Copyright and Licensing

All articles published in ALSE are released under an Open Access model, in accordance with the principles of transparency, accessibility, and global knowledge sharing. All articles are freely available online to readers worldwide without subscription barriers.

All published content is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits:

• Free access, reading, and sharing of the content;
• Redistribution in any format or medium;
• Adaptation, transformation, and derivative works, including for commercial use;
• On the sole condition that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are clearly indicated.

The CC BY license supports compliance with funder mandates and aligns with major open access policies (e.g., Plan S, Horizon Europe).

Upon acceptance, authors retain the copyright to their work but grant the journal the non-exclusive right to publish and disseminate the article in all media formats. Authors retain full ownership of their intellectual property. They are free to archive, disseminate, and reuse their work, provided that proper citation is maintained and the original source is acknowledged as published in this journal. ALSE does not require a copyright transfer agreement.

Originality and Permissions

The journal only considers manuscripts that are original, have not been previously published, and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submissions must reflect the authors’ own work and intellectual contribution and must not contain any form of plagiarism, data falsification, or redundant publication.

Originality Requirements

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The manuscript is substantially original, both in content and structure.
• Any text, data, figures, or materials reused from previously published sources (including the authors’ own prior work) are clearly cited and properly attributed.
• Self-plagiarism and text recycling are avoided, unless clearly justified and disclosed.

The journal uses similarity-checking software to screen submissions for potential plagiarism and overlapping content. Checks are also made to screen for text generated by AI tools.

Use of Third-Party Material

Authors must obtain prior written permission for any material (text, images, data, graphics) that is not their own and is not covered by an open license. This includes:

• Tables, illustrations, or significant text excerpts from books, articles, or websites;
• Figures or photographs obtained from other sources;
• Proprietary data or tools.

Proof of permission must be provided at the time of manuscript submission. Authors are solely responsible for securing these rights and for any legal consequences resulting from unauthorised use.

Proper Attribution

Even in cases where permission is not required (e.g., public domain, CC-licensed content), authors must provide:

• Clear attribution of the source;
• Indication of any modifications made to the original material;
• License type under which the reused content was published, if applicable.

Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to rejection, retraction, or other corrective actions.

Use of Published Material

ALSE encourages the ethical use, citation, and reuse of previously published material, in accordance with copyright laws, licensing terms, and scholarly conventions. Authors, readers, and third parties are permitted to reuse published content under the terms of the journal’s licensing policy (CC BY 4.0), as long as the use:

• Acknowledges the original source, including authorship and journal name;
• Provides a link to the original article and to the Creative Commons license;
• Indicates if any changes were made to the content;
• Does not misrepresent the original context, findings, or intent of the work.

Acceptable Uses

Examples of acceptable use include, but are not limited to:

• Reuse of figures or tables in academic presentations, theses, or review articles;
• Translation and redistribution of articles for educational purposes;
• Incorporation of methods or protocols into future research, with proper citation.

Reuse by Authors

Authors are free to:

• Archive the accepted or published version in institutional or subject repositories;
• Include the article in their academic portfolios, websites, or course materials;
• Present the published content at conferences or educational events.

All such reuse must comply with the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows for adaptation and commercial use, provided that proper credit is given.

Restrictions

Users must not:

• Falsely attribute authorship;
• Imply endorsement by the authors or the journal;
• Alter the content in a misleading way;
• Use the material in a context that may compromise the scientific integrity or reputation of the original work.

The journal reserves the right to take corrective action in case of inappropriate or unethical use of published material.

Reuse and Distribution Rights

The journal actively encourages reuse and distribution of published material to promote transparency and knowledge dissemination. However, all reuse must:

• Respect the original meaning and scientific accuracy of the work;
• Clearly identify the original authors and journal;
• Avoid any misleading or defamatory context.

Any breach of these conditions may result in editorial actions, including formal notices or reporting to relevant institutions.

Editorial Philosophy and Objectives

ALSE promotes an inclusive editorial philosophy: it is open to researchers from diverse academic environments, regardless of their country of origin or institutional status. The journal supports equitable participation in scientific communication and encourages the involvement of early-career researchers, in line with international standards of scholarly publishing.

Editorial Structure

The editorial structure of ALSE is designed to ensure integrity, impartiality, and efficiency throughout the peer-review and publication process. The editorial process is coordinated by the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), who coordinates the team of Academic editors (AE) and consults the Editorial Board. Please see the Editorial Team and Board section for additional information.

