Guidelines for Research Manuscripts

Guidelines for Research Manuscripts

Trees for Life Journal is a forum for a wide range of people to share their knowledge and experiences related to beneficial trees and plants. We will consider articles and manuscripts of any length, and on any relevant topic.

The writing should be concise and accessible to a broad spectrum of readers. Please avoid technical jargon so that the article is understandable for readers who are not specialists or whose native language is not English. Authors are encouraged to use their own voice, while also striving to make their writing easily understood.

While we accept and even encourage people around the world to submit writings, at this time we can only accept articles in English. If your native language is not English and you would like to submit an article, please seek a source for translation of your article, and contact us for more information.

Manuscript structure

The Trees for Life Journal does not impose strict requirements for the structure of manuscripts. However, we suggest use of the following sections as a way to organize information: title, authors, affiliations, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references, acknowledgments, and legends for illustrations. Use of these sections will help keep articles consistent and make it easier for readers to find specific information within an article. We realize this structure may not be best for all articles, so feel free to adapt it as necessary.

Title

The title should clearly state the subject of the study, and also be brief and concise. If the study was controlled, randomized or double-blind, include that in the title.

Authors and Affiliations

Provide the names and affiliations of everyone who helped write the article. Include relevant information like titles, workplace or organization, city, state/province and country. If there is more than one author, please indicate one as the "corresponding author."

Abstract

An abstract is a brief overview of the article. It mentions the techniques used in the study, but does not go into detail about them. It should summarize the background of the study, the methodology used, the main results, and the conclusions and significance of the study.

Introduction

The introduction should provide a background for the study and how it fits into a larger context. Keep in mind that it should be understandable for people who are not familiar with the subject area. Also, state the overall aim of your experiments, and whether or not that aim was accomplished.

Methods

Describe the methodology used for your study. Give enough detail so that someone else could reproduce your study and your findings. Include a description of how you went about selecting subjects for your study.

Results

In the results section, give all of the findings of the study-both positive and negative. If you include statistical data as part of the results, use graphs where possible instead of tables of figures, as they are more easily understood by the general reader.

Discussion

In the discussion section, summarize the major conclusions of the study. Then share your thoughts about the significance of these conclusions. Include any ideas for future studies that could be done to build on these conclusions. Also include a statement about the limitations of the study.

References

If you have referred to other published works in your article, include a list of references. List and number the references in the order that they appear in the article. Within the text of the article, references should be cited by giving the reference number in parentheses.

Please organize your references according to the following example:

Barminas JT, M Charles, et al. (1998) Mineral composition of non-conventional leafy vegetables. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition Dordrecht 53(1): 29-36.

Articles available online may include the URL:

Jahn SA, HA Musnad and H Burgstaller (1986) Tree that purifies water: Cultivating multipurpose Moringaceae in the Sudan. Unasylva 38(152): 23-28. http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/r7750e/r7750e04.htm.

For further examples, see the references in these articles already published in the Trees for Life Journal:

http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/2007042416194363

http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20070118144425695

Note: Because Trees for Life Journal is intended for lay people as well as scientists, please give the full titles of journals, rather than abbreviated titles as are often used in other publications.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledge any people who made significant contributions to the study but are not authors. Also give information about sources of funding and their involvement in the study.

Legends for Illustrations

For every illustration (figure, photograph, etc.) included with your article, provide a written legend which briefly explains the illustration. Be sure to number the legends and illustrations, or otherwise make clear which legend goes with which illustration.


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