Guide for Authors
Comprehensive guidelines and instructions for preparing, submitting, and publishing manuscripts in the Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS).
Submission Checklist
Before submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS), authors are requested to:
- ✓Read the Aims & Scope carefully to determine whether the manuscript is suitable for JNRS.
- ✓Prepare the manuscript using the official Microsoft Word template.
- ✓Ensure that requirements related to publication ethics, research ethics, authorship, copyright, figures, tables, data, and references have been appropriately addressed.
- ✓Ensure that the manuscript is original and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- ✓Ensure that all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.
1. Journal Publishing Schedule
The Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS) is an English-language, international, peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal. The journal follows a regular publication schedule to ensure the timely dissemination of high-quality research across agricultural sciences.
The specific publication frequency and issue schedule are announced on the official JNRS website.
2. Manuscript Submission
Types of Papers/Articles
Original Articles
Original articles should report scientifically sound and substantially novel research findings. Manuscripts should clearly describe the objectives, methodology, results, interpretation, and significance of the research and should follow the structure prescribed by the journal.
Review Papers
Review papers should provide comprehensive, well-referenced, and critical analyses of important topics within the scope of JNRS. Reviews should synthesize existing knowledge, identify research gaps, discuss recent developments, and provide perspectives for future research.
Perspectives Articles
Perspectives articles should provide concise and scholarly viewpoints on recent developments, emerging concepts, or important issues relevant to agricultural sciences. They should offer forward-looking insights rather than serve as comprehensive literature reviews.
Methods Papers
Methods papers should describe new, substantially improved, or innovative research methods, protocols, analytical techniques, or approaches relevant to agricultural sciences. Methods should have sufficient scientific significance and potential applicability beyond a highly specialized group of researchers.
Opinion Papers
Opinion papers provide informed scholarly viewpoints, new interpretations, future projections, or constructive discussions on important or emerging issues in agricultural sciences. Arguments should be evidence-based and supported by appropriate scientific literature.
Submission Process
Manuscripts should be submitted through the official JNRS Online Submission System. The submitting author, normally the corresponding author, is responsible for the manuscript throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, and publication processes.
The submitting author must ensure that all eligible co-authors are included in the author list and that all authors have read and approved the submitted version of the manuscript.
Authors should prepare manuscripts using the official JNRS Microsoft Word template. Unless otherwise specified in the template, manuscripts should be prepared in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Submission Declaration and Verification
Submission of a manuscript to JNRS indicates that the work is original, has not been published previously in substantially the same form, and is not simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submission also confirms that all authors have approved the manuscript and consent to its submission to JNRS.
Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity/originality-detection software. Similarity reports are used as editorial assessment tools, and potential plagiarism or inappropriate textual overlap will be evaluated according to the nature and context of the identified material.
Reviewer Suggestions
During submission, authors may be requested to suggest three potential reviewers with appropriate expertise. Authors should provide the reviewer's name, institutional affiliation, and official email address.
Suggested reviewers should:
- ✓Have appropriate expertise relevant to the manuscript.
- ✓Be independent of the authors and their institutions.
- ✓Not be current collaborators of the authors.
- ✓Not normally have co-authored publications with any of the authors during the preceding five years.
The journal is under no obligation to invite author-suggested reviewers. The final selection of reviewers remains entirely at the discretion of the JNRS editorial team.
3. Editorial Procedure and Peer Review
The Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, and relevant Subject Editors are responsible for maintaining the scientific and editorial standards of JNRS and ensuring that manuscripts are processed fairly and efficiently.
Editors oversee manuscripts throughout the editorial process and communicate, as appropriate, with authors, reviewers, and the Editorial Office.
Initial Checks
All submitted manuscripts are initially evaluated by the Editorial Office to determine whether they are appropriately prepared, fall within the Aims & Scope of JNRS, meet basic scientific and editorial standards, and comply with the journal's ethical policies.
Manuscripts that do not comply with formatting or submission requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before further consideration.
Manuscripts that are outside the journal's scope, lack sufficient scientific quality or originality, contain serious methodological deficiencies, or fail to meet ethical requirements may be rejected before external peer review.