Peer Review Policy

The scientific quality, originality and integrity of articles published in ALSE are ensured through a rigorous peer-review process. Without exception, submitted manuscripts are evaluated by at least two qualified experts selected for their expertise and impartiality.

The AEs select reviewers, manage communications with reviewers and authors, and submit a recommendation to the EIC, who makes the final decision at each stage of the review process.

Reviewer Selection Criteria

Reviewers are selected from two primary sources:

• Primary reviewers are chosen from among those recommended via the ScholarOne platform, based on subject-area expertise, academic standing, and independence from the authors.
• Secondary reviewers are identified via the Web of Science database if primary reviewers are unavailable or unresponsive.

To be eligible, reviewers must:

• Hold a Ph.D.;
• Have expertise evidenced by peer-reviewed publications;
• Have no conflicts of interest: no recent collaboration or institutional affiliation with the authors.

Confidentiality and Impartiality

Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest with the authors and respect the principles of confidentiality. Reviews should be constructive and objective so that authors can improve their manuscripts.

Reviewer Suggestions and Exclusions by Authors

Authors are invited to suggest potential reviewers or, alternatively, they may request the avoidance of those they do not want for objective reasons (e.g., prior disputes or academic conflicts). Such preferences will be considered, but cannot be guaranteed.

Editorial Workflow

The editorial workflow at ALSE ensures transparency, fairness, and consistency across all stages of manuscript evaluation and publication. Submissions are managed via the ScholarOne Manuscript online platform.

The editorial process includes the following main steps (a visual summary of this workflow is available as a downloadable flowchart).

Authors submit their manuscripts through the ScholarOne system. Coreponding authors must create a dedicated account for this journal before submission. Linking the account with ORCID iD is recommended for easier login. The submission must include all required documents (manuscript, AES, cover letter), formatted according to the journal’s guidelines.

Incomplete submissions will not be subject to initial screening.

The submission automatically receives an identification number and the corresponding author receives an acknowledgement email. 

Artificial Intelligence–Generated Content Disclosure

To align with evolving best practices in academic publishing, ALSE has a clear policy regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in manuscript preparation. All submissions are screened using specific tools to detect undeclared AI-generated content.

The evaluation of the use of AI in submitted manuscripts is made considering:

• Transparency of disclosure;
• The extent to the generated or language refinement content;
• The originality and integrity of the scientific content.

Detailed AI disclosure guidelines are available on our Author Guidelines page.

Editorial Decision Criteria

Editorial decisions are based on a combination of peer-review feedback, editorial judgement, and adherence to the journal’s standards for scientific rigor, originality, and ethical compliance. Peer reviewers and Academic Editors make recommendations, but decisions regarding publication are the prerogative of the Editor-in-Chief.

Evaluation of the manuscripts is done considering the following criteria:

• Scientific Rigor: manuscripts must be based on a well-justified methodology and an appropriate experimental design, be clearly structured, in a logical sequence and have a correct interpretation of all data provided.
• Originality: articles must present new scientific content and/or offer clear perspectives for the development of existing knowledge in the field of study.
• Relevance to Scope: the scientific content of the manuscripts must be consistent with the theme and mission of the journal (see the Aims and Scope sections).
• Ethical Integrity: research must be carried out in accordance with international standards that regulate responsible research, including in terms of correctly declared authorship, transparency, disclosure of conflicts of interest and the use of AI Generative tools.
• Peer reviewer input: their comments and recommendations are carefully considered.

Editor-in-Chief decisions are:

• Acceptance: the manuscript meets the ethical, scientific, and editorial standards of the journal.
• Minor Revision: limited adjustments are needed to improve clarity, formatting, or referencing.
• Major Revision: substantial changes are required, such as rewriting parts of the manuscript, reanalysing data, or addressing significant reviewer concerns.
• Reject with resubmission option: The manuscript requires significant improvements, such as additional data, clearer analysis, or methodological refinement, but the authors will be encouraged to resubmit after addressing these issues.
• Reject: the manuscript is not recommended for publication following peer review.

Manuscripts from Editors or Board Members

To maintain the integrity and transparency of the editorial process, ALSE applies a clearly defined policy when handling manuscripts authored or co-authored by members of the editorial team or Editorial Board. In such a situation, the manuscripts are assigned to an independent AE, external or internal (from the same institution), without hierarchical, collaborative, or disciplinary conflict of interest. The manuscripts will be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers from outside the authors’ country, and the recommendation will be made by AEs who are not authors of the manuscript in question. A formal disclosure of the author’s editorial role is included in the published article to ensure full transparency.

