Author guidelines

Version 2: 20th Nov. 2019, notes were added on how to cite company names (2.7) and on manuscript organisation (3)

Version 3: 10th Jan. 2020,  the conflicts of interest statement was added and marked as mandatory within section 3 "Manuscript Organization"

Version 4: 11th Feb. 2022, section on document templates added (chap. 2.3) and citation style adapted to the new layout (chap. 2.8).

1 Sections

1.1 Reviews

Reviews should provide a balanced and comprehensive overview of the latest discoveries in a particular field. They summarize the results of different studies and reveal interrelationships and discrepancies. Reviews should be based on peer-reviewed sources, and should not include new research or data. Total word count for the main body of the text (without title and author information and references) should not exceed 9,000 words.

1.2 Original Article

Original Articles include new scientific findings that have not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals or book chapters. Manuscripts for this section are structured into the following chapters: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and methods, Results and Discussion. Total word count for the main body of the text (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6,000 words.

1.3 Original Article - Short Communication

Under this section articles are published that may differ from the stringent structure of Original Articles. Often, articles in the section "Original Article-Short Communication" are shorter (ca. 3-6 printed pages) and represent a small portion of extended scientific studies. Based on their relevance and currency they are an important element of scientific communication and facilitate readers to search single fundamental findings, methods, or technological developments. Total word count for the main body of the text (without title and author information and references) should not exceed 2,500 words.

1.4 Reports and News

Authors of the "Reports and News" section may submit reports about conferences, expert discussions, or workshops on all topics concerning cultivated plants. Further accepted items are news from research institutes or summaries of final reports of individual research projects.

1.5 Particulars

Within the section "Particulars" congratulations, appreciations, and also obituaries can be submitted of personalities that achieved high recognition in the research fields of cultivated plants.

1.6 Book review / recommended literature

This section publishes book reviews to recent monographs that authors might find worth reading within the topic of cultivated plants. Additionally, short editorial recommendations on literature are published.

Manuscripts that have been submitted within the sections "Review", "Original Article" and "Original Article /Short Communication" undergo a double-blind peer-review, where authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the editorial process. At least two independent peer-reviewers evaluate each manuscript. Peer-reviewing and the whole editorial process of the Journal of Cultivated Plants are based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Manuscripts that have been submitted to other sections will be reviewed by the editors focussing upon the topic and language.

 

2 Style and Format of Manuscripts

2.1 File format

Manuscripts can be submitted in the following formats: .doc, .docx or .rtf. MSWord documents should not be locked or protected.

2.2 Length

Authors are encouraged to present and discuss findings concisely. Concerning the maximum number of words, please note the information about the sections of the journal. There are no restrictions on the number of figures and tables, or the amount of supporting information. Nevertheless, they should be used only if they contribute to understanding and enriching the text qualitatively.

2.3 Manuscript templates

Please use the following templates for writing the manuscript:

English manuscript

German manuscript

2.4 Footnotes

Footnotes should be avoided. If they are necessary, footnotes should be numbered as superscript numbers consecutively throughout the article, not page by page. Type all footnotes on a separate page following the article. Footnotes should be only explanatory and not for citations or for directing the reader to a particular work. Such information can be incorporated into the text and the reference list, respectively.

2.5 Language

Manuscripts can be submitted either in English or in German. Title, Abstract and key words have to be given in both languages. If you need help in wording or translating your text, please contact the Managing Editor.

2.6 Abbreviations

Use abbreviations if the unabbreviated term is long or complex or if it is a commonly used abbreviation. Define abbreviations upon first appearance in the text and in the legends of tables and figures.

2.7 Company information

If usage/application of commercial products is described in the text, the producing company should be cited as name of the company, city, country. These information can also be put in brackets.

2.8 Citations

Avoid citing of unpublished or not relevant sources. If you want to cite unpublished sources or data, please deposit them in an open access repository and cite this source (example for open access repository: OpenAgrar, if you need help depositing your sources or data, please contact the managing editor).

If you use a literature management software, such as EndNote or Citavi, the citation style “Journal of Cultivated Plants” can be downloaded (EndNote) or is directly available in the software (Citavi).

