- For authors
- ISSN 2638-4469
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Instructions for Authors
How to prepare and submit a manuscript to the Journal of Advances in Plant Biology: submission routes, article types, manuscript structure, plant-specific reporting, ethics statements and fees.
Submission routes
- Submission routes
- Article types
- Preparing the manuscript
- Plant-specific reporting
- Reporting guidelines
- References, tables and figures
- Ethics and declarations
- Peer review and decisions
- Fees
- Final checklist
Primary route
ManuscriptZone. The publisher’s online submission and review system. Register or sign in, choose the Journal of Advances in Plant Biology and upload the manuscript files.
Alternative route
Simple manuscript submission form. A single-page form that opens with the Journal of Advances in Plant Biology selected.
Assisted route: editorial email
info@openaccesspub.org. For authors who are unable to use either online route. Send the manuscript files with a cover letter to the editorial office.
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
Article types
JAPB publishes the article types below. Requirements depend on the format: hypotheses, replication, statistics, accession numbers, data deposition and a Materials and Methods structure apply where the article type and design call for them. The scope of each type is set out in the Aims and Scope.
- Original Research
- Review
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Methods or Protocol
- Short Communication
- Data Note
- Commentary or Perspective
- Letter
Original Research
Full-length reports of experimental, field, observational or computational studies that advance understanding of plants.
- Abstract
- Structured: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions.
- Main text
- Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. State the research question and, where applicable, the hypotheses, experimental design and replication.
- Reporting
- ARRIVE for animal work, MIAPPE for plant phenotyping, MIQE for quantitative PCR, and the minimum-information standard for the omics data type, where applicable.
Review
Critical, balanced syntheses of current knowledge on a defined topic, identifying gaps and future directions.
- Abstract
- Unstructured.
- Main text
- Introduction; main text with descriptive headings; future directions; conclusions. State how the literature was identified and selected.
- Reporting
- Cite the primary literature; a review is critical and balanced rather than a list of studies.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Protocol-driven syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without quantitative integration.
- Abstract
- Structured.
- Main text
- Introduction; Methods (eligibility criteria, information sources and the full search strategy, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and synthesis); Results with a flow diagram; Discussion. Give the protocol registration where applicable.
- Reporting
- PRISMA 2020; PRISMA-ScR for scoping reviews.
Methods or Protocol
New or optimized experimental, analytical or field methods, and protocols for planned studies, described so that others can reproduce them.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- For a new or optimized method: introduction; materials and reagents; step-by-step procedure; expected results; troubleshooting; limitations; and validation against an existing approach where one exists. For a protocol of a planned study: background and rationale; objectives; study design; planned materials, methods, sample size and analysis; ethics approval and registration where applicable. A protocol reports the planned work; its results and any validation follow in a later article.
- Reporting
- A method is described so that others can reproduce it, with code and supporting data deposited. A protocol follows SPIRIT or PRISMA-P where applicable and states where its data will be deposited.
Short Communication
Concise reports of a focused or preliminary finding that merits prompt scholarly attention.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- A focused finding reported with Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion in short form.
- Reporting
- The guideline for the design, where applicable.
Data Note
Descriptions of well-curated, reusable datasets, their collection, quality and access.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- Background and rationale; data collection methods; description of the dataset (variables, format, coverage); quality control; data access with the repository, persistent identifier and license; limitations for reuse.
- Reporting
- Deposit the dataset in a recognized repository before submission.
Commentary or Perspective
Evidence-based argument on a current question in plant biology or on published research.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- Free structure with descriptive headings; claims supported by cited evidence and conclusions proportionate to it. Methods and Results sections are not required.
- Reporting
- Reference the evidence for each claim.
Letter
Brief responses to articles published in JAPB, or short observations of relevance to plant biology.
- Abstract
- None.
- Main text
- Short text without section headings and with a small number of references. A letter about a published article cites it in full, and its authors may be invited to reply.
