Author Guidelines

The Annals of Agriculture and Life Sciences Journal (AALSJ) welcomes original and high-quality scholarly contributions in agriculture, life sciences, and related interdisciplinary fields. Manuscripts should present scientifically sound research, review current knowledge, or communicate significant findings relevant to agricultural and life-science research.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are original, scientifically rigorous, appropriately documented, and prepared according to the following guidelines.

Manuscript Format

Manuscripts should generally be organized according to the nature of the research and may include the following sections:

Title Page

The title page should include:

Title of the manuscript.
Full name of each author.
Institutional affiliation of each author.
Department, institute, university, or organization, where applicable.
Email address of the corresponding author.
Corresponding author's contact information.

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

Abstract

The abstract should provide a concise summary of the study and should be understandable without referring to the main manuscript.

For original research articles, the abstract should normally summarize:

The background or rationale of the study.
The objectives of the research.
The materials and methods used.
The major findings.
The principal conclusions and implications.

The abstract should report the most important quantitative findings where appropriate. Authors should avoid unnecessary abbreviations and references in the abstract.

Keywords

Appropriate keywords or short phrases should be provided below the abstract.

Keywords should accurately represent the subject, methodology, organisms, crops, agricultural systems, technologies, or major concepts addressed in the manuscript. Authors should avoid unnecessarily broad or repetitive keywords.

Introduction

The Introduction should provide a concise background to the research topic and explain its scientific or agricultural significance.

It should:

Introduce the research problem.
Summarize relevant and current literature.
Identify the knowledge gap or research need.
Explain the rationale for conducting the study.
Clearly state the objectives, research questions, or hypotheses, where applicable.

The Introduction should remain focused and should not contain an extensive review of literature unrelated to the objectives of the study.

Materials and Methods

The Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient information to allow the study to be evaluated and, where appropriate, reproduced.

Depending on the nature of the research, this section may include:

Study location and environmental conditions.
Experimental design.
Crop, plant, animal, insect, microbial, soil, or other biological materials used.
Source and characteristics of experimental materials.
Field, laboratory, greenhouse, or controlled-environment conditions.
Sampling procedures and sampling size.
Treatments and experimental factors.
Replication and randomization procedures.
Data collection methods.
Laboratory and analytical procedures.
Equipment, instruments, chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, biological materials, and other inputs used.
Statistical methods and software.
Statistical models and tests used for data analysis.
Ethical considerations or relevant approvals where research involves animals, human participants, genetic resources, field collection, or other activities requiring formal approval.
Relevant geographic, climatic, soil, ecological, or environmental information where applicable.

Methods that have been previously published should be appropriately referenced, while any modifications should be clearly described.

Results

The Results section should present the findings clearly and objectively.

Authors should:

Present results in a logical sequence corresponding to the study objectives.
Provide appropriate numerical data.
Report relevant statistical results.
Include measures of variation or uncertainty where appropriate.
Clearly indicate statistical significance where applicable.
Present tables and figures that facilitate understanding of the findings.
Avoid unnecessary repetition between the text, tables, and figures.

Results already presented in tables or figures should not be unnecessarily repeated in full in the text.

Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the objectives and existing scientific knowledge.

It should:

Explain the significance of the major findings.
Compare findings with relevant previous studies.
Discuss possible reasons for similarities or differences.
Explain biological, agricultural, ecological, environmental, or practical implications where appropriate.
Discuss unexpected or contradictory findings.
Identify the strengths and limitations of the study.
Explain the implications of the findings for future research, agricultural practice, policy, or resource management where appropriate.

The Discussion should not simply repeat the Results.

Limitations

Where applicable, authors should clearly state the important limitations of the study.

These may include:

Sample-size limitations.
Experimental or sampling constraints.
Geographic limitations.
Methodological limitations.
Environmental or seasonal variation.
Data limitations.
Potential sources of bias.
Limitations affecting the generalizability or applicability of the findings.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should provide a concise statement of the principal findings and their significance.

It should directly address the objectives of the study and should not introduce substantial information that has not been presented in the manuscript.

Where appropriate, the conclusion may include practical implications and recommendations for future research.

Authors' Contributions

All listed authors should have made meaningful contributions to the research and manuscript.

Individual contributions should be specified using the authors' initials and may include:

Study conception and design.
Experimental planning.
Field or laboratory work.
Data collection.
Data analysis.
Statistical analysis.
Interpretation of results.
Manuscript drafting.
Critical revision of the manuscript.
Final approval of the manuscript.