Sample Disclosure Statements (to be added to published articles):

• Author [Full Name] serves as [Editorial Role] of the Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment. This manuscript was handled independently by another editor and has undergone the journal’s standard peer-review process.’
• Several authors of this article are members of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment. This submission was managed independently, and none of the authors were involved in the peer-review or editorial decision-making process.’

Manuscript from IULS Academic Community

Submissions from researchers affiliated with IULS are welcome. To ensure editorial impartiality and to prevent conflicts of interest, the same procedures are followed as for manuscripts submitted by Editors or Board Members, the difference being that not all university colleagues hpld an editorial roles. The Editor-in-Chief assigns all submissions through the ScholarOne Manuscripts platform, ensuring transparency and traceability of the editorial process and avoiding any potential conflicts of interest.

These procedures are fully aligned with international ethical standards (COPE, DOAJ, and Clarivate) and are intended to preserve the transparency, objectivity, and academic credibility of the journal.

The journal’s policy, aligned with COPE guidelines, establishes clear responsibilities for all actors involved in the editorial process to ensure transparency, objectivity, academic credibility, and scientific integrity.

Research and Publication Ethics

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The expectations of authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are to act with integrity and professionalism in compliance with academic norms:

• Transparency in the process of scientific investigation and peer review
• Probity in the presentation of research results (without fabricated, counterfeit data or manipulated content).
• Responsibility for the content of submitted manuscripts, with clear attribution of all contributions and ideas.
• Respect for ethical standards in research, particularly when involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive materials.
• Responsiveness to ethical concerns, including prompt investigation of suspected misconduct and corrective actions such as retractions, errata, or expressions of concern when necessary.

The journal actively promotes a culture of ethical awareness and offers guidance and resources to support authors and reviewers in navigating complex ethical issues.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship confers credit and implies responsibility for published work. In accordance with international standards (e.g., International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [ICMJE], COPE), the journal defines an author as someone who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the manuscript and agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

To qualify for authorship, individuals must meet all of the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
• Final approval of the version to be published;
• Accountability for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Those who contribute to the work but do not meet all four criteria – such as individuals involved in technical support, data collection, or funding acquisition – should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission.

Ethical Issues in Authorship

Ghost authorship – people not included in the list of authors even though they have contributed substantially.

Guest/Gift authorship – people listed as authors without having contributed significantly.

Order disputes – any conflicts regarding the order of authors are resolved by agreement of the team.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author acts as the main point of contact between the journal and all co-authors. They are responsible for:

• Ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria;
• Coordinating the submission and peer-review process;
• Managing communication with the editorial office;

Ensuring that all co-authors approve the final version and any substantial changes.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors must be sent to the editorial office before publication and must be accompanied by an explanation regarding the reason for the request and a written statement signed by all authors involved, confirming their agreement to the change. The journal reserves the right to contact any author for verification.

Equal Contributions

Where applicable, authors who have contributed equally may be indicated in a note within the manuscript (e.g., “These authors contributed equally to this work”).

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when an individual’s personal, financial, or professional relationships could influence – or appear to influence – the objectivity, integrity, or fairness of the editorial and publication process.

All parties involved in the publication of a manuscript – authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff – have a duty to disclose any actual or potential conflicts that may compromise or appear to compromise their impartiality.

Authors

Authors must disclose all relationships or interests that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their manuscript. These may include:

• Financial interests, including funding, grants, consultancy, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, or patent applications;
• Personal relationships or rivalries;
• Academic or institutional affiliations that may be seen as sources of bias.

A “Conflicts of Interest” statement must be included in the manuscript or submitted as a separate declaration at the time of submission. If no conflicts exist, then authors should explicitly state:

“The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in manuscript rejection or post-publication corrective actions.

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts that may affect their ability to provide an objective and unbiased assessment of the manuscript. Such conflicts may include:

• Close professional or personal relationships with the authors;
• Recent collaboration or competition with the authors;
• Financial interest in the outcome of the research.

If a conflict exists, then reviewers must decline the invitation to review. All review assignments are treated as confidential, and reviewers are expected to refrain from using or disclosing any unpublished data or findings.

Editors and Editorial Staff

Editors and staff must recuse themselves from handling a manuscript if they have:

• Financial, personal, or professional ties to any of the authors;
• A role in the research or manuscript preparation;
• Competing editorial responsibilities that could impair impartial judgment.

