The Annals of Tropical Research (ATR) publishes original, innovative, and recent research papers, review articles, research notes, case reports, conference proceedings, editorials, and letters to the editor. The printed and online versions of the ATR are published semi-annually in June and December. With ATR’s Online First feature, the final revised electronic version of accepted articles will be available ahead of print while being assigned for an upcoming issue and can be cited using the article’s unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI). ATR’s Online First allows authors to publish their work quickly, thus significantly reducing the publication time, and provides an avenue for articles to be available to ATR’s subscribers and the public earlier for greater exposure and citation opportunities.

ATR is an open-access journal that does not charge article processing/handling fees. It supports COPE‘s initiative in publication ethics, best practices, and the promotion of the integrity of scholarly research.

Peer-review Process

When a paper is submitted, the Editor-in-Chief makes an initial assessment of the fitness of the submitted manuscript to the scope of ATR and the soundness of its research objectives and methodology. Although rare, it is possible for an exceptional manuscript or an invited paper to be accepted at this stage by the Editorial Board. On the other hand, a manuscript may be rejected for the following reasons:

1. The paper’s focus does not fall under the scope of the ATR;
2. The research has a faulty study design;
3. The research is unethical (i.e., it did not follow the ethical standards in the field), and
4. The paper lacks originality, novelty, or significance.

Once the manuscript is assessed and deemed sufficiently robust or scientifically sound, it is then assigned to an associate editor with expertise that aligns closely with the manuscript’s specific disciplinary focus. This associate editor oversees the review process and collaborates with two additional reviewers who have relevant specializations in the field.

The review process operates under a double-blind format, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to one another. This confidentiality is designed to foster impartiality and encourage constructive feedback.

Typically, ATR allocates three weeks for reviewers to evaluate the manuscript thoroughly. During this time, they are expected to examine the paper in detail, assess its methodology, results, and implications, and subsequently provide a comprehensive report along with a recommendation regarding acceptance or rejection.

The manuscript may be published without revisions if it has been assessed as an excellent paper, meeting all necessary criteria for publication. Alternatively, it may be accepted with minor revisions, indicating that some adjustments are needed but are not extensive, or with major revisions if significant changes are required, followed by a further review after the revisions are made. Lastly, if the manuscript does not meet the required standards, it will be rejected, indicating that its current form is unsuitable for publication.

Authors are given two to four weeks to revise the manuscript, depending on the peer-review results. After the final revision by the authors, the associate editor endorses the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief for final disposition of the paper. Failure to submit the revision within the allotted time may result in the rejection of the manuscript, which can be submitted as a new manuscript.

Selected Guidelines for Different Studies

ATR recommends that authors prepare their manuscripts following these guidelines, whenever applicable:

1. Materials Design Analysis Reporting Framework (MDAR)
2. Nature Reporting Life Sciences Research (NPG Reporting Checklist)
3. Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE)
4. Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigations (MIBBI)
5. Strengthening the Reporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA)
6. Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE)
7. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)
8. Case Reports Guidelines (CARE)
9. Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR)
10. Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trails (CONSORT)

Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts must be written in English and formatted double-spaced on one side of letter-sized paper (21.59 cm x 27.94 cm) with standard margins (2.54 cm). Use Arial font at 12 points and include continuous line numbering. All pages, including tables and figures, should be numbered consecutively in the top right corner.

The original research article should be no longer than 7,000 words; research notes are limited to 2,000 words; case reports should not exceed 1,500 words; and letters must be capped at 1,000 words. The word count includes the abstract, keywords, tables, footnotes, references, and supplementary materials. All manuscripts must adhere to the ATR house style. Manuscripts that deviate from the ATR house style will be sent back to the author.

The title of the paper and the names of the authors should be displayed on the first page. The title must not exceed 100 characters, including spaces. The authors’ organizational affiliations, along with the corresponding author’s telephone and fax numbers and email address, should be included as footnotes. Additionally, all authors are required to provide their ORCID iD upon manuscript submission.

The second page of the manuscript must include only the Title, Abstract, and Keywords. The abstract should concisely summarize the paper’s scope, objectives, methods, key findings, and conclusions, and it should be no longer than 300 words. Following the abstract, a list of 4 to 6 keywords should be provided.

The main content of the manuscript should begin on the third page. It needs to be organized into the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion (which may be separated), and Conclusion (along with Recommendations or Implications if relevant). Each section can be broken down into sub-sections, with a maximum of three levels for these subsections. Additionally, the manuscript must include sections for Acknowledgment, Author Contributions, Funding Sources, Availability of Data and Materials, Ethical Considerations, Competing Interests, and References.

References

Only published papers should be cited as references, except for theses. References should be listed in sufficient detail so that they can be easily located. They should be cited in the text as follows: single author: Bacusmo (2016) or (Bacusmo 2016); two authors: Uy and Shaw (2008) or (Uy and Shaw 2008); three or more authors: Lombard et al (2002) or (Lombard et al 2002). The Latin abbreviations ‘et al’ are not italicized and ‘al’ is not followed by a period except when it ends a sentence.