- Reporting
- Reference the article or evidence discussed.
Length. There are no fixed length limits for any article type; manuscripts should be concise and proportionate to their content.
Choosing a type. Where a manuscript sits between types, choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter; the editors confirm the classification. A protocol for a planned study is classified as Methods or Protocol, and a scoping review as a Review.
Preparing the manuscript
The files, title page, keywords, declarations, cover letter and language apply to every article type; the abstract and statistics apply as set for the article type and its content. The structure of the main text follows the guidance for the type above.
Files
The main text as an editable word-processing file (for example, Microsoft Word), with figures, tables that cannot be edited in the text, and supplementary material supplied as separate files.
Title page
A concise, informative title; full names, affiliations and ORCID iDs (recommended) of all authors; and the corresponding author’s contact details.
Double-blind review
For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Abstract
As set for the article type. Structured abstracts use the headings Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions, and name the plant species studied.
Keywords
A short list of specific, searchable terms, including the species studied (Latin binomials), techniques and biological processes.
Statistics
Where an article reports quantitative data or analyses, describe the statistical methods in enough detail for replication; distinguish biological from technical replicates; and report effect estimates with confidence intervals, exact p-values where tests are used, and the software and version. A protocol describes its planned analysis.
Declarations
Author contributions (CRediT), funding, conflicts of interest, ethics approval, permits and consent where applicable, data availability and any use of AI tools.
Cover letter
States the article type and the relevance of the work to plant biology, confirms that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere, and notes any preprint and any request for double-blind review.
Language
Clear English, with abbreviations defined at first use.
Plant-specific reporting
These items apply to articles that report new experimental, field or laboratory work with plant material, as far as they are relevant to the design. A protocol gives the planned material, conditions and replication. Reviews, commentaries, perspectives and letters cite the sources of the data they discuss.
- Species and material
- Identify plants with accepted scientific names (Latin binomials) at first mention, with cultivar, accession or germplasm source, and say where seed or plant material can be obtained.
- Growth conditions
- Describe light, temperature, photoperiod, growth medium and, for field work, site, season and management.
- Replication
- Report biological replicates (independent experiments) separately from technical replicates, and justify the sample size.
- Nomenclature
- Follow the nomenclature conventions of the species or community for gene and protein names, and cite the genome or database release used.
- Sequences and omics data
- Where new sequence or omics data are reported, deposit nucleotide sequences in an INSDC database (GenBank, ENA or DDBJ), expression data in GEO or ArrayExpress, proteomics data in PRIDE and metabolomics data in MetaboLights, and give accession numbers in the article.
- Permits and biosafety
- Give collection or access permits, Nagoya Protocol and CITES compliance where applicable, and biosafety approval for genetically modified organisms and field trials.
- Vouchers and germplasm
- Deposit voucher specimens in a recognized herbarium and seed stocks in a recognized germplasm collection where practicable, and give the accession numbers.
Reporting guidelines
Report the study following the guideline that matches its design and upload the completed checklist as a supplementary file where one applies. The guidelines are available from the EQUATOR Network.
| Study design | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Randomized or controlled field and glasshouse experiments | Describe randomization, blocking and replication in the Methods |
| Plant phenotyping experiments | MIAPPE |
| Quantitative PCR | MIQE |
| Sequencing and expression data | MINSEQE or the standard for the data type |
| Systematic reviews and meta-analyses | PRISMA 2020 |
| Scoping reviews | PRISMA-ScR |
| Review and trial protocols | PRISMA-P; SPIRIT |
| Animal research | ARRIVE 2.0 |
| Human studies, including ethnobotanical surveys | STROBE or COREQ, as the design requires |
References, tables and figures
- Reference style
- Numbered or author-year, consistently, in the style of the examples below. Give a DOI or stable URL where one exists. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references.
- Tables
- Numbered consecutively, each with a descriptive title; abbreviations and symbols explained in a footnote.
