Advertising and Direct Marketing Policy

Rules for advertising, disclosure of sponsorship and invitations to authors, protecting editorial independence, accurate information and the right to opt out of marketing messages.

01. Scope and conditions for introducing advertising

This policy of Irrigation and Melioration covers advertising in print and electronic material, sponsored messages, mailing campaigns and invitations to submit manuscripts issued on behalf of the journal, including by authorised contractors.

Advertising may be placed only after the Institute’s authorised publishing unit introduces and publicly announces its acceptance procedure. Until that announcement, commercial advertising is not accepted under this policy. Permitted formats, placement terms, responsible persons and contact arrangements are published when advertising is introduced.

Ordinary editorial announcements, issue contents and funding acknowledgements are not inherently paid advertising. Where promotion is supported by money, goods, services or another benefit, its commercial character must be disclosed.

02. Independent editorial decisions

Advertising, sponsorship, service purchases and institutional support do not influence scientific assessment, reviewer selection, article acceptance or rejection, or corrections and retractions. The Institute’s coverage of costs does not require publication of findings in its favour.

Buying advertising gives no priority in manuscript assessment and does not waive peer review. Advertisers receive no access to confidential manuscripts, reviews or editorial discussions. Declining to buy advertising or receive marketing does not disadvantage an author.

Commercial arrangements are handled separately from decisions on individual manuscripts. Staff with a personal or financial interest in a proposal disclose it and do not decide on that proposal.

03. Responsibility for advertising decisions

The Institute’s authorised publishing unit receives proposals and checks the advertiser, content, links, terms and proposed placement. The editor-in-chief assesses compatibility with the journal’s scholarly reputation and editorial independence and may reject or stop an advertisement.

If the editor-in-chief has a competing interest, an independent authorised person conducts the assessment. The decision, approved artwork, placement period and grounds for refusal or termination are documented. Preliminary discussions or payment alone do not authorise unapproved advertising.

Changes to text, images, destination links or the advertised offer require renewed approval. A contract cannot prevent the editors from responding to established breaches or publishing justified scholarly criticism.

04. Eligible offers and grounds for refusal

Proposals may concern scholarly books, conferences, educational events, research instruments, software and professional services relevant to water management, irrigation, melioration and related disciplines. Relevance does not guarantee approval.

  • The advertiser must be identifiable, and material claims, prices and conditions must be verifiable and understandable.
  • Offers to sell authorship, ready-made papers, fabricated data, citation manipulation or ways to bypass peer review are not accepted.
  • False publication or indexing guarantees, hidden charges, unlawful offers, malicious links and infringements of third-party rights are rejected.
  • Unsupported claims about the safety, effectiveness or environmental benefits of technologies that could mislead the audience are not permitted.

The editors may request supporting documents and refuse a proposal whose accuracy or acceptability cannot be established. Advertising does not constitute product certification by the journal.

05. Labelling and display method

Advertisements are visually separated from scholarly text and clearly labelled “Advertisement” or with an equivalent readily understood label. The advertiser is identified. Sponsored messages must not appear to be peer-reviewed articles, editorial recommendations or independent reviews.

When advertising is introduced, it uses separately approved blocks in fixed positions. This policy does not provide for behavioural targeting, personalisation based on reading history or random display through external advertising networks. Eligibility is based on the journal’s overall scope rather than the findings of an individual article.

Placement beside an article about the same product is not sold to imply scientific endorsement. Advertising must not obscure the text, obstruct article downloads or imitate manuscript submission and download buttons. Changing the display model requires prior updates to this policy and the data processing terms.

06. Sponsorship and special content

Financial or other substantial support for an issue, event or special section is disclosed to readers. Naming a sponsor does not give it authority to approve conclusions, select favourable reviewers or require acceptance of particular articles.

Scholarly material in sponsored or special issues undergoes normal editorial assessment and the review required by the peer review policy. Advertising copy is not presented as scientifically peer reviewed merely because it appears alongside articles.

A sponsor’s role in the research, writing or publication payment is also disclosed in the relevant article. Advertising payments and publication fees serve different purposes; they must not be combined into an offer of guaranteed manuscript acceptance.

07. Author invitations and direct marketing

Submission invitations target a relevant scholarly audience and have a clear reason for contact. Recipients’ work should fit the journal’s scope. Irrelevant mass messages, intrusive repetition and artificial urgency are not permitted.

Messages identify the journal and sender, explain the purpose, give the official submission route and provide editorial contact information. Personalised messages must not falsely claim that the editors have read a particular work or already approved a future article.

An invitation offers the opportunity to submit material for assessment. It does not guarantee acceptance, a particular publication date or inclusion in a database. Contractors and intermediaries follow the same restrictions; the journal checks promises made on its behalf.

08. Accurate information about the journal

Promotional and informational messages must describe the journal’s name, publisher, peer review, licence, fees and waivers consistently with current website information. Material conditions must not be hidden behind promises of “free” or “fast” publication.

Indexing claims, memberships, metrics and logos are used only within verified status and the rights holder’s rules. Intended inclusion in a database is not presented as achieved; coverage of one period or section is not automatically extended to the whole journal.

DOI registration, ORCID use and technical cooperation do not mean that the journal is accepted into Scopus, Web of Science or DOAJ. Inaccurate claims are corrected in the relevant messages and channels; recipients receive clarification where a material misunderstanding has arisen.

09. Contact information and opting out

Contacts are used for the stated purpose under the privacy policy and applicable requirements. Website registration, manuscript submission or a publicly available email address does not, by itself, constitute consent to all advertising mailings. Where consent is required, it is obtained separately.

Author, reviewer and reader contact lists are not sold to advertisers or supplied for their independent marketing. Where a contractor operates a mailing service, access is limited to what is necessary and governed by data protection obligations.

Each marketing message provides a simple way to stop further invitations: reply to the sender or contact the editorial office. After such a request, the address is excluded from the relevant marketing list; reimporting a list must not restart messages. Necessary communications about a current manuscript or editorial decision are handled separately.

10. Complaints, corrections and oversight

Misleading advertising, unwanted marketing or inaccurate promises made on behalf of the journal can be reported to i_m_jurnal@tiiame.uz. Provide the date, sender, link or copy of the message, and the concern; redact unnecessary personal information.

The editors assess reports, pause advertising or mailing where necessary, seek explanations and take action, such as correction, advertisement removal, ending the relationship or clarification to recipients. Assessment records are retained to the extent needed.

Disputes follow the Complaints and Appeals Policy, with conflicts of interest addressed. This policy is updated when advertising is introduced or promotion channels or contact-data practices change. Terms must not change covertly to the detriment of scientific independence.

Editorial guidance

This policy operates alongside the policies on competing interests, privacy, publication fees, peer review and complaints. International recommendations provide guidance and do not imply membership of the organisations concerned.

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ISSN 2181-1369 (Online)