Author Guidelines

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Cover Letter

All submitted manuscripts must be accompanied by a Cover Letter. This is a short letter detailing the research objectives, results, and potential impacts. Also, important declarations regarding the research are made in this document. The cover letter must be signed by all authors named in the manuscript. The cover letter should contain the following:

1. A brief summary of the research done (research objectives, results, and potential impacts).

2. The authors should prove why the manuscript fits within JARDET's scope.

3. Key declarations:

- The article was not submitted or is not being considered for publication elsewhere.

- Availability as a preprint.

- Potential conflicts of interest.

- Use of generative AI

To help you with preparing your cover letter, you may want to refer to this guide from Zety.

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission’s compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors who do not adhere to these guidelines.

The submission file is in Microsoft Word document file format.

Two manuscripts will be submitted. One with the authors' information and another without.

Where available, URLs or DOI for the references have been provided.

The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point Arial font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, tables, and figures are placed at the end.

The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements.

To ensure rapid and accurate publication, it is essential that manuscripts conform to the instructions below. Manuscripts which are not in accordance with the specifications and needs extensive editing will be returned to the authors.

A typical paper is composed of the following: a title page, abstract and keywords page, an introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, references, and supporting tables and figures.

Each article, including tables, figures and other appendices should not be more than 30 pages on A4 paper (210mm x 297mm or 8.27” x 11.69”). Specifications for the presentation of the manuscripts are:

Spacing, Font Size and Margins. Type the manuscript in Microsoft Word Document (2000 or 2007 Version), in double space, and with 12­point Arial font. Margins should be 2.54 cm (1”) on the top, bottom, and left­ and ­right­hand sides of each page.

Arrange contents of the manuscript for an original research article in the following order:

Title. The title of the article should be typed in sentence case letters, left aligned, and should not be more than 15 words.

The next line lists the authors, left aligned. Authors’ name should be complete. Omit institutional and social designations.

The next line lists the authors’ institutional affiliation(s) and address. Author affiliations are indicated by numbered superscripts and should be numbered in order of appearance in the list of authors.

The next line, lists the email address of the corresponding author, after the words Corresponding author email address, followed by a colon.

The next line contains a condensed running head. After the words Running Head, followed by a colon, provide a condensed title, limited to no more than 60 characters.

Abstract Page and Key words. The abstract serves as the summary, written in the past tense, one paragraph of no more than 250 words, and must be on a separate page, along with the key words. It should include the rationale for the study, objectives and topics covered, a brief description of methods, results, and conclusions.

List about six keywords in alphabetical order. List single words, compounds, or phrases that represent the content of your manuscript.

Introduction. This section should contain the rationale, brief literature review, hypothesis, and objective(s) of the paper.

Materials and Methods. This should include details of the methodology for replicability, adoption or adaptation of the procedures for future studies. You should use subheadings to separate different methodologies. Describe established methods, and cite a reference where readers can find more detail. Standard techniques can simply be cited, even if small modifications have been made.

Results and Discussion. Results presented should be consistent with the objectives of the study. Use subheadings to separate the results of the different experiments. The combination of Results and Discussion is permitted. The conclusion part should include the implications of major findings of the study. Recommendations can be included.

Acknowledgement. This section should indicate the source(s) of funds and institutions or individuals who helped in the study.

Ethical Considerations. This section specifies the ethical considerations taken to ensure that the research done follows ethical research standards. For studies with human subjects, clearance must have been sought from an institutional Research Ethics Committee. Authors should specify the protocol approval code in this section. For research using animals, protocol approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee must have been obtained; approval code must also be identified. Institutional Biosafety Committee approval can also be declared in this section. 

CRediT Authorship Statement. The roles of each named author must be declared in this section. Learn more here: https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/policies-and-guidelines/credit-author-statement

Declaration on Conflict of Interest. Any potential conflicts of interest must be declared. The role of the funder must also be specified here.

