Manuscript Preparation
Indian Journal of Forestry publishes original articles and special issues on thematic areas that have never been published in any form. Adhering to aim and scope of the journal, it is submitted that IJF only accepts articles that are nicely written, well organized and are strictly based on the scientific research conducted by the author's. To avoid plagiarism and inappropriate citations, all submissions including revisions will be subjected to a ‘plagiarism’ checking system by Cross Checking Software iThenticate.
Prospective author's should consult the specific guidelines or a recent issue of Indian Journal of Forestry so as to familiarize themselves to fit the style and need of the journal. IJF requires every author should provide a ‘Title Page’ and a ‘Main Document’ in separate documents during the submission of a manuscript.
1. Title Page
Title Page should include the title of the article, name of the author's, affiliation of the author's, email address of the author's, research interest or field of the author's and the complete contact information of the corresponding author. The first author's representative publications (at least three) are also suggested to be listed in the title page. Acknowledgements, Conflict of interest statement and Funding source should also be put in the title page.
2. Main Document
Main Document must include an abstract summarizing objective of the study, study design and key findings without exceeding 200 words and 5-7 keywords arranged in alphabetical order. The manuscript should include Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion and References. However, in case of ‘review article’, headings and sub-headings are left to author's discretion. The tables, figures (graphs, diagram and images) should be kept after ‘references’ section with appropriate legends. Please note that ‘NO’ display items are kept inside the text of main document. Tables, figures (graphs, diagram and images) and annexure or appendices should be provided after ‘references’ in numerical order. Properly labelled, one table/graph/figure/image should be kept per page..
3. Format for the submissions
Submissions should be provided in ‘Microsoft word’ using ‘Times New Roman’ font. Manuscript is required with single spacing and 12-point type in A4 papers. The article should be well organized and written in good and easily understood English with a definite theme and concise contents.
The pages should be numbered consecutively, starting with the abstract in the main document through the text, references, tables, figures (graphs, diagram and images) and lastly any Annexure or Appendices.
IJF expects author's to must pay attention to the do's and dont's (given below) before submitting an article.
(A) Title
Do's: Titles should be succinct, informative and precise. Possibly, it should covey the message of the entire manuscript in best possible manner. It should contain key words necessary for digital search and retrieval methods. Avoid vague declarations (e.g., "effects of ..."); strive for information content. The maximum length is 150 characters, including spaces.
Dont's: Do not include the authority for taxonomic names in the title or in the abstract, except in cases on homonyms or isonyms. The first letter of the first word in the title is capitalized and all other words, except for proper nouns, are lowercase.
(B) Abstract
Do's: Abstract must summarize objective of the study, study design, key findings, significance of the study and way forward without exceeding 200 words. The primary purpose of an abstract is to allow readers to determine quickly the content and results of a paper.
Dont's: Do not include literature citations in the Abstract. Avoid long lists of common methods or discursive explanations of what you set out to accomplish.
(C) Keywords
Do's: Keywords should include 5 to 7 keywords arranged in alphabetical order. Use ‘,’ to indicate separately. Each keyword should be useful as an entry point for a literature search. These should be chosen carefully, they should capture the most important aspects of your paper. These will be used to index your article on search engines such as Google Scholar etc. These keywords will help others find your article quickly and accurately. Think of them as the labels for your article. What’s more, a strong correlation exists between online hits and subsequent citations for journal articles
Dont's: Keywords should not be phrases of several words. It should not also include words from the title of the article.
(D) Body of the Article
Do's: Organize the article in sections labelled as Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion and References. Individual heading in case of ‘results’, ‘discussion’ and ‘conclusion’ should be provided. If the nature of the research article (for example, review article or forest news and opinion) requires a different organization, specify the level of each section heading (1st-order head, 2nd-order head, etc.) by using unique type styles (italics, boldface) consistently for each heading and sub-heading in the hierarchy. Tables, figures (graphs, diagram and images) and annexure or appendices should be provided after ‘references’ in numerical order. Properly labelled, one table/graph/figure/image should be kept per page. The metric system should be applied for all the measures. Symbols, abbreviations, superscripts, subscripts and ambiguous characters used in the text should be clearly defined/indicated.
A brief ‘Introduction’ describing the paper's significance should be intelligible to the general reader of the journal. The ‘Introduction’ should provide background and rationale including reason for doing the research, the nature of the questions or hypotheses under consideration, and key objectives.
Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient information to allow repetition of work. A clear description of study area or intensive site, experimental design, sampling procedures, and statistical procedures is especially important. The author should provide legal map along with latitude and longitude for the places in the Study Area.
