FOOD and HEALTH is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to contributing to the literature by publishing high-quality manuscripts in all fields of food sciences and health-related nutrition. All editorial and publication processes are conducted in strict accordance with the guidelines of ICMJE, WAME, CSE, COPE, EASE, OASPA, and DOAJ. The journal also complies with the "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing."

1. Publication Criteria and Evaluation

• Originality: Manuscripts must be original and not previously published in any electronic or printed medium.
• Quality & Impact: Acceptance is based on scientific quality, originality, and citation potential.
• Previous Submissions: If a manuscript was previously rejected by another journal, submitting the prior reviewer reports is encouraged to expedite the evaluation process.
• Similarity Screening: All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software to ensure academic integrity.

2. Ethical Standards and Approvals

• Human Research: For clinical or experimental studies involving humans, approval from an Ethics Committee in accordance with the WMA Declaration of Helsinki (2013) is mandatory.
• Consent: Authors must state that written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Ethics committee names and approval numbers must be included in the "Materials and Methods" section.
• Animal Research: Experimental research on vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must comply with Basel Declaration and ICLAS guidelines. Compliance must be explicitly stated in the text.
• Biodiversity: Research involving species at risk or plants must follow IUCN Policy Statements and CITES regulations.
• Anonymity: Authors are responsible for protecting patient anonymity. Signed releases are required for any photographs that may identify a subject.

3. Authorship Criteria

According to ICMJE standards, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria to be listed as an author:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception/design of the work or the acquisition/analysis of data.
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work's integrity and accuracy.

Note: Contributors who do not meet all four criteria should be listed in the "Acknowledgements" section.

4. Duties of Reviewers

• Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism is prohibited; views should be supported by clear arguments.
• Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must not be shared or used for personal advantage.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must recuse themselves if they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors or institutions.
• Promptness: Selected referees who feel unqualified or unable to provide a prompt review must notify the editor immediately.

5. Duties of Authors

• Reporting Standards: Authors must provide an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Fraudulent statements are unacceptable.
• Data Access: Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review and should be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
• Redundancy: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is considered unethical and is not permitted.
• Error Correction: If a significant error is discovered post-publication, the author is obligated to cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

6. Copyright and Open Access

• Ownership: The copyright of open-access articles published in "FOOD and HEALTH" belongs to the author(s).
• Licensing: Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Bu permits anyone to share, copy, and adapt the material (even commercially), provided the original work is properly cited.
• Transfer of Rights: Upon submission, authors sign an Author Agreement Form. By signing this, authors grant the journal a license to publish the work and identify itself as the original publisher. This form also includes the authors' warranties regarding originality and ethical compliance.

7. Misconduct and Appeals

In cases of alleged research misconduct (plagiarism, data fabrication, citation manipulation), the Editorial Board acts according to COPE guidelines. Authors should contact the editorial office directly regarding appeals. The Editor-in-Chief serves as the final authority in the decision-making process.