Author Guidelines
Authors are encouraged to review the author guidelines and submission requirements of Animal Ecology and Environmental Sustainability (AEES) before submitting their manuscripts
Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Animal Ecology and Environmental Sustainability (AEES) must not be under consideration or review for publication in any other journal. Duplicate submissions and plagiarized content are strictly prohibited as they violate publication ethics.
Article Type Specifications
Ø Full-Length Articles
Description: Articles that report significant original basic research.
Abstract: Structured, including Background, Materials & Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Word Limit: Abstract: 250 words; Article: 5,000 – 6,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables).
Tables/Figures: Max of 10.
References: Max of 60, with preference for recent sources.
Ø Short Communications
Description: Articles that report significant original basic research.
Abstract: Structured, including Background, Materials & Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Word Limit: Abstract: 250 words; Article: 1,500 – 2,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables).
Tables/Figures: Max of 5.
References: Max of 25, with preference for recent sources.
Ø Letters to the Editor
Description: Rapid and concise reports of novel findings that are brief but of general interest. No more than 10 authors.
Abstract: Single paragraph.
Word Limit: Abstract: 250 words; Article: 1,500 – 2,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables).
Tables/Figures: Max of 5.
References: Max of 20.
Ø Review Articles
Description: Overviews of a field or topic, providing accessible and authoritative content. Reviews should combine background information with the latest advances and contextualize them within the broader field.
Abstract: Unstructured, submission of graphical abstract is mandatory.
Word Limit: Abstract: 250 words; Article: 6,000 words max (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables).
Tables/Figures: Max of 8.
References: Max of 70.
Ø Case Reports
Description: Unique insights into disease mechanisms or diagnostic applications.
Abstract: Structured.
Word Limit: Abstract: 250 words; Article: 2,000 words max (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables).
Tables/Figures: Max of 3.
References: Max of 25.
Ø Commentary/Opinion/Perspective/Obituary
Description: Short articles providing personal views or perspectives on current issues or research.
Abstract: Not required.
Word Limit: 2,000 words including references.
Tables/Figures: Max of 1.
References: Max of 10.
Ø Editorials (Invited only)
Description: Editorials on topics of interest to the journal. Proposals may be submitted.
Abstract: Not required. Word Limit: 2,000 words max.
Tables/Figures: Max of 1.
References: Max of 15.
Note: Word limits are provided as guidance. The Editors will consider submissions that exceed the recommended limits, subject to feedback during peer review.
Authorship limit
At most 2 co-corresponding authors, and at most 6 co-first authors for each paper.
Preparation of Articles
Please note that Articles must contain the following components.
· Cover letter
- Title page
- Structured Abstract (Background, Materials & Methods, Results, Conclusion)
- Three Highlights (after the abstract)
- Introduction
- Materials & Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Author Contributions
- Conflict of Interest Statement
- Funding source
- Data availability statement
- References (max. of last five years)
- Figure legends
- Tables
- Figures
Cover Letter:
All manuscripts submitted to AEES, must be accompanied by a cover letter declaring that
- This manuscript is original, is not published, in press, or submitted elsewhere in English or any other language, and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
- It should declare that all authors have approved the content of the manuscript and have contributed significantly to the work.
- It should declare that all authors agree with submitting this manuscript to AEES.
- Affiliations, email addresses, and postal addresses of all contributing authors. One author should be designated as the corresponding author.
Abstract: The abstract should briefly (no more than 250 words) describe in complete sentences the scope of the investigation, the results obtained, and the major conclusions.
Highlights: Add at least three highlights that represent the crux of your paper.
Introduction: The introduction should give a brief background knowledge related to the research and should be as concise as possible.
Materials & Methods: The section should be described clearly and referenced adequately so that all experimental procedures can be reproduced. Authors should provide the name of the manufacturer and their location for any specifically named medical equipment and instruments.
Results: The results should present the experimental data in tables and figures with suitable descriptions.
Discussion: The discussion should focus on the interpretation and significance of the findings with concise, objective comments.
Conclusion: Discussion should be followed by a paragraph (Max 6-7 lines) of the conclusion of your study.
Acknowledgments: The acknowledgments should be brief and include financial support and the number of grants.
Author Contributions: Authors must specify their individual contributions using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy), clearly identifying each author’s role in the research and manuscript preparation.