Peer Review
Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial editorial assessment are assigned to an appropriate Subject Editor and normally sent to at least two independent external experts for peer review.
Potential reviewers suggested by authors may be considered; however, reviewer selection remains entirely at the discretion of the journal.
Reviewers should possess appropriate subject expertise and must not have relationships or competing interests that could reasonably compromise the independence of their assessment.
Peer-review reports are treated as confidential. Reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors when the journal's adopted peer-review model requires reviewer anonymity.
If revision is requested, the corresponding author should submit a revised manuscript together with a detailed point-by-point response to the reviewers' and editor's comments.
Editors and Editorial Staff as Authors
Editors, Editorial Board members, and editorial staff are not permitted to participate in editorial decisions concerning manuscripts they have authored or co-authored.
Such submissions will be handled independently by another qualified editor who has no relevant competing interest. The manuscript will undergo the same rigorous peer-review procedure applied to other submissions, normally involving at least two independent external reviewers.
The author-editor must not participate in reviewer selection or editorial decision-making concerning their own manuscript.
Editorial Decision
Following editorial assessment and peer review, one of the following decisions may be made:
| Decision | Description |
|---|---|
| Accept | The manuscript is suitable for publication and requires no substantive revisions. |
| Minor Revisions | Relatively minor changes are required. Authors must address the editor's and reviewers' comments before final acceptance. |
| Major Revisions | Substantial changes are required before the manuscript can be considered further. The revised manuscript may undergo additional peer review. |
| Reject | The manuscript is unsuitable for publication because of substantial scientific, methodological, ethical, originality, scope, or other concerns. |
Authors invited to revise their manuscripts must provide a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed or providing an appropriate scientific justification where a suggested change has not been made.
Manuscript Withdrawal
Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript by contacting the Editorial Office and providing the manuscript identification number and reason for withdrawal.
Withdrawal requests should normally be submitted by the corresponding author with the knowledge and agreement of all co-authors. A manuscript should not be submitted to another journal while it remains under active consideration by JNRS.
Author Appeals
Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a written request to the Editorial Office. The appeal should provide a clear scientific justification and, where relevant, a point-by-point response to the issues raised in the editorial decision and reviewer reports.
Appeals should be evaluated fairly and, where appropriate, by an editor or Editorial Board member who can provide an independent assessment.
The journal may uphold the original decision, request additional peer review, or reconsider the manuscript where sufficient grounds exist.
Production and Publication
Following acceptance, manuscripts undergo the journal's production process:
Authors are responsible for carefully checking proofs and promptly reporting any errors during the proofreading stage.
4. Manuscript Preparation
The preparation of manuscripts according to the prescribed JNRS style and format is the responsibility of the authors. Manuscripts that do not substantially comply with journal requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment.
General Considerations
Research manuscripts should generally comprise:
- Front Matter: Title, Author List, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, and Short Title.
- Main Manuscript: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions.
- Back Matter: Acknowledgments, Funding, Author Contributions, Conflicts of Interest, Ethical Statements where applicable, Data Availability Statement, other required declarations, and References.
Review manuscripts should include the required front and back matter but may use a structure appropriate to the subject of the review rather than following the standard structure for original research articles.
Acronyms / Abbreviations / Initialisms
Non-standard abbreviations should be defined at first use. Where an abbreviation appears independently in the abstract, main text, or a figure/table, it should be appropriately explained.
SI Units
International System of Units (SI) should be used wherever applicable.
Accession Numbers
Accession numbers for DNA, RNA, protein sequences, germplasm, or other deposited research materials should be provided where applicable.
Equations
Mathematical equations should be prepared using an editable equation format, such as Microsoft Word Equation Editor or MathType, rather than inserted solely as images.
Front Matter
Title
The manuscript title should be concise, specific, informative, and relevant to the research. It should accurately reflect the main subject of the manuscript and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
Authors and Affiliations
Full names of all authors should be provided together with complete institutional affiliations, including department or unit, institution, city, postal code where applicable, and country. At least one author must be identified as the corresponding author with a valid email address.
Abstract
The abstract should normally not exceed 200 words and should be presented as a single paragraph. For original research articles, it should concisely cover the background or rationale, methods, principal results, and main conclusion without separate subheadings.