References must be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author or organizational name or by the first word of the title if there is no author. Ignore the words ‘A,’ ‘An,’ and ‘The’ when alphabetizing by title. Two or more entries by the same author(s) are to be listed in chronological order, with the earliest first. Below is ATR’s reference style.

Journal Article

Pardales JR, Konko Y & Yamauchi A. 1992. Epidermal cell elongation in the growth zone of sorghum seminal roots exposed to high root zone temperature. Plant Science 81:143-146

Tulin EE and Ecleo ZT. 2007. Cytokine-mimetic properties of some Philippine food and medicinal plants. Journal of Medicinal Food 10(2):290-299

Books and Monographs

Marschner H. 1995. Mineral nutrition of higher plants (2nd edn). Academic Press, London Smith P. 2012. Cut to the the chase: Online video editing and the Wadsworth constant (3rd edn). E & K Publishing, Washington, DC

Book Chapter

Goltiano HY. 2007. The face of subsistence farming in the Philippines: Donio. In Conklin AR Jr and Stilwell TC World Food: Production and Use (pp2-16). John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Jahn R and Asio VB. 1998. Soils in the tropical forests of Leyte, Philippines:Weathering, characteristics, classification and site qualities. In Schulte A and Ruhiyat D (eds) Soils of Tropical Forest Ecosystems (pp26-29). Springer-Verlag, Berlin

Conference Proceedings

Pasa AE, Harrison S & Cedamon E. 2013. Payment for environmental services: global experience and relevance for Philippine watersheds. In Harrison S, Bosch A & Herbohn J (eds) Improving the outcomes of watershed rehabilitation in the Philippines: Proceedings from the Planning Workshop for the ACIAR Watershed Rehabilitation Project (ASEM/2010/050), Sabin Resort Hotel, Ormoc City, Leyte, the Philippines, 18-19 July 2012. University of Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Thesis/Dissertation

Bacusmo JL. 1986. Stability studies in sweetpotato (PhD dissertation). North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

Belonias BS. 1996. Developmental physiology of the pod seed of bush bean grown in open and partially shaded conditions (MS thesis). Visayas State University, Leyte. Philippines

Illustrations, Figures, and Tables

Figures should be of good quality and have thickness of lines and size of lettering and other symbols to allow reduction of their original dimensions up to 50%. They must not exceed the size of an A4 or a letter-sized bond paper; explanatory notes to tables should be indicated by superscript small letters; tables and figures should be on separate pages after the references. They should not be embedded in the text. In addition, they should be provided with concise captions (above for tables and below for figures) that adequately describe their contents. Photographs should be submitted as high-contrast glossy prints. Color plates may be included if color is necessary for clarity. Figures, tables, photographs, or text passages that have been previously published must obtain permission from the copyright owner(s). Evidence of permission must be submitted with the manuscript. Materials submitted without such evidence will be assumed to be those of the author/s.

Abbreviations and Units

Only SI units and abbreviations should be used. Normal and molar concentrations should be written in italics N and M, respectively. The following standard abbreviations should also be used: mg, g, kg, km, mm, cm, m, rpm, s (second), h (hour), min (minute), L (liter), mL, m^-3, kg per ha or kg ha^-1 (the minus index should always be used in tables and figures). Latin biological names should be italicized or underlined. These commonly used Latin words are not italicized: a priori, a posteriori, in vitro, in utero, in situ, ad libitum, per se and viz, so as the abbreviations et al, eg, ie, etc and vs, which do not carry a period except when they end a sentence.

Scientific Name

The common name of a species should be followed by the scientific name upon its first use in the abstract and text. The scientific name must be composed of genus, species, and authority only and enclosed in parentheses. For well-known species, however, scientific names may be omitted from article titles. The scientific name should be used only if no common name exists in English.

Statements and Declarations

1. Acknowledgment: Provide any acknowledgments you would like to include in your manuscript. This may include individuals, institutions, or organizations that contributed to your research but are not listed as co-authors.
2. Author Contributions: Refer to ICMJE. Indicate the initials of the author’s name, and his/her contribution, e.g., JDC designed the study and wrote the paper.
3. Funding Source: List all funding sources supporting your manuscript’s work. This information is essential for transparency and compliance with publication standards.
4. Availability of Data and Materials: Indicate if data and materials generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary files and/or available from the corresponding author upon request.
5. Ethical Consideration:Please indicate approval from the ethics committee whenever applicable. Human research involving participants, materials, or data must adhere to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and receive approval from an ethics committee. Research experiments involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must adhere to institutional, national, or international regulations and, where applicable, should be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
6. Competing Interest: Disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication of the manuscript. Even if there are no conflicts, please indicate that the authors declare no competing interests.