A manuscript titled "Crop rotation as an economic strategy for small-scale farmers: evidence from Punjab, Pakistan" was recently submitted to DYSONA – Applied Science journal for potential publication. The primary author failed to incorporate the names and affiliations of the co-authors in the initial version. Furthermore, the contributorship declaration was also omitted. Nevertheless, the author explicitly mentioned that the names of all co-authors will be disclosed after the revision is completed. In adherence to our contributorship policy, the handling editor has sent the manuscript back to the author, requesting the inclusion of comprehensive details regarding all contributing authors. Subsequently, and during the following days to the editorial decision, an editorial board member observed multiple adverts on a social media site suggesting co-authorship opportunities in the aforementioned paper. All adverts had the name of the journal, and a few of them displayed apparent cost for each co-author position. The editorial office was informed and, taking into account prior observations (including the author comment during the initial submission), this episode was deemed a definite instance of authorship for sale. Hence, the author of the manuscript was informed about the problem and the processing of this article was terminated.
DYSONA journals have implemented a transparent policy on co-authorship and contributorship, which is applicable to all published works. This policy may be accessed on the (Publication Ethics) page. Given this policy, the journals implement all necessary steps to ensure that all co-authors have made substantial contributions to the published work. Hence, it was imperative to make a public declaration to underscore that our journals do not endorse these manipulations of publication process and to caution writers against engaging in comparable unethical practices.
Our readers are encouraged to promptly report any suspicious behaviors related to the publication process immediately to the editorial office. Furthermore, we would like to stress that our authors refrain from engaging any intermediaries in their interactions with the editorial office. Additionally, we remind our authors that there are currently no fees associated with publishing in DYSONA journals.