Journal Policies

Publishing and Editorial Independence Policy

Food Science & Applied Microbiology Reports (FSAMR) is owned and published by Finesse Publishing. The publisher is responsible only for the technical production, online hosting, and dissemination of the journal.

The editorial process operates with full independence. The Editor-in-Chief has complete authority over the editorial content of the journal and all decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection. The publisher, journal management, sponsors, or any external bodies have no influence over editorial decisions.

Members of the Editorial Board are selected based on their academic expertise, publication record, and contribution to the field, and they serve in an honorary and independent capacity.

Peer Review Policy

FSAMR operates a rigorous single-blind peer review process.

  • Authors’ identities are known to reviewers.
  • Reviewers remain anonymous to authors.
  • All research articles undergo external peer review by at least two independent experts in the relevant field.

Reviewer Selection

Reviewers are selected by the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editors based on subject expertise, publication history, and absence of conflicts of interest.

Review Process

  1. Initial editorial screening
  2. Assignment to at least two independent reviewers
  3. Editorial evaluation of reviewer reports
  4. Final decision by the Editor-in-Chief or delegated editor

If reviewer opinions conflict, additional reviewers may be invited.

Review Stages and Timeline

Desk Review (7–10 days)
The Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor evaluates:

  • Scope alignment
  • Basic scientific quality
  • Manuscript structure
  • Plagiarism screening

Peer Review (30–45 days)
Reviewers assess:

  • Originality
  • Methodological rigor
  • Scientific contribution
  • Clarity and referencing

Revision and Copyediting (2–3 weeks)
Authors submit revisions addressing reviewer comments. Accepted manuscripts undergo professional language editing and formatting.

Production
Articles are published online first and later assigned to an issue.

Note: Timelines are approximate and may vary.

Plagiarism and Research Misconduct Policy

FSAMR maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and research misconduct.

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software prior to peer review.

The journal considers the following as misconduct:

  • Plagiarism
  • Excessive text recycling (self-plagiarism)
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Image manipulation
  • Improper citation practices

When potential misconduct is detected, the journal follows COPE flowcharts and procedures.

Confirmed cases may result in:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Publication retraction
  • Notification of authors’ institutions
  • Author sanctions where appropriate

Publication Ethics Policy

FSAMR follows the principles and best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Human and Animal Research

  • Studies involving human participants must include a statement of ethical approval and informed consent.
  • Studies involving animals must confirm compliance with institutional and national ethical guidelines.

Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.

Conflicts of Interest

All participants in the publication process must disclose any competing interests.

Editorial Handling of Board Submissions

If an Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board member submits a manuscript, it is handled by an independent editor with no involvement from the author-editor.

Post-Publication Updates

The journal will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary, following COPE guidance.

Use of Generative AI

Generative AI tools may be used only for language editing under full human oversight.

  • AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for all content.
  • Any AI use must be disclosed in the manuscript.

Example disclosure:

“During the preparation of this work, the authors used [tool name] for language editing. All content was reviewed and approved by the authors.”

Open Access and Copyright Policy

FSAMR is a fully open-access journal.

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this license:

  • Authors retain copyright
  • Articles are free to read immediately upon publication
  • Users may copy, distribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use, provided proper attribution is given

There are no embargo periods.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.

If no conflicts exist, authors must state:

“Declarations of interest: none.”

Failure to disclose conflicts may result in rejection or retraction.

Complaints and Appeals Policy

FSAMR provides a transparent process for handling complaints and appeals.

  • Complaints must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.
  • Appeals against editorial decisions are reviewed by an editor not involved in the original decision.
  • When necessary, an independent editorial committee will be consulted.

A formal written response is normally provided within 30 days.