Submissions

Author Guidelines

 

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

1. General Information

The journal publishes original research articles, review articles, short communications, and case studies in agricultural sciences, biological sciences, environmental sciences, biotechnology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and related disciplines.

Submitted manuscripts must:

• Be original and unpublished.
• Not be under consideration elsewhere.
• Follow ethical publishing standards.
• Be written in clear academic English.
• Contain scientifically valid data and proper statistical analysis where applicable.

 

2. Manuscript Preparation

2.1 Language

Manuscripts must be written in professional English using either American or British style consistently throughout the manuscript.

 

2.2 File Format

Authors should submit manuscripts in:

• Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx)

Supplementary files may include:

• Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx)
• High-quality figures (.png, .tiff, .eps)
• Supplementary datasets (.pdf or .zip)

 

2.3 Page Layout

Item	Requirement
Paper Size	A4
Margins	2.5 cm on all sides
Font	Times New Roman
Font Size	12 pt
Line Spacing	1.5
Text Alignment	Justified
Page Numbering	Bottom center
Paragraph Spacing	6 pt after paragraphs
Section Headings	Bold
Subheadings	Bold Italic

 

3. Manuscript Structure

The manuscript should contain the following sections in order:

1. Title
2. Author Names and Affiliations
3. Abstract
4. Keywords
5. Introduction
6. Materials and Methods
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. Conclusion
10. Acknowledgments
11. Conflict of Interest
12. Funding Statement
13. References

 

4. Title Page

The title page should include:

• Full article title
• Full author names
• Institutional affiliations
• Corresponding author email
• ORCID IDs (optional)
• Running title (optional)

The title should:

• Be concise and informative
• Avoid abbreviations whenever possible
• Reflect the scientific content accurately

 

5. Abstract

• Maximum length: 250–300 words
• Should briefly include:
• Background
• Objectives
• Methods
• Main results
• Conclusion

Avoid:

• Citations
• Undefined abbreviations
• References to tables or figures

 

6. Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords that are:

• Scientifically relevant
• Not repeated in the title
• Arranged alphabetically
• Separated by semicolons (;)

Example:
Antibacterial activity; Molecular docking; Phytochemicals; Virtual screening

 

7. Introduction

The introduction should:

• Present scientific background
• Identify research gaps
• Clearly explain the significance of the study
• State study objectives clearly
• Include recent and relevant references

Avoid extensive literature review unrelated to the study objectives.

 

8. Materials and Methods

This section must provide sufficient detail for reproducibility.

Include:

• Experimental design
• Study area
• Sampling procedures
• Instruments and software used
• Statistical analysis methods
• Ethical approval number (if applicable)

Scientific names must be written in italic format.

Mathematical equations should:

• Be centered on the page
• Be editable (not images)
• Be numbered consecutively on the right side

Example:

[
d=-\frac{1}{2}\ln(1-2P-Q)-\frac{1}{4}\ln(1-2Q)
]

 

9. Results

Results should:

• Be concise and scientifically written
• Avoid repetition of table data in the text
• Present findings logically
• Include statistical significance where applicable

Use:

• SI units
• Proper decimal formatting
• Standard scientific terminology

 

10. Discussion

The discussion should:

• Interpret findings scientifically
• Compare results with previous studies
• Explain significance and limitations
• Highlight novelty and applications of the study

Avoid repeating raw numerical results already presented in tables or figures.

 

11. Conclusion

The conclusion should:

• Summarize major findings
• State scientific implications
• Provide practical applications
• Suggest future research directions

 

12. Tables

Tables must:

• Be editable (not images)
• Be created using the Word table function
• Be placed near their first citation in the text
• Be centered on the page
• Use Arabic numerals consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.)

Table Titles

• Titles must appear above the table
• Use bold formatting for the table number only

Example:

Table 1. Antibacterial activity of tested compounds against bacterial isolates.

Table Formatting

• Font size: 10–11 pt
• Use single spacing inside tables
• Avoid vertical lines
• Use horizontal lines only when necessary

Table Notes and Abbreviations

• Explanatory notes should appear below the table
• Define all abbreviations used

Example:

Note: MIC = Minimum inhibitory concentration.

 

13. Figures and Images

Figures include graphs, photographs, diagrams, maps, chromatograms, phylogenetic trees, and illustrations.

13.1 Figure Quality

Figures must:

• Be high quality
• Have minimum resolution:
• 300 dpi for photographs
• 600 dpi for line drawings
• 1000 dpi for black-and-white artwork

Accepted formats:

• PNG
• TIFF
• EPS
• JPEG (high quality only)

 

13.2 Figure Placement

• Figures must be centered on the page
• Place figures close to their first citation in the manuscript
• Avoid placing figures in side margins
• Multi-panel figures should be labeled as:
• (A), (B), (C), etc.

 

13.3 Figure Titles and Legends

• Figure captions must appear below the figure
• Use Arabic numerals consecutively:
• Figure 1
• Figure 2

Example:

Figure 1. Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree based on COI sequences.

Figure legends should:

• Clearly explain symbols and abbreviations
• Be concise but informative
• Allow understanding without referring extensively to the text

 

13.4 Graphs and Charts

Graphs should:

• Use readable font sizes
• Include labeled axes with measurement units
• Avoid excessive colors or 3D effects
• Maintain scientific clarity

Recommended formats:

• Bar charts
• Scatter plots
• Heat maps
• Line graphs

 

14. References

References must follow APA 7th Edition formatting.

Authors are encouraged to use:

• Mendeley
• EndNote
• Zotero

 

14.1 In-Text Citation

One Author

Example:
(Al-Saadi, 2025)

Two Authors

Example:
(Hassan & Ali, 2024)

Three or More Authors

Example:
(Ahmed et al., 2023)

 

14.2 Reference List Formatting

References should:

• Be arranged alphabetically
• Use hanging indentation (0.5 inch)
• Include DOI whenever available
• Be written in Roman script for English references

 

14.3 Journal Article Format

Format:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example:

Ahmed, M. A., & Hassan, R. T. (2025). Antibacterial activity of medicinal plants against resistant bacteria. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 12(3), 100–110. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

14.4 Book Format

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Publisher.

Example:

Ali, H. K. (2024). Modern agricultural biotechnology. Springer.

 

14.5 Website Format

Format:

Organization Name. (Year). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL

Example:

World Health Organization. (2024). Antimicrobial resistance. WHO. https://www.who.int

 

15. Ethical Considerations

Authors must confirm:

• Originality of the work
• Absence of plagiarism
• Ethical approval for animal/human studies
• Proper citation of all sources
• Consent for publication when required

16. Conflict of Interest

Authors must declare any financial or personal conflicts of interest.

Example:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

 

17. Funding

Authors should specify funding sources.

Example:

“This research received no external funding.”

 

18. Submission Checklist

Before submission, authors must ensure:

• Manuscript follows journal formatting guidelines
• References are complete and accurate
• Figures and tables are correctly numbered
• Grammar and language are checked
• Similarity index is acceptable
• All supplementary files are included

 

19. Suggested Similarity Limits

Type	Maximum Similarity
Overall similarity	≤15–20%
Single source	≤3–5%

Recommended plagiarism software:

• Turnitin
• iThenticate

 

20. Submission System

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal website.

Required submission files:

• Main manuscript
• Cover letter (optional)
• Figures
• Supplementary files

 

21. Peer Review Process

All manuscripts undergo:

1. Initial editorial screening
2. Double-blind peer review
3. Final editorial decision

Possible decisions:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

The editorial office reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with journal formatting or ethical standards.