Journal Management

1. Introduction

Andalasian Livestock (ALive) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal dedicated to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and research developments in animal science and livestock production.

The journal publishes research and scholarly reviews concerning animal nutrition, genetics, breeding, reproduction, physiology, health, welfare, livestock production systems, and the socioeconomic dimensions of animal agriculture.

Andalasian Livestock is committed to transparent governance, responsible journal administration, editorial independence, ethical financial practices, and the long-term sustainability of scholarly publishing.

This Journal Management Policy defines the principles governing journal ownership, publishing responsibilities, editorial leadership, financial transparency, operational management, quality assurance, and accountability.

The policy is informed by the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

2. Description

Journal management encompasses the organizational, editorial, administrative, technical, and financial activities necessary to operate a credible and sustainable scholarly journal.

The principal components of responsible journal management include:

Governance and Ownership

Identification of the organization legally responsible for the journal and the allocation of governance responsibilities.

Publisher Responsibilities

Oversight of publishing infrastructure, administrative support, operational continuity, and publication services.

Editorial Independence

Protection of scientific and editorial decisions from inappropriate financial, institutional, commercial, political, or personal influence.

Editorial Leadership

Appointment and management of qualified editors, editorial board members, reviewers, and supporting personnel.

Financial Transparency

Public disclosure of publication fees, relevant revenue sources, financial support, and the relationship between funding and editorial decisions.

Publishing Operations

Management of manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decisions, copyediting, production, online publication, and post-publication processes.

Publication Ethics

Implementation of appropriate policies for research integrity, misconduct allegations, competing interests, complaints, appeals, and corrections.

Digital Preservation

Protection of published scholarly content through appropriate archiving and preservation arrangements.

Public Accountability

Maintenance of accurate, accessible, and up-to-date information about the journal's policies, personnel, services, and publishing practices.

3. Policy

3.1. Journal Identity

The official journal title is Andalasian Livestock (ALive).

The journal publishes scholarly research and reviews in animal science and related fields.

Official website:

https://alive.lppm.unand.ac.id/index.php/alive

Online ISSN: 3063-1912

Journal ownership: [INSERT VERIFIED LEGAL OWNER OR OWNING ORGANIZATION]

Publisher: [INSERT VERIFIED OFFICIAL PUBLISHER NAME]

Publishing institution: [INSERT VERIFIED INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIP, IF APPLICABLE]

Publisher's official address: [INSERT VERIFIED POSTAL ADDRESS]

Publisher's official contact: [INSERT VERIFIED CONTACT INFORMATION]

The journal's ownership and publishing arrangements must be stated clearly on its website.

The legal owner, publisher, sponsoring institution, and editorial office must not be treated as interchangeable unless their responsibilities and identities have been formally established.

3.2. Governance and Management Structure

Andalasian Livestock should maintain a documented governance structure that distinguishes institutional oversight, publishing administration, and editorial decision-making.

The governance structure should identify:

  1. The journal owner or owning organization.

  2. The publisher or publishing unit.

  3. The Editor-in-Chief.

  4. The Editorial Board.

  5. The editorial and administrative support team.

  6. The authority responsible for institutional oversight and escalation of governance concerns.

Each party should have clearly defined responsibilities.

The journal owner and publisher may provide institutional, financial, administrative, and technical support without compromising editorial independence.

The governance structure should be reviewed periodically to ensure accountability and continuity.

3.3. Responsibilities of the Journal Owner

The journal owner or owning organization is responsible for the governance functions assigned to it under applicable institutional arrangements.

These may include:

  • Establishing the journal's organizational mandate.

  • Approving relevant governance arrangements.

  • Supporting the journal's long-term sustainability.

  • Ensuring accountability in the use of institutional resources.

  • Supporting appropriate appointment and oversight procedures.

  • Providing an escalation mechanism for serious governance concerns.

The owner must respect the independence of scientific editorial decisions.

The owner must not require the acceptance, rejection, suppression, or alteration of scholarly articles for reasons unrelated to legitimate editorial and ethical standards.

3.4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher is responsible for the publishing functions assigned to it under the journal's formal arrangements.

These may include:

  • Maintaining the journal's publishing platform.

  • Supporting manuscript management and production.

  • Ensuring accurate publication metadata.

  • Facilitating DOI registration and persistent identification.

  • Supporting website security and technical maintenance.

  • Maintaining transparent fee and licensing information.

  • Supporting digital preservation arrangements.

  • Providing appropriate administrative and operational resources.

  • Cooperating with the editorial team on publication ethics matters.