Conflict of Interest Statement: Authors must declare whether or not there are any competing financial or non-financial interests in relation to the work described. This information will need to be included at this stage and will be published as part of the paper. For further details please visit the policies and guidelines on the journal’s website.
Data Availability Statement
Authors must declare the Data Availability Statement (choose one in the attached form) at the time of manuscript submission.
Use of Generative AI
Authors must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of the manuscript and confirm that they take full responsibility for the integrity, originality, and accuracy of the content.
Funding Source
Authors must clearly disclose all sources of financial support for the research reported in their manuscript. If no funding was received, authors should explicitly state that the study was conducted without external financial support.
Consent for Publication
Authors are required to submit a signed consent form at the time of manuscript submission, confirming that all authors approve the submission and agree to the journal’s publication policies.
References: The journal follows the AMA manual of style (11th Edition) but the in-text citations are arranged with a slight modification. The reference should be cited in the text by number only in square brackets, e.g., “Thompson et al. [2] reported ...” or “... as previously described [2, 5–7]”, and list them in the REFERENCES section, in the order of citation in the text, Tables, and Figures (not alphabetically). If the same work is again needed to cite in the same article, then the author should assign the same number. Only published (and accepted for publication) journal articles, books, and book chapters qualify for REFERENCES. The name of the journal should be abbreviated according to the PubMed Journals Database (NLM, NIH).
A list of REFERENCES must be prepared as under:
Journals
Print Journal Articles
General format:
Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year; vol(issue):pages.
Online Journal Articles
The same general format is followed for an online journal article, but with the addition of either a DOI (digital object identifier) or URL/accessed date (only if no DOI is available) at the end.
General format with DOI:
Author. Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year; vol(issue):pages. doi:xx.xx.
General format without DOI:
Author. Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year; vol(issue);pages. URL. Published date. Updated date. Accessed date.
- The accessed date will often be the only date available.
For all reference entries, list all authors if six or less, otherwise list first three followed by “et al”
- 1-6 authors: Smith IS, Hanson JP, Adams.
- 7 or more authors: Wormser GP, Ramanathan R, Nowakowski J, et al.
Ogedegbe ABO, Eloka EV. Biodiversity of termites on farmlands in Ugoniyekorhionmwon, Orhionwmon local government area, Edo State, Nigeria. Int J Pure Appl Sci Technol. 2015; 27(2): 65-762.
Abd-Elmonem AM, Elhady HS. Effect of rebound exercises on balance in children with spastic diplegia. Int J Ther Rehabil. 2018; 25(9):467-474.
Print Books
General format:
Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s). Book Title. Edition number (if applicable). City, State (or country) of publisher: Publisher’s name; copyright year: pages (if a chapter of book).
Electronic/Online Books
General format:
Follow the same general format for a print book, but add the URL and accessed date at the end of the reference.
- If the reference is for an entire book, the information on the chapter title and page numbers is omitted
For all reference entries, list all authors if six or fewer, otherwise list the first three followed by “et al.”.
- 1-6 authors: Smith IS, Hanson JP, Adams WE.
- 7 or more authors: Wormser GP, Ramanathan R, Nowakowski J, et al.
Blair E, Cans C. The Definition of Cerebral Palsy. In: Panteliadis CP, ed. Cerebral Palsy A Multidisciplinary Approach. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2018: 13-17.c.
Government/Organization Reports
Government and organization reports are generally treated like electronic journals or book references, depending on the type of report.
- Provide the published, updated, and accessed dates if however, the accessed date will often be the only date available.
- World Health Organization. Equitable access to essential medicines: a framework for collective action.http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2004/WHO_EDM_2004.4.pdf. Published March 2004. Accessed December 6, 2005.
Figure Legends: These should be brief, specific and appear on a separate manuscript page after the References section.
Tables: Tables should only be used to present essential data; they should not duplicate what is written in the text. It is imperative that any tables used are editable. Each can be uploaded as a separate file or after the Figure legends.
Please ensure each table is cited within the text and in the correct order, e.g. (Table 3).
Figures: Figures and images should be labeled sequentially and cited in the text. Figures should not be embedded within the text but rather appear on a separate manuscript page after the References section
Please note: All parts of a figure should be grouped together where possible large figures and tables should be included as supplementary material.
