Submission Guidelines - Editorial Platform

Submission Guidelines for Journal of Tropical Biology

This journal publishes academic papers, research reports, review articles, discussion on academic issues, and brief (or rapid) research notes in the field of tropical biology. Topics include the latest research progress and achievements in tropical agricultural and forestry sciences, tropical microbiology, tropical marine biology, tropical animal sciences, tropical medicinal sciences, tropical horticultural sciences, tropical bio-safety, and biological experimental techniques. Submissions from educators, researchers, and graduate students are warmly welcomed.

1. Manuscript Requirements

1.1 Manuscripts should be formatted in Word (size 5 Songti font, A4 paper). The recommended length is 4,000–6,000 words (including abstracts, main text, figures, tables, and references), with review articles up to 8,000 words.

1.2 Authors are responsible for the content of their submissions. Manuscripts should possess scientific rigor, innovation, academic value, practicality, and compliance with standards. Contributions must have clear arguments, reliable evidence, accurate data, a logical structure, and fluent language, in accordance with China's copyright laws and with attention to national security.

1.3 The sequence of manuscript components should be as follows: article title, authors and their affiliations, abstract (approximately 200 words), keywords (3–8), Chinese Library Classification number, English title, English abstract and keywords, main text (including introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion), acknowledgments, and references. The footer of the first page should include the submission date, funding project details (project name, funding source, and approval number), and author biographies [including full name (birth year–), gender, ethnicity (Han ethnicity omitted), title, degree, research focus, and email]. Abstracts should follow the structured abstract format.

1.4 The title should be concise, appropriate, and reflective of the article's core content. Avoid non-standard abbreviations, acronyms, or symbols. The title should be concise (25 characters max) and have the same meaning in Chinese and English.

1.5 The abstract should be structured with four sections: objective, methods, results, and conclusions, all written in the third person. The English abstract should correspond to the Chinese abstract and adhere to grammatical norms.

1.6 Keywords should be words or terms that reflect the main content of the article. Prefer terms from standardized Chinese subject lists. If necessary, newly coined terms may be used. Chinese and English keywords should correspond directly.

1.7 The Chinese Library Classification number should be selected from the Chinese Library Classification (5th edition).

1.8 The introduction should briefly introduce the rationale, purpose, background, prior work, and knowledge gaps of the study, along with theoretical foundations, experimental bases, expected outcomes, and the significance of the research in its field.

1.9 The materials and methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow others to replicate the experiment. Include data analysis (statistical) methods, though simple statistical measures (e.g., means, t-tests) need not be explained. Specify equipment models, manufacturers, testing conditions, precision, material and reagent purity, and experimental standards. Note experimental precautions.

1.10 The results section is the core of the paper and should provide a concise description of findings, complemented by figures and tables. Avoid exhaustive data listing and ensure clarity to prevent overlap with the discussion section.

1.11 The discussion should evaluate the significance and novelty of the results, compare them with related work, and derive general principles from experimental data. Focus on the results, highlight differences from prior studies, address unresolved issues, and suggest future research directions. Speculations should be evidence-based.

1.12 Figures and tables should be self-explanatory and placed within the text. Line drawings must comply with drafting standards, with clear labels, symbols, and axis notations using standardized physical quantities and units. Tables should generally follow the "three-line table" format. Avoid repetition of content between figures, tables, and text. Figure and table titles (and notes) should be provided in both Chinese and English.

1.13 Physical quantities and units in the main text (including figures and tables) must comply with national and international standards. Clearly distinguish foreign characters, fonts, cases, superscripts/subscripts, and easily confused letters.

1.14 References should list only major publications that have been publicly released and directly cited in the text. References from the past five years should account for more than 50%. References at the end of the manuscript should be numbered in the order they appear in the text (internal materials, personal communications, and unpublished works should not be cited). For references with three or fewer authors, list all; for those with more, list the first three followed by "et al." Foreign authors should be listed with surnames first, followed by initials without periods. The reference format should comply with GB/T 7714—2015.

2. Notes

2.1 The journal reserves the right to make textual modifications, deletions, and technical adjustments to figures and tables. Authors who disagree should specify this in their submission.

2.2 Multiple submissions and plagiarism are strictly prohibited. Accepted manuscripts will incur review and publication fees.

2.3 This journal is indexed in multiple databases, including China Journal Net, China Academic Journal (CD Edition), China Academic Journal Comprehensive Evaluation Database, Wanfang Data Resource System, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, China Journal Full-text Database, Boxin Journal Database, SuperStar Journal Database, Changjiang Library, and the Ulrichsweb database. Authors who do not wish their work to be included in these databases should specify this in their submission.

2.4 Upon publication, the journal will pay a one-time manuscript fee (including transfer fees and copyright usage fees for network publication and related databases).

Editorial Department Email: rdsw2020@hainanu.edu.cn

Submission Platform: https://hnnx.cbpt.cnki.net/

Editorial Address: Editorial Department of Journal of Tropical Biology, Social Science Building, Hainan University, 58 Renmin Avenue, Haikou, Hainan Province, 570228, China.

Contact Phone: +86-898-66281595