Submission Guidelines for Maize Sciences
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 Aim and Scope
Maize Sciences is an international peer-reviewed quarterly journal administered by Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS), co-administered by the National Maize Industry Technology R&D Center and the National Key Laboratory of Maize Biological Breeding, and published by Higher Education Press. It aims to provide a forum for important advances in maize research, strengthen the communication of maize scientists between China and other countries, and contribute to global food security. Maize Sciences publishes high-quality, original review, experimental technique, research paper, and letters in the field of maize science. The topics covered include but are not limited to: genetic breeding, molecular biology, biotechnology, germplasm resources, agronomy, cultivation physiology, pest and disease management, soil and fertilizer management, ecology, cereal chemistry and post-harvest processing. The full texts of Maize Sciences are available online at https://journal.hep.com.cn/maize or the official website of Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences（http://www.jaas.com.cn/）.
1.2 Submission Process
The manuscript should be submitted online through the official Manuscript Submission System of Maize Sciences (https://journal.hep.com.cn/maize). Submissions by email or post will not be considered. The system allows authors to track the status of their manuscripts throughout the review and publication process.
All manuscripts submitted will be evaluated by the Editorial Board. The Board may reject manuscripts without further review or may subject manuscripts to the "double-blind peer review" mechanism. Manuscripts that do not meet the standards of the journal will be rejected. When revisions are requested prior to final decision, revised papers must be received within 30 days or they will be treated as new submissions.
1.3 Originality
The manuscript must be original, not previously published, and not currently under consideration elsewhere. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the work has not been published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.
1.4 Copyright and License
All the articles published in Maize Sciences are open access under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Copyright belongs to the authors, the authors are required to sign a copyright statement after their articles are accepted.
1.5 Conflict of Interest
Authors must declare any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research. All potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed in the cover letter and acknowledged in the manuscript. The journal may use such information as a basis for editorial decisions and may publish such disclosures if they are believed to be important to readers in judging the manuscript. A decision may be made by the journal not to publish on the basis of the declared conflict.
2. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
2.1 Title Page
The title page should include:
Full title: It should be concise, informative, and avoid non-standard abbreviations (maximum 30 words).
Running title: Less than 80 characters.
All author(s) name(s): The names of all authors, including family names and first names (with the first letter capitalized). Authors from China should present their names using Pinyin and Chinese characters. To facilitate blind review, authors' names and affiliations should not appear in the main text.
Corresponding author(s): Include full mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
Author affiliation: Include department, institution, and complete address for each author. If there are authors with different affiliations, use superscript-numerals to match authors with institutions.
Acknowledgement: List dedications, acknowledgments, and funding sources.
2.2 Abstract and Key words
Abstract: A concise summary of the manuscript (maximum 350 words). It should provide the background, key objectives, main methods, major findings, and conclusions of the research.
Key words: 3-8 key words (in lowercase) for indexing and database searches, which should be listed directly after the abstract. Key words should be standardized terms in the maize field.
2.3 Main Text
The body of the manuscript should be organized in the following sections:
INTRODUCTION: The introduction should be concise and set the context for the maize research, explaining the background and significance of the study. It should also state the objectives and hypotheses clearly.
RESULTS: The results section should present the maize research data clearly and succinctly, with appropriate statistical analyses. It should be presented logically, either in a sequential or thematic order. Data presented should be complete, and appropriate controls should be mentioned.
DISCUSSION: The discussion should interpret the results, exploring their implications in the context of existing maize research literature. Authors should not simply restate results but should interpret their significance and address any potential limitations. A brief summary of the conclusions drawn from the research should follow, highlighting the main findings and their broader impact on the maize field.
METHODS: This section should describe in detail all materials (including maize varieties, experimental reagents), techniques, and procedures used in the research. Sufficient detail should be provided to allow for replication of the study. Authors should avoid laboratory jargon and clarify any abbreviations used. Chemical names should be listed in their correct forms, and any trade names should be capitalized and accompanied by the manufacturer's information.
2.4 Supplemental Data
Supplemental Data should be submitted as a single Word file. Supplemental files may include additional data, figures, or videos that support the maize research findings but are not essential to the main text.
2.5 References
Use the author-date citation style. Only published and accepted works should be cited. Priority is given to citing core journal literatures at home and abroad in the past 5 years and published papers of Maize Sciences.
Provide full details for each reference, including authors, year, article title, journal name, volume, issue, page range. For books, include authors, year, the title, publisher, city of publication, and country.
Personal communications or unpublished data should not be included in the reference list but can be cited in the text with appropriate permission from the authors . (eg. Woo H R, Kim H J, Lim P O, et al. 2019. Leaf senescence: Systems and dynamics aspects. Annu Rev Plant Biol, 70: 347-376.)
