Author Guidelines
Editorial Policy
“Nigerian Journal of Natural Products and Medicines” publish articles that contribute significantly to the field of medicinal plant research and traditional medical practice. The following types of publication may be submitted:
Reviews (up to 12 typewritten pages) - Reviews will generally be invited. They should report aspects and developments in the field of medicinal plant research or traditional medical practise. They should be as concise as possible and do not need to include experimental details. The main purpose of these reviews is to provide a concise, accurate introduction to the subject matter and inform the reader of the latest developments in this area.
Papers (up to 12 typewritten pages) - Papers are research articles describing original experimental results. The material should be arranged in the order: Abstract, Key words, Introduction, Discussion and Experimental (Materials and Methods) sections. The Experimental section should contain sufficient detail so that others are able to reproduce the experiment.
Letters (up to 4 typewritten pages) - Letters should report on generally interesting results (e.g., isolation of new or known plant substances from new sources, clinical observations and/or biological reports on herbal preparations and practice, new biological activities of known compounds, observations in traditional medical and veterinary practice etc.). Neither an abstract nor an Experimental section is necessary in scientific reports. The methods (if any) used should be indicated by appropriate citations of the literature and plants should be correctly named using both local and scientific ones. Letters will be published preferentially and more rapidly.
The following areas of medicinal plant research are covered:
1. Phytochemistry
2. Chemistry of bio-active compounds
3. Microscopy, standardisation and other analytical methods
4. Biochemistry, physiology, cell cultures
5. Pharmacology, toxicology of plant and active priniples
6. Medical application; Clinical studies on efficiency of traditional medicinal practise/ethnoveterinary medicine
7. Antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasite activities
8. Ethnobotany/Ethnopharmacology
9. Plant cultivation
10.Plant-derived drugs and ethnomedicines, Pharmaceutical formulations and elevation
Original papers will be evaluated with the aid of independent referees, letters will be evaluated by the editors only.
Review articles are usually published upon invitation to leading scientists in the area of speciality. There is no charge in this respect.
All manuscripts (one original and two copies) or a copy and a 3.5” diskette using Microsoft word for word perfect or by using email using ACSII should be submitted to:
Editor in Chief: J. M. Agbedahunsi Ph.D
Drug Research and Production Unit,
Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
E-mail jagbedah@oauife.edu.ng
Tel.+2348034093594
Language of publication is English or French.
Format of Contributions
Maximum length of manuscripts is usually 3000 words (12 typewritten pages) for reviews and papers and 1000 words for letters, including references. Concise letters will be given preference.
Prepare manuscripts in a style that can be generally understood by pharmaceutical scientists in all fields.
Manuscripts must be typed doubled-spaced throughout-text and references on regular letter size paper.
Submit manuscripts with a cover letter from the author responsible for all correspondence.
For all manuscripts, provide a separate title page (title, full names referenced by arabic superscripts with affiliation and addresses of all authors, and the name and address of the author responsible for all correspondence, an abstract (<250 words for review articles and papers).
Key words, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Materials and Methods, and on separate pages, a list of references, footnotes, figure legends (include original data for graphs, bar charts etc), and tables.
REFERENCES
Number references in the order in which they are cited in the text [1,2] and arrange the list of references consecutively according to the numbers in the text. The following examples illustrate the format for reference.
1. Adesanya, S. A.; O’Neil, M. S. and Roberts, M. F.: Journal 24 (ii): 2699-2702(1985)
2. Elujoba, A. A. in ‘book title’ (Gbile, Z. A. ed.), pp. 1-20 (1971), Publisher, City.
If reference is made to paper submitted or in press, authors are requested to enclose a copy of the manuscript or galley proof. Use the Bibliographic Guide for Editor and Authors (American Chemical Society, Washington, D. C.) for abbreviation of Journal titles.
Avoid references to unpublished personal communications. A maximum of 30 reference is suggested. Recent review articles can substitute for all but the most pertinent original articles.
Tables and Figures
All tables and figures must be referred to by Arabic numerals. Provide each with a descriptive legend and supply original data for figures. Indicate footnotes within tables by superscript small letters, and type footnotes below the table. Submit illustrations (apparatus, spectra, chromatograms, X-ray crystal structures, etc.) as high quality photographic prints or as camera-ready, original drawings. Computer graphics compatible with Microsoft Word are preferred. Provide data for graphs as an appendix to the paper.
IR, NMR, Mass and UV spectra should only be given as figures when new relationships between molecular structures and spectroscopic properties are demonstrated or when new compounds are described where the listing of characteristic signals is not sufficient.
Figures of chromatograms will only be accepted when they are essential for understanding the methods or the results described.
Number illustrations on the back with a soft pencil; include author’s name and indicate the top of the figure. Do not mount prints.
X-ray Crystallographic Data
Publications that contain the results of an X-ray crystallographic study must include a line drawing of the structure, a perspective drawing, and a discussion of bond lengths and angles. A supplement describing full details of the structures and methods and means of its determination in a form suitable for deposition with the Fachinformationszentrum Energie, Physik, Mathematik, D- 7514 Eggenstein-Leopoldshifen, or a similar information storage centre must be submitted.
Abbreviation and Nomenclature
In general, abbreviations should be used sparingly. In most cases it is appropriate to use the full INN drug name. Provide a list of all non-standard abbreviations on a separate page before the reference section. Use the metric system for all measurements, if possible. Metric abbreviations should be expressed in lower case without period (cm, ml, mm). Define all symbols used in equations and formulas. When symbols are used extensively, provide a list of all symbols together with the list of abbreviations.
The internationally accepted system of units - “SI-units” -should be used wherever possible. The nomenclature used should be base on the systematic rules adopted by Chemical Abstracts (Index Guide Vol. 76 Ring Index and Supplements (American Chemical Society, 1959-1965), IUPAC (Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry, Parts A, B & C, Pergamon Press, 1979) etc. Trivial names should be avoided unless they are definitely advantageous over the corresponding systematic names. Use the correct botanical nomenclature. Cite the plant name; the Author of this name and the Plant Family.
Proof and Reprints
Galley proofs will be sent to the author responsible for correspondence (indicated on page 1 of the manuscript). Five reprints of each article will be supplied free of charge. These will be shipped after publication of the journal issue. An order form for further reprints. (In increments of 50) will be sent with the galley proofs and should be signed and returned with the corrected proofs even when additional reprints are not required.
