INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS OF RESEARCH PAPERS
PUBLISHED IN THE “ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE”
I. General Rules
1. The “Annals of Animal Science” include original research papers which have not been published either in part or as a whole in any other scientific journal, except for proceedings of symposia and scientific conferences. The submitted papers should be written and documented so as to form an integrated whole.
2. The “Annals of Animal Science” cover the following range of topics: animal genetics and breeding; the biology, physiology, reproduction, and health; animal nutrition and feedstuffs; behaviour, well-being, production technology, and environment; economics and the organization of animal production; quality and safety of animal origin products. The assignment of a paper to a given section should be proposed by the author(s), but the final decision rests with the Editors.
3. Papers are reviewed by at least two reviewers who are research workers specializing in the relevant field. One unfavourable review means that the paper will not be published. The costs of printing are covered by the authors or by the institutions from which the papers were sent, according to current rates of paper preparation and printing.
4. The “Annals of Animal Science” also publishes review papers. Papers should present the latest knowledge in a given field of science and current literature.
5. If the approval of an ethics committee is required, please provide the name of the committee and the approval number obtained.
6. Before submission manuscripts ought to be checked by English native speaker. Manuscripts written in incorrect English can be rejected without being sent for review.
II. Submission of Manuscripts
1. Manuscripts for publication are submitted to the Editor-in-Chief by research workers or the heads of research institutions where the studies were carried out, who take responsibility for their content, scientific value and the preparation of the text.
2. Manuscripts should be submitted in English by e-mail (katarzyna.skupniewicz@iz.edu.pl) and meet the following requirements:
Word processor: Microsoft Word for Windows
Paper size: A4 (210 x 297 mm)
Font: CG Times 11 pt or Times New Roman 12 pt
Margins: 25 mm (left, right, top, bottom)
Line spacing: double
Justification: full
Formulae: equation editor
Line number
Tables: table function
The ENTER key should only be used to start a new paragraph.
3. Attached to the manuscript should be the Manuscript Submission Form as appended at the end of this Instruction.
III. Layout of the Text
1. Title page (unnumbered), not included in the paper volume, should contain: the title of the paper, the full name(s) of author(s) with superscript numbers indicating the full postal address (postcode, street, no.) of the department and affiliated institution where the study was carried out, e.g.:
Jan Kowalski1, Maria Anna Rokicka2, Adam Nowacki3
1Department of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, św. Anny 12, 30-017 Kraków, Poland
2Department of Immuno- and Cytogenetics, National Research Institute of Animal Production, 32-083 Balice n. Kraków, Poland
3Experimental Station of the National Research Institute of Animal Production, 39-331 Chorzelów, Poland
In the case of corresponding author, the e-mail address also should be given.
abbreviated title (5-6 words as in the paper title or synonyms)
source of research financing, e.g. work financed from:
statutory activity, project no.
author’s project of the State Committee for Scientific Research, project no.
funds of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, project no.
2. Manuscripts should be organized in the following order:
a) Abstract. Not more than 15–20 lines in length, containing the aim, principal methods and most important results of the experiment.
b) Key words. Maximum five items that best describe the paper’s content, beginning with words of wider meaning, e.g. ruminants, dairy cows, somatotropin, prolactin, milk.
c) Introduction. This should justify the research based on references and conclude with a clearly formulated aim of the study or research hypothesis.
d) Material and methods. This section should contain all information needed to replicate the experiment, e.g. experimental factors, experimental design, species, breed, sex and number of animals, duration of experiment, feed rations and their composition, laboratory techniques and statistical methods used. In the descriptions of methods (biological, chemical, statistical) it is enough to refer to source material if applied accordingly. Modifications made to the methods should be described in detail.
e) Results can be presented in tabular or graphic form (figures, diagrams, photographs) and given a brief description. The text of the description should not repeat tabular data.
f) Discussion. This should interpret the results in terms of the influence of experimental factors according to the aim of the experiment or to the hypothesis made in the Introduction. The experimental results should be interpreted using the current state of knowledge to help the reader accept or reject the hypothesis tested. This section should conclude with a summing-up and generalization of the results obtained. The direction of further studies in the relevant field may be also hinted at here.
g) Acknowledgements (if any).
h) References. Publications cited in the text must be organized in strict alphabetical order according to name of author. Each citation should include the author’s name and initials, year of publication, full title of paper, abbreviated name of journal, number of volume and issue, and initial and final page numbers. When more than one paper published by the same author(s) in the same year is cited, and the authors appear in the same order, the different papers should be assigned successive letters of the alphabet (e.g. 1983 a, b) and arranged chronologically. References should not include laws, school textbooks, and master’s and doctoral dissertations. Non-English references and references to non-refereed sources (popular magazines, abstracts, etc.) should be used sparingly. Below are provided examples of proper citations of references from scientific journals, congress proceedings and books (manuals).