Results generally should be stated concisely. Based on the findings of the study, it should be interpreted with similar studies conducted in recent past. Use of graphs, charts, figures is highly appreciated.
Discussion should explain the significance of the results. Distinguish results from data obtained from other sources. Distinguish factual results from speculation and interpretation. Avoid excessive review.
Conclusion should be drawn based on the findings of the study. Conservation implications and way forward is essentially important.
Dont's: Please note that the ‘Introduction’ section is not a place for a lengthy review of the topic. Do not describe common place or statistical tests in ‘Materials and Methods’ section but allude to them briefly in ‘Results’. Do not merge ‘results’ and ‘discussion’ together or discussion and conclusion together.
4. Figures and Plates
Figure, photo, or table that has been previously copyrighted can not be published in IJF; hence authors must adhere to the copyright ethics before the submission.
Figures Authors are encouraged to prepare figures (graph/photograph/chart/diagram) in colour thatshould be submitted in any of the formats viz., TIFF, JPEG and EPS (vector graphics).
Files should adhere to the following resolution requirements:
- 600 dpi for black and white or color line art (bar graphs, charts, etc.)
- 300 dpi for photographs
- 600 dpi for combination images (photographs that also contain line art, text, or thin lines)
General Appearance:
- Do not embed figures in the body of article. Number each figure consecutively. They should be cited “Figure 1” or “Figure 1-4” in sequential order. Label multipart figures with consecutive letters of the alphabet, using a lowercase letter (a, b, c, etc.). Place this letter in the upper left corner of the figure, outside the figure itself (not in the figure).
- Grayscale patterns do not reproduce as well as solid colors or lines. Avoid small dotted lines, thin lines, multiple levels of gray shading, and stippling. For bar graphs, use black, white, striped, hatched, or colored designs, but only if they are sufficiently widely spaced to appear distinct from one another.
- If no important information will be lost, consider placing fewer numbers on the axes to achieve an uncluttered look. Define abbreviations in the figure legend, not on the figure itself. Symbol keys and scale bars should appear on the figures, not in the figure legends. Make figures as simple as possible; avoid gridlines and boxes.
- A Scale should be in or on the illustration or photograph; reduction will automatically reduce the scale and subject proportionately.
- Maps generally should include longitude and latitude, an indication of compass direction, and a thin outer line as a border. Make lines on maps bold and distinct while eliminating information not pertinent to the subject.
Size and Proportion:
- Suggested figure sizes to fit the full page width, one and a half column width or one column width after reduction (18.5, 13.0, or 9 cm respectively) with caption (font size at 9 point) they may occupy the full page length (23.5 cm).
- The font size of the x- and y-axis numbers should be slightly smaller than the axis label. A consistent font (Helvetica is preferred) should be used throughout. Use boldface type only if required for journal style. Use sentence case (i.e., only capitalize the first word) for axis titles, labels, and legends.
- For symbols and lines, avoid very small sizes and line thicknesses (1 point width stroke or greater is preferable). All elements of a figure should appear with the same degree of intensity. If different degrees of intensity need to be conveyed, lines should differ by 1 point width for clarity.
5. Tables
Tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text. They should be numbered in the order of their citation in the text. Start each table on a separate page. Provide a short descriptive title at the top of each table; rather than simply repeating the labels on columns and rows of the table, the title should reveal the point of grouping certain data in the table. Statistical and other details should be provided as footnotes rather than appearing in the title. Never repeat the same material in figures and tables; when either is equally clear, a figure is preferable. Do not include any class of information in tables that is not discussed in the text of the manuscript.
Tables should be prepared using the Table option of Microsoft Word. All table columns should have an explanatory heading. Do not split lengthy tables into parts. Tables must have an appropriate heading and must bear consecutive numerals. They are cited “Table 1”, etc. Long tables including accessory materials are designed as an Appendix and run in paragraphs.
Equations: If you are using Word, please use either the Microsoft Equation Editor or the MathType add-on. Equations should be editable by the editorial office and not appear in a picture format
Author's contribution:
Present contribution of each author (as per author's order) in the article in brief.
6. Acknowledgements
It should be concise possibly less than 100 words acknowledging main contributors, editors, reviewers or agencies providing official permits/permission to conduct a study.
7. References
Avoid excessive and inappropriate self-citation or prearrangements among author groups to inappropriately cite each other’s work, as this can be considered a form of misconduct called citation manipulation; cite only essential sources. If you’re the author of a non-research article (e.g. a Review or Opinion) you should ensure the references you cite are relevant and provide a fair and balanced overview of the current state of research or scholarly work on the topic. Your references should not be unfairly biased towards a particular research group, organization or journal. Before submitting the manuscript, verify that all citations in the text are also in the reference list and vice-versa. The list should conform in sequencing and punctuation as per journal’s guidelines or recent issues of the journal. All journal titles should be spelled out completely. Provide the publisher’s name and location when you cite conference proceedings or other books.
