International Soil and Water Conservation Research (ISWCR) Establishes Academic Ethics Committee to Uphold Publishing Integrity
Published 27 March, 2026
The International Soil and Water Conservation Research (ISWCR) is pleased to announce the establishment of an independent Academic Ethics Committee. This initiative underscores the journal's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing in accordance with the core principles and guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
The newly formed committee will serve as the cornerstone of ISWCR's ethical safeguards, with a mandate to:
1. Update and maintain the journal's policies and guidelines on publishing ethics, ensuring they are consistently aligned with international standards and practices.
2. Investigate and advise on how to resolve submitted cases of suspected ethical misconduct in the research and publishing of all journal-related work.
3. Review and approve all final assessments of new editorial board candidates
4. Strengthen and maintain formal communication channels with the publishing ethics teams of Elsevier and KeAi, ISWCR's co-publishers to ensure a unified and effective approach to handling complex ethical matters.
The committee will be composed of a diverse panel of internationally-respected scholars from our editorial board, including:
Dr. Philippa Bensen (USA)
Prof. David Jupp (Australia)
Prof. Chiyuan Miao (China)
Dr. Rachid Mrabet (Morocco)
Prof. Moidrag Zlatic (Serbia)
The committee will convene regularly to review policies, address complex cases, and guide the editorial team. Its formation is a key part of ISWCR's ongoing strategy to enhance its editorial governance and provide a fair, transparent, and ethical platform for the global soil and water conservation research community.