- Figures
- At least 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line art, in TIFF, EPS, PNG or high-quality JPEG, with a caption for each figure. Microscopy images carry scale bars and plant images identify the stage, tissue and treatment. Original uncropped gel and blot images are supplied as supplementary files.
- Supplementary files
- Numbered (for example, Supplementary Table S1), cited in the text and listed with short titles at the end of the manuscript. They are published as supplied, so they must be final.
- Reused material
- Written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce or adapt published figures, tables or text, unless the material is already available under a license that permits reuse; the source is cited in the legend.
Reference examples
- Journal article
- Author AA, Author BB, Author CC (Year) Title of the article. Journal Name. Volume(Issue):pages. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
- Book
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
- Report or webpage
- Organization Name (Year) Title of the report or page. URL (accessed Month Day, Year)
- Dataset
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the dataset. Version. Repository Name. DOI or accession number
- Preprint
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the preprint. Preprint Server Name [Preprint]. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
- Trial registration
- Sponsor or Principal Investigator (Year) Title of the trial. Registry Name. Registration number. Registered Month Day, Year. URL
Ethics and declarations
Each manuscript includes the statements below that apply to it. The full policies are set out in the Editorial Policies.
- Human participants
- The name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval reference number, and confirmation of informed consent, or a documented waiver, where applicable.
- Clinical trials
- Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Animal research
- Approval from the animal ethics committee with its reference number, compliance with animal-welfare regulations and the 3Rs, and reporting in line with the ARRIVE guidelines.
- Plants, permits and biosafety
- Collection and access permits, Nagoya Protocol and CITES compliance where applicable, and biosafety approval, with reference numbers, for genetically modified organisms and field trials.
- Conflicts of interest and funding
- All financial and non-financial interests of every author, including commercial interests and patent applications, each source of funding and the role of the funder.
- Data availability
- Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement. It explains where the data can be found or the conditions for access. For a protocol, the statement gives where the data will be deposited; reviews, commentaries, perspectives and letters that report no new data need no statement.
- Use of AI tools
- Any use of AI tools in writing, analysis or figure preparation, with the tool named and its use described. AI tools are not listed as authors.
Peer review and decisions
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening, including a similarity check with Crossref Similarity Check. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request.
Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Revised manuscripts are accompanied by a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments. After acceptance, authors check the proofs, and the article is published open access under CC BY 4.0 with a Crossref DOI.
Fees
USD 1,200 to USD 1,800
The article processing charge is USD 1,800 for Original Research, Review, and Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; USD 1,200 for Methods or Protocol, Short Communication, and Data Note; and USD 1,440 for Commentary or Perspective, and Letter. It is payable only after acceptance; withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal’s withdrawal policy.
No charge is made at submission. Fee-relief inquiries are considered case by case; contact the editorial office before or at submission. Full details are on the Article Processing Charges page.
Final checklist
A fuller checklist and the submission routes are on the Submit Manuscript page.
- The manuscript addresses a question in plant biology and uses one of the article types above.
- The title page, abstract, keywords and main text follow the guidance for the article type.
- Where plant material is studied, it is identified by scientific name, with accession or source, and permits and biosafety approvals are reported where applicable.
- For double-blind review, the reviewer manuscript is anonymized and identifying information is in the title-page file.
- Accession numbers are given for any new sequence or other omics data, and the data-availability statement is included where the article type requires it.
- The completed reporting checklist is attached where applicable.
- Declarations cover contributions, funding, conflicts of interest, data availability and AI use.
- Figures, tables and supplementary files are cited in the text, and permissions are in place for reused material.
- A cover letter accompanies the submission, which is made through one route only.
Author inquiries
Questions about preparing or submitting a manuscript can be sent to the editorial office.
- info@openaccesspub.org
- Publisher
- Open Access Pub, openaccesspub.org
- Policies
- Editorial Policies