Publishing Policy

3-1.Pre-print Policy

The Journal also accepts research results through submission whose contents are partially disclosed on pre-print servers, in order to promote the dissemination of research. However, the submitted manuscript must have originality and/or novelty that are not seen in the pre-print.
If the submitted manuscript partly includes the content of a published pre-print, authors must provide the name of the pre-print server and the associated access number or DOI of the pre-print in the submitted information.
After submitting a manuscript, no version of the manuscript, such as the original submission, the revised version incorporating reviewers’ comments, the accepted version for publication or the version published in The Journal, is allowed to be posted on a pre-print server.

3-2.Authorship and Contributors

Authors are defined as those who meet all three criteria listed below and have approved the author list.

• 1)Those making a substantial contribution to the conception or design of an article, or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for an article.
• 2)Those approving the final version of the manuscript for publication.
• 3)Those agreeing to be held accountable for all aspects of the article.

Contributions from individuals who does not meet the criteria for authorship but provide technical help, assist with data collation, offer writing assistance, contribute to funding acquisition, provide general support, or make other corresponding contributions can be listed as Contributors in the Acknowledgments section.
The criteria above are adopted from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) recommendations on “Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors”.
Changes to the author list (such as the insertion or removal of author names, or a rearrangement of author order) after submission of the manuscript must be approved by all authors. Moreover, changes to the author list will not be permitted after acceptance of the manuscript.

3-3.Image Integrity

All images included in the manuscript must accurately reflect the original data. The Editorial Board permits digital manipulation of images but prohibits the alterations that manipulate the conclusions in an arbitrary manner. When digital manipulation of images is performed, author(s) should carefully follow “Digital Manipulation for Images” in the Submission Guidelines.
During the peer reviewing and editing process, The Editorial Board may request author(s) to submit original unaltered images.

3-4.Quoting and Reproducing Copyrighted Materials

When quoting and/or reproducing copyrighted materials, author(s) should use them under fair dealing and should indicate the source in the manuscript.
When reproducing copyrighted materials, author(s) should obtain permission from the copyright owner and submit a copy of the Permission Letter (no specific format required) to The Editorial Board.
If author(s) intend to modify the copyrighted materials, the author(s) should obtain permission regarding the modification from the copyright owner and the original author(s) of the material(s), submit a copy of the Permission Letter to The Editorial Board, and clearly indicate the modifications in the manuscript.

3-5.Research Data Policy

The Journal encourages authors to share the data and materials related to their manuscript with readers as “Supplementary data” or to register them in a public repository or database, etc.
Additionally, the disclosure of the following data are mandatory.
- Voucher specimens: These must be deposited in a public herbarium listed in the Index Herbariorum (https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/) or another public collection that provides access to deposited material. The information on the voucher specimen must be included in the manuscript.
- DNA and RNA sequences, next-generation sequencing data, genetic polymorphisms: These must be deposited in publicly available repositories and accession numbers must be given in the Material and Methods or in a separate Appendix.
When collecting and utilizing samples, voucher specimens, and data, authors must comply with the relevant institutional, national, and international laws and guidelines. In particular, during field research, it is essential for authors to obtain the necessary permissions and adhere to local regulations.

3-6.Conflicts of Interest

The Journal recognizes that conflicts of interest arise when there are actual, perceived, or potential circumstances that could influence fair and proper decision-making regarding research conduct, peer review or publication. Such circumstances may include (but are not limited to) employment relationships, consulting, ownership of stocks or options, remuneration, patents, and other financial relationships, as well as non-financial relationships such as personal connections, rivalries, and academic competition.
The authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher of The Journal shall strive to achieve fair and trustworthy publication in accordance with the following points.

Authors
Authors must indicate whether they have any conflicts of interest related to the manuscripts upon their submission.
If there are conflicts of interest, these should be disclosed in a “Statement” section before the “References”.
Authors should list all funding sources for their work in the “Acknowledgements” section.

Reviewers
The Editorial Board tries to avoid conflicts of interest when inviting reviewers, but it is not always possible to identify potential bias. If any conflicts of interest exist, reviewers are requested to decline the invitation to review.

The Editorial Board Members
If any member of The Editorial Board (hereinafter “Board Member”) has conflicts of interest related to a submitted manuscript, that member will be excluded from the reviewing process of the manuscript.
If the Board Member who is responsible for supervising the reviewing process is an author or co-author of the submission, that Board Member will be excluded from the reviewing process and another Board Member will supervise the reviewing process in lieu of them.
Any manuscript authored by a Board Member is subjected to the same standards of peer review and editorial decision-making as any other manuscript considered by The Journal.

Publisher (Tsumura & Co.)
The Publisher (Tsumura & Co.) is responsible for bearing the costs and handling general affairs related to the publication of The Journal but does not participate in any decision-making regarding peer review and contents of this journal. Any manuscript authored by employees of the publisher and/or members from related organizations is subjected to the same standards of peer review and editorial decision-making as any other manuscript considered by The Journal.

3-7.Duty of Confidentiality

The Journal acknowledges the importance of upholding confidentiality regarding unpublished manuscripts. Maintaining this confidentiality is crucial not only for safeguarding the integrity of the publication process but also for fostering a fair and unbiased peer review system, as well as promoting an active research community through unhindered discussions. To achieve these objectives, authors, reviewers, and The Editorial Board are required to adhere to the following points.

Authors
Authors must not publicly disclose any correspondence related to the submitted manuscript, including the results of the peer review, reviewers’ reports, editorial comments, and communications from The Editorial Board , on platforms such as social media, websites, or publications,
without permission from The Editorial Board, However, authors are permitted to seek advice from third parties on how to address review or editing comments, at their own responsibility. This applies even if the manuscript has been rejected or published.

Reviewers
By accepting to review a manuscript, reviewers are deemed to agree to the following points:

• -Not to disclose their role in the manuscript review process.
• -Not to involve any third party in the review process without obtaining permission from The Editorial Board.
• -Not to use any information obtained during the review process to benefit themselves or others, or to cause harm to others.

The Editorial Board
The Editorial Board is committed to maintaining confidentiality for all manuscripts submitted to The Journal and adheres to the following points:

• -Not to disclose the identity of the reviewers unless there is a reasonable request from the reviewers themselves. However, The Editorial Board allows for the disclosure of names in the Acknowledgments article to express gratitude for their assistance, as long as the disclosure does not reveal the identity of the reviewed manuscript.
• -Not to involve individuals who are not directly involved in the manuscript or the review process in discussions regarding unpublished manuscripts.
• -Not to use any information obtained from unpublished manuscripts to benefit themselves or others, or to cause harm to others.

3-8.Self-archiving (Green Open Access Policy)

The Journal permits self-archiving, also known as Green Open Access. Authors are allowed to deposit the final published PDF (Version of Record) in an online repository or on their personal website after publication.
When authors wish to self-archive their work, they are requested to include the DOI link to the Version of Record published on J-STAGE (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jjapbot/-char/en) in the deposited version, as follows:
The Version of Record of this article, first published in The Journal of Japanese Botany, is available at https://doi.org/10.51033/*****.

3-9.Long-term Digital Archiving

The Journal’s digital contents are published on J-SAGE (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jjapbot/-char/en/) and also preserved in a dark archiving service, Portico (https://www.portico.org/publishers/jstage/) to ensure long-term preservation and reliable access.

3-10.Responding to Potential Ethical Breaches

The Journal will address allegations of ethical breaches concerning both unpublished manuscripts and published manuscripts by adhering to its internal policies and, whenever possible, the COPE guidelines (http://publicationethics.org/).