The references are listed by the "author-publishing year" system (Harvard Style of referencing). When a reference is cited in the text, the author(s) name(s) should be given if there are one or two authors (Raman and Singh 2019). If there are more than two authors, et al. is added after the first author. The year of publication should be indicated after the author(s) name(s) (Raman et al. 2000). If a same author has more than one paper cited in one year, a, b, c … should be added after year of publication (Singh 2018a). When two or more references are cited in the same place in the text, ";" should be added between them (Raman et al. 2000; Singh 2018a).
References after the text (Reference list) should be a list of all the sources used in your paper, and arranged alphabetically by author's last name (family name), or when there is no author, by the first word of the title (except A, An or The). The author name should be written in the form of family name (written in full) first and then the initials (the capitalized first letter of the given name). The year of publication, the volume number of journals, the page range, the name of the publisher and the place of publication for each book cited should be provided in the references. All the items in reference should be shown as complete unabbreviated source citation except for author's name. For journal articles, DOI should be added at the end of each item of reference.
Please refer to the following examples for the reference.
Article in journal
Author, A.B. & Author, B.C. (2001) Title of article. Journal Title in Italics in Full, Volume (Issue no), 000–000.
Author, A.B. & Author, B.C. (2003) Title of article. Journal Title in Italics in Full, in press.
Article within conference proceedings or book
Author, A., Author, B., Author, C. et al. [if e.g. > 6] (2002) Title of article. In: A. B. Raman & C. D. Singh (eds), Conference or Book Title in Italics, pp. 000–000. Publisher, City.
Book or conference proceedings
Raman, A.B. & Singh,C.D.(eds) (2019) Conference or Book Title in Italics. Publisher, City. Book-Author, T. (1997) Book Title. Publisher, City.
DOIs (digital object identifiers)
Author, A.B. & Author, B.C. (2001) Title of article. Journal Title in Italics in Full, 00 (Suppl. 2), 000–000. doi:10.1000/j.1000-2000.2001.03000.x
Government departments
Use the Department as the author, and The Stationery Office (HMSO before mid-1997), London as the publisher. Department of Health (1993) Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond. HMSO, London.
Institutions cited as authors
Institutions cited as authors should be given in abbreviated form where referred to in the text (e.g. WII 1989) and in abbreviated form (for the authors) and in full (for the publisher) in the reference list: WII (1989) Wildlife Handbook. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
Newspapers
Singh, D. and Negi, A. Prime minister Emphasis for conservation of Wetlands. Times of India, 31 August 2019, p.3.
Thesis
Author, J. (2002) Title of thesis. PhD Thesis, University, City.
URLs
Full reference details must be given along with the URL, i.e. authorship, year, title of document/report and URL. If this information is not available, the reference should be removed and only the web address cited in the text. FAO (2017). Global food prices decline in March as sugar and vegetable oils slide.http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/878800/icode(Accessed on 7 April 2017)
Unpublished references
Unpublished references should only appear in the list if they are ‘in press’. Otherwise, they should be cited in the text only, and should give the authors’ names and (unless one of the authors is also an author of the present article) their main institution and city to enable the reader to trace them (do not give the article title or other details).Use e.g.‘unpublished results’, ‘manuscript in preparation’ (in prep.),‘personal communication’ (pers.comm.) or ‘personal observations’(pers. obs.) depending on the context (e.g. authors of the present article can’t make a personal communication with themselves!) and the journal style. ...was also found to be effective (S. Negi, Delhi University, Delhi, unpublished results).
Manuscript Submission Requirements
Authors should kindly note that submission implies that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere except as a brief abstract in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or symposium.
The online submission process of the journal is under preparation and is expected to be available soon; presently the submission can be emailed directly to indianjournalofforestry@gmail.com with a cover letter to Editor-in-Chief, Indian Journal of Forestry.
Cover Letter
A cover letter explaining significance of the article and how it fits to the scope of journal. It should confirm that neither the manuscript nor any parts of its content are currently under consideration or published in another journal. The names of potential reviewers should be provided separately and not in the cover letter.
