PREPARING SUBMISSIONS
Communications in Plant Sciences publishes research articles, review articles, and letters in plant sciences and related fields.
English is the mandatory language for publication with this journal. Manuscripts can be submitted in Portuguese, but authors must supply the final English version.
The following files are required for new submissions:
a) Cover Letter
b) Full Manuscript
Cover Letter
A brief letter to the editorial board is required in MS-Word.
Authors must (i) indicate the importance of the work, (ii) state the manuscript reports an original work and it is not sent for publication to another journal, and (iii) declare any conflict of interest.
Authors also should supply infomation on at least two potential reviewers. Full name, Institution, and e-mail are needed.
*** You can download a Sample Cover Letter.
Full Manuscript
The manuscript is required in MS-Word.
Pages and lines should be numbered sequentially.
The international measurement system should be used by authors.
Further specific guidelines are described below.
PREPARING MANUSCRIPTS
Full Manuscript Structure
The manuscript file must contain the items described below, according to the type of paper.
Research Articles
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Abstract
(3) Highlighted Conclusion(s)
(4) Keywords
(5) Main Text divided into Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, and Discussion (Results and Discussion can be joined in a single section)
(6) Acknowledgements (optional)
(7) References
(8) Graphical Elements (tables and figures)
(9) Supplementary Material (optional)
Review Articles
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Abstract
(3) Highlighted Conclusion(s)
(4) Keywords
(5) Main Text (free of formatation)
(6) Acknowledgements (optional)
(7) References
(8) Graphical Elements (optional)
(9) Supplementary Material (optional)
Letters
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Main Text (free of formatation)
(3) Acknowledgements (optional)
(4) References (if so)
(5) Graphical Elements (optional)
Full Manuscript Content
General Information
Authors must include (i) the full title of the manuscript, (ii) the full name of the author(s), (iii) the respective information on author’s institution (Institution, City, Province, Country), and (iv) the e-mail of the author for correspondence.
Abstract
Authors should include information to draw attention of readers to get and read the full text (no preformatted structure is defined). Journal suggests to include a brief background, the central objective and the main methods and results giving the basis for the highlighted conclusion. It must be in a short paragraph.
Highlighted Conclusion(s)
Authors must supply numbered short highlighted conclusion(s). It is mandatory for research and review articles.
Keywords
Authors must include three up to six indexing terms, preferring words not included in the title of the manuscript.
Main Text
Authors must be logical, objective, and concise. Subdivisions can be included, except in the Introduction.
Acknowledgements
Authors should include just indispensable information. In addition, information on the funding sources may be included.
References
They must be placed in alphabetical order according to the first author and the chronological date sequence as follow:
– Articles in journals
Bianco S et al. 2011. Determination of alfalfa leaf area by non-destructive method. Communications in Plant Sciences 1: 17-20. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.26814/cps201117.
– Books and book chapters (cite only if it is of high-relevance)
Brown HY et al. 2000. Weeds. Staut: Jaboticabal.
Dock SG and Team JJ. 2000. The model of weedness. In: Brown HY et al. (Eds). Weeds. Staut: Jaboticabal. pp. 1-56.
– General internet information (cite only if published by official organizations)
USDA – United States Department of Agriculture. 2017. Food safety. Available at https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-safety/. Accessed on Oct. 26, 2017.
– Thesis (cite only if available on the internet and if was no more than two years)
Reibold RH. 2015. Precipitation and the interaction of seedhead biological control insects for spotted knapweed in the Rocky Mountain Front Range. Thesis, University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Availabble at: http://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/977/. Accessed on Jun. 16, 2016.
– Meeting abstracts (cite only if available on the internet and if was no more than two years)
Albert MS. 2005. The aging brain: predictors of optimal function. In: Annual Neuroscience Meeting. Society of Neuroscience: Washington. Available at https://www.sfn.org/Annual-Meeting/Past-and-Future-Annual-Meetings/Abstract-Archive/Abstract-Archive-Detail. Accessed on Oct. 26, 2006.
*** For all references, DOI or URL should be included, if available.
Graphical Elements
– Tables and Figures must be clear, objective and of good quality.