The publisher must support editorial independence and must not interfere improperly with decisions concerning the scientific merit of individual manuscripts.

3.5. Editorial Independence

Andalasian Livestock maintains editorial independence in the assessment and selection of scholarly content.

Manuscript decisions must be based on:

  • Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

  • Originality and scholarly contribution.

  • Scientific validity and methodological rigor.

  • Quality of analysis and interpretation.

  • Clarity and completeness of reporting.

  • Compliance with applicable ethical standards.

  • The outcome of appropriate editorial and peer-review assessment.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by:

  • Authors' institutional prestige.

  • Nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, or political beliefs.

  • Personal or professional relationships.

  • Commercial sponsorship.

  • Advertising arrangements.

  • Financial contributions unrelated to the manuscript's scientific merit.

  • An author's ability or willingness to pay publication charges.

The Editor-in-Chief and authorized handling editors must exercise independent editorial judgment within the journal's approved policies.

3.6. Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the overall academic and editorial direction of Andalasian Livestock.

The journal's publicly listed Editor-in-Chief is:

Dr. Ir. Roni Pazla, S.Pt., M.P., IPM, ASEAN Eng.

Affiliation: Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia.

The Editor-in-Chief's responsibilities include:

  1. Maintaining the journal's academic standards and editorial integrity.

  2. Overseeing manuscript assessment and editorial decision-making.

  3. Ensuring the appropriate selection of reviewers and handling editors.

  4. Managing significant editorial conflicts of interest.

  5. Overseeing responses to publication ethics concerns.

  6. Supporting fair and consistent application of journal policies.

  7. Coordinating editorial policy development and review.

  8. Supporting the professional development of the editorial team.

  9. Protecting the independence and credibility of the journal.

The Editor-in-Chief must not personally determine the editorial outcome of a manuscript where a significant conflict of interest exists.

3.7. Editorial Board

Andalasian Livestock maintains a publicly identified Editorial Board whose members contribute expertise in animal science and related disciplines.

The Editorial Board supports the journal through scholarly advice, manuscript evaluation, policy development, and the promotion of ethical publishing practices.

Editorial Board members should:

  • Possess relevant academic or professional expertise.

  • Support the journal's aims and scope.

  • Maintain appropriate standards of research and publication ethics.

  • Disclose relevant competing interests.

  • Respect manuscript confidentiality.

  • Provide impartial editorial or scientific advice.

  • Participate in journal development within their assigned responsibilities.

The journal should publish the names and current affiliations of its Editorial Board members.

The official Editorial Team page should be updated when appointments, affiliations, or responsibilities change.

3.8. Appointment and Evaluation of Editorial Personnel

The appointment of editorial personnel should be based on relevant expertise, professional integrity, editorial competence, and commitment to the journal's scholarly objectives.

Selection procedures should be transparent and consistent with the publisher's legitimate governance authority.

Appointments should not be based solely on institutional position, personal relationships, or other considerations unrelated to editorial competence.

The journal should maintain documented procedures addressing:

  • Appointment of the Editor-in-Chief.

  • Appointment and replacement of Editorial Board members.

  • Definition of editorial roles and responsibilities.

  • Terms of service, where applicable.

  • Management of inactivity or nonperformance.

  • Handling of serious conflicts of interest.

  • Appropriate removal or replacement procedures.

Formal appointment authority: [INSERT VERIFIED AUTHORIZED BODY]

Appointment and term procedures: [INSERT APPROVED GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS]

The journal should not publish unverified term lengths or appointment rules.

3.9. Editorial Board Diversity and Expertise

Andalasian Livestock recognizes the value of diverse academic perspectives and disciplinary expertise.

The journal should seek appropriate representation across relevant fields of animal science and related disciplines.

Editorial appointments should consider scholarly qualifications, subject expertise, professional independence, and the journal's international readership.

Geographical and institutional diversity should be encouraged without compromising academic competence or editorial quality.

The journal should periodically evaluate whether its editorial expertise adequately reflects the subjects represented in submitted manuscripts.

3.10. Peer-Review Management

Andalasian Livestock operates a double-blind peer-review process.

According to the journal's published ethics statement, manuscripts are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

The editorial team is responsible for ensuring that peer review is:

  • Academically appropriate.

  • Impartial and independent.

  • Confidential.

  • Conducted by suitably qualified reviewers.

  • Protected against manipulation.

  • Consistent with the journal's published procedures.

The Editor-in-Chief and handling editors must manage reviewer conflicts of interest and consider reviewer recommendations critically.

The final editorial decision remains the responsibility of the authorized editor and must not be determined solely by reviewer votes.