Papers published in periodicals: Jenkins K.J., Hidiroglou M. (1991). Tolerance of the preruminant calf for excess manganese or zinc in milk replacer. J. Dairy Sci., 74: 1047–1053.
Rudzińska M., Kazuś T., Wąsowicz E. (2001). Sterols and their oxidized derivatives in refined and cold pressed oils (in Polish). Oilseed Crops, 22: 477–494.
Papers published in multi-author monographs, occasional publications, symposium or congress proceedings: Achaya K.T. (1997). Ghee, vanaspati and special fats in India. In: Lipid technologies and applications, Gunstone F.D., Padley F. (eds). Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, USA, pp. 369–390.
Doktor J., Połowicz K. (2010). The influence of waiting for slaughter on stress indicators and meat quality of broiler chickens. Proc. XIII European Poultry Conference, Tours, France, 23–27.08.2010, p. 601.
Multi-author books: Bock H.D., Eggum B.O., Low A.G., Simon O., Żebrowska T. (1989). Editors.
Protein metabolism in farm animals: evaluation, digestion, absorption and metabolism. Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 452 pp.
Books: Cuhna T.J. (1991). Horse feeding and nutrition. San Diego, USA, Academic Press, 2nd ed., 445 pp.
3. Literature citations in the text. Research findings (or their authors) should be cited if strictly connected with the study topic or research methods used. When a citation has more than two authors, the name of the first author should be followed with “et al.”, e.g. Nowacki et al. (1992). Unpublished papers should be listed in the text, e.g. Błoński (personal communication) or (Błoński, unpublished data).
4. Tables should present the most important data. The column on the left should list the parameters studied, while the columns in the middle and on the right should contain the results for individual experimental factors. Tables should contain numerical data, which are the mean values for a set of observations or measurements, replications and their statistical interpretation (e.g. standard error, coefficient of variation). The titles of the tables should be brief. Each column should have a heading. Columns and lines should be spaced. No vertical lines are allowed. Horizontal lines can only be used for strictly justified purposes.
Tabular data should not be repeated in graphic form (figures, diagrams, etc.). If there are no data for a given parameter, leave a blank. If an explanation is necessary, use an abbreviation and explain it as a footnote at the bottom of the table (e.g. ND – not determined or not detected). To designate the significance of differences between two means or interaction between factors, an additional column is recommended with the heading “significance level”, using the signs x, xx, xxx for P≤0.05, 0.01 and 0.001, respectively. When the number of means is greater than two, the significance of differences should be designated with letters which follow tabular data. Their meaning should be explained below the bottom line of the table, e.g.:
a, b, c, d – values in rows (or columns) with different letters differ significantly (P≤0.05).
A, B, C, D – as above for P≤0.01.
Statistical interpretation of the results should fit the design of the experiment and the hypotheses tested.
5. Figures and photographs. A single figure or diagram must fit half of the text page. Black-and-white or colour photographs of postcard size should have good contrast. Each figure or photograph should be provided with a brief description of its content and, if necessary, a legend in English. References to figures or photographs in the text of the paper should be provided with a reference mark or information.
6. Abbreviations should be explained on their first appearance. SI units of measure should be used. This also concerns the energy value of feeds, which should be given in Joules.
7. Supplementary information. After receiving a review of the paper the authors should follow the reviewers’ guidelines for changes and corrections, and return all the materials received together with a corrected version of the manuscript within 3 months at the most. A failure to return it in due time will delay publication by half a year. The correction of a galley-proof, confirming the final version of the paper, should be made within 3 days of it being sent to the author(s). If this deadline is not met, the Editors bear no responsibility for changes made.
8. Papers that fail to comply with the above instructions will be rejected. The Editors do not return rejected manuscripts.
place date
“Annals of Animal Science”
Manuscript Submission Form
I am asking you to review and print the enclosed paper in “Annals of Animal Science”
1. Author(s), title of the paper
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Notifying person:
Full name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adress (postcode, town, street, no.) . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telephone, fax, e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Institution’s NIP number (for Polish authors only) . . . .. . . . . . .
3. Suggested section in “Annals of Animal Science”:
Animal genetics and breeding
The biology, physiology, reproduction, and health
Animal nutrition and feedstuffs
Behavior, well-being, production technology, and environment
Economics and organization of animal production
Quality and safety of animal origin products
4. I hereby warrant that the manuscript submitted for publication has neither in part nor as a whole been published or submitted for publication in any other scientific journal.
5. I warrant that to co-authors of this manuscript are familiar with its content and have given consent to its publication in the presented form.
6. I commit myself to covering the costs of the paper’s publication after it is published, in accordance with the prices valid at the moment of printing.
. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Signature of the notifying person
This journal is included in the
POLISH SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS CONTENTS
AGRIC.&BIOL. SCI.
database which can be accessed on the World Wide Web at the following URL address: http://psjc.icm.edu.pl
Printing
Department of Publications and Printing, National Research Institute of Animal Production, 32-083 Balice n. Kraków, Poland. Printed in 525 copies.
