I. General Provisions and Commitments

To uphold academic ethics, ensure the authenticity and reproducibility of research results, and enhance the journal's academic credibility in the field, this Research Integrity Statement for Tree Health is formulated based on relevant research findings from the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, research integrity policy practices of domestic and international scientific journals, and the disciplinary characteristics of tree health.

The journal solemnly commits to a zero-tolerance policy for academic misconduct and is dedicated to providing a fair, transparent, and rigorous academic exchange platform for researchers in the field of tree health.

II. Core Publishing Ethics Standards

(1) Author Responsibilities and Authorship Guidelines

  • Substantial Contribution: All named authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript writing, and must approve publication. "Honorary authorship" or "gift authorship" is opposed.

  • Confirmation Obligation: A contribution statement must be submitted upon submission, specifying each author's specific role (e.g., data collection, experimental procedures, statistical analysis, figure preparation).

  • Corresponding Author: The corresponding author bears ultimate responsibility for the authenticity of the paper, communication during the review process, and responding to post-publication inquiries.

(2) Data and Original Materials

  • Traceability: Authors must properly preserve original research data (including tree pathology images, molecular sequences, field survey records, etc.) and commit to providing original data for verification within 48 hours when reasonably requested by editors or reviewers.

  • Data Sharing: Authors are encouraged to deposit core data supporting paper conclusions in publicly recognized databases and include a data availability statement.

  • Image Processing: Excessive modification or compositing of electron micrographs, electrophoresis gels, or pathological tissue staining images is strictly prohibited. Permitted: adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance applied uniformly to the entire image. Prohibited: removing, enhancing, or blurring specific bands/lesions in the background, or performing "one-to-one" targeted modifications.

(3) Boundaries of AI-Generated Content (AIGC) Use

  • Prohibited Scope: AIGC may not be listed as an author, nor used to generate primary research data, figures/tables, or core theoretical derivations.

  • Limited Use: AIGC tools may only be used for language polishing, reference standardization, or abstract translation.

  • Mandatory Disclosure: If AIGC tools are used during manuscript preparation, this must be publicly disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" or "Methods" section at the end of the main text, including the tool name, version, purpose of use, and date.

  • Liability: Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and potential plagiarism of AIGC-generated content. Data hallucination or plagiarism resulting from AIGC output constitutes academic misconduct by the author.

(4) Duplicate Publication and Concurrent Submission

  • Originality Requirement: Manuscripts submitted to this journal must be original research not previously published domestically or internationally.

  • Translated Versions: Translations of already published papers are generally not accepted (except for emergency consensus statements involving major public health or ecological security issues, with authorization from the original publisher).

  • Concurrent Submission: During the review period, submitting the same manuscript to other journals simultaneously is strictly prohibited. If discovered, the manuscript will be rejected, and the author's institution will be notified.

III. Peer Review Integrity Standards

(1) Reviewer Requirements

  • Confidentiality Obligation: Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during review for personal research or commercial purposes.

  • Objectivity and Fairness: Review comments should be based on scientific logic, avoiding personal attacks or bias based on geography or institution.

  • Conflict of Interest Declaration: Reviewers who have collaborated with authors, served as their academic advisors, or are related within the past three years must voluntarily recuse themselves.

(2) Editorial Responsibilities

  • Independence: The editorial office makes decisions free from commercial interests, government interference, or personal relationships.

  • Retraction Mechanism: For published papers subsequently found to contain data fabrication or plagiarism, the journal will initiate a retraction procedure, issue a retraction statement, apply a watermark on the first page of the PDF, and update indexing accordingly.

IV. Violation Handling and Prevention

(1) Pre-Submission Screening: All submissions undergo screening via the CNKI Academic Misconduct Detection System and image plagiarism detection software before peer review.

(2) Blacklist System: Upon confirmed data fabrication or plagiarism, the journal will: (1) issue a notice regarding the author(s) and their institution; (2) reject all submissions from the first author and corresponding author for three years; (3) notify the research integrity authority of the author's institution.

(3) Errata and Expression of Concern: For non-malicious minor errors that do not affect conclusions, authors are encouraged to submit an "erratum"; for papers with potential controversy but no definitive finding, an "editorial expression of concern" will be issued.

V. Contact Us

The journal accepts real-name reports regarding academic integrity issues. Reporting email: treehealth@yllhj.beijing.gov.cn, Tel: +86-10-64731067.

