Author Guidelines

The American Journal of Horticulture and Floriculture Research (TAJHFR)
ISSN: 2689-0976

The American Journal of Horticulture and Floriculture Research welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications in horticulture, floriculture, and related agricultural disciplines.

Manuscripts should make a clear scientific contribution, use appropriate methods, and present conclusions supported by evidence. Authors should explain the relevance of their findings to horticultural or floricultural science and practice.

1. General Submission Requirements

• Manuscripts must be written in clear English and submitted in an editable Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

• Submissions must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal.

• All authors must approve the manuscript and agree to its submission.

• Related publications, preprints, conference papers, and substantial overlap with earlier work must be disclosed.

• Submit through the journal’s online submission system. Any alternative submission method must be confirmed by the editorial office.

An extended conference paper must cite the earlier publication, explain its additional contribution, and comply with applicable copyright conditions.

2. Manuscript Formatting

Use a consistent, readable layout throughout the manuscript:

• Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.

• Line spacing: Double spacing.

• Margins: 2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides.

• Page numbering: Number all pages consecutively.

• Headings: Use a clear hierarchy for sections and subsections.

• Abbreviations: Define abbreviations at their first appearance.

• Units: Use SI units where appropriate.

Provide tables and equations in editable form wherever possible. Define mathematical symbols and use accepted scientific nomenclature.

Italicize genus and species names. Identify cultivars, varieties, rootstocks, and accessions clearly and consistently.

3. Files Required for Submission

To support double-blind peer review, submit the following separately:

Title page: Include author names, affiliations, contact details, and identifying declarations.

Anonymized manuscript: Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and identifying information from the text and file properties. Refer to previous work objectively without revealing authorship.

Additional files: Provide figures, supplementary materials, datasets, analytical code, and supporting documentation where relevant.

4. Title Page

The title page should include:

• A concise and informative article title.

• Full names of all authors in the agreed order.

• Department, institution, city, and country for each author.

• Corresponding author’s name and email address.

• ORCID iDs, where available.

• Funding information and conflict-of-interest declarations.

• Author contributions and acknowledgements.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and sharing relevant updates with all coauthors.

5. Abstract and Keywords

Provide an abstract summarizing the research purpose, methods, principal findings, and conclusions. Explain the scientific contribution or practical relevance without overstating the results.

Avoid references and unexplained abbreviations in the abstract.

For original research, a structured abstract may use:

Background · Objective · Methods · Results · Conclusion

Reviews and short communications may use an unstructured abstract appropriate to their content.

Include four to six keywords describing the crop, subject, methods, production system, or application.

6. Structure of Original Research Articles

Introduction

Explain the research background, relevant literature, knowledge gap, and objectives. Identify the horticultural or floricultural problem addressed by the study.

Materials and Methods

Describe the methods sufficiently for scientific assessment and reproducibility. Where applicable, include:

• Study location, dates, seasons, and environmental conditions.

• Plant species, cultivars, rootstocks, and sources of planting material.

• Experimental design, treatments, controls, and randomization.

• Numbers of plants, plots, replicates, and sampling units.

• Soil properties, growing media, and production conditions.

• Irrigation, fertilization, crop protection, and other management practices.

• Equipment, measurement procedures, and assessment criteria.

• Statistical methods and software versions.

• Relevant collection, fieldwork, biosafety, or institutional permissions.

For greenhouse and controlled-environment studies, report relevant temperature, humidity, light, and cultivation conditions.

For post-harvest studies, describe harvest maturity, handling procedures, storage conditions, and quality measurements.

Clearly distinguish independent biological replication from repeated measurements or technical replication.

Results

Present findings clearly and logically using text, tables, and figures. Report relevant numerical results, variability, uncertainty, and statistical outcomes.

Avoid unnecessary duplication between the text and visual material.

Discussion

Interpret the results in relation to the study objectives and previous research. Explain limitations, environmental influences, and implications for cultivation or management.

Do not generalize findings beyond the crops, locations, seasons, or conditions supported by the evidence.

Conclusion

Summarize the principal findings and their significance. Recommendations should follow directly from the results.

7. Other Article Types

Review Articles

Reviews should define their scope, critically assess existing knowledge, and identify limitations and research gaps.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must describe the search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection, quality assessment, and synthesis methods.

Short Communications

Short communications should present focused findings or methodological advances concisely while providing sufficient detail and supporting evidence for assessment.

8. Tables, Figures, and Images

• Number tables and figures consecutively in the order they are cited.

• Give each table a descriptive title and each figure a clear caption.

• Label graph axes and include measurement units.

