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Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences (AES) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing the scientific study of the relationships between people, plants, biodiversity, ecosystems, and traditional knowledge systems.

The journal provides a multidisciplinary forum for researchers working across ethnobotany and related fields to document, analyse, interpret, preserve, and responsibly apply knowledge concerning plant resources and their interactions with human societies.

Unlike approaches that consider ethnobotany solely as the descriptive documentation of medicinal or useful plants, Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences promotes a broader scientific perspective encompassing the cultural, ecological, biological, chemical, nutritional, agricultural, economic, historical, social, and technological dimensions of plant–human relationships.

The journal particularly encourages research that combines traditional and Indigenous knowledge with contemporary scientific approaches. Studies integrating ethnobotany with botany, taxonomy, ecology, conservation biology, ethnobiology, anthropology, archaeology, pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, pharmacology, nutrition, agriculture, environmental sciences, public health, social sciences, geographic information systems, molecular biology, data science, and artificial intelligence are especially welcomed.

A major objective of the journal is to promote the transition from descriptive ethnobotanical inventories toward quantitative, analytical, comparative, ecological, experimental, predictive, conservation-oriented, and translational ethnobotany.

The journal welcomes contributions from all geographical regions, cultural groups, ecosystems, and knowledge traditions and seeks to provide an international platform for both established and emerging approaches in ethnobotanical science.

 

Journal Objectives

The principal objectives of Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences are to:

  • Advance ethnobotany as a rigorous and interdisciplinary scientific discipline.
  • Promote high-quality documentation and analysis of traditional and Indigenous plant knowledge.
  • Encourage integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary scientific methods.
  • Support the conservation of plant diversity and biocultural heritage.
  • Promote sustainable utilisation of ethnobotanical resources.
  • Encourage quantitative and evidence-based approaches to ethnobotanical research.
  • Facilitate ethnobotany-guided discovery of medicinal, nutritional, agricultural, and industrial resources.
  • Support responsible translation of traditional knowledge into scientifically validated applications.
  • Encourage innovative digital, molecular, ecological, and computational approaches.
  • Strengthen international collaboration among ethnobotanists and researchers in related disciplines.
  • Promote ethical, respectful, and community-sensitive ethnobotanical research.

 

Scope of the Journal

The journal covers a broad range of ethnobotanical sciences, including but not limited to:

General Ethnobotany and Plant–People Relationships; Medicinal Ethnobotany; Ethnopharmacology; Food Ethnobotany; Ethnonutrition; Ethnoecology; Conservation Ethnobotany; Ethnobotanical Biogeography; Agricultural Ethnobotany; Economic Ethnobotany; Cultural Ethnobotany; Ritual and Religious Ethnobotany; Ethnoveterinary Botany; Ethnomycology; Ethnolichenology; Ethnozoology; Archaeobotany; Paleoethnobotany; Historical Ethnobotany; Linguistic Ethnobotany; Indigenous and Local Knowledge; Urban Ethnobotany; Quantitative Ethnobotany; Digital Ethnobotany; Computational Ethnobotany; Molecular Ethnobotany; Ethnobotanical Phytochemistry; Traditional Plant-Based Technologies; Ethnobotany and Climate Change; Ethnobotany and Ecosystem Services; Ethnobotany and Public Health; Ethnobotanical Toxicology and Safety; Ethnobotany and Sustainable Development; Plant Genetic Resources; Biocultural Diversity; Ethnobotanical Education; Ethnobotanical Gardens and Herbaria; Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge; Access and Benefit Sharing; and Translational Ethnobotany.

The journal also welcomes interdisciplinary studies addressing emerging relationships between ethnobotany and One Health, planetary health, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, artificial intelligence, big-data science, molecular technologies, and sustainable innovation.

 

Scientific and Interdisciplinary Approach

Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences recognises ethnobotany as a field that connects biological and cultural knowledge.

Accordingly, the journal encourages studies that examine traditional knowledge within its ecological, cultural, historical, socioeconomic, and scientific contexts rather than treating individual plant-use records in isolation.

Research combining field-based ethnobotanical investigation with laboratory, ecological, molecular, computational, or statistical approaches is particularly encouraged when such integration provides meaningful scientific insight.

 

Methodological Standards

The journal welcomes qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, experimental, observational, comparative, and computational research.

Appropriate methodologies may include:

  • Ethnographic research
  • Semi-structured and structured interviews
  • Participant observation
  • Focus-group discussions
  • Participatory approaches
  • Ethnobotanical inventories
  • Botanical and ecological surveys
  • Herbarium-based investigations
  • Quantitative ethnobotanical indices
  • Multivariate statistical analysis
  • Social-network analysis
  • GIS and spatial analysis
  • Remote sensing
  • Molecular identification and DNA barcoding
  • Phytochemical analysis
  • Pharmacological and toxicological evaluation
  • Metabolomics and other omics technologies
  • Bibliometric and scientometric analysis
  • Systematic evidence synthesis
  • Machine learning and artificial intelligence

Authors are expected to provide sufficient methodological information to permit appropriate assessment of the validity, reliability, and reproducibility of their findings.