Editorial Department of Tree Health

I. General Provisions

To maintain academic integrity, ensure research quality, and promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in tree health research, this AIGC Usage Policy for Tree Health is formulated based on relevant research findings from the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, AIGC policy practices of domestic and international scientific journals, and the disciplinary characteristics of tree health. This policy applies to all authors, reviewers, and editors of Tree Health.

II. Basic Principles

(1) Transparency and Accountability: All use of AIGC tools must be publicly disclosed, and authors bear full responsibility for the content.

(2) Privacy and Data Security: Uploading unpublished research data, personal identifiable information, or sensitive content to public AIGC platforms is prohibited.

(3) Fairness and Veracity: AIGC output must be verified by authors to avoid biased, false, or misleading information.

(4) Sustainability: Reasonable and efficient use of AIGC is encouraged, avoiding resource waste and environmental burden.

III. Guidelines for AIGC Use in Manuscript Writing and Research

(1) Literature Collection and Review

  • AIGC may be used to assist with literature retrieval, viewpoint organization, and literature review framework construction.

  • The authenticity of all references provided by AIGC must be verified; direct citation of AI-generated false references is prohibited.

  • Bias review is required for viewpoint materials generated by AIGC.

(2) Statistical Analysis

  • AIGC may be used to assist with selecting statistical methods or conducting preliminary analysis.

  • AIGC must not replace researchers in critical data interpretation or conclusion derivation.

  • All statistical analysis results must be validated by authors for scientific soundness.

(3) Figure and Table Preparation

  • AIGC must not be used to generate or alter original experimental images (e.g., Western blots, tissue staining, tree pathology images).

  • AIGC may be used to assist with optimizing figure styles (e.g., fonts, colors, legends) but must not alter data authenticity.

  • Graphical abstracts must not be generated by AIGC; cover art using AIGC requires prior editorial approval.

(4) Text Writing

  • AIGC may be used to assist with language polishing, grammar checking, and logical optimization.

  • AIGC must not be used to write the full manuscript, core conclusions, Methods, or Discussion sections.

  • All scientific contributions must be completed independently by authors.

(5) Reference Formatting

  • AIGC may be used to assist with formatting citations and proofreading reference lists.

  • Authors are responsible for the authenticity and relevance of all citations.

IV. Requirements for Submission and Review Stage

(1) Authorship

AIGC tools may not be listed as authors and do not possess authorship, copyright, or liability-bearing capacity.

(2) Disclosure and Declaration

All AIGC usage must be explicitly declared in the manuscript. The following template is recommended:

Declaration Template:

In [specific section, e.g., literature review/figure preparation/language polishing] of this study, the authors used [AIGC tool name and version number] on [specific date], with input prompts including: "[prompt content]". The generated content has been reviewed and revised by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the manuscript content.

The declaration should be placed in the Methods, Acknowledgments, or Supplementary Materials section.

(3) AIGC Use During Review

  • Reviewers: Subject to journal policy, AIGC may be used to assist in drafting review comments, but unpublished manuscripts must not be uploaded to public AIGC tools.

  • Authors: AIGC may be used to assist in responding to review comments, but complete review reports or sensitive content must not be uploaded.

V. Post-Publication Responsibility and Data Sharing

(1) Authors are encouraged to submit intermediate materials generated by AIGC (e.g., text before/after polishing, image processing records) as supplementary materials.

(2) The journal reserves the right to detect suspected AIGC-generated content; detection results serve only as one basis for judgment.

(3) If undisclosed AIGC usage is discovered, the journal reserves the right to reject or retract the paper and notify the author's institution.

VI. Violation Handling

(1) The following behaviors constitute academic misconduct:

  • Failure to disclose AIGC usage as required;

  • Using AIGC to generate false references, data, or images;

  • Listing AIGC as an author;

  • Leaking unpublished manuscripts during review.

(2) Sanctions include but are not limited to: rejection, retraction, submission restrictions, and notification to research integrity authorities.

VII. Supplementary Provisions

(1) This policy will be updated periodically in response to developments in AIGC technology and evolving publishing ethics standards.

(2) The journal recommends that authors prioritize locally deployed or data-security-compliant AIGC tools.

(3) Authors with questions about AIGC usage may contact the editorial office in advance for consultation.

Editorial Department of Tree Health