3. Figures and Tables
3.1 Figures
Maize Sciences publishes all contents in full color in print version without extra fees. Authors are strongly encouraged to submit all figures and graphical materials in color.
For reviewing process, all figures should be provided in PDF version, which should be combined with the text. Figures must be cited, in consecutive order, in the text.
For accepted articles, the final version of the figures should be created using Photoshop, PowerPoint (PPT), Adobe Illustrator or software such as Excel, Graphpad, Origin, SigmaPlot, in TIFF, JPEG, PDF, or PPT format. The resolution of at least 300 dpi is required for photographic images, 1000 dpi for line art, and all line drawings must be 0.75 point or above. If you use PPT, please send the original files. For illustrations, use color or pattern fills that can be read clearly when printed in color. Images imported into PPT should have at least 600 dpi resolution. The width of one column is 80 mm, 1.5-column 120 mm, and 2-column 170 mm. Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration.
Line figures should be supplied as sharp, preferably color graphs or diagrams, either professionally drawn or created by a computer graphics package. The line width should be 0.75 point. It is not required to add a frame for the figures.
Detailed figure requirements follow:
Figure caption font size and typeface: 8.0 pt, Times New Roman, bold
Figure labels (A, B, C, etc.) font size and typeface: 8.0 pt, Arial, no bold
X-axis, y-axis labels font size and typeface: 7.5 pt, Arial, no bold
X-axis, y-axis units: 7.5 pt, Arial, no bold
All other text inside figures: 7.5 pt, Arial, no bold
And you may supply the original and editable figures for editing, especially those vector diagrams.
3.2 Figure Legends
Legends should be concise and comprehensive: the figure and its legend must be self-sufficient, understandable without reference to the text, including definitions of any symbols used, and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.
Include information on sample sizes, statistical significance, and error bars where applicable (especially for maize experimental data).
3.3 Tables
Tables should be created using the Word table function and should not be submitted as Excel or PDF files.
Tables must be numbered sequentially (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) and should have a brief, informative title (in both Chinese and English).
Footnotes should be used to explain any abbreviations or special notations in the table. Adopt the three-line table format to avoid repetition with the text content.
4. Review and Publication Process
4.1 Peer Review
All submitted manuscripts will undergo a "double-blind peer review" process. Typically, two to three reviewers in the maize field will assess each manuscript. The peer review process usually takes 1-2 months, and authors will be notified of the editorial decision afterward.
4.2 Revision
Minor Revision: Authors will be given 20 days to revise the manuscript and resubmit it.
Major Revision: If significant changes are needed, authors will be given up to 30 days for revisions.
Resubmission: Revised manuscripts should be accompanied by a detailed point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, clearly stating the revision content and reasons.
4.3 Acceptance and Publication
Accepted manuscripts will be online first after preliminary edit within 10 days, and the final edited and typeset version of record will appear in the future.
If major changes are required after acceptance, the manuscript may go through another round of review. The editorial department will conduct typesetting and proofreading, and the proof will be returned to the author for confirmation before official publication.
5. Data and Image Integrity
5.1 Data Availability
Authors must ensure that all primary data supporting the conclusions of the maize research manuscript are available. Data should be shared in public repositories where possible, and access details must be provided in the Methods section.
5.2 Image Manipulation
Any image processing (e.g., brightness or contrast adjustment) must be applied uniformly across the entire image and disclosed in the figure legend. Cropping or grouping images must also be transparent and should be mentioned in the figure legend. Falsification or modification of maize experimental images is regarded as academic misconduct.
6. Submission of Revised Manuscripts
6.1 Final Submission
Upon acceptance, the manuscript must be submitted as a Word document. Figures should be provided as separate high-resolution files in TIFF, JPEG, PDF, or AI format. Supplemental information should be submitted as a single file in Word format.
6.2 File Format
Manuscript text should be formatted with continuous line numbers and in 1.5 line spacing.
Use Times New Roman font (12-point) for the main text, and Song font (12-point) for Chinese content.
7. Publication Fees
7.1 Handling Fees
There will be no article processing charges (APC) for accepted manuscripts within the first three years, after which a certain handling fee will be charged to accepted manuscripts. Details of the fee will be provided upon acceptance.
7.2 Open Access
Authors may choose the open-access publication option, which will allow the article to be freely available to the public immediately upon publication.
8. Final Checklist for Authors
Before submitting, authors should ensure that the following items are included:
Title page with author information (consistent with the requirements of Section 2.1);
Manuscript body, including all required sections (Introduction, Results, Discussion, Methods, References) and in line with maize research content;
Figures and tables in correct formats (conforming to the specifications of Section 3);
Figure legends and supplemental data (if applicable);
A cover letter addressing the significance of the maize study and confirming compliance with submission guidelines, including declarations of originality and no conflict of interest.