ABOUT THE JOURNAL

About the Journal:

* Aims and Scope:

The Journal of Tropical Science and Engineering (JTSE) focuses on publishing research findings and review articles in the fields of Tropical Biology, Ecology, and Environment; Chemistry and Material Sciences; and Medicine and Pharmacology. The journal aims to enhance the dissemination of new information, research outcomes, methods, species, materials, preparations, and solutions to (1) Improve the effectiveness of resource management, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, restoration and regeneration of destroyed tropical landscapes and ecosystems; (2) Prevent corrosion, aging, and biological degradation to protect and extend the lifespan of materials and technical equipment in tropical environment; (3) Protect human health against adverse tropical environmental factors, toxic agents and epidemics. JTSE serves as a platform for exchanging academic ideas, research methods and perspectives to apply research results into practice; training and enhancing human resources to serve national and regional management strategies in related fields. The journal covers the following topics and areas:

Ecology and Environment

 - Tropical Ecology and Biodiversity;

- Mechanisms, rules of formation, dynamics and development of tropical landscapes and ecosystems;

- Tropical Natural Resources and Environment;

- Integrated management and use of natural and anthropogenic landscapes and ecosystems;

- New methods and technologies in research on restoration of tropical forest and marine ecosystems;

- Landscapes with sustainable development of agriculture, forestry, tourism and conservation;

- Climate Change and Ecological Security;

- Microorganisms and their applications in environmental protection;

- Dioxins and other environmental pollutants emitted from war and human activities.

Chemistry and Materials sciences

- Corrosion, aging, biological degradation of materials and technical equipment in tropical environments and their lifespan prediction;

- Research on solutions, technologies and materials (including protective coatings) to improve the durability, lifespan, and performance of materials and technical equipment in tropical environments;

- Research, develop and apply new materials and new technologies in specific fields.

Biomedicine and Pharmacology

- Environmental toxicology and human health risks;

- Occupational environment and health;

- Epidemiology and Infectious diseases;

- Application and development of preparations, technologies and techniques in monitoring, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases;

- Bioactive compounds, pharmaceuticals, functional foods and their applications in disease prevention and treatment;

- Biotechnology, application and development of advanced products, technologies, and techniques.

* Article Processing Charge: none  

Free of Charge for authors and readers. There are no author submission fees or other publication-related charges. All cost for the publication process is supported by Joint Russia – Vietnam Tropical and Technology Research Center.

* Publishing License:

No 91/GP-BTTTT issued on date 09/04/2024

* Review Process:

Double-blind reviews are applied for the Journal of Tropical Science & Engineering

  1. After accepting the manuscript as matching to the scope and format of the Journal, The Section Editor proposes three reviewers and submits the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief for approval.

- The selected reviewers have to guarantee:

+ Specialist in the field;

+ Autonomous opinion;

+ The lack of interests conflicts especially the lack of personal and business relations with the authors of the paper;

+ The preservation of confidentiality of the paper content and the reviewer's opinion of the article.

- The Editor-in-Chief reviews and approves the selection of three peer reviewers and assigns the Editorial Secretary to formally invite them, oversee the peer review process, and facilitate communication between the authors and reviewers when necessary.

  1. The Editorial Secretary forwards the manuscript, accompanied by the Peer Review Invitation form or through the Journal's online platform, to two reviewers in the order of priority determined by the Editor-in-Chief. If one of the initially invited reviewers declines, the manuscript will be forwarded to the third reviewer. The Journal adheres to a double-blind peer review policy. Reviewers are required to confirm their participation within three days after receiving the invitation.
  2. Reviewers are responsible for evaluating the manuscript and providing their detailed feedback through the Journal's online platform or by completing the designated review form. They may also provide in-text comments directly on the manuscript using track changes. Reviews must be submitted to the Editorial Secretary within a maximum period of 30 days. The completed review must be submitted to the Editorial Secretary within a maximum of 30 days. Should reviewers fail to meet the deadline, the Editorial Secretary will issue reminders via email or the Journal’s electronic platform.

