Guide for authors

Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is an international journal with continuous publication every four months (3 issues per year), that open issues in January, May and September. The objective of the journal is to create a space for the discussion and dissemination of results and advances of original research by researchers from any educational institution or national or international research center, in open access electronic format. The topics covered by the journal are related to Agronomic Sciences, Animal Science, Environmental Science, Wildlife, Conservation of Natural Resources, Ecology and areas related to Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural and Livestock Ecosystems.

It publishes original Scientific Articles, Scientific Notes and Review Articles in open access electronic and printed format. In the case of review articles, they are only received by invitation from the Editorial Committee to prominent specialists in the topics covered by the Journal.

The journal is included in the Emerging Source Citation Index (ESCI), SciELO Citation Index, SciELO México, DOAJ, Latindex, Agris FAO, Fuente Académica Plus (EBSCO), Actualidad Iberoamericana, Dialnet, Periódica, Red Iberoamericana de Innovación y Conocimiento Científico, Biblat, Open Science Directory, CAPES, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database (ProQuest), and CAB Abstracts (CABI), Scilit, Open Alex, among others.

Manuscripts must be sent in electronic format through the journal's website (http://era.ujat.mx), including a cover letter signed by all authors stating that the work is original and unpublished (except for research articles deposited in SciELO Preprints), that they agree with the content and that it is not currently under review in another journal.

Manuscripts are received in Spanish or English. In the case of articles in English where the mother tongue of the author(s) is not English, a translation certificate from Oxford Science Editing/Proofreading Services or American Journal Experts must be presented.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are first evaluated by the journal’s Editorial Committee, who will review compliance with the guide for authors, in addition to reviewing it with Ithenticate anti-plagiarism software. Papers with more than 20% similarities in the text, including recycled texts (self-plagiarism), will be rejected. iThenticate also also provides a percentage indicating the portion detected as AI-generated text, which will also be taken into account. Those manuscripts that do not comply with the guidelines for authors will be returned for corrections or, in some cases, rejected.

When research is conducted with animals, approval must be obtained from the appropriate institutional entity (in most cases, an Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee). Authors must include a statement in the Materials and Methods section detailing the complete information corresponding to the approval (including the name of the organization that granted it and the reference numbers). If approval is not available, authors must include a statement explaining why it was not needed. Authors are encouraged to follow the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In vivo Experiments) guidelines developed by NC3Rs.

When the research involves human subjects, informed consent must be obtained from each participant. This must be explicitly stated in the Materials and Methods section.

In the case of manuscripts that include a list of specimens collected or reviewed, the accession number and the name of the scientific collection or museum where they are deposited must be included. The establishment of new taxa and the scientific names cited must comply with international nomenclatural codes.

Authorship

The journal adheres to the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) definition of author and considers that to be an author of the work the individual must satisfy the following conditions:

  1. Have contributed substantially to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work;
  2. Have participated in the drafting of the manuscript and have made a major intellectual contribution to its content;
  3. Have approved the final version to be published;
  4. Have assumed responsibility for all aspects of the work to ensure that questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

An “Authors’ Contribution Statement” must be included toward the end of the document, before the references or works cited, and after the AI usage statement. This statement must comply with the CREDIT taxonomy.

Pre-evaluation

Manuscripts received for publication are reviewed by the Editor or a member of the Editorial Committee, who verifies that the manuscript is within the subject matter of the journal, that it is correctly formatted and that it is written in accordance with the specifications of the Guide for Authors. It is also reviewed to ensure that it meets the originality criteria with Ithenticate anti-plagiarism software.

After said review, if deemed necessary, the author is asked to make adjustments in order to continue with the process. The journal reserves the right to reject articles that it deems unsuitable for publication.

When the manuscript passes the pre-evaluation, it is sent to an Associate Editor who will conduct the peer review process. The Associate Editor asks that the manuscript be reviewed by at least three anonymous external reviewers (double-blind peer review), who are selected for their expertise and knowledge about the subject area of the manuscript to be reviewed. The reviewer will be asked to evaluate the work according to international quality standards and criteria for publication.

