relevant: Communications should be directed toward individuals or communities with a reasonable professional or academic interest in their content.
Respectful: Messages must use professional language and must not rely on intimidation, deception, or undue pressure.
Proportionate: The frequency and volume of communications should avoid unnecessary disruption or excessive solicitation.
Transparent: Recipients should be able to identify AIJANS or the authorized sender and understand the purpose of the communication.
Privacy-conscious: Personal information must be used consistently with applicable data protection requirements and the journal's Privacy Statement.

10. Manuscript Solicitation and Calls for Papers

AIJANS may invite researchers to submit manuscripts that fall within the journal's aims and scope.

Such invitations must not imply that a manuscript has already passed editorial assessment or that acceptance is assured.

Invitations and calls for papers must accurately describe the journal's publishing requirements and must not contain misleading claims concerning:

Indexing and abstracting services.
Journal accreditation or ranking.
Peer-review procedures.
Publication fees.
Expected review and publication timelines.
Editorial affiliations or institutional endorsements.
Guaranteed acceptance or publication.

Recipients of manuscript invitations remain subject to the journal's ordinary editorial assessment and peer-review procedures.

AIJANS does not guarantee publication to any author merely because that author has received an invitation to submit a manuscript.

11. Email Communications and Recipient Preferences

Journal communications should be limited to legitimate editorial, administrative, scholarly, and promotional purposes.

Messages necessary for manuscript processing, peer review, account administration, or publication ethics investigations are distinct from optional promotional communications.

Where AIJANS conducts optional promotional email campaigns, recipients should be provided with an appropriate means of requesting that such communications cease.

Requests to stop optional promotional messages should be respected in accordance with applicable procedures and legal requirements.

Opting out of promotional communications does not necessarily prevent the journal from sending necessary messages concerning an active manuscript, reviewer assignment, or other legitimate editorial responsibility.

12. Protection of Personal Information

Personal information obtained through manuscript submission, reviewer registration, editorial correspondence, or other journal activities must not be used for unrelated marketing purposes without an appropriate legal basis.

AIJANS must not sell personal information obtained through its editorial and publishing activities.

Where external service providers are involved in authorized communications, the handling of personal information must be consistent with applicable legal requirements and the journal's Privacy Statement.

Confidential reviewer information, unpublished manuscript content, and restricted editorial records must not be disclosed to advertisers or used for advertising targeting.

13. Third-Party Marketing and Representation

Organizations or individuals communicating on behalf of AIJANS must be appropriately authorized to do so.

Third parties must not:

Misrepresent their relationship with AIJANS or Universitas Andalas.
Claim authority to guarantee publication or editorial acceptance.
Make unsupported claims about indexing, accreditation, or journal performance.
Use the journal's name, branding, or identity in misleading promotional material.
Collect fees or personal information while falsely representing themselves as authorized journal representatives.

Suspected unauthorized promotional activity involving the journal's identity should be reported to the Editorial Office.

14. Complaints Concerning Advertising or Marketing

Readers, authors, reviewers, and other interested parties may report concerns about advertising or marketing activities associated with AIJANS.

Reports may concern:

Misleading advertising claims.
Inappropriate commercial influence.
Unauthorized use of the journal's identity.
Excessive or unwanted promotional communications.
Misrepresentation of publication fees or editorial procedures.
Suspected misuse of personal information.

Reports should identify the material or communication concerned and provide available supporting information.

The journal will assess credible concerns and determine appropriate corrective action according to the circumstances and applicable procedures.

Complaints involving broader editorial misconduct or institutional concerns may also be handled under the journal's Complaints and Appeals or Governance Policy.

15. Contact Information

Questions or complaints relating to advertising and direct marketing may be submitted to:

AIJANS Editorial Office
Andalasian International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (AIJANS)
Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM)
Universitas Andalas
Kampus Limau Manis, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Email: aijans@unand.ac.id

Please use the subject line "Advertising or Marketing Inquiry – AIJANS" when submitting a related inquiry.

16. Policy Review and References

AIJANS may review and revise this policy to reflect changes in its publishing activities, business arrangements, applicable laws, and recognized standards of scholarly publishing.

This policy has been prepared with reference to the following framework:

Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, Version 5, developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, particularly Principles 8, 15, 16, and 17.