Declaration on Generative AI use. JARDET only accepts responsible and prudent use of generative AI in manuscript preparation and writing. If generative AI is used, the authors must declare its use in this section. The tool used must be identified (e.g., Google Gemini), as well as the purpose of use (e.g., improvement of spelling and grammar).

Data Availability Statement. In the spirit of research transparency, the authors are encouraged to have data generated from the research be available for public scrutiny. This can be done by lodging their datasets into an appropriate and accessible database (e.g., gene sequences should be deposited in NCBI GenBank). If datasets cannot be publicly released due to legal reasons, the authors must declare in this section.

References. List references in alphabetical order by main author’s last name. Give complete information. Ensure that it generally adheres to American Psychological Association (APA) reference style. Reference should be cited in the text by the last name of the author (both authors when only two; first author et al. when more than two) and year, for example (Taiz & Zeiger, 2006). Do not number literature cited. It is the author’s responsibility to maintain the consistency between the in-text citations and the end list of literature cited. Examples of the end literature citation are:

Book - Taiz, L. & Zeiger, E. (2006). Plant physiology (4th Ed). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates Inc.

Book Chapter - Giller, K.E., McDonagh, J.F. & Cadish G. (1994). Can biological nitrogen fixation sustain agriculture in the tropics? In J.K. Syers & D. L. Rimmer (Eds.). Soil science and sustainable land management in the tropics (pp. 173–191). Wallingford, UK: CAB International.

Editor - Balasubramanian, V., Ladha, J.K. & Denning, G.L. (Eds.) (1999). Resource management in rice: Nutrients. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Journal article - Cabasan, M.T.N., Kumar, A. & De Waele, D. (2018). Evaluation of resistance and tolerance of rice genotypes from crosses of Oryza glaberrima and O. sativa to the rice root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne graminicola. Tropical Plant Pathology, 43, 230–241.

Journal article from online database - Author. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, volume #, page #. DOI.

Online book (electronic text or part of a book) - Author. (Date of publication). Title of the book. <URL>.Database name or website.

Organization as author - Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Statistics [DA-BAS]. 2006. Crops Statistics of the Philippines 2001-2006. Diliman, Quezon City. 300 p.

Paper in proceeding - Virmani, S.S. (2001). Opportunities and challenges of developing and using hybrid rice technology in the tropics. In S.B. Peng & B. Hardy (Eds.). Rice research for food security and poverty alleviation (Proceedings of International Rice Conference). Manila: Philippines. p. 407.

Personal communication should not be included in the end list of literature cited but can be included in the text as - Santos, 2008 (personal communication) or (Santos, 2008; pers. comm.).

Thesis or Dissertation - Sastri, A.V.B. (2006). Effects of co-solvents on the transesterification reaction time and reduction of free glycerin content or methyl ester produced from coconut oil. [MS Thesis] College, Laguna, Philippines: University of the Philippines Los Baños.   

Web page - Author. (Update date). Title of the document. Title of complete work. <URL>. Date accessed.

Tables - Tables must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals according to the sequence mentioned in the manuscript. Acronyms or abbreviations should be spelled out or defined in a footnote. Appropriate quantities and units in SI (Systeme International), and other qualifications should be indicated within the table or footnote to make the table a “stand-alone” source of information. Do not incorporate tables in the text as this will be done by the Journal staff at a later stages of processing.

Figures - Figures must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals according to the sequence mentioned in the manuscript. Figures with captions should be placed on separate pages. Acronyms or abbreviations should be spelled out or defined in a figure caption. Submit graphs in Microsoft Excel files to facilitate formatting by the Journal staff at a later stage of processing. Submit images in separate files in jpeg or tiff with resolutions not less than 300 dpi.

Pagination and line numbers. Number all pages of the manuscript consecutively at the bottom right-hand corner of each page. In addition, provide continuous line numbers on the left side of the manuscript.