- The outcomes of the peer review process are categorized as follows:

+ If the manuscript is assessed as not meeting the required quality standards (both reviewers recommend rejection), the Editorial Secretary will submit the evaluation to the Editor-in-Chief for final confirmation and notify the author of the rejection via email, outlining the reasons for the decision.

+ In cases where the reviewers’ evaluations are contradictory, the Editorial Secretary will escalate the matter to the Editor-in-Chief, who will decide whether to reject the manuscript or assign a third reviewer. The third review will be conducted in accordance with the same process applied to the initial reviewers.

+ If the manuscript is approved for publication by the reviewers but requires revisions, the Editorial Secretary will compile and forward the reviewers’ comments to the corresponding author. The author is required to provide a detailed response to the reviewers’ feedback, clearly outlining the revisions made based on their suggestions, the aspects retained without modification along with justifications, and answers to any specific questions raised by the reviewers. This response must be submitted using the designated template or through the journal’s online platform. The revision and resubmission process must be completed within a maximum of 15 days from the receipt of the peer review feedback.

  • If the reviewers request "revisions based on comments and further review," the Editorial Secretary will forward the author's response along with the revised manuscript to the reviewers for additional feedback. This process may be repeated as necessary until the reviewers either approve or reject the manuscript.
  • For manuscripts approved by the reviewers with the condition "revisions based on comments, no further review required," the Editorial Secretary will review and confirm the author's revisions to ensure compliance with the reviewers’ suggestions.
  1. The Editorial Secretary compiles the peer review results, consults with the Section Editor, and submits the final recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief for a decision to either request further revisions, approve the manuscript for publication, or reject it. The final decision about the manuscript is made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the analysis of remarks contained in the review and advice of the section editor. 

+ If further revisions are necessary, the Editorial Secretary will notify the corresponding author, instructing them to make the required changes as outlined by the Editor-in-Chief. The revised manuscript must be submitted within a maximum of five days.

  1. The Editorial Secretary then sends a notification to the author via the journal’s online platform or email, confirming either the acceptance of the manuscript for publication or its rejection, along with an explanation of the reasons for the decision.
  2. The Editorial Secretary edits the approved manuscript, correcting language, spelling errors, and coordinating with the author to implement any necessary revisions as per the journal’s guidelines (if applicable). The editing process must be completed within five days. If additional content issues are identified, the Editorial Secretary consults with the relevant Section Editor and submits the matter to the Editor-in-Chief for a decision.
  3. The Editorial Secretary prepares the table of contents for the upcoming issue and submits it to the Editor-in-Chief for approval. Afterward, the paper is ready to be published.

REVIEW GUIDELINE: Review Guideline can be download from here.

* Publication Ethics:

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement: Our publication ethics and publication malpractice statement are based on the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers by using the Publishing Ethics Resource Kit and in compliance with Elsevier recommendations and Research Publishing Ethics Guidelines of the Cambridge University Press.

>> More Details.

* Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Policy:

This policy applies to all contributors to the Journal of Tropical Science and Engineering, including authors, reviewers, and editors.

I. General principles

1. The use of Generative AI (GenAI) must adhere to the following principles: integrity in research, transparency, clear disclosure, and compliance with established ethical standards.

2. GenAI shall be used solely as a supporting tool for enhancing language quality, readability, idea development, and information retrieval. It must not substitute human reasoning, analysis, or conclusions, nor the professional, ethical, or legal responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, or editors. GenAI shall not be acknowledged as a co-author.

3. All content generated or modified by GenAI must be traceable, transparently disclosed, and remain under the ultimate responsibility of a human. Any citations, data, or images suggested by GenAI shall be accepted only after the author has verified their accuracy and sources.

4. The use of GenAI in publication must comply with the Journal’s policies on confidentiality, privacy, and copyright, adhere to relevant legal regulations, ensure transparency, and avoid any infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.