Keywords
Authors should provide five to eight relevant keywords following the abstract. Keywords should be specific to the subject of the manuscript and support indexing and discoverability.
Research Manuscript Sections
Introduction
The Introduction should provide sufficient scientific background, identify the research problem and relevant knowledge gap, explain the significance of the study, and clearly state its objectives and, where appropriate, hypotheses.
Materials and Methods
This section should provide sufficient information to enable qualified researchers to understand and, where reasonably possible, reproduce the study. Established methods should be appropriately cited, while modifications should be clearly described. Details of experimental design, materials, sampling, equipment, software, and statistical analyses should be provided where relevant.
Results
Results should be presented clearly, logically, and objectively. Appropriate statistical analyses should be reported where applicable. Tables and figures may be used effectively, but unnecessary duplication of the same data should be avoided.
Discussion
The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the study objectives and relevant published literature. Authors should explain the significance and implications of the findings, address important limitations, and identify future research directions where appropriate.
Conclusions
Conclusions should concisely summarize the major findings and their scientific or practical implications. New results or unsupported claims should not be introduced.
Back Matter & Sample Statements
The back matter of research manuscripts includes essential declarations, acknowledgments, and ethical disclosures:
Acknowledgments
Individuals or organizations that provided technical, administrative, material, or other assistance but do not qualify for authorship may be acknowledged.
Sample: The authors acknowledge [individual/institution] for [specific technical, administrative, or other assistance].
Funding
Authors must disclose all sources of financial support and provide funding agency names and grant numbers where applicable. If no external funding was received, authors may state: “This research received no external funding.”
Sample: This research was funded by [Funding Agency], grant number [XXXX].
Author Contributions
Individual contributions should be clearly described. The CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) may be used to identify contributions such as Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Data Curation, Writing—Original Draft, Writing—Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project Administration, and Funding Acquisition.
Sample: Conceptualization, A.A. and B.B.; Methodology, A.A.; Investigation, B.B. and C.C.; Formal Analysis, C.C.; Writing—Original Draft, A.A.; Writing—Review & Editing, A.A., B.B., and C.C.; Supervision, B.B. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence the research. If none exist, authors may state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
Sample: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Ethical Statement
Sample: This study did not involve humans or animals and did not require approval from an institutional ethics committee.
Availability of Data and Materials
Sample: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Consent to Participate & Consent for Publication
Consent to Participate: Informed consent to participate was obtained from all participants included in the study.
Consent for Publication: All authors have read and approved the manuscript and consent to its publication in the Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS).
SDGs Addressed & Policy Referred
SDGs Addressed: Authors may identify relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals addressed by the research where appropriate.
Policy Referred: Authors may identify relevant agricultural, food, rural development, sustainability, natural-resource, or food-security policies addressed by the research where appropriate.
Publisher's Note
Statements, opinions, and data contained in published articles are those of the individual author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated institutions, the editors, or the publisher.
Citation and Reference Style
JNRS follows the APA author–date citation and reference style.
In-Text Citations
APA-style in-text citations normally include the author's surname and year of publication.
| Author Type | Parenthetical Citation | Narrative Citation |
|---|---|---|
| One author | (Asim, 2020) | Asim (2020) |
| Two authors | (Yasir & Khan, 2020) | Yasir and Khan (2020) |
| Three or more authors | (Robinson et al., 2020) | Robinson et al. (2020) |
| Same author and year | (Esen, 2019a, 2019b) | Esen (2019a, 2019b) |
| Group author | (FAO, 2024) | FAO (2024) |
| No date | (Soost, n.d.) | Soost (n.d.) |
| Multiple works | (Ahmad et al., 2019; Meyer, 2015) | Ahmad et al. (2019) and Meyer (2015) |
Personal Communication: Personal communications should be cited in the text but are not normally included in the reference list, e.g., (J. W. Cameron, personal communication, February 12, 1979).
Group Author with Abbreviation: At first citation, the organization's full name may be followed by its abbreviation, e.g., (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2024). Subsequent citations may use (FAO, 2024).
When a source does not contain page numbers, another appropriate locator such as a chapter, paragraph, section, or table may be used where necessary.
