This guide describes how to prepare manuscript for submission. We also recommend that, before submission, the authors should familiarize themselves with SJVS’s style and content by reading through this guide carefully.

Description and Scope
SJVS publishes original, basic and applied research articles, short communications, case reports and review articles on all aspects of Veterinary Sciences and related disciplines. Only original contributions written in clear and concise English would be considered for publication. The journal is published quarterly.

Submission of Manuscript
Submission Declaration
Articles are published on the explicit understanding that they have neither been published nor are being considered for publication elsewhere and will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.Submission to SJVS is taken by the journal to mean that all the listed authors have agreed to all of the contents. Accepted manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter verifying that the final manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors and transferring copyright ownership to SJVS.

Electronic Submission Process
Authors should note that SJVS accepts only online submissions to facilitate rapid publication and minimize administrative costs. Files can be submitted as a batch, or one by one. The submission process can be interrupted at any time; when users return to the site, they can carry on where they left off. Electronic submission of manuscripts is strongly encouraged, provided that the text, tables, and figures are included in a single Microsoft Word file (Times New Roman Font)
1. Visit the journal website at www.saheljvs.org to register to use the journal website
2. Click on ‘Submit Manuscript’
3. You will be re-directed to our online manuscript submission system.
4. Follow the stepwise registration process to key in your details, email address and chosen password
5. You will receive the acknowledgement of registration and login details in your email
6. Login with your password to submit your manuscript
7. Complete the checklist of manuscript appropriateness, content and style in the submission checklist.
8. The journal's copyright policy will appear next, and the authors will need to agree to this policy
9. Next, the author can add any comments, which will be visible to the editor. Move to the next step by hitting the Save and Continue button.
10. Submit your manuscript document thus,
a. Click Browse to open a Choose File window for locating the file on the hard drive of your computer.
b. Locate the file you wish to submit and highlight it.
c. Click Open on the Choose File window, which places the name of the file on this page.
d. Click Upload on this page, which uploads the file from the computer to the journal's web site.
e. Once the submission is uploaded, click Save and continue.
11. The next step of the submission process serves to collect all relevant metadata from the author. The first section of metadata covers the authors. The submitting author will have personal information automatically appear. Any additional information, such as Competing Interests should also be added at this time.
12. If there are multiple authors for the submission, their information can be added using the Add Author button. You can also re-order the list of authors, make one of the authors the principal contact with the editor, and delete any author added in error.
13. You will then add indexing information (3-6 keywords). This will help others find your article.
14. The final section allows you to enter the name of any organization that may have supported your research.
15. The next step allows authors to upload supplementary files, such as research instruments, data sets, etc if desired
16. Once the submission is uploaded, click Save and Continue.
17. Click Finish Submission to submit your manuscript. You will receive an acknowledgement by email and will be able to view your submission's progress through the review and editorial process by returning to the Active Submissions section of your Author page.

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT
Language (Usage and Editing Services)
Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these).
Policy and Ethics
Unnecessary cruelty in animal experimentation is not acceptable to the Editors of SJVS.

Nomenclature and Units
Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI. You are urged to consult IUB: Biochemical Nomenclature and Related Documents: http://www.chem.qmw.ac.uk/iubmb for further information. Authors are, by general agreement, obliged to accept the rules governing biological nomenclature, as laid down in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. All biotics (crops, plants, insects, birds, mammals, etc.) should be identified by their scientific names when the English term is first used, with the exception of common domestic animals. All biocides and other organic compounds must be identified by their Geneva names when first used in the text. Active ingredients of all formulations should be likewise identified.

Abbreviations
Use only standard abbreviations. Avoid abbreviations in the title and in the abstract. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text, unless it is a standard unit of measurement. Use Latin abbreviations only in parenthetical material (e.g., cf, etc, viz, i.e.): In non-parenthetical materials use the English translations of the Latin terms.
Use of Trademark Names
The generic or non-proprietary name of a drug should be used, with the proprietary or trademark name and manufactuer included in parentheses at first mention, e.g., trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole (Septra, Pfizer). The manufacturer's name, superscript ®, and superscript ™ are not necessary. Trademark names of equipment and materials should be provided when appropriate, and the manufacturer's name and address (city, state, country if necessary) should be included in parentheses, e.g., tourniquet (Velcro, USA).

MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE
A. Original Research Manuscript: Regular manuscripts should be typed in ‘standard’ font, 12- point Times New Roman, double-spaced with at least 2.5 cm margins all around and continuous line numbering., i.e. also for abstracts, footnotes and references. All pages are numbered starting from the title page. Our preferred format for text is Microsoft Word and if using Word 2007, please provide the manuscript in Compatibility Mode (i.e. as a Word 97-2003 document; saved as .doc, NOT .docx).Manuscripts should be organized in the following order:
 Title
 Running title (not more than 60 characters)
 Name(s) of author(s)
 Complete postal address(es) and affiliations
 Tel no. and E-mail address of corresponding author
 Present address(es) of authors
 Abstract
 Keywords (indexing terms) normally 3-6 items
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Ethical Statement
 Results
 Tables
 Figure captions
 Discussion and Conclusions
 Acknowledgements
 Grants
 Authors Contributions
 References

Title: This should include the manuscript full title (it must be brief providing exact information of the contents), authors’ names and initials, institutional affiliations (University/Institution, College, and Department/Unit) including full addresses and emails of all authors. The corresponding author should be identified with an asterisk against his/her name and email (Note the “Blind Peer Review Policy” of SJVS).

