1. What is Open Access?
Open Access (OA) is a publishing model that makes scholarly peer-reviewed journals and articles freely available online without subscription fees or price barriers. Instead of relying on reader-paid subscriptions, OA publishing is funded through alternative means—most commonly Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by authors or their institutions, though many OA journals (including A&R during its initial funding period) are fully waiver-supported.
OA publications eliminate permission restrictions and paywalls, allowing researchers, educators, journalists, policymakers, and the general public to access content without cost. Studies consistently show that OA literature receives significantly more citations than subscription-based publications, amplifying the visibility and impact of research.
A&R is a Gold Open Access journal. Under this model, all articles are licensed under Creative Commons (CC) licenses and can be accessed at no cost on the journal's website, downloaded, stored in personal or institutional repositories, and freely distributed and shared. In short, articles are permanently and freely available online to anyone, anywhere, greatly supporting the global research community.
2. What types of articles are published by A&R?
A&R accepts submissions of the following manuscript types:
- Perspective articles
- Review articles
- Original Research articles
- Commentary articles
Each type serves a distinct purpose in advancing interdisciplinary scholarship; detailed scope and structural guidelines for each are available in the .
3. Why is a cover letter required for manuscript submission?
A&R mandates that every submission be accompanied by a cover letter. In this letter, authors should concisely articulate the value of their contribution, highlight the novelty and significance of their work, and explain why it will engage the scholarly community. The editorial team views authors' reflective engagement with their work as the foundational quality checkpoint in the publication process.
A cover letter is far more than a routine formality; it is a vital instrument through which authors foster trust with A&R editors and articulate the unique value of their research. More than a mere declaration of academic integrity, it acts as a strategic catalyst—sharpening a manuscript's competitive edge by clarifying its relevance, rigor, and alignment with A&R's scope.
An exemplary cover letter can substantively elevate a manuscript's chances of acceptance, while a hasty, poorly crafted, or absent one risks immediate desk rejection during the initial screening phase. Investing care in this document transcends procedural duty: it is a deliberate gesture of respect for the intellectual labor behind the work and a tangible commitment to upholding the integrity of the academic enterprise.
4. What are contributor roles? – CRediT
CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) is a community-owned framework of 14 contributor roles used to describe the key types of contributions typically made to the production and publication of research outputs such as articles.
- Conceptualization – Ideas; formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims.
- Data curation – Management activities to annotate (produce metadata), scrub data, and maintain research data (including software code, where necessary for interpreting the data itself) for initial use and later re-use.
- Formal analysis – Application of statistical, mathematical, computational, or other formal techniques to analyze or synthesize study data.
- Funding acquisition – Acquisition of financial support for the project leading to this publication.
- Investigation – Conducting research and investigation process, specifically performing experiments or data/evidence collection.
- Methodology – Development or design of methodology; creation of models.
- Project administration – Management and coordination responsibility for research activity planning and execution.
- Resources – Provision of study materials, reagents, materials, patients, laboratory samples, animals, instrumentation, computing resources, or other analysis tools.
- Software – Programming, software development; designing computer programs; implementation of computer code and supporting algorithms; testing of existing code components.
- Supervision – Oversight and leadership responsibility for research activity planning and execution, including mentorship external to the core team.
- Validation – Verification (whether as part of the activity or separate) of overall replication/reproducibility of results/experiments and other research outputs.
- Visualization – Preparation, creation and/or presentation of published work, specifically visualization/data presentation.
- Writing – original draft – Preparation, creation and/or presentation of published work, specifically writing initial draft (including substantive translation).
- Writing – review & editing – Preparation, creation and/or presentation of published work by those from the original research group, specifically critical review, commentary, or revision—including pre- or post-publication stages.
5. What is a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)?
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is an international, persistent identifier for intellectual property entities, represented by a distinctive alphanumeric string. For SCC PRESS journals, a DOI is assigned to each editorial content item, providing a unique and permanent link to that item. The DOI system is administered by the International DOI Foundation (a not-for-profit organization). Crossref (also a not-for-profit organization) uses DOIs as a reference linking standard, enabling cross-publisher linking and maintaining the global lookup system. This framework underscores the DOI's critical role in modern scholarly communication—ensuring precision, permanence, and interoperability across diverse publishing platforms.
As a Crossref member, SCC PRESS aligns with these global standards, ensuring its publications are integrated into a broader network of academic resources and remain easily discoverable by researchers worldwide.
6. What do the numbers in a DOI signify?
A DOI consists of two components: a prefix (before the slash) and a suffix (after the slash).
- Prefix: Begins with the fixed directory prefix 10, followed by a unique publisher identifier assigned by Crossref. For example, SCC PRESS's identifier is 59978, making the full prefix 10.59978.
- Suffix: An arbitrary number or string provided by the publisher. It may contain numbers and/or letters and does not necessarily follow a systematic pattern.
Each DOI is registered in a central resolution database that associates it with one or more corresponding web locations (URLs). For example, the DOI 10.59978/ar01010001 resolves to .
7. What is the Funder Registry?
Authors must clearly disclose all financial support for their research and/or article preparation. Use a funder's Funder ID (e.g., 10.13039/100000002 for the U.S. National Institutes of Health) or its official full name (verified via Crossref's Open Funder Registry) to ensure accuracy. If the funder is listed in the registry, the name should be included exactly as it appears.
The Crossref Funder Registry is an open metadata registry of grant-giving organizations that connects research funding to published outcomes. It assigns each organization a unique, persistent identifier, facilitating accurate metadata collection and association between funders and publications. This transparent information enables multiple stakeholders to better understand the research funding landscape:
- Researchers can acknowledge the funders that supported their work.
- Readers can assess literature in the context of knowing who funded it.
- Research institutions can monitor the published outputs of their researchers.
- Publishers can track and facilitate compliance with funding mandates for the research they publish.
- Funders can track the reach and return of the work they have supported.
8. What distinguishes A&R?
- Interdisciplinary Scope: A&R centers on interdisciplinary inquiry, integrating insights from economics, sociology, human geography, and cognate disciplines to address pressing issues in agriculture, rural development, and farmer-related policies—bridging theoretical frameworks to advance holistic understandings of these dynamic systems.
- Global Editorial Excellence: The journal is guided by a distinguished, globally diverse editorial board, ensuring rigorous peer review, cultural sensitivity, and alignment with international scholarly standards.
- Culture-Driven Operations: Rooted in its mission, vision, and values, A&R embeds cultural stewardship at the core of its identity. Its unwavering commitment to ethical principles, community engagement, and purposeful impact permeates every facet of journal operations.
- Sustainable Non-Profit Model: A&R is APC-free for all articles published from 2023 to 2026. Starting in 2027, a reasonable APC (USD 1,500, excluding taxes) will apply, with full waivers for Research4Life Group A countries and 50% discounts for Group B.
- Fully Independent OA Platform: As an independent open-access publication (), A&R prioritizes equitable global access to scholarship while actively promoting authors' work to a worldwide audience, maximizing reach and impact.
- Tailored Publication Support: Committed to a seamless research journey, A&R offers comprehensive, efficient, and professional editorial services. Recognizing the unique demands of each study, the dedicated team provides structured guidance—from refining article frameworks to managing references—simplifying the publication process and empowering authors to focus on their core scholarship.