References
All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and all entries in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript.
References should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author and prepared consistently according to the journal's adopted APA style.
- Authors' surnames should be followed by initials. Multiple authors should be separated by commas, with an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
- For works with up to 20 authors, all authors should normally be included in the reference entry. For works with more than 20 authors, APA conventions for shortening the author list should be followed.
- Organization names should generally be written in full in the reference list.
- When multiple works by the same author were published in the same year, lowercase letters should be added to distinguish them, for example, 2021a and 2021b.
- Where available, a DOI should be included in URL format. A DOI is preferred over an ordinary URL for scholarly works when one is available.
Reference Examples:
Journal Article
Shafqat, W., Jaskani, M. J., Maqbool, R., Chattha, W. S., Ali, Z., Naqvi, S. A., Haider, M. S., Khan, I. A., & Vincent, C. I. (2021). Heat shock protein and aquaporin expression enhance water conserving behavior of citrus under water deficits and high temperature conditions. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 181, 104270.
Book
Brady, N. C., & Weil, R. R. (2016). The nature and properties of soils (15th ed.). Pearson.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Naqvi, S. A., Waseem, M., Naqvi, T. A., Jaskani, M. J., & Khan, I. A. (2023). Diversity, conservation, and utilization of date palm germplasm. In J. M. Al-Khayri, S. M. Jain, D. V. Johnson, & R. R. Krueger (Eds.), Date palm (pp. 65–89). CAB International.
Webpage
Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day, if available). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL
YouTube Video
Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL
Blog Post
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. Blog or Website Name. URL
Common APA Abbreviations
Revised edition: Rev. ed. • Second edition: 2nd ed. • Editor(s): Ed./Eds. • Page(s): p./pp. • Paragraph: para. • Volume(s): Vol./Vols. • Number: No. • Supplement: Suppl. • No date: n.d.
Tables and Figures
Figures and schemes should be provided at sufficiently high resolution for publication. A resolution of 300 dpi or higher is recommended for photographic images, and appropriate publication-quality formats should be used.
All figures and tables should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals according to their first appearance in the manuscript, for example, Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, and Table 2.
Figures and tables should be placed close to their first citation in the manuscript whenever permitted by the journal template.
Each figure and table must have a concise and informative title or caption. The same data should not normally be presented in both tabular and graphical form unless scientifically justified.
All table columns must have clear headings. Tables should be prepared using the Microsoft Word table function rather than inserted as images.
Citation Policy
Authors must ensure that material derived from other sources, including their own previously published work, is appropriately cited and that permission is obtained where required.
Required Citation Practices
- ✓ Cite sources that have actually been consulted.
- ✓ Ensure that citations are directly relevant to the statements they support.
- ✓ Clearly identify and appropriately cite directly quoted material.
- ✓ Obtain permission for copyrighted material where required.
Unacceptable Practices
- ✗ Avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation.
- ✗ Avoid preferential or irrelevant citation.
- ✗ Citation manipulation or coercive citation practices are not acceptable.
5. Research and Publication Ethics
A) Research Ethics
Research Involving Plants
Experimental research involving cultivated or wild plants should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international guidelines.
Authors should provide sufficient information concerning the identity and origin of plant material. Where appropriate, information concerning cultivars, accessions, germplasm, collection sites, permits, and voucher specimens should be reported.
Research involving rare, threatened, protected, or wild plant species must comply with applicable conservation, collection, access, and benefit-sharing requirements.
Where voucher specimens are scientifically appropriate, they should be deposited in a recognized and accessible herbarium, museum, or other appropriate collection.
Example Ethical Statement: Plant materials used in this study were obtained from [source/institution/location]. Collection and experimental procedures complied with applicable institutional and national requirements. Relevant accession, voucher, or permit information is provided where applicable.
Research Involving Animals
The welfare of animals used in research must be protected. Research involving animals must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international standards for animal care and use.
Authors should follow the principles of the 3Rs — Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement — where applicable and provide sufficient information regarding animal housing, care, experimental procedures, anesthesia or pain management, and humane endpoints when relevant.
Where ethical approval is required, authors must provide the name of the approving ethics committee and the relevant approval or permit number.
