1. General Policies
Landscape Architecture Frontiers (LA Frontiers) follows the highest standards of scholarly publishing ethics and integrity. The journal adheres to the following international guidelines:
· Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
All parties involved in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to comply with these standards.
2. Access to Publications
LA Frontiers provides free online access to all published articles immediately upon publication. Readers may freely access and read the journal's content without subscription or paywall barriers. Although the journal is freely available to readers, it does not operate as a fully open access journal.
3. Publication Fees
Currently, LA Frontiers does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, or publication.
4. Peer Review Policy
LA Frontiers employs a double-blind peer review system.
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to assess scope relevance, originality, and basic quality standards. Manuscripts that pass this stage are sent to at least two independent expert reviewers.
Key principles of the peer review process include:
· Double-blind review (authors and reviewers remain anonymous)
· Minimum of two independent reviewer reports per manuscript
· Additional reviewers may be invited in case of conflicting evaluations
· Editorial decisions are made based on reviewers’ reports and editorial judgment
· Confidentiality of all submissions is strictly maintained
· Standard review period is approximately three months, depending on revisions and reviewer availability
5. Publication Ethics
The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Authors must ensure that:
· Manuscripts are original and have not been published previously
· Submissions are not under consideration elsewhere
· All listed authors have approved the manuscript
· Proper acknowledgment of sources and permissions is provided
The journal follows COPE guidelines when handling ethical concerns, including misconduct investigations and post-publication corrections.
6. Research Ethics
Research involving human participants, human data, animals, plants, ecological systems, or fieldwork involving protected resources must comply with relevant ethical standards.
Where applicable, manuscripts must include:
· Statement of ethical approval or exemption
· Name of the ethics committee or institutional review board
· Approval or reference number (if available)
· Statement of informed consent (when required)
Ethics statements must be included in the Methods section.
6.1 Human Participants
Studies involving interviews, surveys, behavioral observations, physiological measurements, participatory design processes, VR/AR experiments, or similar human-centered research must ensure:
· Voluntary participation
· Informed consent
· Anonymity and confidentiality protection
· Compliance with institutional and national regulations
For minors or vulnerable groups, consent must be obtained from guardians or authorized representatives.
6.2 Animal and Plant Research
Research involving animals must comply with internationally recognized animal welfare principles.
Studies involving plants, protected ecosystems, or biodiversity-related fieldwork must comply with applicable regulations and obtain necessary permits.
6.3 Community and Indigenous Research
Research involving Indigenous Peoples, local communities, or traditional knowledge must respect cultural values and rights. Appropriate community consent or engagement procedures should be followed where required.
7. Artificial Intelligence (AI Use)
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools must be disclosed in the manuscript.
AI tools may be used for language editing, formatting, or readability improvement. However:
· AI tools cannot be listed as authors
· Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript
· AI-generated content must be carefully reviewed and verified by authors
8. Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial and non-financial relationships that could influence the research.
These may include:
· Employment or institutional affiliation
· Funding sources
· Consultancy or advisory roles
· Financial interests or stock ownership
· Personal or professional relationships
If no conflicts exist, authors should declare:
The authors declare no competing interests.
9. Funding
All sources of financial support must be clearly acknowledged. Authors should specify the role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions.
10. Copyright and Licensing
Upon acceptance, authors are required to sign the Article Copyright Statement, assigning copyright or granting publishing rights to Higher Education Press.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all figures, images, maps, and third-party materials included in the manuscript have appropriate permissions for publication.
Authors are encouraged to make research data openly available in accordance with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
A Data Availability Statement must be included in the manuscript, specifying:
· Where supporting data can be accessed
· Repository name and persistent identifier (if applicable)
· Conditions for access, or reasons for restriction if data are not publicly available
Recommended repositories include:
· Science Data Bank (ScienceDB)
· Zenodo
· Figshare
· Dryad
· Harvard Dataverse
· Institutional or discipline-specific repositories supporting FAIR principles
12. Image Integrity
Figures, images, maps, and graphical materials must accurately represent the original data.
Acceptable adjustments (brightness, contrast, or color balance) are permitted only if they do not alter scientific meaning. Manipulation that misrepresents or distorts research findings is not allowed.
13. Plagiarism Detection
All submissions are screened using professional similarity detection software (e.g., iThenticate and/or CNKI systems) before peer review.
Manuscripts with substantial similarity, duplicate publication, or inappropriate text recycling may be rejected without review.
14. Allegations of Misconduct
The journal investigates all allegations of research or publication misconduct, including:
· Plagiarism
· Data fabrication or falsification
· Duplicate submission or publication
· Citation manipulation
· Peer review manipulation
· Ethical violations in research design or implementation
Where necessary, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Retractions will be clearly labeled, publicly accessible, and include transparent explanations of the reason for retraction.
15. Corrections and Retractions
The journal follows COPE Retraction Guidelines.
Post-publication updates may include:
· Corrections (minor factual or typographical errors)
· Expressions of concern (investigations pending)
· Retractions (invalid or unethical findings)
All updates will be permanently linked to the original article.
16. Appeals and Complaints
Authors may contact the editorial office at lafrontiers@foxmail.com to appeal editorial decisions or submit complaints regarding the review or publication process.
All appeals and complaints will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in a timely manner. Where necessary, cases may be escalated to senior editorial leadership.
17. Revenue Sources
LA Frontiers is supported by institutional funding. Editorial decisions are made independently of any financial considerations.
18. Advertising Policy
The journal accepts limited non-commercial advertisements related to academic activities, including:
· Conferences and academic meetings
· Calls for papers
· Academic awards, scholarships, and fellowships
· Journal or book introductions
Advertising content does not influence editorial or peer review decisions.
19. Archiving Policy
All published articles are permanently archived on the official LA Frontiers website to ensure long-term accessibility.
The journal is committed to maintaining digital preservation and continued accessibility of published content.