– Tables and Figures should not exceed 18 cm.
– Tables and Figures must be inserted after being cited in the text.
– Figures should be digitalized at 300 dpi and recorded in jpg or png.
– Colored figures may be published.
Supplementary Material
Additional data, figures, tables, and other material may be supplied for a better understanding of the research, however they must not be essential in the full article.
Complementary information
Citations (of references) in the text
The citations in the text must be included as follow:
– Dock (2000) or (Dock 2000), for one author.
– Dock and Team (2000) or (Dock and Team 2000), for two authors.
– Dock et al. (2000) or (Dock et al. 2000), for three or more authors.
Page limits
– Research Articles and Review Articles have no page limits, but the journal encourages the publication of manuscripts containing up to 220 writing lines (up to four edited pages), not including abstract, graphical elements, and references.
– Letters should have up to 100 writing lines (up to two edited pages), not including abstract, graphical elements, and references.
SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS
Manuscripts should be submitted using the Manuscript Management System with Open Journal Systems.
5-STEP SUBMISSION USING OJS
Step 1 – START
In the first step, authors must:
– Choose the journal section (type of article).
– Fill the submission checklist.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 2 – UPLOAD SUBMISSION
In the second step, authors must:
– Select the Full Manuscript file in their computer and click on Upload button.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 3 – ENTER METADATA
In the third step, authors must include the submission metadata:
– Author information (name, email, and affiliation, at least) (coauthors should be included by clicking on Add Author).
– Title of manuscript.
– Abstract.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 4 – UPLOADING SUPPLEMENTARY FILES
In the forth step, authors must:
– Select the Cover Letter file in their computer and click on Upload button.
In the Step 4a, just fill the Title as Cover Letter.
Click on Save and continue.
Click on Save and continue, again.
Step 5 – CONFIRMATION
This step just confirms the submission was completed, by clicking on Finish Submission.
Optionally, authors can make the submission without registration (out of OJS) by filling the alternative Submission Form.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
General Information
– Communications in Plant Sciences uses a single-blind review process.
– Editorial decision is reached with suggestions of at least two reviewers.
– All manuscripts must reflect an original work (not a case of plagiarism).
– English writing must be understandable.
– Research articles must be well-conducted, the background must justify the objective, the methodology must allow reaching the objective, the results must be adequately discussed and the results must support the conclusion.
– Review articles must have a current interest and bring a novel conclusion, the background must justify the objective and the discussion approach must support the conclusion.
– Letters must be of interest for the journal.
Analysis and Approval Procedures
Analysis and approval of manuscripts will be performed into three steps:
First Step – Once submission is registered, the Editorial Board will analyze the manuscript regarding on scope and form.
Second Step – If manuscript is approved in the first step, it will be subjected to a single-blindy peer review by experts in the specific area of the work. After results of the peer review process are sent to the journal, the Editorial Board will analyze them and make the decision on acceptance or following the evaluation, so that manuscript can be accepted or sent back to the corresponding author to provide corrections or/and revisions in the text, according to the comments and suggestions of the reviewers.
Third Step – Once corrections or/and modifications in the text are made and manuscript revision is sent back to the journal, the Editorial Board will analyze them and make the decision on acceptance or re-sent back to the evaluation of reviewers. Once corrections or/and revisions are approved by the reviewers and the Editorial Board, the final decision on acceptance of the manuscript will be made and communicated to the corresponding author.
EDITING AND PUBLICATION PROCESSES
Accepted manuscripts are revised, edited and immediately published in “early view”.
The PDF-proofreading is forward to the corresponding author for analysis and approval before the final article publication.
Articles are published in Open Access, being available to both authors and the wider public with permitted reuse. Full texts are available in HTML and PDF.
Communications in Plant Sciences uses a Creative Commons License. Copyright is retained by authors, and the Journal/Publisher grants the publishing rights. You can read the License Terms.
PREPARING SUBMISSIONS
Communications in Plant Sciences publishes research articles, review articles, and letters in plant sciences and related fields.
