Style Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be written using the official journal template, with clear, precise scientific language and in active voice. The document must be prepared in Microsoft Word (.docx).

1. General Structure of the Manuscript

The manuscript must be organized in the following order:

  1. Title in Spanish: centered, in bold, maximum 15 words, only the first word capitalized. Scientific names must be written in italics (for example, Zea mays).
  2. Title in English: same format as the title in Spanish.
  3. Authors: full names, institutional affiliation, country, email address, and ORCID number for each author. The corresponding author must be marked with an asterisk.
  4. Resumen (Spanish abstract): maximum 250 words, in a single paragraph, including objective, methodology, main results, and conclusions.
  5. Palabras clave (Keywords in Spanish): 3 to 5 terms in alphabetical order, lowercase, without a period at the end.
  6. Abstract: accurate translation of the Spanish resumen.
  7. Keywords: exact equivalents of the Spanish palabras clave.
  8. Introduction: contextualizes the research problem, identifies knowledge gaps, and presents objectives and hypotheses.
  9. Materials and Methods: detailed section focused on reproducibility.
  10. Results and Discussion: clear presentation of data and interpretation supported by current literature.
  11. Conclusions: derived directly from the results.
  12. Acknowledgments and Funding (optional).
  13. Conflicts of Interest.
  14. References (APA 7): alphabetical order with hanging indent.

2. Writing Rules and Use of Capital Letters

  • Use capital letters only at the beginning of titles, subtitles, proper names, and after periods.
  • Avoid vague phrases such as "Aspects of", "Comments on", "Preliminary studies", etc.
  • Do not use commercial names; cite active ingredients or scientific names.
  • Do not use abbreviations in titles.
  • Maintain consistent terminology throughout the document.

3. Scientific Names and Nomenclature

  • Scientific names must be written in italics, genus capitalized and species lowercase (for example, Bos indicus).
  • On first mention, include the taxonomic descriptor if applicable.
  • In subsequent mentions, the genus may be abbreviated (for example, Z. mays).
  • Biochemical nomenclature must follow the recommendations of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
  • Genetic nomenclature must follow Demerec et al. 1966.

4. Materials and Methods (Expanded Detail)

The description must allow full reproducibility of the study. It must include:

  • Study area: country, region, locality, coordinates, climate, precipitation, soil type, and agro-environmental conditions.
  • Type of study: experimental, observational, cross-sectional, longitudinal, retrospective, or prospective.
  • Experimental design: completely randomized, randomized blocks, split-plots, factorial, etc.
  • Experimental unit: plot size, number of treatments, and number of repetitions.
  • Sampling criteria: target population, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size.
  • Equipment and instruments: include brand and model (for example, UV-Vis spectrophotometer Thermo Scientific).
  • Protocols: cite standard methods; if modifications were made, describe them precisely.
  • Software used: include version (for example, R 4.2, SPSS 25, SAS 9.4).

5. Bioethics and Animal Welfare

  • Studies involving animals must include the approval number and date from the bioethics committee.
  • Describe housing, feeding, and handling conditions.
  • Clinical cases must include informed consent from the owner.
  • Manuscripts requiring ethical approval will not be accepted without proper documentation.

6. Statistical Analysis

  • Describe statistical models, data transformations, post hoc tests, and significance level.
  • Use the format p<0.05, p>0.05, p<0.01.
  • Indicate verification of assumptions: normality, homogeneity of variances, independence.
  • Report effect size when appropriate.

7. Results and Discussion

  • Results must be written in past tense.
  • Do not interpret results in this section; interpretation belongs in the discussion.
  • Tables and figures must be inserted after the paragraph where they are cited.
  • The discussion must explain the findings, compare them with recent literature, and present new perspectives.
  • Avoid repeating information from the text in tables.

8. Tables (Rigorous Format)

  • Consecutive numbering: Table 1, Table 2, etc.
  • No vertical lines; only essential horizontal lines.
  • Title above; source below.
  • Units in parentheses in column headers.
  • Tables must be clear and self-explanatory.
  • Submit editable files (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint).

9. Figures (Complete Technical Requirements)

  • Each figure must be submitted as an independent file.
  • Minimum resolution: 300 dpi.
  • Allowed formats: JPG, PNG, or TIF.
  • White background; graphics with black lines.
  • Consecutive numbering: Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.
  • Figure caption below the image, in Arial 11, not bold.
  • Composite figures must identify panels (a), (b), (c).
  • Microphotographs must include a scale bar.
  • If not original, include full reference.

10. Units, Abbreviations, and Symbols

  • Use the International System of Units (SI).
  • Compound units must be written with a slash: mg/L, kg/m2, m/s.
  • Do not use abbreviations in plural or with periods.
  • Leave a space between number and unit: 37 C, 12 kg, 25 L.
  • Time: h, min, s; days, weeks, and years must be written in full.
  • Centrifugation must be expressed in g, not rpm.
  • Percentages and currency must appear without a space: 10%, $25.

11. Citations and References

The journal uses APA 7 format.

  • In-text citations: author-date format (Last name, year).
  • For three or more authors: Last name et al. (year).
  • Multiple references in the same parenthesis: arrange chronologically.
  • Reference list: alphabetical order, with hanging indent and DOI when applicable.
  • All references cited must appear in the reference list and vice versa.

Authors must use reference managers such as Zotero or Mendeley and attach a file in BibTeX, RIS, or similar format.