Author guide
Guide for authors
To upload an article, please indicate "author" in addition to "reader" when registering. If you are also a proofreader for our journal, please indicate all three roles (reader, author, proofreader).
IMPORTANT! When registering, please make sure that you are in the IJEMS journal sub-page within the publication interface and click on the register button, only then will you be able to upload an article later.
Only submissions by one of the authors will be accepted. The submitting author will take responsibility for the paper during submission and peer review.
Terms of Submission
Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal. The submitting author is responsible for ensuring that the article’s publication has been approved by all the other co-authors.
Once that has been confirmed, an additional checklist must be verified by the submitter before it is ready to be considered by Precision Crop Production.
Formal requirements
Please format your article in MS Office and upload it in docx format.
It is recommended that manuscripts submitted follow the structure below:
Article Structure
Subdivision - Numbered Sections
Organize your article into distinct and numbered sections. Subsections should be formatted as 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, etc., followed by 1.2, and so forth. The abstract is not included in this numbering. Use these numbers for internal cross-referencing instead of generic terms like "the text." Each subsection can have a brief heading, placed on a separate line.
Introduction
State the objectives of your work and provide sufficient background information. Avoid an exhaustive literature review or a detailed summary of your results.
Material and Methods
Describe your methods in enough detail to allow replication by others. Summarize previously published methods and cite them. If quoting directly from another source, use quotation marks and cite the source. Describe any modifications to existing methods.
Results
Present your findings clearly and concisely.
Discussion
Interpret the significance of your results without repeating them. Minimize extensive citations and discussions of existing literature.
Conclusions
Summarize the main conclusions of your study briefly. Avoid non-standard or specific abbreviations. This section should be self-contained, requiring no reference to the manuscript for clarity.
Appendices
If multiple appendices are included, label them as A, B, etc. Number formulae and equations separately within each appendix: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc., and similarly for tables and figures: Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.
Title
Ensure the title is concise and informative. Avoid abbreviations and formulae.
Author Names and Affiliations
Clearly state the given and family names of each author, ensuring accurate spelling. Optionally, include your name in your native script in parentheses. List affiliations below author names, marked with a superscript letter, and provide the full postal address, including the country and, if available, the email address for each author.
Corresponding Author
Identify the corresponding author responsible for all stages of refereeing, publication, and post-publication queries regarding methodology and materials. Provide a current email address and ensure contact details are updated.
Present/Permanent Address
If an author’s affiliation has changed since the research was conducted, indicate the current address as a footnote, retaining the original affiliation as the main address. Use superscript Arabic numerals for footnotes.
Abstract
Provide a concise abstract (no more than 300 words) that outlines the research purpose, key results, and major conclusions. Ensure it can stand alone, avoiding references unless necessary. If used, cite author(s) and year(s), and define non-standard abbreviations at their first mention.
Keywords
Following the abstract, include up to 6 keywords, avoiding general terms, plurals, and multiple concepts. Use established abbreviations sparingly. Keywords should not duplicate those in the title and should enhance the article’s visibility.
Acknowledgements
Place acknowledgements in a separate section before the references. Mention individuals who contributed to the research, such as those providing language help or proofreading.
Formatting of Funding Sources
Avoid detailed descriptions of grants and awards. Name the institute or organization providing funding. If no specific funding was received, state: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."
Math Formulae
Submit math equations as editable text, not images. Inline simple formulae where possible, using the solidus (/) for small fractions. Italicize variables, use exp for powers of e, and number equations consecutively if referenced in the text.
List of Symbols
For manuscripts with numerous mathematical symbols, provide a list of symbols and definitions in a box before their first appearance. Ensure all symbols and units conform to SI standards.
Artwork
Electronic Artwork
Ensure uniform lettering and sizing. Embed fonts if possible. Use Times New Roman for illustrations, number them sequentially, use logical file naming, and provide captions separately. Size illustrations close to their final dimensions and submit each as a separate file. Make color images accessible to those with color vision impairment.
Formats
For electronic artwork from Microsoft Office applications, supply the native document format. For other applications, save or convert images to EPS, PDF, TIFF, or JPEG with appropriate resolutions: 300 dpi for color/grayscale photos, 1000 dpi for bitmapped line drawings, and 500 dpi for line/halftone combinations. Avoid screen-optimized files and ensure resolution is sufficient.
Color Artwork
Submit color artwork in acceptable formats (TIFF, JPEG, EPS, PDF, or MS Office) with correct resolution.
Figure Captions
Each illustration must have a caption provided separately. Captions should include a brief title and description, with minimal text within the illustration itself. Avoid abbreviations in titles and legends; if unavoidable, define them directly beneath the figure.
Tables
Number tables sequentially as they appear in the text. Place footnotes below the table body, marked with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules. Use tables sparingly and ensure they do not duplicate content described elsewhere. Avoid abbreviations in titles and headings; if unavoidable, define them in notes directly beneath the table. Ensure tables can stand alone without reference to the manuscript text.
References
Citation in Text
Ensure every reference cited in the text is in the reference list and vice versa. Provide full references for those cited in the abstract. Avoid listing unpublished results and personal communications in the reference list, though they may be mentioned in the text. If included, follow standard journal reference style, indicating "Unpublished results" or "Personal communication" instead of the publication date. "In press" citations indicate acceptance for publication.
Web References
Provide the full URL and access date. Include any additional available information (DOI, author names, dates, source publication, etc.). Web references can be listed separately or included in the reference list.
Data References
Cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript and include a data reference in your Reference List, including author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version, year, and global persistent identifier. Prefix the reference with [dataset].
Preprint References
Use the formal publication as the reference if available. For essential preprints not yet formally published, mark them clearly as preprints with the server name and provide the preprint DOI.
Reference style
Text: All citations in the text should refer to:
- Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication;
- Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication;
- Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication.
Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references can be listed either first alphabetically, then chronologically, or vice versa.
Examples: 'as demonstrated (Allan, 2000a, 2000b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1999)…. Or, as demonstrated (Jones, 1999; Allan, 2000)… Kramer et al. (2010) have recently shown …'
List: References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2010. The art of writing a scientific article. J. Sci. Commun. 163, 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Sc.2010.00372.
Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2018. The art of writing a scientific article. Heliyon. 19, e00205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00205.
Reference to a book:
Strunk Jr., W., White, E.B., 2000. The Elements of Style, fourth ed. Longman, New York.
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 2009. How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in: Jones, B.S., Smith , R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281–304.
Reference to a website:
Cancer Research UK, 1975. Cancer statistics reports for the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutcancer/statistics/cancerstatsreport/ (accessed 13 March 2003).
Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] Oguro, M., Imahiro, S., Saito, S., Nakashizuka, T., 2015. Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions. Mendeley Data, v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.
Reference to software:
Coon, E., Berndt, M., Jan, A., Svyatsky, D., Atchley, A., Kikinzon, E., Harp, D., Manzini, G., Shelef, E., Lipnikov, K., Garimella, R., Xu, C., Moulton, D., Karra, S., Painter, S., Jafarov, E., & Molins, S., 2020. Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) v0.88 (Version 0.88). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3727209.