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Author Guidelines
The International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences (IJBCS) is a journal devoted to the publication of contributions in all fields of biology including microbiology, parasitology, molecular biology, physiology, pathology, health sciences, pharmacology, toxicology, biochemistry, biotechnology, biophysics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, environmental biology, hydrobiology, food science, nutrition, agricultural sciences, agropastoralism, animal production, wildlife, botany, ethnobotany, forestry, agroforestry and agrogeology. It is also devoted to the publication of contributions in all fields of chemistry including chemistry of natural products, organic synthesis, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, industrial chemistry, clinical chemistry, hydrochemistry, agrochemistry, geochemistry and biogeochemistry. IJBCS publishes original research papers, critical up-to-date and concise reviews on topics of current interest, short communications and medical case reports. Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that the work reported in it is original, that the results have not been previously published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere; and further, that if accepted, will not be published elsewhere. Six issues are published per year.
Submission of papers
Papers should be submitted in electronic form through e-mails as attachment, to: The Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Dschang, Cameroon, E-Mail: ijbcs@yahoo.fr
Referee suggestions
In the covering letter, authors should suggest names and addresses (including e-mail) of at least three experts in the field for evaluation of manuscript. The choice of referees will however remain with the editorial board.
Typescripts
Manuscripts should be neatly typed (Times New Roman, 12), in French or in English, double-spaced on A4 format with 2.5 cm on all margins. Receipt of papers will be acknowledged. Authors will be informed of the referee's comments.
Manuscript types
a) Full-length paper (Original Paper; maximum: 25 pages, 35 references)
b) Review (maximum: 40 pages, 100 references)
c) Short Communication (maximum: 10 pages, 20 references)
d) Case Report (maximum: 10 pages, 20 references)
Copyright
Submission of a paper for publication implies the transfer of the copyright from the author(s) to the publisher upon acceptance. Accepted papers become the permanent property of International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences and may not be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.
Manuscript preparation
The format of the typescript should be as follows:
Title and authors: The title should describe the content fully but concisely. The names, written in full (surname last), and affiliations of authors should be given with postal addresses. The author to whom proofs and correspondences are to be sent should be indicated, with its e-mail address and telephone.
Abstract: All articles should be provided with an abstract not exceeding 200 words. It should be written in simple language and should highlight the aims of the work, the approach or methodology, the main results obtained and the conclusions reached. All abbreviations should be avoided and if used, explained at least once. The abstract should be written in the same language as the text.
Keywords: A maximum of 6 keywords must be given at the end of the Abstract. Words already in the title should not be included.
Introduction: A concise account is required of the background of the subject, its significance and its relationship to earlier works, with references.
Materials and methods: Previously described methods should be cited and not elaborately described. Statistical methods of treatment should be mentioned if they have been used. If the work done involved the use of human subjects, primates or the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment, it should be stated if clearance from the appropriate authority was obtained. The Editor may request a copy of the clearance document or informed consent form for verification.
Results: The original and important findings should be stated. Results should be illustrated with figures or tables where necessary but these should be kept to the minimum. Reference should be made to display items such as tables and figures where appropriate.
Discussion: The purpose of the discussion is to present a brief and permanent interpretation of the results against the background of existing knowledge. The discussion should highlight what is new in the paper. Any assumption on which conclusions are made must be stated clearly. A mere recapitulation of the results is not acceptable.
Acknowledgments: These should be presented at the end of the text and before the references. Technical assistance and advice may be acknowledged. Acknowledgments of financial support can also be stated in this section.
References: Authors are responsible for the accuracy and the completeness of their references. References should be cited in the text by the last name(s) of the author(s) and year of publication, for example, (Ali, 1999) or (Ali and Hussain, 1999). If the citation is the subject of the sentence, then only the date should be given in parentheses, for example, According to Khan (1984) or as suggested by Khan and Khan (1984). For citation of references with three or more authors, only the first author’s name followed by et al. should be used, for example, (Nouri et al.,1988; Aliyu et al., 2007) or as shown by Elwakil et al. (1988). If there is more than one reference in the same year for the same author(s), then please add the letters ‘a’, ‘b’, etc. to the year, for example, (Berkel, 1970a, 1970b). Only published papers or papers in press can be mentioned in the manuscript. References should be listed alphabetically at the end of the text without numbering. References to journal articles, books, chapters in books, theses, etc. should be listed as given below:
Journals:
Adzu B, Amizan MB, Njan AA, Ezeowumelu JOC, Akumka DD. 2008. Anticonvulsant effect of the aqueous extract of Xeromphis nilotica in mice. Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci., 2(3): 359-362.
Books:
Paul G, Pearson S. 2005. The vitamins (2nd edn). Academic press: New York.
Chapters in Books:
Kips RH. 1985. Environmental aspects. In Pesticide Application: Principles and Practice, Haskel PT (ed). Oxford University Press: Oxford; 1-34.
Theses: Reference to a thesis must be made if it is unavoidable.
Ratnakar P. 1992. Biochemical studies of Allium sativum Linn. (Garlic). PhD thesis, Delhi University, Delhi, p. 87.
Illustrations
Tables
Table should be typed on separate sheets, numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (e.g. Table 2) and have a short descriptive caption at the top. Avoid the use of vertical lines.
Figures
Figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (e.g. Figure 5). Graphs should preferably be drawn using appropriate computer software and presented on separate pages ready for mounting. These should be constructed in such a manner that they can be understood without reading the text. Appropriate symbols should be used on graphs and explained in the legends. Graphs should not duplicate results presented in tables. Photographs should be produced in black and white. Title and comments of the figures and photographs should be provided on a separate page using MS Word.
Page charges and offprints
Authors of accepted articles will be required to pay a fee of FCFA7000 or €11 or US$15 per printed page of the journal. They will receive a PDF copy of their article, and can place order for offprints or a hard copy of the journal after the acceptance of the article.
Correcting proofs
Galley proofs for correction of printer's errors only will be sent to the author specified on the typescript. Any other changes may be chargeable to the author. Corrections should be returned to the publisher within the specified time period.
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
- The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
- The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
- Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
- The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
- The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
- If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.