Abstract: Provide a concise and factual abstract of not more than 250 words. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. Complete sentences, active verbs, and the third person should be used, and the abstract should be written in the past tense. Standard nomenclature should be used and abbreviations should be avoided. 

References should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s), year(s) and journal(s). Following the abstract, about 3 to 6 key words that will provide indexing references should be listed.

Introduction: This should state briefly and clearly the objectives of the investigation with reference to previous works. Extensive review of the literature should be avoided but insert references of recent publications where such reviews may be found. It should be understandable to colleagues from a broad range of scientific disciplines.

Material and Methods: These should be described in sufficient detail that the work can be reproduced. Procedures and techniques already published should be avoided; only cite the original source, with any new addition or variation briefly stated. Reports of experimental studies on humans and animals must certify that the research received prior approval by the appropriate institutional review body (Committee of Bioethics).The methods of data analysis should be described.

Ethical Statement: The ethical statement should highlight the global ethical principles for animal use and ethics. Institutional ethical approval references should be provided here.

Results: Results must be presented concisely and in logical order. It should be written in the past tense when describing findings in the authors' experiments. Figures or tables should be used to present data rather than inserting data in text. When appropriate give the range, standard deviation and indicate the significances of differences between numerical values obtained.

Discussion: Discussion should interpret the results and assess their significance in relation to previous work in the field. Speculation not warranted by actual data should be avoided.

Conclusions: These must be drawn from the text and restricted to the limits of data obtained.

Acknowledgement: These should be typed in a special paragraph under separate heading preceding the section of references. Acknowledge assistance of any colleagues or support staff in the preparation of article. They should be kept to a minimum consistent with the requirements of courtesy and disclosure.

Conflict of Interest: Conflict of interest (if any) should be stated here.

Grants: Provide the funding for the project stating the granting institution and grant number.

Author Contribution: Author contributions should be stated in accordance with the ICJME authorship criteria.

References:
The Harvard style of referencing should be used as exemplified below. In the text, a reference identified by means of an author’s name should be followed by the date of the reference in parentheses. When there are more than two authors, only the first author’s name should be mentioned followed by “et al”. In the event that an author cited has had two or more works published during the same year, the reference, both in the text and in the reference list, should be identified by a lower case letter like “a” and “b” after the date to distinguish the works.

Examples:
Bukar (2003), Paul et al. (2003), (Baba, 1993), (Ambali and James, 1992), (Mohammed, 1998; David, 1987a,b; Dahiru, 1993,1995), (Abdul et al., 2001). Only articles that have been published (or in press with evidence) should be in the list of references. References should be arranged alphabetically and further sorted chronologically if necessary. Articles in preparation or articles submitted for publication, unpublished observations, personal communications, etc. should not be included in the reference list but should only be mentioned in the article text (e.g., O.D. Yusuf, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, personal communication).Journal names are abbreviated according to National Library of Medicine (NIH, US) Journal Abbreviations (pubmed.gov). Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy of the references.

Journal article
Baba, S.S. (1999). Detection of rabies virus RNA and antigen in tissues from naturally infected Nigerian dogs: In situ hybridization and Immunohistochemical studies. Revue Elev. Med. Vet. Pays Trop., 52(2): 85-91
Bokko, B. P., Adamu, S. S. and Mohammed, A. (2011). Slaughter–mediated foetal wastage amongst cattle in the Sahel region of Nigeria. Sahel J. Vet. Sci., 10 (2): 59 – 66
Reed, L.J. and Muench, H. (1938). A simple method of estimating fifty percent endpoints. Amer. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 27:493-497

Books and Monographs
Nero, S. M. and Naear, R. C. (2009). How to prepare an electronic version of your article, In: Jones, B. S., Smith, R.Z. and Richards, E. M. (Eds.) Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281–304
Pelczar, J. R., Harley, J. P., Klein, D. A. (1993). Microbiology: Concepts and Applications. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York, pp. 591-603
Conference Proceedings
Baba, S.S., El-Yuguda, A.D., Egwu, G.O., Ribadu, A.Y., Ambali, A.G., Abubakar, M.B., Ibrahim, U.I and Zoyem, N. (2007). Development and evaluation of theefficacy of heat tolerant peste despetits ruminants (PPR) vaccine in Nigeria. Proceedings of International Conference on Adaptive Science & Technology (ICAST 2007), 10-12 December 2007, Gimpa campus, Accra, Ghana, pp. 138-141

Web References
As a minimum, the full URL should be given and the date when the reference was last accessed. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.