Ethical Approval: All procedures involving animals were approved by [Name of Ethics Committee], approval/permit number [XXXX].
Research Involving Humans
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional and national ethical requirements and internationally recognized ethical principles.
Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board where required and provide the committee name and approval/reference number. Where a study is formally exempt from ethics approval, the manuscript should identify the relevant authority and explain the basis of the exemption where appropriate.
Ethical Approval: The study involving human participants was reviewed and approved by [Name of Committee], approval/reference number [XXXX], and was conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards.
Written Informed Consent
For research involving human participants, freely given informed consent to participate must be obtained where required by applicable ethical standards.
Where identifiable personal information, images, or other identifiable material will be published, appropriate consent for publication must also be obtained.
Consent to Participate: Informed consent to participate was obtained from all participants included in the study.
Consent for Publication: Informed consent for publication of identifiable information/images was obtained from the relevant participant(s) or their authorized representative(s), where applicable.
Sex and Gender in Research
Authors should appropriately consider sex and gender in study design, analysis, interpretation, and reporting where these variables are relevant. Authors should distinguish accurately between sex and gender and report sex- or gender-disaggregated data where scientifically appropriate. Authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting guidance such as the SAGER Guidelines where relevant.
Borders and Territories
Authors should exercise appropriate care when describing geographical boundaries, territories, institutional affiliations, and maps. JNRS maintains editorial neutrality regarding jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
B) Publication Ethics
JNRS is committed to responsible publication practices and maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that submitted work is original. Material, ideas, data, figures, or wording derived from other sources must be appropriately acknowledged and cited.
Data Access and Retention: Authors should retain research data and supporting documentation for an appropriate period following publication. Where necessary for editorial assessment or investigation, authors may be requested to provide underlying data, subject to legitimate ethical, legal, confidentiality, privacy, or proprietary restrictions.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Authors must not simultaneously submit substantially the same manuscript to more than one journal. Substantially overlapping publication without appropriate disclosure and justification is not acceptable.
Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work and accept responsibility for their contributions. Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.
Conflicts of Interest: Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose relevant financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work or decisions.
Research and Publication Misconduct: Allegations involving plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate authorship, peer-review manipulation, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, or other misconduct will be evaluated fairly according to the journal's established procedures. Where appropriate, JNRS may issue corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other notices necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
6. Use of Artificial Intelligence
Authors must disclose substantive use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation.
AI tools cannot be listed as authors because authorship requires human responsibility and accountability. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, references, interpretation, and conclusions of their manuscripts, including material developed with AI assistance.
Where generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been substantively used, authors should include a declaration before the References under the heading:
Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process
Example Statement: During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [name of tool/service] for [purpose]. The author(s) subsequently reviewed and edited the resulting material as necessary and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
Routine use of basic spelling, grammar, formatting, or reference-management tools does not normally require such a declaration.
Where AI or machine-learning technologies form part of the research methodology, their use should be described in sufficient detail in the Materials and Methods section.
7. Revenue Sources
The Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS) operates as an open-access journal.
Revenue generated through Article Processing Charges supports essential publishing activities, including peer-review administration, manuscript processing, copyediting, typesetting, online publication, digital infrastructure, long-term archiving, and journal management.
Editorial Independence: Editorial and peer-review decisions are based on scholarly considerations and remain independent of payment or an author's ability to pay.
8. Article Processing Charges
All articles published in the Journal of Natural Resources and Sustainability (JNRS) are made freely available through full Open Access.
There are no submission or handling charges.
Fee Structure
To support the costs associated with peer review, copyediting, typesetting, long-term archiving, online publication, and journal management, an Article Processing Charge (APC) applies to manuscripts accepted after peer review:
Applies upon acceptance after peer review
Applies upon acceptance after peer review
APC Waiver Policy
The journal considers individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis where authors are unable to pay the APC because of insufficient funding.
Authors requesting a waiver should apply during the submission process. Waiver requests will be considered independently of the editorial and peer-review process.
Important: Payment of an Article Processing Charge or the outcome of a waiver request does not influence manuscript evaluation, peer review, or editorial decisions.