II. Regulations for Authors

1. Authors are responsible for the originality, validity, and integrity of the manuscript. When using GenAI, authors must oversee and take full responsibility for the content, including verifying the accuracy, completeness, and potential bias of the information or assessments generated by GenAI.

2. GenAI shall not be used to fabricate research data or results, manipulate original data, or generate unverifiable references.

3. Authors must not use GenAI to create, replace, or modify images, figures, maps, tables, equations, or illustrative materials. This prohibition includes any enhancement, obscuring, moving, deleting, or adding of details. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only if they do not obscure, remove, or distort any information from the original image.

4. Conceptual or schematic illustrations may be generated with GenAI, provided that:

     (a) The tool and purpose are clearly declared;

     (b) Such illustrations are labeled “AI-generated illustration”;

     (c) They do not replace or simulate experimental data. Authors must retain original drafts and source, and provide them to the Editorial Board upon request.

5. The use of Generative AI (GenAI) must be disclosed in two places: within the dedicated field of the submission system and in the manuscript's "Acknowledgement" section. The following declaration is mandatory. Declaration on the use of Generative AI and AI-assisted tools: "The author(s) declare that Generative AI or AI-assisted tools were used during the writing of this manuscript. Full legal and academic responsibility for the content, including any AI-generated portions, rests solely with the authors."

6. The Editor-in-Chief have the final decision to determine whether the use of GenAI in a submitted or published manuscript is appropriate or permissible. In cases of violation or failure to disclose GenAI use, the Editor-in-Chief may request an explanation or correction or can reject the manuscript, initiate an ethical investigation, or retract the article in accordance with the Journal’s policies.

III. Regulations for Reviewers and Editors

1. Reviewers and editors can use GenAI as a technical support tool, for example, to check or refine the grammar of their own writing, to use licensed plagiarism detection software in accordance with confidentiality principles, or to improve the clarity of their written feedback in review reports, provided that such use does not involve any content from the manuscript under review.

2. Reviewers and editors cannot use GenAI to conduct the manuscript evaluation process, generate review reports automatically, or make decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

3. Reviewers and editors must not, under any circumstances, upload a manuscript or any part of it, including images, to a GenAI system, as this may violate data confidentiality, authors’ ownership rights, and cause other potential risks. This restriction also applies to reviewers’ evaluation reports.

4. When detecting any suspected inappropriate use of GenAI in a manuscript, reviewers must report it to the editor.

5. The editor is responsible for identifying potential GenAI policy violations based on author disclosures or reviewer reports. Any such case must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, whose decision is final.

IV. Policy for handling violations

1. If a violation is suspected, the Editorial Board will require the author(s) to provide a written explanation within 14 working days.

2. If the explanation is not satisfactory, the Editorial Board conducts an internal investigation within 30 days, which may involve independent experts. During this process, the Board may ask the author(s) to provide original drafts, GenAI usage logs (prompt logs), or source files.

3. The investigation report shall be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, who will determine the appropriate action, which may include:

+ Requesting corrections or additional disclosures;

+ Publishing a corrigendum;

+ Rejecting the manuscript; Retracting a published article.

4. The final decision will be formally notified to the author(s) and their governing institution. Authors retain the right to appeal this decision within 15 calendar days of receiving the formal notification. The Journal may also publish the outcome on its website.

V. Confidentiality, Copyright, and Legal Requirements

Authors must ensure that any GenAI-assisted content complies with all applicable intellectual property and copyright laws. Furthermore, when using third-party GenAI tools, authors are responsible for adhering to the service's terms of use and must not input sensitive or personal information. Any breach of these rules constitutes grounds for the manuscript's rejection or retraction.

* Publication Frequency:

The Journal of tropical science and engineering publishes 4 issues per year in March, June, September, and December.

* Author Guidelines:

>> More details.

* Open-access Policy:

This is an Open Access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) which permits unrestricted, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.