Further details are provided in the journal's Peer-Review Processes Policy.

3.11. Manuscript Submission and Editorial Operations

Andalasian Livestock manages manuscript submission and editorial processing through its online journal platform.

The journal should maintain clear and accessible procedures for:

  1. Manuscript submission.

  2. Initial administrative and editorial screening.

  3. Assignment to an appropriate editor.

  4. Selection and invitation of peer reviewers.

  5. Peer-review assessment.

  6. Editorial decisions and revision.

  7. Final acceptance or rejection.

  8. Copyediting and production.

  9. Publication and metadata registration.

  10. Post-publication communication and corrections.

The editorial office should provide reasonable communication to authors and reviewers throughout the publication process.

The journal must not guarantee manuscript acceptance or promise publication within a timeframe that cannot reasonably be supported.

3.12. Editorial Decision-Making

Editorial decisions should be documented and based on relevant scholarly and ethical considerations.

Possible decisions may include:

  • Rejection following initial editorial assessment.

  • Request for revisions.

  • Additional peer review.

  • Acceptance.

  • Rejection following peer review.

The journal may decline manuscripts that are outside its scope, lack sufficient scientific merit, do not meet reporting standards, or raise serious unresolved ethical concerns.

Authors must have access to the journal's Complaints and Appeals Policy.

3.13. Financial Model and Revenue Sources

Andalasian Livestock operates an open-access publishing model.

The journal's published fee information confirms that manuscript submission and peer review are free of charge.

For accepted manuscripts, the journal currently publishes an Article Processing Charge (APC) of:

IDR 500,000 per accepted article.

The published fee information states that this charge contributes to journal management, editing, production, and open-access hosting.

The journal also provides a waiver option for authors experiencing financial difficulties.

The complete financial model should transparently identify the journal's principal sources of operating support.

These may include institutional funding, publishing support, APC revenue, grants, or other legitimate sources, but only sources actually received by the journal should be publicly declared.

Verified institutional funding sources: [INSERT CONFIRMED SOURCES]

Other revenue sources, if any: [INSERT CONFIRMED SOURCES OR STATE NONE]

The journal must not describe institutional support as its primary funding source unless that statement is supported by the actual funding arrangements.

3.14. Article Processing Charges and Waivers

Andalasian Livestock publicly discloses its publication fees.

Under the published fee information:

  • Manuscript submission is free.

  • Peer review is free.

  • The APC for accepted articles is IDR 500,000.

  • Authors experiencing financial difficulties may request a waiver during submission.

  • The journal states that accepted articles will not be refused publication solely because the author cannot afford the APC.

The APC must not influence the scientific evaluation or editorial acceptance of a manuscript.

Editorial decisions should be completed independently of payment considerations.

The journal should clearly communicate the applicable fee, payment stage, waiver procedure, and any future changes through its official website.

Fee changes should not be applied misleadingly or without appropriate notice.

3.15. Financial Independence of Editorial Decisions

The journal must maintain a clear separation between financial administration and editorial decision-making.

Authors who pay an APC must not receive preferential peer review, guaranteed acceptance, or favorable editorial treatment.

Authors who request a waiver must not be disadvantaged in scientific evaluation.

Editors and reviewers should not make editorial recommendations based on an author's ability to pay.

Any financial relationship that could affect impartiality must be disclosed and appropriately managed under the Conflicts of Interest Policy.

3.16. Open Access and Copyright

Andalasian Livestock provides immediate open access to its published scholarly content.

The journal's published articles use the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication under the applicable publishing arrangements.

The journal should ensure consistency between:

  • Its Open Access Policy.

  • Its Copyright Notice.

  • Its Intellectual Property Policy.

  • Article landing pages.

  • Published PDF files.

  • Relevant OJS licensing metadata.

The journal must not impose undisclosed restrictions that contradict its published license.

3.17. Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Andalasian Livestock is committed to addressing publication ethics concerns fairly and consistently.

The journal should maintain publicly accessible policies concerning:

  • Allegations of misconduct.

  • Authorship and contributorship.

  • Complaints and appeals.

  • Conflicts of interest.

  • Data and reproducibility.

  • Ethical oversight.

  • Intellectual property.

  • Peer-review integrity.

  • Post-publication corrections and retractions.

  • Plagiarism.

  • Generative artificial intelligence.

The editorial team should apply these policies consistently and seek appropriate institutional cooperation when an allegation requires investigation beyond the journal's authority.

The journal should distinguish between its responsibility for editorial decisions and the responsibility of research institutions for formal investigations into researcher conduct.