Editorial decisions must be based solely on the quality, originality, and relevance of the manuscript, independently of any conflicts of interest. In the interest of transparency, the journal publishes disclosures from editors involved in the editorial process.

Ethical Oversight

The journal enforces strict ethical standards for research involving human participants, animals, cell lines, plants, environment, sensitive data, or dual use concerns. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all research complies with relevant national legislation, institutional guidelines, and internationally recognised frameworks presented below.

Research Involving Human Subjects

All studies involving human participants must include Materials and Methods section a clear statement confirming the obtaining prior approval from an ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) and informed consent to participate.

Informed consent for participation was obtained from each participant, freely and in writing. Forms do not have to be submitted to the journal, but authors are required to keep them and present the signed forms upon any request by editors.

Authors must declare that the investigations were carried out following the rules of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, which was revised in 2013.

If the article contains identifiable information (e.g., photographs, personal data), then authors must submit a signed Informed Consent Statement for Publication. This form confirms that the participant (or a legally authorised representative) understands the purpose and implications of publication and agrees to the article being published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).

In cases involving vulnerable populations (such as minors or persons with cognitive impairments), authors must describe the additional safeguards applied. When participants are unable to provide consent, the journal requires that a legally authorised representative signs the Informed Consent Statement for Publication, stating their authority and relationship to the participant.

Authors must also indicate that participants’ privacy and confidentiality were protected and that anonymity has been preserved to the greatest extent possible, acknowledging that complete anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Research Involving Animals

For all studies involving animals, authors must:

• Confirm approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent authority.
• Describe ethical treatment procedures, including housing, anaesthesia, and euthanasia methods.
• Minimise suffering and the number of animals used, following the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (the 3Rs) as required by Article 4 of Directive 2010/63/EU.

Authors must clearly state in the manuscript the approval authority, permit number, and adherence to welfare standards or local equivalent.

In addition, authors are required to submit a completed ARRIVE Essential 10: Compliance Questionnaire to ensure transparency and reproducibility in reporting animal research.

Submissions lacking this documentation will not proceed to peer review.

Research involving cell lines

In manuscripts based on research involving the use of cell lines, it is mandatory to specify their origin or provenance. In addition:

• for established cell lines, reference must be made to a published source or, where appropriate, to the commercial supplier;
• for newly-established or gifted lines, institutional ethical approvals are required;
• for material derived from human subjects, confirmation of informed consent is needed.

Research involving plants

Research on cultivated plants or those from spontaneous flora must be performed in compliance with the international norms specified in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Rare species specimens should be placed in an accessible space (herbarium or museum). The authors must disclose:

• the place and date of sampling;
• parts of the plant that were studied (roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, etc.);
• genetic background (variety, transgenic line, ecotype, etc.).

In the case of rare, threatened or endangered species, for which there are no data on population, habitat, etc., this must be specified in the cover letter.

Ethics in Environment Protection

Research must aim to minimize negative effects on ecosystems and biodiversity.

Scientific investigations must primarily aim to develop technologies with the lowest possible consumption of resources and energy and with the lowest possible release of harmful substances, friendly to the environment and human health.

Impact assessments and risk analyses must be prepared.

International legal provisions must be respected (e.g. Paris Agreement (2015), Convention on Biological Diversity).

Potentially harmful effects are brought to the attention of the public opinion, which must be involved in decision-making.

Research involving sensitive data

Research involving sensitive or emerging technologies, such as genetic engineering and nanotechnologies, will be designed with maximum responsibility and controlled transparency, in compliance with applicable regulations. Speculative approaches with destabilizing potential or uncontrolled dual applicability are prohibited.

Dual-Use Research of Concern

Research results, for example, applied in innovative technologies, can be misused for purposes other than those for which they were designed, with undesirable effects on the health and safety of human communities and/or the environment. In the context of the journal’s topic, we refer for example to research on the synthesis of chemical compounds for the production of pesticides, fermentation techniques, genetic modification, water treatment or air monitoring.

To prevent dangerous situations where this knowledge is used against people, animals or the environment, authors are obliged to assess their potential for dual use before submitting the results for publication. Authors must also warn editors about the possible implications of dual use, so that they can make appropriate ethical and editorial decisions, after consulting experts from specialized institutions.

Submissions lacking the documentation specified above or do not align with the specified regulations will not be subject to peer review.

