Barbara Harrity, Technical Editor
barbara.harrity@umit.maine.edu
[There is a printable (PDF) Copy link of the ITA's & 'MS Submission Form'
Available at Bottom of Page with the other Links]
SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS:
The American Journal of Potato Research (AJPR) invites submission of articles covering a wide range
of subject matter, from basic to applied, dealing with any aspect of potato science. Articles are peer
reviewed before publication by scientists with expertise in the subject area.
BE SURE THE FOLLOWING ARE IN THE ENVELOPE BEFORE SENDING: 1) ADOBE FILE ON "CD" OR
"3-1/2" DISK', 2) ONE [1] COPY OF MS; 3) COVER LETTER FROM CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
and 4) SIGNED MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION FORM,
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AJPR Electronic Review Protocol
Revised Instructions to Authors - 10/05/04
AJPR would like to expedite reviews and publication of your manuscript by transmitting electronic
files. To standardize the process, please follow these steps:
- Prepare your manuscript with single line spacing, continuous line numbering, and include
everything: all text, figures and tables in one PDF file.
- We highly recommend that you conduct your own thorough pre-review with the help of colleagues
familiar with the subject who will check the scientific content, presentation and conclusions, and skilled
proofreaders who will catch typos and non-compliance with AJPR style.
- Submit your manuscript as an Adobe PDF file. To keep the file at a reasonable size, scan the text to
condensed tif images at 200 dpi and import into Adobe, or convert to Adobe directly from your word
processing program.
- Mail your Adobe file on CD or 3-1/2” disk with one hard copy, cover letter from the
Corresponding Author and the AJPR Manuscript Submission Form to:
Lori Wing
The Potato Association of America
University of Maine
5719 Crossland Hall, Room 218
Orono, ME 04469-5719 USA
Phone: 207-581-3042 - Fax: 207-581-3015
E-mail: umpotato@maine.edu
- The Corresponding Author will receive an acknowledgment e-mail from the Administrative Asst. with the
Senior Editor reviewing the manuscript and the tracking ID number. If you have not heard anything within
30 days of the submission, please contact the PAA office to check on it:
umpotato@maine.edu.
- Your final revision in response to reviewer comments will be prepared in Word or WordPerfect, and
Figures and Tables as separate tif or eps files. You will send these final electronic files, plus a hard
copy for reference to the Senior Editor who, after approval, will forward these to the Technical
Editor for preparation for publication.
- Any questions or comments authors have about the review of their manuscript should be directed
first to the appropriate Senior Editor using the tracking ID assigned, and then to the Editor in Chief, as
necessary.
John Bamberg, Editor-in-Chief
04/01/05
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At least one author of articles submitted for publication must be a current member of The Potato
Association of America [PAA]. For non-members, membership applications and fees
may accompany the manuscript submission.
Manuscripts must be written in English and must use proper syntax (see the section on Editorial policy).
The abstract of Full-Length articles will be printed in Spanish as well as in English. Translations are made
through the courtesy of CIP personnel in Lima, Peru.
The authors should submit a brief letter from the corresponding author and a completed
Manuscript Submission Form to the Editor-in-Chief. The Corresponding Author
is fully responsible for all aspects of the manuscript, including its overall integrity, proper submission,
revisions and related costs. Authors must submit one (1) copy of the manuscript and retain a personal copy.
The manuscript must be typed single-spaced (one side only) with numbered lines on paper, 21.5 x 28 cm
(8 ˝ x 11 in.), using letter quality printing. Times New Roman, regular, 12 pt is the recommended font.
The format requirements apply to the entire manuscript including legends for figures, tables, and literature
citations. Margins of at least 2.5 cm (1 in.) must be kept on each side of the typed page. Pages are to be
numbered consecutively in the upper right hand corner. Type the name of the author(s) at the center of the
top of each page, if there are more than two authors, type the lead author followed by et al. Receipt of the
manuscript will be acknowledged by the American Journal of Potato Research.
JOURNAL COVER PHOTOGRAPH:
The American Journal of Potato Research [AJPR] prints a cover photo on each bi-monthly issue.
The cover photo is intended to be of a scientific nature and related to one of the published articles. For
this reason, authors are invited and encouraged to submit a high quality 35 mm slide or 5 by 7 inch colored
photograph related to their manuscript as a candidate for the Journal cover.
A caption (no more than ten words) and a paragraph of 2 to 5 short sentences describing the scientific
significance of the photograph must be provided for the cover photograph.
The Journal will also consider relevant cover photographic material submitted without a related Journal
article. The photograph, title and paragraph must stand alone and must clearly and concisely convey a special
scientific or technological point of a timely nature.
