Verdant Legacy

Author's Guideline

Guide for Authors

Plant Protection and Agritech

The Journal Plant Protection and Agritech welcomes original contributions in all areas of plant sciences and their relevance to sustainable and green economic development. This guide provides detailed instructions for authors preparing manuscripts for submission, ensuring consistency, quality, and adherence to publication ethics.

About the Journal

The Journal Plant Protection and Agritech is an international, peer-reviewed open-access interdisciplinary journal dedicated to research on efficacy trials of new bio pesticides, field validation of AI-driven monitoring systems, sustainable agricultural practices and integrated pest management.

Aims and Scope

The journal will cover key research areas of plant science with traditional and modern aspects like disease diagnostics, Phytopathology, Integrated Pest Management and resistance, genetics, biological control, chemical management, agricultural innovations, crop modification, AI/Machine Learning for yield prediction and stress detection, robotics, digital agriculture

Article Types

  • Research Articles – Comprehensive studies presenting original data and analyses (4,000–7,000 words).
  • Review Articles – Critical syntheses of current knowledge (up to 8,000 words).
  • Short Communications – Concise reports of novel findings (2,000–3,000 words).
  • Perspectives and Commentaries – Insightful essays on emerging trends or policy relevance (up to 2,500 words).
  • Book Reviews – Evaluations of recent scientific works relevant to the journal’s focus.

Peer Review

All manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process managed by subject experts. Authors should ensure their manuscript is anonymized before submission. Reviewers provide constructive feedback within 4–6 weeks.

Open Access

Plant Protection and Agritech publishes all articles under an open-access model, ensuring that research is freely available to the global scientific community. Authors retain copyright under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Ethics and Policies

The journal adheres to the guidelines of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and expects integrity in authorship, data presentation, and citation practices.

Ethics in Publishing

Authors must confirm that their work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal. All sources must be properly cited.

Submission Declaration and Verification

By submitting a manuscript, the author declares that the submission is original and complies with ethical guidelines. Submissions are verified using plagiarism detection software (acceptable similarity index ≤15%).

Authorship

All listed authors must have made significant contributions to the research. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all co-authors approve the final version.

Changes to Authorship

Requests for changes in authorship after submission (addition, removal, or order change) must be approved by all authors and justified in writing.

Declaration of Competing Interests

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence their work.

Funding Sources

Please identify all funding sources supporting the work. Example:“Funding: This research was supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (Project #XYZ-2025).

Declaration of Generative AI Use

Authors must declare if generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) were used for writing, analysis, or figure creation. Example: “Portions of the text were generated with AI assistance and verified by the authors for accuracy.”

Preprints

Authors may share preprints on recognized platforms (e.g., linkdin) before submission. The preprint should be cited with DOI in the manuscript.

Use of Inclusive Language

Authors should use inclusive and respectful language, avoiding bias related to gender, ethnicity, or culture.

Reporting Sex- and Gender-Based Analyses

Where relevant, authors should include sex and gender analysis to improve the reproducibility and applicability of research outcomes.

Jurisdictional Claims

Authors should avoid implying political endorsement in geographical maps or institutional affiliations.

Studies in Humans and Animals

Research involving humans or animals must have ethical approval and informed consent. Provide approval code and institution name.

Writing and Formatting

Use clear, concise English. Manuscripts should be in Microsoft Word (.docx) format with double spacing and 12-point Times New Roman font.

Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords separated by semicolons. Example: “Phytochemicals; Sustainable agriculture; Waste valorization.

Tables, Figures, and Artwork

Tables should be editable and placed after references. Figures should be high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi). Captions must be clear and self-explanatory.

References

Follow APA 7th edition format. Example: Khan, R., & Yousaf, Z. (2024). Sustainable use of plant resources. *Journal of Applied Botany and Green Economy, 2*(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jabge.2024.02.01

Submission Checklist

Cover letter with corresponding author’s contact information

Manuscript file in Word format with full author and institutional details

Manuscript file in Word format without author and institutional details (Anonymous copy for blind review)

Graphical abstract (optional)

Conflict of interest statement

Ethical approval (if applicable)

Author Contributions

The Journal Plant Protection and Agritech requires that all submitted manuscripts include a clear statement specifying the individual contributions of each author. This ensures transparency, accountability, and proper acknowledgment of work performed.

