Author Guidelines
Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (JARTS) Diamond Open Access – No publication fees
1. Scope of the Journal
JARTS publishes original research articles and short communications on agriculture and rural development in the tropics and subtropics.
Core areas include:
- Plant production and crop science
- Animal nutrition, animal sciences, and animal health
- Soil science and land management
- Rural economy, farm management, and agricultural policy
- Agroforestry, forestry and forest economics
The journal also welcomes interdisciplinary work related to One Health, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and resilient food systems.
Manuscripts must clearly demonstrate relevance to tropical or subtropical contexts.
2. Submission Requirements
2.1 Cover Letter / Comments for the Editor
During submission, authors must briefly explain:
- how the manuscript fits the journal’s scope
- why the study is relevant
- any special considerations (e.g., field permits, ethics approval)
Authors should also suggest four potential reviewers (with institutional email addresses) who:
- are not from the authors’ institutions
- have not collaborated with the authors within the past three years
- are qualified in the subject area
The Editor-in-Chief may or may not use these suggestions.
3. Publication Ethics
3.1 Originality
By submitting, authors confirm that the manuscript:
- is original
- has not been published elsewhere
- is not under consideration elsewhere
- has been approved by all authors
JARTS screens submissions for plagiarism.
3.2 Ethics Statement
If the study involves animals, humans, or sensitive fieldwork, authors must include an ethics statement confirming:
- approval by the appropriate ethics committee, or
- compliance with institutional, national, or international guidelines,
- if applicable, the ethics statement must be included in the manuscript text, typically at the end of the Materials and Methods section
3.3 Authorship Criteria
All listed authors must have:
- contributed substantially to the research
- participated in drafting or revising the manuscript
- approved the final version
- agreed to be accountable for the work
3.4 AI Use
Authors may use AI tools only for language polishing. They must disclose this in the manuscript (e.g., in Acknowledgements). AI tools must not generate data, results, analyses, or interpretations.
4. Language
Manuscripts must be written in clear British English. Professional editing is recommended but not required. Manuscripts may be returned if the language prevents scientific evaluation.
5. Scientific Writing Style
Manuscripts should be written in clear, precise, and accessible scientific English. Authors should:
- use British English spelling
- write concisely and avoid unnecessary jargon
- use internationally accepted SI units
- spell out numbers one through nine, except when used with units
- use a full stop for decimals (e.g., 3.14)
- define all abbreviations at first use in the text, and again in tables and figures
- italicize genus and species names at first mention
- ensure that tables and figures are understandable without referring back to the main text
Authors are encouraged to follow general principles of good scientific writing: logical structure, clarity of argument, and consistency in terminology. The use of AI-based language tools must comply with the journal’s policy outlined in Section 3.4.
6. Manuscript Types and Length
6.1 Original Research Articles
- Maximum 8000 words (including all parts of the manuscript apart from online Supplementary Material)
- Up to 10 visual elements (tables and figures combined)
- Include only essential tables and figures
6.2 Short Communications
Short communications report concise research findings of high relevance to tropical and subtropical agriculture.
- 3000–4000 words (including all parts apart from online Supplementary Material)
- Up to 3 visual elements (tables and figures combined)
- Agronomic studies based on one year of field experimentation are normally considered suitable as short communications
- Follow the same structure as full articles
7. Manuscript Structure
Title Page
Include:
- Title
- Full author names and affiliations
- Email addresses
- Corresponding author’s full contact details
- Word count
- Number of tables and figures
Abstract (max. 250 words)
A single unstructured paragraph summarizing:
- objectives
- methods
- key results
- conclusions
Keywords
Up to eight, alphabetical order, not repeating title words.
Introduction
Briefly state:
- background
- aims
- hypotheses
- relevance
Materials and Methods
Provide sufficient detail for reproducibility.
Results
Use tables and figures where appropriate.
Discussion
Interpret results, relate to previous work, and conclude with key implications. A separate Conclusions section is optional; key conclusions may be included at the end of the Discussion.
Acknowledgements
Keep concise.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any potential conflicts.
References
Follow APA 7th edition.
8. Formatting Requirements
- Submit manuscripts in Word (doc, docx, rtf) or OpenDocument (odf)
- Use Arial 11 pt, double spacing, 2 cm margins
- Number pages consecutively and include continuous line numbering throughout the manuscript
- Use italics for emphasis; avoid underlining
- Do not use automatic hyphenation
9. Tables and Figures
9.1 Placement
Tables and figures must be embedded in the manuscript at appropriate positions. Supplementary figures and tables may be provided as online-only material.
9.2 Tables
- Use simple text with tabs (no images)
- Number consecutively (Table 1, Table 2…)
- Keep captions under 120 words
9.3 Figures
- Prefer black & white or greyscale
- Colour figures are published free of charge in the online version. Colour reproduction in the printed version is subject to a fee of €50 per printed page and requires explicit author approval.
- Captions max. 120 words
10. References (APA 7th Edition)
Authors should include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for all references where available.
Examples:
Journal article: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx
Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.
Chapter: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In B. B. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.
Web resource: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. URL
11. Data Availability
Authors may include a data availability statement if relevant (e.g., repository links, data available upon request, or a statement that no datasets were generated).
12. Preprint Policy
JARTS accepts submissions previously posted on recognized preprint servers. Authors must disclose the preprint DOI during submission.
13. Submission and Review Process
- Submissions are made online at www.jarts.info
- All manuscripts undergo double‑blind peer review by at least two experts
- Most manuscripts require one or more revision rounds
- Authors must respond to reviewer comments point‑by‑point
- Revised manuscripts should be resubmitted within the specified timeframe
14. Open Access Policy
JARTS is a diamond open access journal:
- No submission fees
- No publication fees
Articles are published under
CC BY 4.0
