Editorial decisions at JMHT are made by the editors alone, on scholarly merit, free from the influence of the owner, sponsors, funders, governments, or any other party. This policy applies to all content JMHT publishes and to everyone involved in the editorial process.

1. Ownership and editorial authority

JMHT is owned and published by the Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, with Rumah Akademisi Kehutanan Indonesia (RAKI) as sponsor. The owner provides the platform and in kind support but takes no part in decisions on manuscripts. Sponsors have no access to manuscripts under review. The Editor-in-Chief, appointed by editorial boards, has full authority over content and peer review and cannot be removed because of an editorial decision. Disagreements with the owner are recorded in writing and resolved through IPB University policy.

2. Compensation and fees

Editors receive a fee per manuscript handled, regardless of the decision. No editor is paid or rewarded on the number of manuscripts accepted. APCs and waivers are handled by the editorial secretariat, not by the editors deciding on the manuscript, and are invoiced only after acceptance. Editors and reviewers accept no gifts or benefits connected to a manuscript.

3. Merit-based decisions

Decisions rest only on originality, scientific soundness, and fit with the journal's scope. The authors' nationality, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, gender, affiliation, or ability to pay play no role, nor does whether the findings favor any government, company, or organization. Acceptance is never guaranteed.

4. Submissions by editors

Manuscripts by editors, board members, or staff of the owner are handled by an editor with no conflict of interest. The author-editor has no access to the review. If the Editor-in-Chief is an author, a designated senior associate editor makes the decision. The published article states that the author-editor was not involved in the editorial process.

5. External influence

No owner, sponsor, funder, government agency, company, or other party may influence the acceptance, rejection, timing, or content of an article. This includes requests to accept, reject, or fast-track a manuscript; pressure to change or remove findings; offers of benefits; pressure to add citations; and attempts to block unfavorable results. Editors decline such approaches, record them, and report them to the Editor-in-Chief, or to Editorial Boards if the Editor-in-Chief is involved.

6. Censorship

JMHT does not remove, alter, or withhold content because someone objects to it. Published articles change only through correction, expression of concern, or retraction under COPE guidance; disagreement with findings belongs in a letter to the editor. For a formal legal demand, the Editor-in-Chief consults IPB University’s legal office and takes only the minimum action required, keeping the article’s metadata and a notice online. Editors may ask authors to anonymize people or places when publication could put participants at risk; this protects participants and does not restrict findings.

7. Geopolitical intrusion

Research from every country is evaluated on equal terms. JMHT does not exclude authors, reviewers, or editors because of their nationality or country of affiliation. Sanctions or legal restrictions, for example on payments, are handled administratively and do not affect editorial decisions. Reviews biased by nationality or politics are disregarded. JMHT takes no position on territorial claims shown in maps or affiliations. Political pressure from any government, including Indonesian agencies, is treated as external influence under Section 5.

8. Reporting and review

Concerns about undue influence can be sent to the Editor-in-Chief at jmht@apps.ipb.ac.id. Reports are confidential, and people who report in good faith are protected. Unresolved cases follow COPE guidance. This policy is reviewed annually and whenever the Principles of Transparency are revised. Version 1.0, approved November 12, 2026.