- General Principles
The journal Alternatives Rurales is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
(see the committee’s website).
This charter aims to define the ethical rules governing the editorial process, the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors, as well as the procedures applicable in cases of publication ethics violations.
- Organization of the Review Process
When a paper is submitted to the journal, the editors make an initial assessment and decide whether the article enters the preparation process. They respond to authors within a maximum of two weeks. If necessary, they support the authors in improving the scientific quality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript in accordance with the journal’s objectives.
When the paper is ready for formal review, it is sent to two reviewers:
– The review process is conducted in a “double-blind” manner: reviewers do not know the authors’ names and vice versa.
– Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest (personal, professional, institutional, or financial) and withdraw if such a situation exists.
– Reviews must be based on objective scientific criteria, well-argued, and formulated respectfully and constructively.
- Responsibilities of Authors
Authors commit to:
– Submitting original work, free of plagiarism, falsification, or data fabrication.
– Not submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal. Simultaneous submission to multiple journals constitutes a breach of publication ethics, and submission to Alternatives Rurales will be automatically cancelled if this is found to be the case.
– Explicitly indicating each co-author’s contribution, and ensuring that all co-authors approve the final version of the manuscript.
As part of the evaluation process, authors must respond clearly and thoroughly to each comment made by the reviewers. This response, presented point-by-point in a separate document, must show how comments have been addressed in the revised manuscript or, where applicable, justify scientifically the choices retained. Compliance with this step determines whether the editorial process continues.
- Use of Artificial Intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools must be transparent:
– Authors who use AI to generate assertions in the manuscript (in results, literature review, etc.) must explain how it was used in the methodology section.
– If the use is limited to linguistic or syntactic proofreading, it is not necessary to mention it.
– Authors remain fully responsible for the scientific content and any error, omission, or bias resulting from the use of these tools.
- Research Ethics
When research involves human or animal participants, authors must:
– Indicate all relevant authorizations and confirm that all applicable ethical standards (informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, etc.) have been followed.
– Comply with national and international regulations on research ethics.
In cases of suspected ethical misconduct — plagiarism, data manipulation, or non-compliant research practices — the journal will apply COPE procedures and recommendations to investigate and, where appropriate, publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.
- Policy on Preprints and Prior Publications
Authors must declare whether the manuscript, or part of it, has already been shared as a preprint, as well as any prior versions such as conference proceedings or internal reports. The journal accepts the publication of preprints, but the existence of such versions must be transparently disclosed.
- Responsibilities of Editors
Editors commit to providing impartial evaluation based exclusively on scientific quality and to guaranteeing confidentiality. They refrain from using unpublished data or results for their own work, declare and manage conflicts of interest by withdrawing when necessary, and ensure consistent application of this charter and respect for COPE principles.
- Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers must strictly respect the confidentiality of the review process and provide objective, well-argued, respectful, and constructive feedback. They are required to disclose any conflict of interest and must not use the manuscript’s data or ideas for personal purposes. They must also adhere to the deadlines set by the journal to ensure the smooth progress of the editorial process.
Reviewers are expected to provide their review within 6 weeks — a deadline that may be extended if reviewers justify their lack of availability.
- Intellectual Property
The contents of Alternatives Rurales are available under the Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 France license. Authors retain intellectual property rights over their published articles.
- Data Access
Authors are encouraged to make the data used in their analyses publicly accessible (ensuring anonymization when necessary). However, this is not mandatory.
The journal reserves the right to request authors, at any point during evaluation or after publication, to provide the data used in their work for scientific verification or ethical review.
Unjustified refusal to share these data may result in suspension of the editorial process or, if applicable, retraction of the article.
- No Publication Fees
Publishing an article in Alternatives Rurales requires no payment. Alternatives Rurales remains a free and open-access journal based on promoting knowledge sharing.
- Corrections and Retractions
When errors are identified after publication, they must be reported to the editors-in-chief. The online manuscript will be updated, with a note indicating the correction where appropriate.
Authors may request the retraction of their article.
- Handling Complaints and Publication Ethics
A complaint regarding unethical publication practices may be submitted at any time, by anyone, to the journal’s editorial board. The person submitting the complaint must provide supporting evidence. The editorial board will decide on the matter.
The editorial board is also responsible for addressing any ethical issues arising during or after the submission process.
The journal does not automatically provide a space for responses or discussions related to published articles. However, it is possible to submit a response or commentary article, which will be considered as a separate publication.
