Instructions for Authors

1. Online Submission

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences (JRAFS) accepts only online submissions. Authors are required to register on the journal’s website before submitting a manuscript.

• To submit a new manuscript or check the status of a submission, the corresponding author must log in using their registered account.

• Incomplete submissions will be returned to the author for completion before review.

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2. Publication Fees

• JRAFS previously offered open access publication free of charge. To ensure the journal’s continued operation and high-quality services, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is now applied.

• All articles in JRAFS are published as full open access, allowing free availability to readers worldwide.

• To cover the costs of peer review, editing, typesetting, archiving, and online publication, an APC of 150 USD applies to manuscripts accepted after peer review.

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3. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors may use AI-assisted tools to support limited aspects of manuscript preparation, such as language improvement, background generation, or data visualization. However:

• Core research elements—including analysis, results, and conclusions—must be human-generated.

• Manuscripts containing more than 40% AI-generated content will be subject to scrutiny.

• Submissions in which AI-generated content exceeds 50% will be rejected.
  Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of all content, including any material generated using AI.

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4. Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate software. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized material will be rejected.

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5. Submission Requirements

Submission of a manuscript to JRAFS implies that:

1. The work has not been previously published.

2. The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.

3. All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

4. Necessary institutional or employer permissions have been obtained for publication.

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6. Types of Papers

JRAFS publishes the following categories of articles:

1. Original Research Articles

2. Review Articles

3. Short Communications

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7. Letters to the Editor

JRAFS welcomes Letters to the Editor that provide constructive commentary or critique of material published in the journal.

• Such letters foster academic dialogue and exchange of ideas between authors and readers.

• Letters may address published articles, offer alternative perspectives, or raise relevant scientific questions.

• All letters are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, who decides on their suitability for publication.

• Letters will be forwarded to the authors of the referenced article for an optional response.

• Authors submitting letters must include full contact information (name, postal address, telephone number, and email).

Letters to the Editor should be submitted as an email attachment to the Editor-in-Chief.

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8. Manuscript Structure and Content

General Format

• Manuscripts must be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-spaced throughout (including references).

• Continuous line numbering and page numbering should be used throughout the manuscript.

• Manuscripts must be written in English.

Title Page

The title page should include:
a. Title of the paper
b. Author names
c. Author affiliations (with superscript numbers linking authors to institutions)
d. Full postal address, telephone number, and email of the corresponding author (marked with an asterisk *)

Abstract and Keywords

• The abstract should be concise and clearly describe the objectives, methods, and main findings.

• The abstract should not exceed 350 words and should appear on a separate page following the title page.

• Provide up to five keywords in alphabetical order.

Structured Abstract (for Original Research Articles and Short Communications)

Use the following subheadings:

• Background

• Aim

• Methods

• Results

• Conclusion

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Section Organization

Introduction
Briefly present the research problem, objectives, and relevant background with appropriate citations. Avoid summarizing results or conclusions in this section.

Materials and Methods
Provide sufficient detail to allow replication of the study. Reference previously published methods and specify any modifications. Include manufacturers’ names and addresses for equipment and reagents. Use subheadings where necessary.

Results
Present findings clearly and concisely. Use tables and figures where appropriate. Avoid interpretation or discussion of data in this section.

Discussion
Interpret the results, compare them with previous findings, and discuss their implications. Conclude with a brief summary of the main findings.

Acknowledgments
List individuals, organizations, or funding bodies that contributed to the research.

Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their work.
If none exist, include the statement:

“The Author(s) declare that there is no conflict of interest.”

Authors’ Contributions
Clearly describe the contribution of each author to the work. Contributions will be published with the final article.

Funding
Specify all sources of financial support, including grant numbers. If there was no funding, state:

“This research received no specific grant.”

Data Availability
Provide a statement describing data accessibility. Examples include:

• “All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the manuscript.”

• “Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

• “Data are available from the authors with permission from [organization], subject to licensing restrictions.”

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9. Tables and Figures

• Tables should be numbered consecutively in the order cited in the text and placed at the end of the manuscript (each on a separate page).

• Provide a clear, descriptive title for each table. If a table continues onto the next page, repeat the title followed by “(cont.)”.

• Figures (graphs, charts, photographs, or illustrations) should be high-resolution and uploaded as separate files during submission.

• Figure legends should be listed at the end of the manuscript, providing enough detail for interpretation without referring to the text.

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10. Abbreviations and Units

Follow standard international conventions for abbreviations and units of measurement. Ensure all abbreviations are defined at first mention.

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11. References

In-Text Citations

Cite references using the author–year format.
Examples:

• Ahmed (2000); Wang et al. (2003); (Sparrow, 2010); (Skinner and Laidlaw, 2004).

• Multiple references: (Chege, 1998; Chukwura, 1987a,b; Tijani, 1993, 1995).

Reference List

• List references in alphabetical order at the end of the manuscript.

• Ensure all citations are accurate and complete.

• Use the following formats:

Journal Article:
Chin, J.C., Dai, Y., and Watts, J.E. (1995). Antibody response against Pseudomonas aeruginosa membrane proteins in experimentally infected sheep. Vet. Microbiol., 43, 21–32.

Book:
Durbin, R., Eddy, S.R., Krogh, A., and Mitchison, G. (1999). Biological Sequence Analysis: Probabilistic Models of Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Cambridge University Press.

Book Chapter:
Leach, J. (1993). Impacts of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on water quality and fish spawning reefs of Western Lake Erie. In Zebra Mussels: Biology, Impacts and Control, eds. T. Nalepa and D. Schloesser. Lewis Publishers, Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 381–397.

Conference Proceedings:
Stock, A. (2004). Signal Transduction in Bacteria. In Proceedings of the 2004 Markey Scholars Conference, pp. 80–89.

Thesis:
Strunk, J.L. (1991). The extraction of mercury from sediment and the geochemical partitioning of mercury in sediments from Lake Superior. M.S. thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Works accepted but not yet published should be cited as “in press.” Unpublished data and personal communications should be cited only in the text.

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12. Article Types and Structure

Original Research Article

1. Title Page

2. Structured Abstract (Background, Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusion; ≤350 words)

3. Keywords (3–5)

4. Introduction

5. Materials and Methods

6. Results

7. Discussion

8. Conclusion

9. Acknowledgments

10. Funding

11. Authors’ Contributions

12. Conflict of Interest

13. Data Availability

14. References

15. Tables and Figures

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Short Communication

1. Title Page

2. Structured Abstract (Background, Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusion; ≤350 words)

3. Keywords (3–5)

4. Introduction

5. Materials and Methods

6. Results and Discussion

7. Conclusion

8. Acknowledgments

9. Funding

10. Authors’ Contributions

11. Conflict of Interest

12. Data Availability

13. References

14. Tables and Figures

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Review Article

1. Title Page

2. Abstract (single paragraph, ≤350 words, no subheadings)

3. Keywords (3–5)

4. Introduction

5. Headings and Subheadings as appropriate

6. Conclusion

7. Acknowledgments

8. Funding

9. Authors’ Contributions

10. Conflict of Interest

11. Data Availability

12. References

13. Tables and Figures