English is the mandatory language for publication with this journal. Manuscripts can be submitted in Portuguese, but authors must supply the final English version.
The following files are required for new submissions:
a) Cover Letter
b) Full Manuscript
Cover Letter
A brief letter to the editorial board is required in MS-Word.
Authors must (i) indicate the importance of the work, (ii) state the manuscript reports an original work and it is not sent for publication to another journal, and (iii) declare any conflict of interest.
Authors also should supply infomation on at least two potential reviewers. Full name, Institution, and e-mail are needed.
*** You can download a Sample Cover Letter.
Full Manuscript
The manuscript is required in MS-Word.
Pages and lines should be numbered sequentially.
The international measurement system should be used by authors.
Further specific guidelines are described below.
PREPARING MANUSCRIPTS
Full Manuscript Structure
The manuscript file must contain the items described below, according to the type of paper.
Research Articles
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Abstract
(3) Highlighted Conclusion(s)
(4) Keywords
(5) Main Text divided into Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, and Discussion (Results and Discussion can be joined in a single section)
(6) Acknowledgements (optional)
(7) References
(8) Graphical Elements (tables and figures)
(9) Supplementary Material (optional)
Review Articles
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Abstract
(3) Highlighted Conclusion(s)
(4) Keywords
(5) Main Text (free of formatation)
(6) Acknowledgements (optional)
(7) References
(8) Graphical Elements (optional)
(9) Supplementary Material (optional)
Letters
The manuscript must contain:
(1) General Information
(2) Main Text (free of formatation)
(3) Acknowledgements (optional)
(4) References (if so)
(5) Graphical Elements (optional)
Full Manuscript Content
General Information
Authors must include (i) the full title of the manuscript, (ii) the full name of the author(s), (iii) the respective information on author’s institution (Institution, City, Province, Country), and (iv) the e-mail of the author for correspondence.
Abstract
Authors should include information to draw attention of readers to get and read the full text (no preformatted structure is defined). Journal suggests to include a brief background, the central objective and the main methods and results giving the basis for the highlighted conclusion. It must be in a short paragraph.
Highlighted Conclusion(s)
Authors must supply numbered short highlighted conclusion(s). It is mandatory for research and review articles.
Keywords
Authors must include three up to six indexing terms, preferring words not included in the title of the manuscript.
Main Text
Authors must be logical, objective, and concise. Subdivisions can be included, except in the Introduction.
Acknowledgements
Authors should include just indispensable information. In addition, information on the funding sources may be included.
References
They must be placed in alphabetical order according to the first author and the chronological date sequence as follow:
– Articles in journals
Bianco S et al. 2011. Determination of alfalfa leaf area by non-destructive method. Communications in Plant Sciences 1: 17-20. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.26814/cps201117.
– Books and book chapters (cite only if it is of high-relevance)
Brown HY et al. 2000. Weeds. Staut: Jaboticabal.
Dock SG and Team JJ. 2000. The model of weedness. In: Brown HY et al. (Eds). Weeds. Staut: Jaboticabal. pp. 1-56.
– General internet information (cite only if published by official organizations)
USDA – United States Department of Agriculture. 2017. Food safety. Available at https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-safety/. Accessed on Oct. 26, 2017.
– Thesis (cite only if available on the internet and if was no more than two years)
Reibold RH. 2015. Precipitation and the interaction of seedhead biological control insects for spotted knapweed in the Rocky Mountain Front Range. Thesis, University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Availabble at: http://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/977/. Accessed on Jun. 16, 2016.
– Meeting abstracts (cite only if available on the internet and if was no more than two years)
Albert MS. 2005. The aging brain: predictors of optimal function. In: Annual Neuroscience Meeting. Society of Neuroscience: Washington. Available at https://www.sfn.org/Annual-Meeting/Past-and-Future-Annual-Meetings/Abstract-Archive/Abstract-Archive-Detail. Accessed on Oct. 26, 2006.
*** For all references, DOI or URL should be included, if available.
Graphical Elements
– Tables and Figures must be clear, objective and of good quality.
– Tables and Figures should not exceed 18 cm.