3.18. Conflicts of Interest in Journal Management

Editors, Editorial Board members, journal staff, and relevant management personnel must disclose competing interests that could affect their responsibilities.

Potential conflicts may involve:

  • Personal relationships with authors.

  • Current research collaborations.

  • Financial interests in the research findings.

  • Institutional relationships.

  • Commercial sponsorship.

  • Involvement in the submitted work.

  • Other circumstances that could reasonably compromise impartiality.

Individuals with significant conflicts must not control decisions concerning the affected manuscript or matter.

Appropriate alternative editorial arrangements should be established and documented.

3.19. Complaints and Governance Oversight

The journal should maintain a clear process for receiving and resolving complaints about editorial procedures, staff conduct, management practices, and publisher responsibilities.

Complaints involving the Editor-in-Chief should be referred to an appropriate independent or authorized oversight representative.

Designated independent escalation authority: [INSERT VERIFIED BODY OR CONTACT]

Complaints should be managed fairly, confidentially, and without retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

The journal should publish sufficient contact information to enable authors, reviewers, and readers to submit legitimate complaints.

3.20. Advertising and Commercial Influence

Advertising arrangements must not compromise editorial independence.

If the journal accepts advertising, advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from scholarly content.

Advertising revenue, sponsorship, or commercial relationships must not determine the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

Current advertising status: [CONFIRM WHETHER THE JOURNAL ACCEPTS PAID ADVERTISING]

Advertising revenue, if any: [INSERT VERIFIED INFORMATION]

The journal should not claim to prohibit advertising unless this accurately reflects its current practice.

Any future advertising arrangements should be disclosed transparently.

3.21. Direct Marketing and Public Communication

The journal's marketing and promotional activities must be accurate, appropriate, and professional.

Calls for papers, invitations to submit manuscripts, and other promotional communications must not contain misleading statements concerning:

  • Indexing status.

  • Journal rankings.

  • Impact metrics.

  • Peer-review procedures.

  • Publication fees.

  • Acceptance guarantees.

  • Publication timelines.

  • COPE membership or certification.

The journal must not claim indexing in a database unless its inclusion can be verified.

Promotional activities should respect recipients and avoid deceptive or intrusive practices.

3.22. Journal Metrics and Performance Information

Andalasian Livestock may publish relevant operational or bibliometric information to support transparency.

Examples include:

  • Submission statistics.

  • Acceptance rates.

  • Typical editorial decision times.

  • Publication frequency.

  • Article usage statistics.

  • Verified indexing and abstracting information.

Any reported metrics must be accurate, appropriately dated, and supported by reliable records.

The journal must not use misleading or fabricated impact indicators.

The journal should distinguish official indexing information from third-party rankings or promotional claims.

3.23. Digital Publishing Infrastructure

The journal should maintain appropriate technical infrastructure for manuscript submission, editorial processing, and online publication.

Operational responsibilities should include:

  • Maintaining access to the journal website.

  • Applying appropriate software and security updates.

  • Protecting confidential manuscript records.

  • Maintaining suitable access controls.

  • Supporting reliable metadata and article identification.

  • Conducting appropriate system backups.

  • Managing technical incidents and service interruptions.

  • Preserving relevant editorial records.

Technical infrastructure administrator: [INSERT VERIFIED RESPONSIBLE UNIT]

Backup arrangements: [INSERT VERIFIED BACKUP PROCEDURES]

The journal should not claim a particular backup frequency or security certification without supporting operational evidence.

3.24. Digital Archiving and Long-Term Preservation

Andalasian Livestock recognizes that preservation of published scholarly content is a core publishing responsibility.

The journal should maintain a documented digital preservation strategy that identifies:

  • The preservation services used.

  • The types of content preserved.

  • The scope of the preservation arrangements.

  • Relevant responsibilities of the publisher or technical administrator.

  • Measures for maintaining access if the journal website becomes unavailable.

Verified digital preservation services: [INSERT CONFIRMED ACTIVE SERVICES]

Publisher or institutional preservation arrangements: [INSERT VERIFIED DETAILS]

The journal must distinguish between an installed preservation plugin, an active preservation service, and successful deposit of published content.

Further information should be provided in the journal's Archiving Policy.

3.25. Operational Sustainability and Continuity

The journal should maintain appropriate arrangements to support continued publication and access to its scholarly record.

These arrangements may include:

  • Institutional support.

  • Defined management responsibilities.

  • Financial planning.

  • Editorial succession procedures.

  • Technical maintenance.

  • Digital preservation.

  • Documentation of essential workflows.

  • Secure access to publication records.