Numbers. Avoid starting a sentence with a number. Spell out numerals from one to nine, except when followed by standard units of measure, and indefinite and appropriate measure periods of time. Ordinal numbers should be treated as cardinal numbers (e.g. 8th, 18th). Exceptions are numbers in tables, figures, graphs, and those in parentheses.

Fractions. Spell out and hyphenate fractions (e.g. two-thirds). Exceptions are fractions in tables, figures, graphs, legends, and those in parentheses. 

Unit and Symbols. Use recommended SI units and symbols. Use exponents instead of a slash (e.g. kg ha-1). Use words when the unit of measure is not involved (e.g. grams per panicle). In the case of a range of values, indicate the unit at the end of the range (e.g. 10-15 t ha-1).

Avoid beginning a sentence with a symbol. Use the percent symbol (%) with figures only (e.g. 5%), spell it out (percent) with written numbers. Indicate the US$ equivalent of other currencies at the first mention in the text, or indicate in a footnote in a table or a figure, if applicable.

Abbreviations and Acronyms. Spell out abbreviations and acronyms the first time they are used in the text (e.g. ATP for Adenosine Triphosphate, HYV for High Yielding Varieties). Spell out abbreviations that are not generally known or specifically used in the paper at first mentioned in the text. Commonly used abbreviations (e.g. ANOVA, DMRT, IQ, LSD, SD etc.) need not be spelled out. For scientific names, shorten the generic name to the first letter followed by the species, the 2nd time they are used. Spell out units of measure with five or fewer letters (when singular) as year, month, etc., except when preceded by a numeral from measurement. Abbreviate minute (min.), second (s), hectare (ha), kilometer (km), and the rest, particularly for SI units. No period is needed at the end of each abbreviation, and do not add “s” to the plural form.

Submission

A manuscript can be submitted via the journal website https://jardet.usm.edu.ph/index.php/jardet or via email at [email protected]. Each manuscript is assigned a unique article ID upon receipt by the editorial staff.

Preliminary Review, Plagiarism Checks, and Generative AI Assessment

Upon receipt of the manuscript, the editors will assess the scientific merit of the article. This involves an assessment of the basic science of the research. Manuscripts of insufficient merit can be rejected by the editors at this stage.

Manuscripts are also subjected to Turnitin scans to determine the Similarity Index and potential inappropriate AI use. Manuscripts with a Similarty Index of more than 30% will be outright rejected due to the grounds of potential plagiarism. Manuscripts with undeclared generative AI use that obtain an AI score of more than 20% will also be rejected.

Refereeing and Production Process

• The authors submit their articles in the proper format via the editorial management system.
  • The submission must contain: the full manuscript written in the prescribed format, a cover letter, and supplementary materials (if necessary).
  • The Editor-in-Chief (EIC) or the Managing Editor (ME) evaluates the submission for Scientific Merit, Plagiarism (< 30% similarity index, including references), and AI (< 20% probability of AI generation unless declared).
  • The editors may outright reject or return the paper to the authors for revisions.
• The EIC assigns the submission to the appropriate Associate Editor (AE). The AE facilitates the peer review process: finds and corresponds with the reviewers. The AE will provide the preliminary decision based on the peer review results.
• The EIC confirms the decision regarding the submission based on the peer review results and revisions.
• Once accepted, the paper will undergo the pre-publication process: galley proof preparation, author confirmation, and editorial office final checks.

Proof and Reprints

Galley proofs are sent to the corresponding author along with the Copyright Form. It is the responsibility of authors to carefully read the proofs and return them to the Managing Editor within 72 hours of receipt. Authors should answer all questions from the technical editor. Corrected proofs are uploaded to the journal’s website and tagged as “article in press” until issue and page assignments are finalized by the editorial team.

Policy on Preprints

JARDET accepts submissions that were initially made publicly available through a preprint. The authors must declare in the Cover Letter that the manuscript was deposited as a preprint. The preprint server must be idenitied and the DOI must be declared.

Publication Ethics

Authors are expected to adhere to the code of conduct and best practice guidelines put forward by the Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org).