In-text citations contain the last name of author/s and the year (Author et al., 2018) or (Author & Author, 2020). If the citation contains more than two authors, the second and all following authors are abbreviated as “et al.”. If you refer to more than one reference, citations are sorted in chronological ascending order.

Sources in the reference list should be formatted as follows:

Thesis

Author, A., Year: Title. Type of Thesis, Name of the University, Numer of Pages, DOI: if available.

Pistorius, J., 2016: Vergiftungen von Honigbienen (Apis mellifera L.) durch insektizidhaltigen Staubabrieb beim Anbau von Raps und Mais. Dissertation, Universität Rostock, 153 pp., DOI: 10.5073/dissjki.2016.003.

Journal Article

Author, A., B.C. Author, D.E. Author, Year: Title. Periodical’s full name Volume (Issue Number), Page Range, DOI: if available.

Gray, S., S. De Boer, J. Lorenzen, A. Karasev, J. Whithworth, P. Nolte, R. Sing, A. Boucher, H. Xu, 2010: Potato virus Y: An evolving concern for potato crops in the United States and Canada. Plant Disease 94 (12), 1384-1397, DOI: 10.1094/pdis-02-10-0124.

Please don't abbreviate journal names; they have to be spelled in full.

Book

Author, A., Year: Title. Place of Publication, Publisher, DOI: if available or ISBN.

Bustin, S.A., 2004: A-Z of quantitative PCR. California, USA, International University Line, DOI: 10.xxxx/xxx.xx.xxx.

Book (edited)

Editor, A., B. Editor, C.D. Editor (eds.), Year: Title. Place of Publication, Publisher, DOI: if available or ISBN.

Sölter, U., U. Starfinger, A. Verschwele (eds.), 2016: HALT Ambrosia - final project report and general publication of project findings. Braunschweig, Julius Kühn-Institut, DOI: 10.xxxx/xxx.xx.xxx.

Contribution: Book (edited)

Author, A., Year: Title. In: Editor, A., B. Editor, C.D. Editor (eds.). Title, Place of Publication, Publisher, Page Range, DOI: if available.

Herb, U., 2018: Open Access and Symbolic Gift Giving. In: Herb, U., J. Schöpfel (eds.). Open divide?: Critical studies on open access, Sacramento, USA, Litwin Books, 69–81., DOI: 10.xxxx/xxx.xx.xxx.

Conference Proceedings

Editor, A. (ed.), Year: Title of the onference proceedings. Conference Name, Conference Date, Conference Location, Series Title if available Volume, DOI: if available.

Beyer, J., T. Längle (eds.), 2021: OCM 2021: 5th International Conference on optical Characterization of Materials. 5th Interantional Conference on Optical Characterization of Materials, 17 - 18 March 2021, Karlsruhe, Germany, KIT Publishing, DOI: 10.5445/KSP/1000128686.

Contribution: Conference Proceedings

Author, A., B. Author, C. Author, Year: Title. In: Editor A. (ed.). Conference Name, Conference Date, Conference Location, Series Title if available Volume, Page Range, DOI: if available.

DeMol, F., L. Tamms, B. Gerowitt, 2018: Biodiversität einer mehrjährigen Wildpflanzenmischung für die Biogasproduktion. In Nordmeyer, H., L. Ulber (eds.). 28. Deutsche Arbeitsbesprechung über Fragen der Unkrautbiologie und – bekämpfung, 27 February - 1 March 2018, Julius Kühn-Institut, Braunschweig, Germany, Julius-Kühn-Archiv 458, 35-40, DOI: 10.5073/jka.2018.458.005.

Report/Grey Literature

Author, A., B. Author, C. Author, Year: Title. Place of Publication, Publisher, Number of Pages pp., DOI: if available or ISBN.

IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report: Summary for Policymakers. Geneva, Switzerland, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 32 pp., DOI: 10.xxxx/xxx.xx.xxx.

Internet Document

Author, A., Year: Title. URL: URL. Access: Access Date.

James, C., 2013: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2013, ISAAA Brief No. 46. URL: http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/46/executivesummary/. Access: 28 February 2016.

