About the Journal

Aims and Scope

The Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation (TJFNC) accommodate the current diverse and multidisciplinary approaches towards ecosystem conservation at national and global levels. The journal is published biannually and accepts Original research papers, Review papers, short communications, and Editorial letters covering technological, physical, biological, social and economic aspects of management and conservation of tropical flora and fauna.

Mission Statement

The Journal is in the field of Nature (Forestry & Wildlife) Conservation, including Tourism. Its prime goal is disseminating scholarly and professional research findings to fill the knowledge gaps, including underlying drivers, best practices and professionalism and promotion of emerging technologies. The audience includes Scholars, researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

TJFNC Background

In 2000, the then Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation (now college of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism) of the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro, Tanzania, inaugurated the Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation. This development was taken in order to elevate the former publication of the then Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry Records, to a status of an International Journal. The last issue of the Faculty of Forestry Records was volume 72 and this Journal took over beginning with volume 73.

Publication Frequency

Twice a year: June and December. There is a provision for Special issues.

Manuscript submission

Submission of manuscript is a continuous process. i.e., no call for papers for the ordinary publications of the two issues each year. Call for papers will be issued when the journal intends to publish a special issue. Once the manuscript is received, a preliminary review shall be made by the Chief Editor, and or Associate Editors or Section Editors to ensure that it meets the TJFNC basic requirements such as relevance, authenticity of authors and in line with the mission of TJFNC. After preliminary review, qualified manuscript will be sent out to two independent reviewers. The Editor in chief has exclusive powers to PUBLISH or REJECT the Manuscript. Paper submitted by a member of the editorial board shall undergo the same strict review process applied to all authors. This policy ensures that all decisions are not biased by the authoring editor, and that it is strictly prohibited for any author to be involved in the decision to publish (or reject) their article(s).

Peer Review Process

Each submitted manuscript is subjected to peer review by two reviewers. For a manuscript to be published it must be reviewed positively by both reviewers. Otherwise, it is rejected.

Open Access Policy

This journal content is published under a CC-BY 4.0 license.

Publication Ethics

The Journal subscribes to COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines.

Sponsors

The journal has no sponsorship. However, it gets funding for typesetting from the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism, Sokoine University of Agriculture and has been supported once by the Tanzania Forest Fund.

Peer review appeals and complaints from authors

TJFNC encourages sincere appeals regarding editorial decisions. However, such appeals must be supported by substantial evidence or new data/information addressing the editor’s and reviewers’ feedback. Authors who wish to appeal a decision should submit a formal appeal letter to the journal’s editorial office, clearly outlining the grounds for their appeal.

Authorship

Including authors’ names on a publication is a key way to acknowledge individuals who have made significant contributions to the work. It also promotes transparency by identifying those accountable for the content’s integrity. To be listed as an author, individuals must meet all of the following criteria:

• Made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that’s in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas.
• Have drafted or written, or substantially revised or critically reviewed the article.
• Have agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted.
• Reviewed and agreed on all versions of the article before submission, during revision, the final version accepted for publication, and any significant changes introduced at the proofing stage.
• Agree to take responsibility and be accountable for the contents of the article and to share responsibility to resolve any questions rose about the accuracy or integrity of the published work.

It is the shared responsibility of all individuals involved in the research to decide who qualifies as an author and to agree on the order in which authors are listed. Journal editors will not determine authorship order nor mediate authorship conflicts. In cases of unresolved disputes, the institution(s) where the research was carried out will be requested to conduct an investigation.

Citations

Research and non-research articles must cite relevant, timely, and verified literature (peer-reviewed) to support any claims made in the article.

Authors should refrain from excessive or improper self-citation, as well as from making prior arrangements with other author groups to cite each other’s work inappropriately. Such practices are considered a form of misconduct known as citation manipulation.

Authors of non-research articles (such as Reviews or Opinions) must ensure that the references cited are relevant and present a fair, balanced representation of the current state of research or scholarship on the topic. Citations should not be disproportionately biased in favor of a specific research group, organization, or journal.

Competing Interests

All main authors and co-authors are required to disclose any competing interests that are directly relevant to the submitted article or that could reasonably be perceived as such. A competing interest arises when authors—or their employer, funding sponsor, or close associates such as family members or friends—have financial, commercial, legal, or professional relationships with other individuals or organizations that might influence, or appear to influence, the research process, outcomes, or interpretation of the findings.

These interests may take various forms and can be either financial (such as funding, stock ownership, paid consultancies, or honoraria) or non-financial (such as personal relationships, affiliations, intellectual beliefs, or academic rivalries). Even in cases where the authors believe a relationship does not influence their work, if it could be seen by others as potentially affecting their objectivity or judgment, it should be declared.

The purpose of declaring competing interests is to uphold the integrity and transparency of the research and publication process. By fully disclosing such interests, authors help editors, reviewers, and readers better assess the context and potential influences on the research. Full transparency ensures that any potential bias is openly acknowledged and can be appropriately considered during the review and evaluation of the work.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

Occasionally, it may become necessary to make changes to an article after it has already been published. Such post-publication changes are undertaken only after thorough and thoughtful consideration by the Editor-in-Chief, who will evaluate the situation carefully to ensure that any amendments are made in a responsible and ethically sound manner.

When a change is deemed necessary, it will be documented through an official post-publication notice. This notice will be permanently linked to the original article to ensure transparency and to clearly communicate the nature and reason for the modification to readers and the broader scholarly community. The type of notice issued will depend on the nature and severity of the issue and may include a Correction (for minor errors that do not affect the overall validity of the work), an Expression of Concern (when there are serious questions about the article that require further investigation), a Retraction (when the article’s findings are no longer reliable), or, in rare and extreme cases, a Removal (when legal or ethical violations necessitate complete withdrawal of the article).