Authors can propose three possible reviewers of recognized prestige, which may be considered by the Editors in the review process, among others. The review and editing follow-up process will be carried out in the OJS system, only with the corresponding author.

Review process

The reviewers or referees make suggestions and recommendations on how to improve the article. The reviewers' evaluation qualifies the work as:

  1. Accept submission
  2. Publishable with modifications
  3. Resubmit for review
  4. Not publishable

The handling editor summarizes the reviewers' evaluation and recommendations and notifies the corresponding author of the decision on the manuscript. In the case of suggestions and corrections, the author has two weeks to resolve and submit them. Corrections may be explicit in the manuscript.

Acceptance and editorial production

The paper is considered accepted when it has passed the peer review process and the author has made the indicated corrections and modifications. The accepted paper is sent for proofreading and layout. The layout version is sent to the author for review and returned with a letter of conformity and permission for publication. When the journal Editor has all the documentation that will allow him/her to publish the paper, then it will be considered as an article scheduled for publication.

Cover letter

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be accompanied by a cover letter, which states the originality of the content and highlights its relevant aspects and contribution to knowledge. This letter must be signed by all authors, expressing their agreement with the content of the manuscript and with the editorial procedures of the journal.

The template for creating this letter can be downloaded here.

Publication charges and costs

Articles published in the Revista Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios are open access and so are available free of charge online to all readers of the journal, without any type of subscription, immediately after publication. Given its high production costs, the journal asks authors to provide a Publication Cost Contribution (often called Article Processing Charge or APC), which is not intended for commercial purposes but rather to cover the maintenance of information technology infrastructure, as servers and Open Journal Systems (OJS), Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), and other essential services that ensures editorial quality, visibility and dissemination of published papers.

Since January 1, 2026, the journal requires a fee of MXN $3,500 (Three thousand five hundred Mexican pesos) for each article accepted for publication. This fee remains comparable to, or lower than, those charged by other journals in this field of knowledge.

Payment of the PCC is required after the manuscript has been accepted for publication, following receipt of the galley proofs, and prior to the electronic publication of the article. The contribution may be made through the payment module available on the journal’s website or at a bank branch using the payment form generated by the same module.

All contributions are deposited into an institutional account and are managed in accordance with the current “Programa de Ahorro, Austeridad, Racionalidad y Diciplina del Gasto de la Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco”.

PCC exemptions and waivers

The following cases shall be exempt from Publication Cost Contributions:

  • Review articles made under express invitation of the journal’s editorial board, led by the editor-in-chief.
  • Following an analysis by the editor-in-chief and at least one associate editor, a waiver may be granted on humanitarian grounds in exceptional cases where the authors can demonstrate financial insolvency. To request such a waiver, authors must submit, at the time of manuscript submission through OJS, a signed justification letter explaining the reason for the request and the supporting documentation that, according to authors, demonstrates their financial insolvency.

Conflict of interest

All authors are asked to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest, whether personal or financial.

Authorship changes

Changes in authorship, such as the addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship of accepted manuscripts, are not permitted.

Plagiarism

Editorial team of the journal uses the software iThenticate to identify similarities and IA writing. If the Journal detects or is alerted to and confirms cases of plagiarism, excessive or non-declared use of AI, fraud or misconduct in a published article, the Editorial Committee will proceed according to the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics, actions that could lead to the retraction of the article (COPE - http://publicationethics.org/).

GUIDE FOR MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Manuscript titles

Manuscripts must have a main title and a short title. The main title must reflect the manuscript’s content and not exceed 15 words. If the manuscript is written in Spanish, the title must first be written in Spanish and then in English; if the manuscript is written in English, the title must first be written in English and then in Spanish. The main title should be centered and written in bold, upper- and lower-case letters, without a period at the end. The short title must be written in the language of the manuscript and centered with a maximum of six words, in upper- and lower-case letters. Scientific names as part of the title are recommended only for uncommon species or when essential. When they must be included, they are written in italics, with capital letters in the first letter of the genus and in the surname(s) of the classifier(s); the latter is not written in italics. If the scientific name is subsequently used, the genus can be abbreviated.