– Tables and Figures must be inserted after being cited in the text.
– Figures should be digitalized at 300 dpi and recorded in jpg or png.
– Colored figures may be published.
Supplementary Material
Additional data, figures, tables, and other material may be supplied for a better understanding of the research, however they must not be essential in the full article.
Complementary information
Citations (of references) in the text
The citations in the text must be included as follow:
– Dock (2000) or (Dock 2000), for one author.
– Dock and Team (2000) or (Dock and Team 2000), for two authors.
– Dock et al. (2000) or (Dock et al. 2000), for three or more authors.
Page limits
– Research Articles and Review Articles have no page limits, but the journal encourages the publication of manuscripts containing up to 220 writing lines (up to four edited pages), not including abstract, graphical elements, and references.
– Letters should have up to 100 writing lines (up to two edited pages), not including abstract, graphical elements, and references.
SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS
Manuscripts should be submitted using the Manuscript Management System with Open Journal Systems.
5-STEP SUBMISSION USING OJS
Step 1 – START
In the first step, authors must:
– Choose the journal section (type of article).
– Fill the submission checklist.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 2 – UPLOAD SUBMISSION
In the second step, authors must:
– Select the Full Manuscript file in their computer and click on Upload button.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 3 – ENTER METADATA
In the third step, authors must include the submission metadata:
– Author information (name, email, and affiliation, at least) (coauthors should be included by clicking on Add Author).
– Title of manuscript.
– Abstract.
Click on Save and continue.
Step 4 – UPLOADING SUPPLEMENTARY FILES
In the forth step, authors must:
– Select the Cover Letter file in their computer and click on Upload button.
In the Step 4a, just fill the Title as Cover Letter.
Click on Save and continue.
Click on Save and continue, again.
Step 5 – CONFIRMATION
This step just confirms the submission was completed, by clicking on Finish Submission.
Optionally, authors can make the submission without registration (out of OJS) by filling the alternative Submission Form.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
General Information
– Communications in Plant Sciences uses a single-blind review process.
– Editorial decision is reached with suggestions of at least two reviewers.
– All manuscripts must reflect an original work (not a case of plagiarism).
– English writing must be understandable.
– Research articles must be well-conducted, the background must justify the objective, the methodology must allow reaching the objective, the results must be adequately discussed and the results must support the conclusion.
– Review articles must have a current interest and bring a novel conclusion, the background must justify the objective and the discussion approach must support the conclusion.
– Letters must be of interest for the journal.
Analysis and Approval Procedures
Analysis and approval of manuscripts will be performed into three steps:
First Step – Once submission is registered, the Editorial Board will analyze the manuscript regarding on scope and form.
Second Step – If manuscript is approved in the first step, it will be subjected to a single-blindy peer review by experts in the specific area of the work. After results of the peer review process are sent to the journal, the Editorial Board will analyze them and make the decision on acceptance or following the evaluation, so that manuscript can be accepted or sent back to the corresponding author to provide corrections or/and revisions in the text, according to the comments and suggestions of the reviewers.
Third Step – Once corrections or/and modifications in the text are made and manuscript revision is sent back to the journal, the Editorial Board will analyze them and make the decision on acceptance or re-sent back to the evaluation of reviewers. Once corrections or/and revisions are approved by the reviewers and the Editorial Board, the final decision on acceptance of the manuscript will be made and communicated to the corresponding author.
EDITING AND PUBLICATION PROCESSES
Accepted manuscripts are immediately revised, edited and published in “early view” (authors are required to agree with the publication in “early view” during the submission process).
Article PDF-Proof is forward to the corresponding author for reading and approval before the final publication.
Articles are published in Open Access, being available to both authors and the wider public with permitted reuse, and the full texts are available in HTML and PDF.
Communications in Plant Sciences uses a Creative Commons License. Copyright is retained by authors, and the Journal/Publisher grants the publishing rights. You can read the License Terms.
Articles are registered with the CrossRef and a DOI number is addressed for each one.
Please, check the Charges applied for publication before submitting your manuscript to Communications in Plant Sciences.
Communications in Plant Sciences 