This process is designed to uphold the integrity of the academic record by ensuring that any post-publication changes are transparent, traceable, and justified. It reinforces the journal’s commitment to ethical publishing practices and provides readers with accurate and reliable scholarly content.

Data sharing policies

TJFNC does not have data sharing policy.

Editor Code of Conduct

TJFNC serves as a platform for high-quality, credible research contributed by leading scholars and experts from around the world. Journal editors hold a critical position in fostering the advancement of knowledge across various disciplines. Their responsibilities include:

• Ensuring and enhancing the quality of published research and safeguarding the integrity of the peer review process;
• Providing guidance and support to the journal’s authors and reviewers throughout the publication process; and
• Collaborating with the broader editorial team to uphold and strengthen the journal’s reputation within the academic community.

Funding

TJFNC requires authors to clearly disclose all sources of financial support related to the research presented in their article. This includes internal funding (such as from an author's institution or employer) and external funding (such as from charities, private companies, government agencies, or research organizations).

The purpose of this funding declaration is to give appropriate credit to funders and to promote transparency, particularly if a funder played an active role in the research process. Authors should only report financial support that is directly relevant to the study. If no funding was received, a statement declaring this is also encouraged to prevent concerns about undeclared support.

Funding declarations must include the full name of the funding organization, the grant number(s), and, if possible, the name of the grant recipient. If the funder contributed to any part of the research, such as data collection or analysis, this involvement should be explicitly stated.

Harassment

TJFNC will not tolerate any kind of harassment of authors, editors, reviewers, staff, or vendors. The Journal expects to work in an environment of mutual respect from time to time.

Images and Figures

Authors are expected to include images and figures in their articles only when they are directly relevant and contribute meaningful value to the research being presented. The inclusion of purely decorative or non-essential visual content that does not enhance the scholarly merit of the work should be avoided.

Furthermore, if authors wish to incorporate any material that is owned and protected under third-party copyright—including, but not limited to, proprietary text, illustrations, tables, datasets, audio or video recordings, film stills, screenshots, musical scores, or supplementary content—they must secure the appropriate written permissions prior to submission. This ensures respect for intellectual property rights and adherence to ethical publishing standards.

Misconduct

TJFNC treats all forms of misconduct with utmost seriousness and is committed to taking all appropriate measures to uphold the integrity of the scholarly record. Misconduct may include, but is not limited to, the following examples:

Affiliation misrepresentation, Breaches in copyright/use of third-party material without appropriate permissions, Citation manipulation, Duplicate submission/publication, “Ethics dumping”, Image or data manipulation/fabrication, Peer review manipulation, Plagiarism, Text-recycling/self-plagiarism, Undisclosed competing interests and Unethical research.

Plagiarism

Trust and integrity are highly valued by readers of scholarly, peer-reviewed journal content, which is why TJFNC treats plagiarism as a serious issue. Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting another's work—whether data, text, theories, or images—as one's own without proper acknowledgment. At TJFNC, this applies to any material, whether from electronic or print sources, that is used without appropriate citation. All such material, whether used directly or indirectly, must be properly credited in every instance. In addition, all manuscript submitted can be or will be subjected to plagiarism check.

Research Ethics and Consent

All research published in TJFNC must adhere to both international and local ethical guidelines, ensuring that the research has been conducted in an ethically responsible manner. Before commencing any study, ethical approval must be obtained from the relevant institutional review board (IRB) or another appropriate ethics committee. This approval is required to confirm that the study complies with both national and international standards for research involving human participants.

Authors are required to include a statement in the manuscript that confirms ethical approval has been obtained. This statement should also provide detailed information about the ethics committee responsible for granting approval, including the name of the committee and, where applicable, the reference or permit number associated with the approval. This ensures transparency and demonstrates that the research has been conducted in accordance with the necessary ethical standards.

Standards for Reporting

Research should be presented in a manner that facilitates verification and reproducibility, allowing others in the academic community to confirm and replicate the findings. To support this goal, the Journal encourages authors to provide detailed and thorough explanations of their research rationale, design, protocols, methodology, and analytical approaches. By offering a clear and comprehensive account of how the research was conducted, including the reasoning behind decisions and the processes followed, authors contribute to the transparency and credibility of their work. This level of detail not only strengthens the reliability of the research but also enhances its value to future studies that may build upon the original findings.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents numerous exciting opportunities for researchers to accelerate and broaden the scope of their work. TJFNC is committed to supporting researchers who wish to responsibly incorporate AI into their research for innovative content creation and analysis. AI’s potential applications in research are vast and diverse, including generating and exploring new ideas, enhancing interactive online searches, classifying literature, and assisting with coding tasks. By leveraging AI in these areas, researchers can streamline their workflows, improve efficiency, and unlock new possibilities for advancing knowledge in their respective fields.

While AI holds tremendous promise, it remains a relatively new field, and its applications in research are still expanding as new possibilities are continuously being explored and developed. As a result, the guidelines and best practices for using AI in research are also evolving and adapting to keep pace with these advancements. Researchers are encouraged to stay informed about emerging developments and to follow evolving ethical and methodological standards to ensure responsible and effective use of AI in their work. As the landscape of AI in research matures, these guidelines will likely become more defined, offering clearer direction on how to integrate AI tools in a way that maximizes their potential while maintaining rigor and integrity.