Graphs, Histograms, Statistics
- Plotting individual data points is preferred to just showing means, especially where N<10
- If error bars are shown, they must be described in the figure legend
- Axes on graphs should extend to zero, except for log axes
- Statistical analyses (including error bars and p values) should only be shown for independently repeated experiments, and must not be shown for replicates of a single experiment
- The number of times an experiment was repeated
- (N) must be stated in the legend
Standard abbreviations: Abbreviations should be defined in full at their first usage in the body of the manuscript, in the conventional manner. Terms used less than four times should not be abbreviated.
Reuse of Display Items: It is the responsibility of the author to seek permission for the reuse of previously published tables or figures. When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, please make sure to obtain prior permission from the original source.
Supplementary Information: Supplementary information is peer-reviewed material directly relevant to the conclusion of an article that cannot be included in the printed version owing to space or format constraints. The article must be complete and self-explanatory without the Supplementary Information, which is posted on the journal's website and linked to the article. Supplementary Information may consist of data files, graphics, movies, or extensive tables. Authors should submit supplementary information files in the FINAL format as they are not edited, typeset, or changed, and will appear online exactly as submitted. When submitting Supplementary Information, authors are required to:
Include a text summary (no more than 50 words) to describe the contents of each file.
Identify the types of files (file formats) submitted.
Include the text “Supplementary information is available at (journal name)’s website” at the end of the article and after the references.
Formatting style
Text should be single spaced on A4 (7" × 9") paper size with 1 inch margins. All pages and lines are to be numbered.
Use a coarse hatching pattern rather than shading for tints in graphs. Use Times New Roman with font size12 for text and 14 for headings
Color should be distinct when being used as an identifying tool.
At first mention of a manufacturer country name should be provided.
Language Editing
Authors whose first language is not English may receive negative feedback from referees or editors regarding language and grammar, which can sometimes lead to rejection. To minimize such issues, we strongly recommend that these authors have their manuscript reviewed for clarity by a colleague who is a native English speaker or use a professional language editing service. These services can help improve the clarity of your writing and identify any language issues that may need your attention. However, please note that language editing does not guarantee acceptance or selection for peer review.
The journal offers a free language editing service only for manuscripts that have been accepted for publication.
Editorial and Publishing Policies
Authorship
The Journal of Animal Ecology and Environmental Sustainability (AEES) discourages honorary and ghost authorships. All authors listed in the manuscript must meet the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Additionally, no changes to authorship will be allowed after acceptance. Declare the authorship as per the " CrediT Authorship Statement" using the same terminology declaring individual role of each author.
Editorial Evaluation
Manuscripts submitted to AEES are initially evaluated for originality, scientific quality, relevance to the field, and appropriateness. Manuscripts that meet these criteria will proceed to a fair, rigorous, and timely peer-review process.
Peer-Reviewing
After initial screening, manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer-review process, with the manuscript sent to two independent expert referees who have no conflict of interest with the authors. The peer-review process typically takes 4-6 weeks. Based on reviewer feedback, the editor will provide one of the following recommendations:
- Acceptance without revision
- Acceptance with minor revisions
- Resubmission after major revisions
- Rejection
Authors must submit a rebuttal letter (response letter) with their revised manuscript, addressing each comment raised during the review process.
Article Processing Charges
There are no fees for article submission, processing, or publication.
Production and Publication
After acceptance, the manuscript will be formatted and edited by the journal’s editorial team. Both authors and readers will have free access to the final online version of the manuscript. The corresponding author will receive an email from AEES with details on the publication process and contact information for any queries. The accepted article will be published online as an "Article in Press," which will reflect the submitted manuscript in PDF form, unedited. Following typesetting, authors will receive proofs. The final, corrected version of the article will be posted online once the fully formatted version is received.
Plagiarism
AEES takes strict action against publication misconduct, including multiple or duplicate submissions, misleading or selective reporting, data falsification, plagiarism, and copyright infringement. Authors must properly cite prior works or ideas. A similarity index of less than 20% with previous work is mandatory.
Experimental Ethics
For studies involving living human subjects, authors must include a statement confirming that the study followed the recognized standards of the Declaration of Helsinki, and that informed consent was obtained from all participants. For animal-based studies, authors must include a statement confirming adherence to animal research reporting standards.
