Typescripts should be prepared in English, French or Spanish and submitted in duplicate to the Managing Editor. Typescripts should be double-spaced throughout, with generous (3–5 cm) margins. All pages (including tables, figures, legends and references) should be numbered consecutively.

Title

The title should be as short as possible and should contain the common and full generic name of any species featured in the paper, as well as the main countries visited during, for example, collecting trips.

Typescripts should be prepared in English, French or Spanish and submitted in duplicate to the Managing Editor. Typescripts should be double-spaced throughout, with generous (3–5 cm) margins. All pages (including tables, figures, legends and references) should be numbered consecutively.

Authors/addresses

Include the full names of all authors of the paper, together with the addresses of the authors at the time of the work reported in the paper. Indicate current or postal addresses as a footnote on the first page of the paper; indicate also the author nominated to receive correspondence and proofs.

Abstracts

Articles and reviews will be published with abstracts in English, French and Spanish. Supply an abstract not exceeding 200–250 words in the same language as the typescript, as well as translations (including the title) into the other two languages, if this is possible. Include these at the end of the paper, after the references and before the tables. The abstracts of articles should mention the objective of the investigation (hypothesis and aims), the experimental material and/or methods, a summary of the results and the conclusions drawn from the results.

Key words

Provide a maximum of six key words for use in indexing purposes, in alphabetical order, below the English-language abstract at the start of the typescript. Where possible use the FAO AGROVOC Multilingual Agricultural Thesaurus (http://www.fao.org/agrovoc/) to select key words.

Main text

The relative importance of headings and subheadings should be clear, but avoid using more than three levels of headings. Do not number headings or paragraphs, which should be indented.

Use simple clear language in the text. A native speaker of the language should preferably edit the paper before submission.

Acknowledgements

These (also grants, support, etc. if any) should follow the text and precede the references.

References

The references to the literature should be arranged alphabetically, typed double-spaced and in text referred to as: author and year of publication, e.g. (Dawsib 1987). Citations of personal communications and unpublished data should be avoided. Such citations should in text appear in the text only, as (Smith ED, pers. comm.), and not in the reference list. Abbreviate titles of periodicals according to the style of the Bibliographic Guide for Editors and Authors (Biosis, Chemical Abstract Service and Engineering Index, Inc., 1974). Follow the style shown below:

Periodicals

Molina-Cano JL, Fra-Mon P, Salcedo G, Aragonicillo C, Roca de Togores F, Gardia-Olmedo F. 1987. Morocco as a possible domestication center for barley: biochemical and agromorphological evidence. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 73:531–536.

Books (edited by someone other than the author of the article)

Caporali F, Campiglia E. 2001. Increasing sustainability in Mediterranean cropping systems with self-reseeding annual legumes. In: Gliessman SR, editor. Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 15–27.

Books (identical author and editor)

Chapman C. 1985. Genetic Resources of Wheat. A Survey and Strategy for Collecting. IBPGR, Rome, Italy.

Nomenclature

Taxonomical: in line with Index Kewensis. Genetic: applications of the terms phenotype and genotype should be in accordance with Demerec et al. (Genetics 54:61–74, 1966); for summaries of genetic abbreviations, consult the Journal of Bacteriology Instructions to Authors.

Units: express all quantities in terms of SI. If a traditional or local unit is used, or a unit that may be well known in one country only, always include an SI equivalent so that other workers can fully understand the amounts.

Preparing figures and tables

Tables and figures support the text and must be organized logically, appearing where they are mentioned. If there is a large amount of information in a table, it may be better to include it as an appendix at the end of the paper. Figures and tables should be clear and simple. Their major purpose is to present complex material in a form that is easily understood. Present data in the text, or as a figure, or a table, but never in more than one of these ways.

Read instructions in Français or Español.

Revised on November 03, 2006. Contact pgrn-manuscripts@cgiar.org about this page

This newsletter features articles and reviews of developments published under the joint auspices of the Bioversity International (Bioversity) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in plant genetic resources, book reviews, news and notes on Bioversity International activities.