Guidelines

Preparation and submission of Manuscripts

The following guidelines on the preparation of manuscript are aimed at facilitating speedier review, evaluation, editing and processing of articles submitted for publication.

All articles submitted to Sylvatrop should accompany an endorsement letter from the head of agency of the author, addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.

Manuscripts submitted to Sylvatrop should not have been published in another journal prior to the submission. English is the official language of the journal.

An article should contain the following parts: a) title and three keywords, b) author (with designation, office and email address), c) abstract, d) introduction containing the review of literature, e) materials and methods, f) result and discussion, g) conclusion, and lastly h) literature cited.

The entire manuscript should be 24 pages, encoded in MS Word, Times New Roman, font size of 12, in letter size paper, double-spaced with 1 inch margins all around.

Submit quality photos/graphics.

Provide the caption of all tables, illustrations, maps and photographs. Make sure to cross-reference tables and figures with the text.

For mechanical style, consult the Scientific Style and Format: The CounciI of Science Editors (CSE) Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers. 2006, 8th edition.

Use metric system or the International System of Units.

A brief acknowledgement may be included.

All authors should submit one hard copy and an electronic copy of the article containing the photos used on the article in filename.jpeg format. It can be emailed at sylvatropdenr@gmail.com, the official email address of the Sylvatrop Secretariat.

Sylvatrop gives ten complimentary copies of the issue to the authors.

Article preparation

The following reminders should be observed when preparing an article for Sylvatrop.

Titles

Titles should be brief. Ordinarily, they should not run longer than two lines in the journal. This, however, is not an absolute limit. It should be complete, specific, informative and descriptive. They should tell exactly what the investigation is about and indicate its subject matter and limits.

Abstract

An abstract should contain 200 words or less. It should summarize the main points of the article containing its objective, methods used, and major findings.

Keywords

Manuscripts submitted to Sylvatrop should contain at least three (3) keywords or significant terms used in the paper. Those are terms that can be used to index the paper in libraries or in databases.

Headings

Type the first word of any heading in caps and lower case; all succeeding words should be in lower case except for proper nouns. Type major headings flush left without period. Type secondary headings flush left without period but in italics. Use three spaces between major and secondary headings.

Introduction

The introduction should contain the core research problem, background of the study, the gaps that the study aimed to address, as well as its objectives.

Review of Literature

The review of literature should be a means for explaining and evaluating the work of others on the particular study area. It should not just be a summary but a critical inquiry of the information gathered from the works of others. Review of literature must include journal articles and reference materials that are relatively new. Information from websites that are not institutional should be avoided as much as possible.

Materials and Methods

The materials and methods should describe the methods used by the author. It should be described in detail to give readers an idea of what the author did and why. References for the common methods used in the study should be included. Uncommon methods may have to be explained further. This section may include information on sampling, data collection and units of measurement and statistical analysis.

Results and Discussion

This portion should present the findings as concisely as possible and should provide enough details to justify the conclusion of the study. All findings should be interpreted for the reader's understanding. If tables and figures should be used, it should be cross-referenced with the text. All information mentioned in the tables and figures should also corroborate/supplement the discussion.

Conclusion

Make the conclusion as brief as possible. Write in a concluding paragraph of 1-2 paragraphs only.

Literature cited

Each reference should be complete. It should contain the following: a) Author, b) Date of publication, c) Title; d) Publisher and e) Publisher’s address. For more information on how to properly cite an article, please consult the Council of Science Editors (CSE) Style Manual (8th edition). For the citation, follow the author-date form, example (Dela Cruz 2010). Make sure that all citations are found in the literature cited and vice versa.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgements should be made for the study's source of financial assistance, major advisory assistance, special access to collections or private papers, etc., but not for minor advisory assistance or mechanical assistance, such as typing, drafting or computation. If the article is either based on a dissertation, part of a series, has been presented orally, or is intended as a chapter in a forthcoming book, these facts may be included in the acknowledgement or as a footnote to the title page.

Photos

Make sure that all submitted photos should be original. Otherwise, indicate the source of the photo.

Notes on Style

Contributors should consult the Council of Science Editors Style Manual, 8th edition (American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, D.C.) on specific points on style.

Research Note

Experiment or a narrowly-focused survey. They may be more explicitly methodological than is usually the case with major articles. Manuscripts for Research Notes run from 2 to 7 typewritten pages, and an average 4 of printed pages.

Serial Reports

Serial reports are only part of a “larger investigation”. The author may break a larger study into a series of reports. This should be done by submitting them all at once. The editors cannot promise that the article is the first in the series until the entire series is at hand.

Submission and Evaluation Process

Submission

Articles submitted to Sylvatrop should be endorsed by the Head of Agency of the author. Copies of articles submitted for publication are distributed to Editorial Board Members as soon as these are received by the Secretariat. The Board determines the acceptability of the article before forwarding it to the reviewers. They also identify the experts who will be requested to review the articles that pass the criteria for initial evaluation.

Peer-review evaluation process

If the article passes the initial evaluation of the Editorial Board, it is forwarded to two to three reviewers for expert judgment and determination of the suitability for publication. The articles undergo a “blind” review process. There are two to three reviewers per article. Reviewers’ competence is exactly that or close to the subject matter of the article under review. The Chairman of the Editorial Board reserves the right, as final arbiter, to overrule the reviewers, but most of the time, takes their advice.

Revision

If a reviewer finds an article publishable but requires revision based on comments and recommendations, the authors are given ten working days to revise their articles. Otherwise, their articles will be shelved and will be treated as new article when revised.

Acceptance for publication

Contributors will be notified of acceptance as soon as possible. Acceptance, however, does not necessarily mean that the contribution will appear in the forthcoming issue. The Editor-in-Chief informs the contributor when the article will be printed.

Editing and layouting

Depending on the discretion of the editors (i.e., articles were extensively edited, or it contains numerous scientific names and chemical symbols), some authors will receive proofs of edited articles together with the original manuscript for purposes of checking. Authors are expected to return the proofs right away by the fastest means available. Changes from the original manuscripts as edited may be made but these should be as few as possible.

Presswork

The Editor should be kept informed of the plans for going out of the country or the author’s unavailability at critical times. During such times, certain responsibilities relating to the article may be delegated to a colleague among which are: reading proof, approving or rejecting editorial changes and returning proof to the editor. If the author cannot be reached at the time the proof is ready, it may be necessary for the editors to publish the article after their own proof corrections are made, foregoing the author's opportunity for final approval.