Author Guidelines
General Content
The journal uses the following types of material:
Research Articles
These papers treat both basic and applied research findings related to Ethiopian agriculture. Articles from regional and international sources covering tropical and sub-tropical agriculture may also be considered for publication.
Review Articles
Included here are scientific papers covering advances in various fields of agricultural research and development. Normally review articles are prepared by experts in selected fields through invitation by the Editor of the Journal.
Short Communications
This category is intended for brief scientific notes including preliminary results, scientific observations, experimental techniques, and recent technological advances in agriculture. Technical terminology in local languages in the fields of agriculture will also be made known through this column.
Agriculture and the Nation
This category covers non-conventional research articles, technical papers related to agricultural development schemes, and reports of systematic agricultural surveys. Articles related to the application of agricultural technology and its impact may also be included.
Frequency of Publication - Four times in a year (January, April, July, and October)
Guidelines
General
The Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Science publishes original manuscripts of high standard dealing with agricultural research and development findings. Reviews on different subjects of agricultural research and development appropriate to tropical and sub-tropical regions will also be considered.
Manuscripts should be written in English and should not have been published in other professional journals or simultaneously submitted to another such journal with the exception of theses and research and development project reports. Except in unusual cases, articles should be limited to 3500 words.
Before acceptance, all articles will be sent to one or more reviewers selected by the Editorial Board (within or outside the country) for comments and critical review to improve the technical and editorial standard of the paper. Manuscripts may be returned to the author(s) for further improvement or rejected as not being accepted for publication.
Proofs will be sent to the author once. Proofs should be read carefully and returned to the Editorial Office within one month of receipt. Twenty-five (25) offprints will be provided to the senior author of a published article free of charge.
Format for Manuscripts
The layout of material in submitted manuscripts should conform to an acceptable standard editorial style, which can readily be checked in a recent issue of the journal.
Title. The title should be selected carefully. It should be concise, specific, and descriptive enough to contain keywords or phrases indicated the contents of the article. A short running title of less than 35 characters, including spaces, should also be suggested.
Author and institution. The name(s) of the author(s) and the institution(s) with which they are affiliated, along with the addresses, should be provided.
Abstract. An abstract reflecting the content of the paper is required. The abstract should not exceed 200 words and must include a reason for the study, objectives, methods used, results, and a conclusion.
Introduction. This part of the paper should state the justification or underlying hypothesis for doing the work and the major objectives of the research or investigation; it should provide a brief review of literature, limited to information essential to orient the reader.
Material and methods. Under this heading should be given a brief and concise description of the conditions under which the investigation was carried out and the procedures, techniques, and experimental designs used.
Results and discussion. The major findings and assessment of the significance of the results of the investigation and the possible practical implications may be discussed with reference to the problems indicated in the introduction or stated as objectives.
Acknowledgments. Acknowledgments, if any, may be given in a separate section immediately following the results and discussion.
References. Except for invited reviews, no more than 12 papers should normally be cited. It is the responsibility of authors to check on the accuracy of references. References should be presented in the author-year style; thus in the text references to papers by one or two authors are given as shown in the example below:
(Legesse Dadi and Asfaw Negassa 1989)
. . . . . according to Legesse Dadi and Asfaw Negassa (1989)
For three or more authors, use et al., i.e., Franzel et al. 1989. in the text (but give all author's names in the reference list).
Example of acceptable formats for presenting references from various sources are:
Journal Article --- Erickson, W.A., M.M. Jaeger, and R.L. Bruggers. 1980. The development of methiocarb for protecting sorghum from birds in Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Agric. Sci. 2:91-100.
Beyene Chichaibellu, C.E. Coppock, and R.E. McDowell. 1977. Laboratory evaluation and estimation of nutritive values of some Ethiopia feedstuffs. J. Assoc. Adv. Agric. Sci Africa 4(2):9-23.
Book --- Steel, R.G.D., and J.H. Torrie, 1960. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York.
Chapter in a Book --- Loegering, William Q. 1984. Genetics of the pathogen-host association. P. 165-192. In William R. Bushnell and Alan P. Roelfs (eds.) The creal rusts, vol. 1. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.
Paper in a Proceedings --- Mesfin Abebe. 1982. An investigation into the cause of wilt in cotton. p. 129-139. In Proc. of Symposium on Cotton Production under Irrigation in Ethiopia. Melka Werer, Ethiopia, 21-22 October 1982. Inst. Agric. Res., Addis Abeba.
Unpublished and other source materials not readily available in libraries should not be included in the reference list but should be mentioned in parentheses in the text or as a footnote
Abbreviate periodical names according to accepted standards.
Typing and Paper
The manuscript must be typed, double-spaced, on one side of an A4 sheet (21 by 30 cm). The title of the manuscript and the author(s) name(s) and affiliation should be on a separate page. The first page of the manuscript should bear only the title, not the author's name or affiliation.
Margins and Page Numbers
Leave margins of 2.5 to 4 cm at the top, bottom, and sides of each page. Number all pages.
Headings and Captions
Main text headings should be centered and typed in capitals. Sub-headings are typed in capitals and small letters starting from the left-hand margin.
Photographs and Illustrations
Photographs should be black and white glossy prints of good contrast, preferably 20 x 25 cm (8" x 10"). Illustrations may be submitted in the form of black and white photographs or line drawings or both. Line drawings must be made in India ink on good quality drawing paper. Captions for photographs and illustrations should be types on a separate sheet of paper and identified by inclusion of the figure numbers. The figure number should also be written in pencil on the verso of each photograph and underneath each line drawing.
Tables
Tables should facilitate comparisons, reveal relationships, and save space. Do not repeat information in the text presented in the tables or in charts or graphs. Tables should be numbered consecutively as Table 1, Table 2, etc., in the order in which they are first cited in the text. Each table, with its heading, should be typed on a separate sheet.
Units
All measurements are to be reported in SI units. For example, do not use quintal (q) but kg or t instead.
Papers Based on Theses
Papers based on these should be presented with the thesis adviser as coauthor and should indicate the institution, the year the work was done, and the full title of the thesis.
Manuals
It is suggested that authors consult with the Publications handbook and style manual for ASA, CSSA, and SSA publications or with the CBE style manual regarding specific points of manuscript preparation.
Mailing Address
Electronic and hard copies of the manuscript should be submitted to:
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
P.O. Box 2003
E-mail: ffeyissa@yahoo.com OR zekishum@yahoo.com
www.eiar.gov.et
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