Authors must include a contribution statement at the end of the manuscript (before the Acknowledgments section), using the CRediT Taxonomy (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) as a reference.

CRediT Taxonomy Roles

Each author’s contribution should be assigned to one or more of the following 14 roles:

Role

Description

Conceptualization

Formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims.

Methodology

Development or design of methodology; creation of models.

Software

Programming, software development; designing computer programs; implementation of code and supporting algorithms.

Validation

Verification of results and data integrity.

Formal analysis

Application of statistical, mathematical, computational, or other techniques to analyze data.

Investigation

Conducting the research and investigation process, including experiments or data collection.

Resources

Provision of study materials, reagents, materials, instrumentation, computing resources, or analysis tools.

Data curation

Management and curation of data for initial use and later reuse.

Writing original draft

Preparation, creation, and presentation of the published work, specifically writing the initial draft.

Writing review & editing

Critical review, commentary, or revision of the manuscript.

Visualization

Preparation of figures, diagrams, or data presentations.

Supervision

Oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity and planning.

Project administration

Management and coordination responsibility for the research activity.

Funding acquisition

Acquisition of financial support for the project.

 

Example of Author Contribution Statement

Author Contributions: Z.Y. conceptualized the study and supervised the project. M.A. and F.H. performed data collection and formal analysis. A.R. prepared the original draft, while Z.Y. and S.K. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Authorship Criteria

All listed authors must:

  • Have substantially contributed to the research as defined in the CRediT roles above.
  • Have approved the final version of the manuscript.
  • Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately in the Acknowledgments section.

Changes to Authorship

Requests for changes in authorship (addition, removal, or order change) after submission must be approved by all authors and justified in writing. The Editor-in-Chief will review all such requests in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

The Journal Plant Protection and Agritech is committed to open access publication, ensuring that all accepted articles are immediately and permanently available online without subscription barriers.

At present, no Article Processing Charges (APCs) are applied for papers accepted in the inaugural and early volumes of the journal (Vol. 1–2). Authors can publish without any publication fees during this introductory phase.

Future APC Policy (Effective from Volume 3 onwards)

To support sustainable publishing, peer review management, and digital archiving, APCs will be introduced after the initial issues. The indicative APCs (subject to periodic revision) are as follows:

Author Affiliation

Proposed APC (USD)

Approximate PKR Equivalent

Authors based in Pakistan

USD 75

PKR 15,000

Authors from developing countries (as per World Bank classification)

USD 100

Authors from high-income countries

USD 150

Note: These rates are indicative and may be revised annually based on publishing costs and exchange rates.

Waiver and Discount Policy

Journal aims to ensure that publication fees are not a barrier to the dissemination of quality research. Waivers and discounts are considered on a case-by-case basis for authors who meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Corresponding author is based in a low-income or lower-middle-income country, as defined by the World Bank.
  • Authors who have no institutional funding or are independent researchers.
  • Early-career researchers submitting high-quality work as judged by the editorial board.
  • Invited review articles or editorially commissioned papers.

Authors seeking a waiver or discount should submit a brief justification to:

📧 editorial@verdantlegacy.org before or at the time of submission.

Transparency and Ethics

Plant Protection and Agritech adheres to COPE and DOAJ principles of transparency in publication charges. There are no submission fees, no page charges, and no hidden costs. Authors will be informed of any applicable APC only after acceptance, and publication is never dependent on payment ability.

Publishing Agreement and License Options

Authors must sign a publishing agreement granting Verdant Legacy Publication the right to distribute the work under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Proof Correction

Proofs are provided to the corresponding author for final review. Corrections must be limited to typographical errors only. No change in author list will be accepted at this stage

Getting Help and Support

For questions or technical assistance, contact: support@verdantlegacy.org or