If publication is suspended or discontinued, the publisher should take reasonable steps to preserve previously published content and communicate the status of the journal transparently.

The journal should not promise uninterrupted operation or permanent accessibility without appropriate preservation arrangements.

3.26. Editorial Training and Professional Development

The journal should support the professional development of editors, reviewers, and relevant staff.

Training and guidance may cover:

  • Publication ethics and COPE resources.

  • Editorial independence.

  • Peer-review integrity.

  • Conflict-of-interest management.

  • Manuscript evaluation.

  • Research reporting standards.

  • Post-publication corrections.

  • Responsible use of AI tools.

  • OJS editorial workflows.

  • Confidentiality and data protection.

Training arrangements should reflect the journal's actual resources and operational needs.

3.27. Policy Transparency and Accessibility

The official journal website should provide accurate and accessible information concerning:

  1. Journal title, aims, scope, and readership.

  2. Ownership and publisher.

  3. Editorial leadership and board membership.

  4. Contact information.

  5. Submission and peer-review procedures.

  6. Publication ethics.

  7. Copyright and licensing.

  8. Open-access arrangements.

  9. Article processing charges and waivers.

  10. Archiving and preservation.

  11. Complaints and appeals.

  12. Relevant indexing and abstracting services.

  13. Advertising and financial arrangements, where applicable.

Policies should be consistent across the journal's website and submission system.

3.28. Periodic Review and Policy Updates

The Editor-in-Chief and the authorized journal management body should periodically review governance arrangements, editorial procedures, and published policies.

Reviews should consider:

  • Changes in publication ethics guidance.

  • Developments in scholarly publishing standards.

  • Operational performance.

  • Author and reviewer feedback.

  • Identified governance risks.

  • Changes in fees or financial support.

  • Changes in editorial personnel.

  • Technical and preservation requirements.

Material policy changes should be communicated clearly and implemented consistently.

4. Implementation and Procedures

4.1. Publication of Ownership and Publisher Information

The journal should maintain a publicly accessible statement identifying its legal owner and official publisher.

The statement should explain the relationship between the journal, its publisher, and any supporting institution.

Before publication, the responsible authority must confirm the accuracy of these details.

4.2. Governance Documentation

The journal should maintain internal documentation defining:

  • Ownership and publishing responsibilities.

  • Editorial leadership.

  • Appointment authority.

  • Delegation of editorial responsibilities.

  • Administrative support.

  • Financial oversight.

  • Independent complaint escalation.

These arrangements should be approved by the relevant authorized body.

4.3. Editorial Board Administration

The journal should maintain an accurate record of Editorial Board members, including their roles, affiliations, and current contact information.

The public Editorial Team page should be updated when membership changes.

Editors should receive clear information about their responsibilities and the journal's ethical standards.

4.4. Editorial Workflow Management

The editorial office should manage manuscripts through a documented process that supports consistent screening, reviewer selection, editorial decisions, and production.

Relevant actions should be recorded in the journal's manuscript management system.

Confidential editorial information must be accessible only to authorized individuals.

4.5. Financial Transparency

The journal should publish accurate information about APCs, waiver arrangements, and other applicable author charges.

The publisher or authorized management body should verify the journal's funding sources and revenue arrangements.

Any financial information published on the website must reflect actual operating practices.

4.6. Independent Editorial Handling

Manuscripts involving editors, Editorial Board members, or other individuals with significant conflicts of interest should be assigned to an independent, appropriately qualified editor.

The conflicted individual must not influence reviewer selection or the editorial decision.

4.7. Website and Policy Maintenance

The editorial office should periodically check the accuracy and consistency of information on the journal website.

Particular attention should be given to:

  • Editorial personnel.

  • Contact details.

  • Fees.

  • Copyright and licensing.

  • Submission instructions.

  • Peer-review procedures.

  • Publication ethics policies.

  • Archiving information.

  • Indexing claims.

4.8. Handling Management-Related Complaints

Complaints concerning journal management should be documented and assessed by an appropriately authorized and impartial individual.

Where the complaint involves the Editor-in-Chief, responsibility should be assigned to an independent person or body with legitimate oversight authority.

4.9. Preservation and Operational Risk Review

The journal should periodically review the status of its digital preservation arrangements, backups, website security, and continuity procedures.

Claims about participation in preservation services should be supported by evidence of active arrangements and successful preservation activity.

4.10. Policy Approval and Implementation

This policy should be reviewed and formally approved by the Editor-in-Chief and the authorized publisher or journal management body before publication.

Any provisions requiring new operational arrangements must be implemented in practice.

The policy should be reviewed when significant governance or operational changes occur.