EDITORIAL POLICY:
Manuscripts submitted, other than review articles, must represent reports of original research. The authors
must assure that the same or similar manuscript, or data from the manuscript has not been submitted or
published elsewhere, and will not be published elsewhere without permission from the Editor-in-Chief [EnC]
of the AJPR.
Authors must be sure of proper English usage and sentence structure in their manuscripts. If English is
not the author’s first language, the manuscript should be reviewed by someone proficient in the English
language before submitting it to the Journal. Manuscripts may be rejected on the basis of poor English
usage, poor sentence structure, or lack of conformity to accepted standards of style.
AUTHORSHIP POLICY:
Authorship implies substantive contribution. All authors of a manuscript must have reviewed the manuscript
and agreed to its submission and are accountable for its content, including appropriate citations and
acknowledgments. Inclusion of data from manuscripts of other authors is not allowed.
PRIMARY PUBLICATION:
A scientific paper that has been published in a conference report, symposium proceeding, technical
bulletin, Web site or any other printed source is unacceptable for submission to the Journal on grounds
of prior publication. Manuscripts submitted to the AJPR should be substantially different from
locally published progress or extension reports and industry-oriented publications. A preliminary disclosure
of research findings published in abstract form, as a news item or as an adjunct to a meeting (e.g. part
of a program) is not considered prior publication.
PAGE CHARGES:
Page charges for publication will be billed to the corresponding author unless otherwise specified.
Billing and reprint order forms will be sent with page proofs. Because these charges change periodically,
the author should contact the PAA office or refer to the PAA Website
(http://www.umaine.edu/PAA/pagereprintcharges.htm#PageCharges)
for information. The Association’s e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers are on the inside cover of the
AJPR.
SCOPE:
The AJPR publishes reports of basic and applied research on potato (Solanum spp.). There are three
general categories of publication: (1) Full-Length articles describing original scientific research in the
form of a regular publication; (2) Short Communications concisely describing poignant and timely research
results in four or fewer journal pages; (3) Review papers and Symposium Proceedings.
WRITING STYLE AND FORMAT:
Use simple declarative sentences that are clear, unambiguous and structured with proper syntax. Use the
past tense to narrate particular events in the past, including the procedures, observations, and data of
the study that you are reporting. Use the present tense for general statements, including your conclusions,
the conclusions of previous researchers, and generally accepted facts. In addition, the present tense
should be used for discourse having immediate effect on the reader ("the data indicate";
"The time course shows"). Consult the most recent edition of "The Council of Biology Editors
(CBE) Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers: Scientific Style and Format," Bethesda, MD for
additional information on scientific and editorial conventions. The editors and the publisher reserve the
privilege of editing manuscripts to conform with the stylistic conventions suggested in the above
publication and those appropriate to the discipline.
REVIEW PROCESS:
*** Changed 4/15/05 ***
Authors must complete the Manuscript Submission Form (see
http://www.umaine.edu/PAA/authreleaseform.htm) before the review process can begin. Submissions are
assigned an AJPR tracking number that is communicated to the author in an e-mail confirming receipt of the
manuscript.
Professional peer review is administered and evaluated by the Senior Editor assigned to the manuscript by
the Editor in Chief. Authors may provide a list of suggested reviewers.
After a reviewed manuscript has been returned to the author for revision, the revised manuscript materials
should be returned promptly to the Senior Editor. Failure to revise the manuscript within 30 days may result
in rejection. Return these materials to the Senior Editor: 1) the itemized responses to the reviewers’ and
Senior Editor’s comments including the locations of the revisions within the manuscript (page and line
number), 2) the revised version of the main text in Word or WordPerfect, 3) a separate electronic file
containing only the title, authors, manuscript number, and abstract (to expedite translation of the abstract
into Spanish), 4) two hard copies of the revised version including photocopies of all tables and figures,
5) figures either as original photos, tiff or eps files (not embedded in the file of the main text—see below for details), and 6) other materials and information requested by the Senior Editor.
If the Senior Editor recommends, and the Editor in Chief agrees (with formal confirmation to the
author) that the revised manuscript should be accepted, the Senior Editor will invite the author to submit
a visual to the Cover Editor (see section “Journal Cover Photograph”).
Page proofs, the copy-edited manuscript and the page charge/reprint form will be mailed to the author.
Page proofs are to be reviewed by the author and returned within five working days. Authors sign their
approval of final corrections, which are expected to be limited to changes in spelling, format, and
grammar. The final printed form of the paper will be faxed to authors for verification only if they make a
request in writing.
Reprints may be purchased by authors at the time of publication. An order form showing the cost of
reprints is sent with each set of page proofs. Reprint charges are also listed on the website at:
http://www.umaine.edu/paa/pagreprintcharges.htm#Reprints.
***End change 4/15/05***
ORGANIZATION OF REGULAR FULL-LENGTH MANUSCRIPTS
Regular Full-Length papers should include the following elements in the order that they are described.