Conflict of Interest

All authors should disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Conflicts may include financial relationships, consultancy, employment, institutional interests, funding relationships, intellectual property interests, or other professional or personal relationships relevant to the manuscript.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors should state that there is no conflict of interest to declare.

Acknowledgements

This is an optional section for acknowledging individuals, institutions, laboratories, field assistants, technical staff, research collaborators, or organizations that contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship.

Funding Disclosure

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

Authors should identify the funding organization and, where applicable, the grant or project number.

If the research received no specific funding, authors should state:

"No specific funding was received for this research."

References

References should be accurate, relevant, and directly related to the manuscript.

Authors should ensure that all references cited in the text appear in the reference list and that every reference in the reference list is cited in the manuscript.

References should be checked carefully before submission.

Authors should avoid unnecessary citation of non-peer-reviewed, unreliable, or irrelevant sources.

DOIs should be included where available.

1. Journal Article

Format

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;Volume(Issue):Page range. DOI.

Example

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of the research article. J Agric Sci. 2024;12(2):100-110. doi:xx.xxxx/xxxxx.

2. Book

Format

Author(s). Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Example

Author AA. Principles of agricultural science. 2nd ed. London: Publisher; 2020.

3. Chapter in a Book

Format

Author(s) of chapter. Title of chapter. In: Editor(s), editors. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. Page range.

Example

Author AA. Sustainable crop production. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Advances in Agricultural Sciences. London: Publisher; 2021. p. 120-145.

4. Website / Online Resource

Format

Author/Organization. Title of webpage [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; Publication date [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL.

Example

Food and Agriculture Organization. Title of agricultural resource [Internet]. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization; 2024 [cited 2026 Aug 15]. Available from: URL.

General Reference Guidelines

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first cited in the manuscript, where a numbered citation system is used.
The reference list should follow the same numerical order.
References should be checked carefully for accuracy.
Journal names should be appropriately abbreviated where journal abbreviations are used.
DOI information should be included when available.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references.
References should be directly relevant to the subject of the manuscript.

Manuscript Formatting

To ensure consistency and readability, manuscripts should follow these general formatting requirements.

Font

Times New Roman, 12-point font.

Spacing

The manuscript should be prepared using single spacing throughout.

Units of Measurement

Measurements should be reported using internationally accepted units, preferably SI units where applicable.

Units should be used consistently throughout the manuscript.

Scientific Names

Scientific names of organisms should be written correctly and consistently. Genus and species names should be italicized.

At first mention, the complete scientific name should normally be provided. Appropriate abbreviations may be used subsequently where clear.

Chemicals, Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Other Inputs

Where applicable, authors should provide sufficient information about chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, biological products, or other experimental inputs to allow the work to be understood and reproduced.

Generic or active-ingredient names should be used where appropriate, with commercial product information provided when scientifically necessary.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be used sparingly.

At first appearance, an abbreviation should be preceded by the full term unless it is a standard scientific unit or universally recognized abbreviation.

Tables and Illustrations

Tables and figures should be submitted together with the manuscript and placed within the text at appropriate locations.

Each table and figure should have a clear and informative title or caption.

Tables and figures should:

Be numbered consecutively.
Be cited in the manuscript in numerical order.
Present information clearly without unnecessary duplication.
Be sufficiently clear for publication.
Be prepared in an editable format where applicable.

Figures, graphs, photographs, maps, diagrams, and other illustrations should be of suitable quality for publication.

Where photographs or images contain identifiable individuals or material requiring permission, authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permission before publication.

Headings

Major headings should be bold and aligned left.

Subheadings

Subheadings should be italicized and aligned left, where appropriate.

Authors should avoid excessive subdivision of the manuscript.

Margins

One-inch margins should be used on all sides.

Page Numbers

Page numbers should be included at the bottom right corner of the manuscript.

In-text Citations

Citations should be presented consistently throughout the manuscript according to the journal's prescribed reference system.

Originality and Exclusive Submission

Manuscripts submitted to AALSJ must be original.

The manuscript, or substantially similar content, must not have been previously published and must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal for publication.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the submitted work does not contain plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inappropriate reuse of previously published material.

All authors should approve the final manuscript before submission.

Article Types

Original Research Articles

Original research articles should present novel findings based on experimental, observational, field, laboratory, survey, modelling, or other scientifically appropriate research.

The manuscript should provide sufficient methodological information to support evaluation and interpretation of the findings.

Review Articles

Review articles should provide a comprehensive and critical synthesis of published research on an important topic within agriculture or the life sciences.

Reviews should go beyond a simple summary of published studies and should identify major findings, research gaps, controversies, methodological developments, and future research directions.