 

Open Access Policy

Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences is committed to immediate and unrestricted open access to published research.

All published articles are freely available to readers without subscription or access barriers. The journal supports the principle that unrestricted access to scholarly literature facilitates the international exchange of knowledge, encourages collaboration, and increases the societal and scientific impact of research.

The journal publishes its articles under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) unless otherwise stated.

Under this licence, users may share, copy, redistribute, adapt, and build upon published material, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source, a link to the licence is provided, and any modifications are appropriately indicated.

 

Article Processing Charges

The journal does not charge authors any Article Processing Charge (APC) for the submission, peer review, or publication of manuscripts.

There are no mandatory fees for:

  • Manuscript submission
  • Peer review
  • Accepted article publication
  • Colour figures
  • Online publication

Any future change to the journal's fee policy will be clearly announced on the official journal website before implementation.

 

Copyright and Author Rights

Authors retain copyright and other publishing rights to their work, subject to the terms of the Creative Commons licence under which the article is published.

Authors are permitted to share, archive, and disseminate their published work in accordance with the applicable licence and institutional or funder requirements.

The journal does not require authors to transfer copyright ownership to the publisher.

 

Peer Review

All research manuscripts submitted to Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences undergo editorial assessment followed, where appropriate, by independent peer review.

The editorial process is designed to evaluate:

  • Scientific originality
  • Methodological quality
  • Relevance to ethnobotanical sciences
  • Validity and transparency of data
  • Appropriate interpretation of findings
  • Ethical compliance
  • Quality of reporting
  • Contribution to the existing literature

The journal may use double-blind peer review or another appropriate peer-review model according to the article type and journal policy.

Editors and reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality and declare any potential conflicts of interest.

 

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity.

The journal follows internationally recognised principles concerning:

  • Research integrity
  • Responsible authorship
  • Conflict-of-interest disclosure
  • Ethical peer review
  • Data integrity
  • Plagiarism prevention
  • Duplicate publication
  • Fabrication and falsification
  • Corrections and retractions
  • Transparency in reporting

The journal supports the principles and recommendations of internationally recognised organisations and editorial standards, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other relevant scholarly publishing frameworks.

 

Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate plagiarism-detection and similarity-analysis software.

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, substantial text recycling, fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate manipulation of published material are considered serious violations of research integrity.

Manuscripts identified as containing significant unethical duplication or plagiarism may be rejected. Where misconduct is identified after publication, appropriate corrective or retraction procedures may be initiated.

Similarity reports are interpreted by the editorial team in context; a numerical similarity percentage alone does not determine whether misconduct has occurred.

 

Retraction and Correction Policy

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record.

Corrections, expressions of concern, withdrawals, or retractions may be issued when necessary to address significant errors, ethical concerns, unreliable findings, plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, duplicate publication, or other circumstances that compromise the integrity of the published record.

When an article is retracted, the original publication remains part of the scholarly record but is clearly identified as RETRACTED, with an appropriate explanatory notice and links between the article and the retraction statement whenever technically possible.

 

Authorship

Authorship should be based on substantial intellectual or scholarly contributions to the work.

All listed authors should:

  • Have made a meaningful contribution to the research;
  • Participate in drafting or critically revising the manuscript;
  • Approve the final version;
  • Accept responsibility for the integrity of their contribution;
  • Agree to the submission and publication of the manuscript.

All authors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest and financial support.

Any change in authorship after submission should be justified and approved by all affected authors in accordance with journal policy.

 

Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous Communities, and Ethical Research

Because ethnobotanical research frequently involves Indigenous and local knowledge, the journal places particular emphasis on ethical engagement with knowledge-holding communities.

Authors should demonstrate appropriate consideration of:

  • Prior informed consent
  • Community participation
  • Respect for cultural practices
  • Appropriate attribution of knowledge
  • Confidentiality of sensitive knowledge
  • Protection of sacred or restricted information
  • Intellectual-property rights
  • Access and benefit sharing
  • National legislation
  • Relevant international agreements and ethical frameworks

Researchers should avoid presenting traditional knowledge as an unrestricted resource for scientific or commercial exploitation.

Where appropriate, studies should clearly explain how local communities and knowledge holders participated in the research and how their rights and interests were protected.

 

Access and Benefit Sharing

Research involving genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge should comply with applicable national and international requirements concerning access and benefit sharing.

Authors should report relevant permits, agreements, ethical approvals, and other legal or institutional requirements where applicable.