TITLE PAGE: Exercise care in composing a brief but descriptive title. On the title page, include
the title, full name (including first and middle initials) of each of the authors, and the present
address(es) of the author(s). Place an asterisk after the name of the corresponding author, and then a
footnote "*corresponding author." Provide the corresponding author's telephone number, fax number,
and e-mail address with the footnote. Other footnotes to be listed are: Additional Key Words (up to 6 not
found in the title), Disclaimers, a suggested Running Head (not to exceed 25 characters and spaces),
and Abbreviations. Do not re-define abbreviations parenthetically within the text. A footnote may also
be included for: Submitted for publication ______; and Accepted for publication __________.
ABSTRACT: Type the abstract on a separate page. Limit the abstract to 300 words or less.
Briefly: state the problem that the research addresses, summarize the nature of the research approach,
provide an overview of the results and indicate the significance and/or impact of the results. Avoid
abbreviations, diagrams, and references in the Abstract. Because the abstract will be published by many
abstracting services, it must be complete and understandable without references to the text of your paper.
INTRODUCTION: The introduction should supply enough background information to allow the reader
to understand and evaluate the results and significance of the present study without referring to previous
publications or papers on the topic. Consequently, the introduction should define the nature of the problem,
provide an understanding of the relevant literature, describe the author’s hypothesis and rationale for
the present study, and state the purpose of the research. Present only the most recent and relevant
references rather than an exhaustive review of the topic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Materials and Methods section should include sufficient technical
information to allow another investigator to repeat the experiments. Include information on the identity
of materials that may affect the results. Clearly indicate the number of times that each experiment was
repeated and the number of sample replicates used within each experimental repeat. For commonly used
materials and methods (e.g., media, experimental design, etc.) a simple reference is sufficient. If several
alternative methodologies are employed, it is useful to describe the method briefly and to cite pertinent
references. The reader should be able to understand the methodology without reference to previous
publications. New methods should be described in detail and sources of unusual chemicals, equipment,
microbial and virus strains, insects involved, etc. should be identified. When large numbers of microbial
strains or cultivars are used, a table identifying the sources and/or the properties of each should be
included. For pesticide names, first usage should include the chemical and common name and the formulation
when the active ingredient is not used in a pure form. Subsequent references to pesticides need only to use
the common name. Avoid the use of trade or brand names.
RESULTS: Include only results of the experiments. Present representative rather than repetitive
data. Reserve extensive interpretation of the results for the Discussion. Present the results as concisely
as possible in the text, table(s) and figure(s). Number the tables and figures in the order in which they
are cited in the text, and be sure that all figures and tables included in the paper are cited. However,
do not reiterate in the text data that is presented in figures.
DISCUSSION: The Discussion should interpret the results in relation to previously published
work and to the experimental system used. This section should not contain extensive repetition of the
Results or Introduction sections. The significance and impact of the results should be clearly described
for the reader. Evidence for each conclusion should be summarized. In a few papers, it may be more
appropriate to combine the Results and Discussion sections. If authors believe that it is necessary
to combine these sections, they must obtain permission from the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission of
the manuscript. In all Short Communications, the Results and Discussion should be combined.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: These statements must be brief. The usual formats are:
"The authors thank John Doe for technical assistance and Jane Smith for statistical guidance."
"This research was supported in part by U.S. Department of Agriculture grant DB 45001." or
"This research was funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant 741957."
LITERATURE CITED: The Literature Cited section should include relevant published work. All listed
references must be cited in the text. Citations should be deemed retrievable by the readership now and in the
future. The following types of references are not valid for listing: unpublished data, personal
communications, manuscripts in preparation and manuscripts submitted. Manuscripts that are in press may
be used as citations, but the author must be able to provide proof of acceptance if requested by the
Journal staff. The citing of non-refereed articles from magazines is not recommended. Website citations
are not acceptable because they lack permanency and they are often not peer reviewed. Arrange the
citations in alphabetical order by first author followed in chronological order by the other authors in
the same order. Use the following formats:
(a) Journal Articles:
Author AB and BB Author. 1999. Title of article. Am J Potato Res 76:350-358.
(b) Book Articles:
Author AB, BB Author and CC Author. 1996. Title of article. In: A Jones,
B Smith(eds), Title of Book, Ed 3, vol 6. Publisher, City. pp 76-96.
(c) Thesis or Dissertation:
Author, BD. 1997. Title of thesis. Ph. D. Dissertation. University, city, state,
country.
(d) No Authors or Editors:
Title of Reference. 2001. Publisher (or government agency or company) city,
state, country. pp. 12-25.