Guidelines for Tables
Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text; do not combine numbering with figures. All tables must be called out in order at least once in the text (e.g. Table 1). Compose each table on a separate page at end of the manuscript. Provide a self-explanatory title at the top of each table. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

Guidelines for Figures
Figures should be as small and simple as is compatible with clarity. We encourage authors to use original figures and tables to illustrate their article. All figures should be high resolution and sharp in detail. Please note that all costs for figure preparation are assumed by the author. Each figure or plate should be on a separate file and a caption comprised of a brief title and a description of the illustration typed below it. Electronic file formats of JPG, TIF, EPS, PDF or PSD are preferred. Figures should be numbered consecutively, in Arabic numerals, according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. Refer to each figure by number in the text (e.g. Fig. 1). Add any labels (A, B, etc.), arrows, or other markings using appropriate software.

Blind Peer Review Policy
To ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review for submission to this journal, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of the authors and reviewers from being known to each other. This involves the authors, editors, and reviewers (who upload documents as part of their review) checking to see if the following steps have been taken with regard to the text and the file properties:

The authors of the document have deleted their names from the text, with "Author" and year used in the references and footnotes, instead of the authors' name, article title, etc.With Microsoft Office documents, author identification should also be removed from the properties for the file.

For Microsoft 2003 and previous versions, and Macintosh versions of Word:
Under the File menu select: Save As > Tools (or Options with a Mac) > Security > Remove personal information from file properties on save > Save.
For MacIntosh Word 2008 (and future versions):
Under the File menu select "Properties."Under the Summary tab remove all of the identifying information from all of the fields.Save the File.
For Microsoft 2007 (Windows):
Click on the office button in the upper-left hand corner of the office application
Select "Prepare" from the menu options.
Select "Properties" for the "Prepare" menu options.
Delete all of the information in the document property fields that appear under the main menu options.
Save the document and close the document property field section.

For Microsoft 2010 (Windows):
Under the File menu select "Prepare for sharing."
Click on the "Check for issues" icon.
Click on "inspect document" icon.
Uncheck all of the checkboxes except "Document Properties and Personal information".
Run the document inspector, which will then do a search of the document properties and indicated if any document property fields contain any information.
If the document inspector finds that some of the document properties contain information it will notify you and give you the option to "Remove all," which you will click to remove the document properties and personal information from the document.

For PDF files:
With PDFs, the authors' names should also be removed from Document Properties found under File on Adobe Acrobat's main menu.

B.Review Article
A review article should not more than 8,000 words. Review articles may be submitted upon a formal request for submission to the Editor In-Chief or by a known authority in the field.

C. Short Communication
Short Communication article should present preliminary findings of a concluded study based on a set objective. It should be limited to 1,500 words excluding the references. The format of presentation should be like a research article but the results and discussion sections should be combined.

D. Case Reports
A case report should be limited to 1,500 words and should have the following sub-sections; abstract, introduction, case presentation (case history; clinical examination; laboratory investigations and management), discussion and references which should not exceed a total of 15-20.

E. Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor offer opinions on papers published in SJVS. Letter to the Editor submissions must not exceed 500 words (main text only), with no more than 8 references. Original or unpublished data will not be considered. The correspondence and the reply cannot include more than 3 authors each. Letters are selected based on their relevance and originality. SJVS will not publish letters commenting on manuscripts for which letters have already been published. Your manuscript will be returned to you if it does not meet these criteria.

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE
The author(s) will be required to pay an article processing charge (APC) for each accepted manuscript after peer review. The APC is thirty-five thousand naira only (₦35,000) for Nigerian author(s) or one hundred dollars ($100) for foreign author(s).

All payments must be by bank deposit or electronic transfer to the account below.

Bank Name: Zenith Bank PLC
Account Name: Sahel Journal of Veterinary Sciences
Account Number: 1013371970
Account Type: Corporate/Current

REVIEW PROCESS
All manuscripts are reviewed by qualified reviewers. Decisions will be made as rapidly as possible, and the journal strives to return reviewers’ comments to authors promptly. The editorial board will re-review manuscripts that are accepted pending revision. It is the goal of the SJVS to publish manuscripts shortly after acceptance for publication.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Proofs
One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author or a link will be provided in the e-mail so that authors can download the files themselves. Proofreading is solely the responsibility of the authors. Article will be typeset and copy edited for grammar, punctuation, house style, and format. Review of proof allows the author to answer all queries and make any corrections necessary. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one  communication. Check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. We ask that these proofs be returned within 72 hours. Corrections received after that time may not be included in the current issue of the journal. Please keep in mind that only essential changes can be made on the page proof. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Note that SJVS may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.

Offprint
The corresponding author will be provided with a PDF file of the article via email. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use. Off print and/or volume of the journal can be ordered via the “order form” which is sent once the article is accepted for publication. Both corresponding and co-authors may order offprint and volume of the journal at any time from SJVS. All volumes of the journal can be ordered by any individual, corporate bodies, institutions and libraries after contacting the editorial office. The charges will be at the current cost of production stated in the order form.

For Inquiries:
Editor-in-Chief
Sahel Journal of Veterinary Sciences
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri,
P. M. B. 1069, Maiduguri, Nigeria
info@saheljvs.org


Journal Identifiers


eISSN:
print ISSN: 1117-6210