The journal encourages research models that promote fair recognition and responsible sharing of benefits arising from the study or utilisation of traditional knowledge and biological resources.

 

Human and Animal Research

Studies involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Where ethical approval is required, authors should provide information regarding the responsible ethics committee or institutional review body and the relevant approval or reference number where appropriate.

Research involving animals should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international standards for animal welfare and ethical experimentation.

 

Data Availability and Research Transparency

The journal encourages authors to make research data, analytical procedures, supplementary materials, and other relevant research resources available whenever ethically, legally, and practically possible.

For ethnobotanical research, however, unrestricted data sharing should not compromise:

  • Community privacy
  • Confidential traditional knowledge
  • Sacred or restricted information
  • Intellectual-property rights
  • Sensitive locations of threatened species
  • Legal or conservation requirements

Authors should therefore balance principles of scientific openness with the responsible protection of community and biodiversity interests.

 

Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

The journal recognises that artificial intelligence and generative AI technologies are increasingly used in academic research and scholarly communication.

AI tools may be used for appropriate purposes such as:

  • Language improvement
  • Grammar and spelling correction
  • Translation assistance
  • Improving readability
  • Organising non-sensitive textual material

However, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scientific validity of their manuscripts.

AI tools must not replace human responsibility for:

  • Scientific reasoning
  • Data interpretation
  • Research conclusions
  • Citation verification
  • Ethical decisions
  • Authorship
  • Generation or fabrication of research data

AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Any substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation should be transparently disclosed in accordance with the journal's current policy.

The editorial team reserves the right to request clarification concerning the use of AI when necessary to protect research integrity.

 

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could influence or reasonably be perceived to influence the research or editorial process.

Where no relevant conflict exists, authors should provide an appropriate declaration of no conflict of interest.

 

Funding Disclosure

All sources of financial or material support for the research should be disclosed.

Funding statements should identify the supporting organisation and, where applicable, the grant or project number.

Funders should not influence scientific analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions unless explicitly stated.

 

Digital Preservation and Archiving

The journal is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of the scholarly record.

Published content should be maintained through appropriate digital archiving and preservation mechanisms to support continued access to articles, metadata, and bibliographic information.

Authors may also archive their work in accordance with the journal's copyright and open-access policies.

 

Open Citations and Metadata

The journal supports transparent and interoperable scholarly communication.

Bibliographic metadata and citation information should be provided in structured formats where technically possible to facilitate:

  • Citation tracking
  • Machine readability
  • Discoverability
  • Research evaluation
  • Bibliometric analysis
  • Integration with scholarly databases

Authors are expected to provide accurate bibliographic information and persistent identifiers such as DOI information where available.

 

Privacy Statement

Personal information submitted through the journal's website, submission system, or editorial correspondence including names and email addresses—will be used only for legitimate journal-related purposes, such as manuscript processing, peer review, publication, communication, and scholarly administration.

Such information will not be sold or used for unrelated commercial purposes.

 

Advertisements

The journal does not accept advertisements that could compromise editorial independence or influence scientific decision-making.

Editorial decisions are independent of commercial interests.

 

Revenue and Editorial Independence

The journal's editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, ethical integrity, and methodological soundness of submitted manuscripts.

Financial, institutional, commercial, or promotional considerations must not determine the acceptance or rejection of scientific work.

 

International and Multidisciplinary Character

Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences welcomes contributions from researchers, Indigenous and local knowledge researchers, botanists, ecologists, pharmacognosists, anthropologists, archaeologists, pharmacologists, nutrition scientists, agricultural scientists, conservation specialists, social scientists, and other relevant disciplines.

The journal encourages research from all continents, geographical regions, ecosystems, cultures, and traditional knowledge systems.

 

Our Vision

The vision of Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences is to establish a leading international platform for the advancement of ethnobotany as a scientifically rigorous, interdisciplinary, culturally responsible, and forward-looking field.

The journal seeks to connect traditional knowledge with modern science without separating knowledge from the people, cultures, ecosystems, and histories in which it is embedded.

Through this approach, the journal aims to contribute to the preservation of biocultural heritage, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable utilisation of plant resources, improvement of human and animal well-being, food and nutritional security, climate resilience, and responsible innovation.

 

Our Mission

The mission of Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences is to generate, preserve, and disseminate high-quality scientific knowledge concerning plant–human relationships and traditional botanical knowledge.

The journal is committed to advancing ethnobotany from descriptive documentation toward evidence-based, quantitative, analytical, ecological, molecular, computational, conservation-oriented, and translational science.

By bringing together diverse scientific disciplines and knowledge systems, Advancements in Ethnobotanical Sciences seeks to create a responsible bridge between traditional knowledge, biodiversity, culture, science, and sustainable innovation.