(e) In the text, cite both the authors and the year of publication (Author1and Author2 2001). If there
are more than two authors cite only the first followed by et al. and the year (Author1 et al. 1999). If
an author is cited for two or more papers in the same year, use an "a" and "b" (Author
1999a; Author 1999b) in the text and Literature Cited.
Abbreviate journal names according to Serial Sources for the BIOSIS Data Base,
BioSciences Information Services.
***Change 4/15/05***
Note that instructions for figures differ, depending on whether they are the initial submission for
review, or are part of the accepted manuscript submitted for printing.
INITIAL SUBMISSIONS FOR REVIEW: The initially submitted manuscript for review should consist
of one PDF file into which is embedded all figures and tables placed on the page corresponding to the
point of reference. Hard-copy submissions may be formatted in the same way, with photocopies or
printer-generated figures and tables included within the text or placed at the end of the manuscript in
the traditional manner. The only exception occurs if a figure is in color or otherwise will not be
adequately represented by a B&W photocopy. For such figures, authors must submit three additional sets
of original high quality visuals for distribution to reviewers.
ACCEPTED FOR PRINTING: When a manuscript is accepted, authors may send figures and tables in
electronic form as individual (not embedded in the word processing document) eps, tiff, or other digital
image files of at least 300 dpi or as hard copy originals or high-quality photographic prints. These
should be equal to the anticipated printed size to avoid unacceptable reduction in font size and/or loss of
resolution. If submitted in hard copy form, the figure number, an arrow indicating the top of the figure
and the manuscript tracking number should be written on the back of copies (marked lightly with a soft lead
pencil). Care must be taken not to damage originals with paper clips or tape, and all materials should be
mailed in bend-protected packaging. Whether electronic or hard copy, figures should be clearly linked to the
associated legends listed on a separate page/file. Legends, and footnotes defining symbols and
abbreviations, should be complete enough to allow full interpretation of the data without reference to
the text.
SPECIFIC FORMAT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FIGURES AND TABLES:
- Electron and light micrographs should be first generation copies of the original negative. Indicate
the magnification with a scale marker on each micrograph.
- Color photographs are accepted, but incur an additional publication charge to the author of $400 US
per manuscript.
- Drawings, graphics and digital art cannot require additional retouching or typesetting by AJPR staff,
and no part should be handwritten.
- In figure ordinate and abscissa scales, as well as table column headings, avoid the ambiguous use of
numbers with exponents. It is usually preferable to use the International Systems Units
(µ for 10-6, m for 10-3, K for 103, M for 106, etc.).
- Each table should be submitted on a separate page, numbered, and include an informative but concise
title. Vertical rules/lines should not be used within a table. Headings should be such that the reader need
not refer to the text to interpret the data. Explanatory footnotes should be concise. Do not imply
greater accuracy in the data than is justified. Round numbers to the nearest "significant figure."
Do not use dashes in a column. Use a “0” where appropriate; insert an asterisk or some other symbol if no
measurement was made or no reading obtained, and then explain the symbol in a footnote. Some designation of
statistical significance is generally required for tabular data, but details of the experimental design
and statistical calculations should not be included in the footnotes, but rather be included in the
Materials and Methods section.
[End of change]
ORGANIZATION AND CRITERIA FOR SHORT COMMUNICATIONS MANUSCRIPTS
Submit these manuscripts in the same way as a Full-Length manuscript. The Short Communication is
designed to clearly and concisely convey unique, timely research of a narrow scope that has been repeated
with an appropriate number of sample replicates within each experimental repeat. Short Communications
receive the same peer review and are subject to the same time frame for publication as Full-Length papers.
This type of publication is intended to highlight specific research findings and cannot be used to report
preliminary and/or incomplete results. The structural format for a Short Communication is the same as that
of the Full-Length manuscript with the following exceptions: the maximum length should not exceed four
(4) Journal pages [To estimate this 10 pages of 8-1/2" x 11" double-spaced manuscript
pages equals approx. 2-1/2 journal pages, including tables and graphs. If there were 10 pages of just
8-1/2" x 11" double-spaced typing, it would be approx. 3-4 journal pages.] The Results and
Discussion sections should be combined. The number of literature citations should be appropriate to
the shortness of the article. A Spanish translation of the abstract will not be included with the
published article.
ORGANIZATION FOR REVIEW PAPERS AND SYMPOSIUM
PROCEEDINGS
Review papers and Symposium Proceedings are required to receive anonymous peer review. As with a
Full-Length manuscript, a title page, Abstract and Introduction are required. The text headings that
follow must properly and rationally outline the topic that is discussed. Inclusion of appropriate figures
and tables are important. A brief summary/conclusions section should be included at the end of the text.
Literature Cited should include previous relevant reviews rather than a total reiteration of the literature.
SYMPOSIA PRESENTATION FROM ANNUAL MEETINGS
***Change