• Explain abbreviations, symbols, error bars, and statistical indicators.

• State sample sizes and explain measures of variability where relevant.

• Supply high-resolution figures with legible labels.

• Include scale bars in microscopy and other images where appropriate.

• Obtain permission for copyrighted material where required.

Images must not be altered in ways that conceal, exaggerate, or misrepresent findings. Relevant adjustments must be disclosed.

9. References

Use a consistent numbered reference style, with sources numbered in the order of their first appearance in the text.

Include author names, source title, publication details, and DOI or persistent identifier where available.

Journal article format:

Author surname and initials. Article title. Journal title. Year;volume(issue) range or article number. DOI.

Cite datasets, software, protocols, and other research resources where relevant. Identify preprints as preprints.

Authors must verify reference accuracy and ensure that sources support the associated statements. Avoid irrelevant citations and excessive self-citation.

10. Research Permissions and Environmental Responsibility

Provide applicable permissions for field trials, sample collection, access to private land, protected species, and restricted sites.

Research involving pesticides, genetically modified organisms, pathogens, or other regulated materials must address relevant institutional, environmental, and biosafety requirements.

Identify the sources of biological materials and any applicable collection, transfer, or use conditions. Research involving human participants or animals must include appropriate ethics approval and consent information where required.

11. Data, Code, and Supporting Materials

Include a data availability statement and, where relevant, a code availability statement.

Share supporting datasets, analytical code, protocols, and supplementary materials where feasible. Explain restrictions arising from confidentiality, licensing, intellectual property, or other legitimate requirements.

Label supplementary files clearly and refer to them in the manuscript. Supporting data should use clear variable names, units, and treatment descriptions.

12. Required Declarations

Include the following statements, as applicable:

Funding: Identify financial support and explain the funder’s role.

Conflicts of Interest: Disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests, including employment, consultancy, patents, plant variety interests, or relationships with manufacturers whose products are evaluated. State explicitly if none exist.

Author Contributions: Describe each author’s contribution.

Data Availability: Explain where supporting data can be accessed or why access is restricted.

Code Availability: Provide access details for relevant analytical code or explain restrictions.

Acknowledgements: Recognize contributions that do not qualify for authorship, with permission from the individuals named.

Ethics Approval and Permissions: Provide relevant approval, exemption, consent, and permit information.

During double-blind review, identifying declarations should be supplied separately through the title page or submission fields.

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Disclose substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation, analysis, or content creation. Identify the tool and explain its purpose.

When AI forms part of the research method, describe the models, data, evaluation procedures, and limitations sufficiently for assessment.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Human authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, references, and research integrity.

AI-generated content must not be presented as genuine field observations, plant images, experimental measurements, or collected research data. Legitimate use of synthetic data must be clearly identified. Confidential information must be protected.

14. Peer Review and Revisions

Submissions undergo initial editorial assessment followed by double-blind peer review where suitable.

If revisions are requested, submit:

• A revised manuscript.

• A point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments.

• An explanation of changes and evidence-based reasons for any disagreement.

Acceptance depends on satisfactory editorial assessment of the manuscript and any revisions. An invitation to revise does not guarantee acceptance.

15. Publication Charges

Any applicable Article Processing Charge, payment conditions, and available waivers or discounts are disclosed on the journal’s Article Processing Charges page.

Payment does not guarantee acceptance or influence editorial decisions.

16. Copyright and Open Access

Authors retain copyright in their work. Published articles are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated.

The license permits sharing and adaptation, including commercial reuse, provided that appropriate attribution is given, the license is linked, and changes are indicated.

Authors may deposit published articles in institutional or subject repositories without an embargo, with acknowledgement of the original publication.

17. Proofs and Corrections

Authors must check proofs carefully, including names, affiliations, scientific names, cultivar names, numerical results, tables, figures, and references.

Substantial changes after acceptance require editorial approval. Authors must promptly report significant errors discovered before or after publication and cooperate in correcting the scholarly record.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting, confirm that:

• The manuscript is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.

• All authors have approved the submission.

• The title page and anonymized manuscript are provided separately.

• The abstract, keywords, references, tables, and figures are complete.

• Plant materials, treatments, environmental conditions, and methods are adequately described.

• Controls, replication, sampling units, and statistical procedures are clearly explained.

• Relevant approvals and permissions are included.

• Funding, conflicts of interest, and author contributions are declared.

• Data and code availability statements are provided where relevant.

• Third-party permissions have been obtained where required.

• Related publications and substantive AI use have been disclosed.

For submission assistance, contact the editorial office through the journal’s official Contact page.