DataSet

Author, Year: Title [data set]. Distributor, DOI: DOI, version: version if available.

Oliveira, I., T. Pinto, M. Faria, E. Bacelar, H. Ferreira, C. Correira, B. Goncalves, 2017: Correlations between morphological and biochemical characteristics of five common medicinal and aromatic plants [data set]. OpenAgrar Repository, DOI: 10.5073/openagrar.2017.000001, version: 1.

 

3 Manuscript Organisation

The organisation listed below relates to manuscripts submitted within the section "Original Article". Manuscripts submitted within other sections may diverge from this organisation.

Beginning section

  1. Title (English and German)
  2. Abstract (English) and Zusammenfassung (German), should be no more than 150 words long
  3. Four to eight Keywords (English) and Stichwörter (German)

Middle section

  1. Introduction
  2. Materials and Methods
  3. Results
  4. Discussion
  5. Conclusion (optional)

Final section

  1. Acknowledgement - if one cannot extrapolate the authors from it
  2. Conflicts of Interest Statement (If there are no conflicts of interest, please write the following: "Conflicts of interest statement: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.")
  3. References
  4. Figures are inserted immediately after the first paragraph in which the figure is cited. Figure files are uploaded separately, too, to ensure high-resolution printing.
  5. Tables are inserted immediately after the first paragraph in which they are cited.
  6. Supporting information (“supplements”) are uploaded as separate files.

 

4 Figures and Tables

Figures are uploaded separately and have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. If figures consist of several partial figures, they have to be labeled either by captions within each partial figure or by tagging the figures with bold upper-case letters and respective descriptions in the figure legend. Figures are cited in the text as Fig. 1 or Figs. 1-3. They are inserted immediately after the first paragraph in which the figure is cited. E. g.:

Fig. 1. Figure Title. Figure legend with explanatory text.

Tables must be cell-based in MSWord or embedded with MSExcel (do not insert as picture!). Tables are not allowed to contain images or coloured marks.

Tables are cited in the text as e. g.: Table 1 or Tables 1 and 2.

Tables are inserted immediately after the first paragraph in which they are cited. Table captions have to be created as follows:

Table 1. Table title. Table legend with explanatory text.

a/*Table footnotes are tagged with lower case letters or asterisk

Cite Supporting Information (Supplements) in the text as S1 Fig., S1 Table, etc. Cite multiple files as S1 and S2 Figs., S1-S3 Figs, etc. It is not required to cite each Supporting Information file. Supporting information should be uploaded separately as individual files.

 

5 Research Data and Supporting Information (Supplements)

An inherent principle of publication is that others should be able to replicate and build upon the authors' published claims. Therefore, the Journal of Cultivated Plants encourages authors to make their underlying data publicly available without restrictions. Large data sets, including raw data, may be deposited in an appropriate public repository. Cross-disciplinary repositories are e.g: Dryad or Zenodo. Depending on the kind of data, it may be reasonable to use a subject-specific repository, e.g.: GenBank for sequence information, Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for taxonomic data or OpanAgrar for all data belonging to research on cultivated plants. Authors who are interested in depositing their data without any costs in OpenAgrar, contact Dr. Ulrike Stahl (ulrike.stahl@julius-kuehn.de).

Once your data have been published on a repository or have been deposited with an embargo until the article is published, you will receive a persistent identifier (e.g. DOI). With this you can cite your data as individual publication in your reference list (see 1.10 Citations – Dataset).

If your data contains supporting information, which e.g. specify your methods but are not central to the study or if you have additional figures, images or tables, then you may publish these information as supplements accompanying the article. However, authors should be aware that supplements do not get any persistent identifier and cannot be cited in the reference list as individual publication.

 

6 Use of writing tools including artificial intelligence-based applications

The use of tools for writing scientific texts for this journal is limited to spell checkers, grammar checkers, translators and tools for rephrasing sentences created by the authors. Prompt-based text generation and rephrasing or translating texts not created by the authors is not considered original work and must not be used in manuscripts. Incoming manuscripts will be screened for the application of the above techniques. If a manuscript is found to be flawed, further steps will be taken as suggested by the Committee of Publication Ethics, including communication with all authors and their respective institutions.