Key points to include in the cover letter:
- Editor’s name
- Your manuscript’s title
- Name of the journal you are submitting to
- Statement that your paper has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration by another journal
- Brief description of the research you are reporting in your paper, why it is important, and why you think the readers of the journal would be interested in it
- Contact information for you and any co-authors
- Confirmation that you have no competing interests to disclose
Things to avoid in the cover letter:
- Don’t copy your abstract into your cover letter, instead explain in your own words the significance of the work, the problem that is being addressed, and why the manuscript belongs in the journal
- Don’t use too much jargon or too many acronyms, keep language straightforward and easy to read
- Avoid too much detail – keep your cover letter to a maximum of one page, as an introduction and brief overview
- Avoid any spelling and grammar errors and ensure your letter is thoroughly proofed before submitting.
By submitting a contribution for publication, authors tacitly agree to (1) not submit in parallel the same manuscript to another journal, and (2) to assign the copyright to the publishers of Indian Journal of Forestry (such assignment taking effect as soon as the author receives written confirmation of acceptance of the manuscript). Rejected manuscripts will be discarded, except for original art-work and photographs, which will be returned to the authors.
Reviewer Suggestions
Indian Journal of Forestry takes double-blinded Peer-Review policy. Only manuscripts of high relevance and suitability will enter into the peer review process, which will be conducted by at least two known experts in the field, and will aim to ensure that all published manuscripts provide new scientific knowledge. During the submission process, please suggest three potential reviewers with the appropriate expertise or research fields to review the manuscript. The editors will not necessarily approach these referees. Please provide detailed contact information (address, homepage, phone, e-mail address). The proposed referees should neither be current collaborators of the co-authors nor have published with any of the co-authors of the manuscript within the last few years. Proposed reviewers should be from different institutions to the authors. The author's may identify appropriate subject editors of the journal as potential reviewers or may suggest reviewers from among the authors that have been frequently cited in the paper.
Disclosure of Potential Conflict of Interests
A conflict of interest can occur when you (or your employer or sponsor) have a financial, commercial, legal, or professional relationship with other organizations, or with the people working with them, that could influence your research. Full disclosure of any competing interests is required when you submit your paper.
Authors must disclose all relationships or interests that could influence or bias the work. Examples of potential conflicts of interests that influence or bias the work may include Research grants from funding agencies, Honoraria for speaking at symposia, Financial support for educational programs , Employment or consultation , Position on advisory board or board of directors or other type of management relationships , Multiple affiliations and Intellectual property rights (e.g. patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights).
Funding: Name of funding agency (if any) need to be mentioned along with grant number.
Conflict of Interest: If there are no competing interests to declare, the author should include a statement to the article to confirm that there are no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report.
Ethical Guidelines for Authors
Indian Journal of Forestry is committed to upholding the integrity of the scientific record. Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results which could damage the trust of the journal and ultimately the entire scientific endeavor. Therefore, before submitting an article for publication consideration, the authors must ensure and declare the following things-
1. The manuscript has not been submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
2. The manuscript has not been published previously (partly or in full), unless the new work concerns an expansion of previous work (please provide transparency on the re-use of material to avoid the hint of text-recycling ("self-plagiarism")).
3. A single study is not split up into several parts to increase the quantity of submissions and submitted to various journals or to one journal over time (e.g. "salami-publishing").
4. No data have been fabricated or manipulated (including images) to support your conclusions.
5. No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the authors own ("plagiarism"). Proper acknowledgements to other works must be given (this includes material that is closely copied (near verbatim), summarized and/or paraphrased), quotation marks are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions are secured for material that is copyrighted.
6. Consent to submit has been received from all co-authors and responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out before the work is submitted.
7. Authors whose names appear on the submission have contributed sufficiently to the scientific work and therefore share collective responsibility and accountability for the results.
8. Changes of authorship or in the order of authors are not accepted after acceptance of a manuscript.
9. Requests to add or delete authors at revision stage or after submission is a serious matter, and can only be considered after receipt of written approval from all authors and a detailed explanation about the role/deletion of the new/deleted author (s). The decision on accepting the change rests with the Editor-in-Chief of the journal.
10. Upon request authors should be prepared to send relevant documentation or data in order to verify the validity of the results. This could be in the form of raw data, samples, records, etc.
11. Once an authorship dispute arises before publication, the process should be halted until the dispute is resolved.
If there is a suspicion of misconduct, the journal will carry out an investigation. If, after investigation, the allegation seems to raise valid concerns, the accused author will be contacted and given an opportunity to address the issue. If misconduct has been proven, this may result in the Editor-in-Chief's implementation of the following measures, including, but not limited to:
- If the article is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
- If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction, either an erratum will be placed with the article or in severe cases complete retraction of the article will occur. The reason must be given in the published erratum or retraction note.
- The author's institution may be informed.