Handling of Ethical Issues and Misconduct

The journal follows the COPE Core Practices and flowcharts to address suspected or confirmed research or publication misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism or self-plagiarism;
• Data fabrication or falsification;
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• Improper authorship;
• Duplicate or redundant publication;
• Peer-review manipulation.

When ethical concerns arise, the editorial team will conduct an investigation. Depending on the outcome, actions may include:

• Rejection of the manuscript;
• Publication of a correction, retraction, or expression of concern;
• Notification of the authors’ institutions or funders.

All investigations are conducted confidentially, fairly, and with a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record.

Scholarly Integrity and Citation

Anti-Plagiarism and Research Misconduct Policy

ALSE upholds a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and other types of research misconduct. Maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record is a shared responsibility of authors, reviewers, and editors.

The journal considers the following actions to be misconduct:

• Plagiarism: presenting another person’s work, data, images, or ideas as one’s own without proper attribution;
• Self-plagiarism: reusing significant parts of the author’s own previously published work without citation or editorial approval;
• Fabrication: inventing data or results;
• Falsification: manipulating data, images, or processes to misrepresent results;
• Redundant publication: submitting the same or substantially similar manuscript to multiple journals without disclosure.

Screening Process

All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity and for undisclosed of AI-generated content using iThenticate software (via Crossref Similarity Check) and Turnitin’s AI-detection tools.

Author identities are anonymized before screening, and the submitted content is processed exclusively within the confidential and controlled environment of the Crossref and Turnitin database.

By submitting a manuscript to ALSE, authors consent to such checks, which are part of the workflow that includes concerns for ensuring ethical integrity.

ALSE endorses the COPE position on Authorship and AI Tools (2023): „Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.”

Manuscripts found to contain significant similarity with existing publications, without proper citation or undisclosed use of AI tools will be rejected or returned for revision.

Cases of suspected misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

Responsibilities

Authors must:

• Submit original, unpublished work;
• Appropriately cite all sources and previously published material;
• Disclose any overlap with prior submissions or publications or AI-generated text;
• Respond transparently to editorial queries about ethical concerns.

The disclosure does not exonerate the authors of the blame, but allows the evaluation of the aspects reported by the editors. Authors found guilty of misconduct may face sanctions including retraction, notification of institutions, or a publication ban.

Editors are responsible for:

• Detecting and addressing potential misconduct;
• Ensuring objective and evidence-based investigations;
• Acting in accordance with COPE’s ethical procedures and flowcharts;
• Issuing retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern as necessary.

Reviewers must:

• Report suspected plagiarism or data manipulation;
• Maintain confidentiality and objectivity;
• Avoid using any unpublished data for personal gain;
• Decline review assignments if conflicts of interest or bias exist;

Maintain the evaluation report without uploading the manuscript or parts of it to AI platforms and without drafting the evaluation report with AI tools.

Citation Ethics and Referencing Policy

Proper citation practices are essential for maintaining academic integrity, recognising prior contributions, and avoiding plagiarism. ALSE expects authors to reference all sources accurately and ethically.

General Principles

Authors must:

• Provide accurate and complete references for all quotations, paraphrased ideas, figures, or data from other sources;
• Avoid over-reliance on previously published content, even when cited properly;
• Ensure that citations reflect the original source of the idea, not merely a secondary reference;
• Cite primary literature where possible, especially in scientific data and results;
• Use citations to support their arguments, not to substitute them.

Manuscripts consisting primarily of paraphrased or cited material, even if correctly attributed, may be rejected for lack of originality.

Ethical Violations

The journal identifies and discourages several forms of unethical citation behaviour:

• Unattributed use: failing to cite a source (classic plagiarism);
• Misleading citation: citing a source while presenting the material as original or reshaped in a deceptive way;
• Citation padding: including irrelevant or excessive citations to inflate reference lists or manipulate metrics;
• Self-citation abuse: excessive self-citation to boost an author’s own profile without academic justification.

Such practices may trigger editorial investigation and lead to manuscript rejection or post-publication correction.

Best Practices for Authors

To maintain ethical citation standards, authors should:

• Reference only material they have read and verified;
• Use a consistent and recognised citation style;
• Prefer citing original research articles over reviews, when appropriate;
• Avoid copying blocks of text from cited sources, even with attribution—paraphrase and interpret critically instead.

The journal encourages thoughtful citation that reflects genuine engagement with the literature and supports the development of original scientific discourse.