Author names and addresses

Write the full names (without initials of first names or surnames) of the author(s) and the ORCID identifier in parentheses, beginning with the first name(s) and then the surname(s) joined by a hyphen and separated by a comma. To identify the authors, put a numerical superscript which must be related to the affiliation address. If all authors are affiliated to the same institution, it is not necessary to use the numerical superscript. Write the name of the institution with the complete postal address of the authors. The responsible author must be identified with an asterisk and his/her e-mail address. When the responsible author has stopped working or studying at the institution where the research was carried out, it is recommended to add the complete current address, without removing the original one. Starting in 2024, the journal will accept a maximum of six authors in each manuscript; if the research warrants and justifies it, a greater number of authors can be included.

Resumen (Spanish word for abstract)

Write the resumen in a single paragraph with a maximum of 250 words for scientific articles and review articles, and 150 words for scientific notes. It should include the most important aspects of the research: introduction (justification and importance), objective, materials and methods, most important results, main conclusion, limitations of the study or implications and originality. The resumen must not include citations. The scientific names of the species under investigation should be added. Abbreviations and acronyms should be used sparingly; if they are necessary, use only a minimum number of them, and first write out the complete words represented by the acronym and then put the corresponding acronym in parentheses. The resumen must be consistent with the information presented in the other sections of the article.

Palabras clave (Spanish phrase for keywords)

Write a maximum of five keywords that are not included in the title of the manuscript, in simple or compound terms, separated by commas, and with a period at the end of the last word. It is recommended not to use words that are already in the title of the manuscript. Scientific names should always be written in italics.

Abstract and keywords

The content of these sections must be the same as that of the resumen and the palabras clave. The authors are responsible for the English translation.

Citation Style

Starting in 2026, the journal Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios will follow the 9th edition of the Council of Science Editors (CSE) citation style, using the author-year system.

This style can be managed using bibliographic managers, for example, Zotero library can be downloaded here.

Authors are asked to include the full title of the journals when referencing cited articles.

Introduction

This section must clearly and briefly specify why and for what purpose the study was carried out. It must contain the background, justification and objectives of the work. That is, it should contain the scientific, technical, social or economic arguments that motivated the study to be conducted. Include literature relevant to the study, preferably from the last five years and published in prestigious scientific journals. It is recommended to select references directly connected to the topic and avoid multiple citations (two or more citations) to support simple or widely known concepts.

Materials and Methods

This section must indicate where, when and how the study was carried out (include location of the study area, experimental design, variables evaluated, statistical analysis, etc.). The information in this section must be consistent with the objective of the study. The materials and methodology used must be described concisely, clearly and completely so that other researchers can reproduce the study. It is necessary to include references that expand or detail the information on a method, especially when statistical or laboratory methods are described.

Results

They correspond to the information obtained and analyzed from a statistical point of view, which are generally organized in the form of Tables and Figures. The textual description should focus on highlighting the relevant aspects of the results, and not on repeating in words the data presented in Tables and Figures.

Discussion

This section is the core part, where the results obtained from the study are interpreted, according to the objective. When the results differ from those obtained by other authors, the possible causes must be discussed, without falling into unsubstantiated speculations. The author must consider that it is not enough to present data, but rather explain them according to their relevance and compare them with relevant and current studies.

Conclusions

Briefly and concisely state the specific contributions to the field of knowledge, supported by the results obtained, all written in one paragraph. It is not acceptable to include suggestions for future studies in this section.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

This statement may follow the following format:

  • During the research and/or preparation of the manuscript, the authors used (name of the AI or tool) for the purpose of (purpose). The review, verification, editing, and interpretation of the information provided by (name of the AI or tool) were carried out by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the published content.

Author Contributions

This should be done using the initials of each author and following the roles defined in the CREDIT taxonomy.