Short Communications

Short Communications should report concise but scientifically significant findings that can be communicated in a shorter format.

They should contain sufficient methodological and analytical information to support the reported findings.

Special Communications

Special Communications may address important scientific, agricultural, environmental, technological, policy, or interdisciplinary topics relevant to the scope of AALSJ.

The organization and format should be appropriate to the nature of the communication.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors should confirm compliance with the following requirements:

The manuscript is original and has not been published previously.

The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.

The title accurately represents the content of the manuscript.

The names and affiliations of all authors have been entered correctly in the submission system.

The corresponding author's contact information is complete and accurate.

All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

The manuscript has been prepared in Times New Roman, 12-point font.

The manuscript is single-spaced.

Appropriate headings and subheadings have been used.

Tables and figures are placed at appropriate locations within the manuscript.

All tables and figures are cited in the text.

All references cited in the text are included in the reference list.

All references in the reference list are cited in the manuscript.

References have been checked for accuracy and completeness.

Scientific names and units of measurement have been presented correctly.

Necessary ethical approvals or permissions have been obtained where applicable.

Any conflicts of interest have been disclosed.

Funding information has been disclosed.

The authors' contribution statement has been provided where required.

The manuscript has been carefully proofread before submission.

Documents Required at Submission

Where applicable, authors should have the following documents available at the time of submission:

Cover Letter from the corresponding author.
Complete Manuscript, including abstract, tables, figures, and references.
Ethical approval or relevant institutional permission, where required.
Author declaration or related documentation, where required.
Permission documentation for copyrighted material or identifiable images, where applicable.

Cover Letter

Submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter from the corresponding author.

The cover letter should include:

Title of the manuscript.
Article type.
A brief description of the study and its significance.
Full name and contact details of the corresponding author.
Institutional affiliation of the authors.
Number of tables and figures, where applicable.
A statement confirming that the manuscript is original.
A statement confirming that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not being considered simultaneously by another journal.
Any other information that the authors consider relevant to the editorial evaluation of the manuscript.

Ethical Considerations

Research involving animals, human participants, field collection, biological materials, genetic resources, or other activities requiring ethical or institutional oversight should comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements.

Where ethical approval is required, the manuscript should clearly identify:

The approving institution or committee.
The approval or reference number, where applicable.
Relevant procedures followed to ensure ethical conduct.

For research involving animals, authors should state that appropriate institutional and applicable national standards for animal care and use were followed.

For research involving human participants, authors should indicate that appropriate ethical approval was obtained and that informed consent was obtained where required.

Authors should not disclose unnecessary personal or identifying information about research participants.

For agricultural and environmental field research, authors should obtain appropriate permissions for field access, collection of biological materials, protected areas, genetic resources, or other regulated activities where applicable.

Ethical Authorship Policy for Single-Center and Multi-Center Studies

1. Single-Center Studies

For studies conducted at a single institution, all listed authors should have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript.

Authors should satisfy accepted authorship principles and should be able to take responsibility for their contributions.

Honorary, guest, gift, or fictitious authorship is not acceptable.

The author list and order should be carefully confirmed before submission.

2. Multi-Center Studies

For research involving multiple institutions, each participating institution and its contribution should be clearly identified where appropriate.

The corresponding author should ensure that:

Appropriate institutional permissions have been obtained.
Relevant ethical approvals are available where required.
Each listed author has made a genuine contribution to the study.
Authorship contributions are clearly documented.
All authors have approved the final manuscript.

Where applicable, documentation from participating institutions may be requested by the Editorial Board.

Failure to provide required ethical, institutional, or authorship documentation may result in delays in editorial processing or rejection of the manuscript.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to verify authorship claims, institutional affiliations, ethical approvals, research permissions, and other supporting documentation when deemed necessary.

Galley Proofs

After acceptance and editorial processing, page proofs may be sent to the corresponding author for final checking.

Authors should carefully review the proofs for typographical, factual, numerical, figure, table, and formatting errors.

Proof corrections should be returned promptly within the period specified by the Editorial Office.

At the proof stage, authors should avoid substantial changes to the manuscript. Major alterations may require editorial approval and may delay publication.

Post-Production Corrections

Corrections to published articles may be considered when errors materially affect the accuracy, interpretation, or integrity of the published scientific record.

Where appropriate, corrections may be published as a formal correction or erratum associated with the original article.

Authors should notify the Editorial Office promptly if a significant error is identified after publication.

The Editorial Board will determine the appropriate form of post-publication correction based on the nature and significance of the error.