Declaration of Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no interests that would interfere with the objectivity required in a scientific publication.

Acknowledgments

These are optional; they are used to give credit to people and institutions that advised or helped during the work, as well as to funding sources.

Additional Information

If there is relevant material for this research that could not be included in the article due to space or format limitations, it may be deposited in a repository, and the link may be included in this section. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the terminology used in such additional material is consistent with that of the submitted article.

Similarly, this journal encourages authors to share the research data that led to this article, with the aim of ensuring transparency, verification, and validation. This can be done by providing a link to the repository where the data is stored.

Literature Cited

It is presented in alphabetical and chronological order with all the literature cited in the text. It should reflect the handling of the topic, with updated literature from the last five years. Information from electronic pages is accepted if it comes from institutions whose information is certified and updated (e.g. FAO, UNESCO, NOM, and INEGI). Literature that is difficult to access, such as theses, conference proceedings, or literature with limited distribution, should not be included. Examples of different types of literature citation can be found in the manuscript template available on the journal's website under information for authors.

SPECIFIC FORMATS

1. SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE FORMAT

The original results of experimental research presented in the form of scientific articles must be of national or international importance and, above all, be supported by information obtained by verifiable and valid scientific procedures.

Order --- Structure the manuscript in the following order: short title, main title in Spanish and English, author(s), resumen (maximum 250 words), palabras clave, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, acknowledgments (optional), conflict of interest, supplementary information, and literature cited. The maximum length of the manuscript is 25 letter-size pages, including Tables and Figures on separate sheets at the end of the manuscript.

2. SCIENTIFIC NOTE

Scientific notes are considered to be important and novel preliminary results, modifications of some experimental method or technique, statistical methodologies, and descriptions of new varieties or of field or laboratory devices or instruments, preferably based on recent research results.

The Scientific Note must contain the following sections: short title, main title in Spanish and English, author(s), resumen (maximum 150 words), palabras clave, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, acknowledgments (optional), conflict of interest, supplementary information, and literature cited. The conclusions are included in a paragraph at the end of the results and discussion section. The maximum length is 15 pages including Tables and Figures.

3. REVIEW ARTICLES

The request for this type of manuscript is made by the journal’s Editorial Committee to outstanding researchers in the topic area covered by the journal. They should preferably be written in English, with a maximum length of 35 pages. The sections of these contributions are: main title, short title, resumen, palabras clave, abstract, keywords, introduction, development of the topic (with the necessary sections), conclusions, supplementary information and literature cited.

4. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

These are manuscripts related to critical analyses of books published in the last two years, remembrances of the scientific work of renowned researchers, and comments on topics of interest and articles published in the journal. The maximum length is four pages, in free format. If citations are included in the text, they should be cited at the end of the manuscript in accordance with the journal’s Guide for Authors.

CONSIDERATIONS

Abbreviations are the same in singular and plural (1 cm, 15 cm); do not place a period after the abbreviation, except at the end of the sentence.

Leave a space between the number and the unit of measurement.

Incorrect: 15m, 37°C, 30%

Correct: 15 m, 37 °C, 30 %

Do not leave a space between the number and the unit when dealing with angles and measurements of longitude or latitude.

Incorrect: 30 ° 15 ’ 5 ’’ North Latitude

Correct: 30° 15’ 5’’ NL

Use spaces to divide numbers with more than three digits.

Incorrect: 21345678.00

Correct: 21 345 678.00

Do not mix nouns with units of measurement.

Incorrect: The content is 30 mL H2O/kg

Correct: The water content is 30 mL kg-1

Do not begin sentences with numbers.

Incorrect: 30 specimens were collected in the forest.

Correct: In the forest, 30 specimens were collected.

Abbreviate units of measurement when they are preceded by digits, but not when they are nouns.

Incorrect: The turtle weighed 15 kilograms; it was weighed in kg.

Correct: The turtle weighed 15 kg; it was weighed in kilograms.

Do not use symbols to represent words in sentences.

Incorrect: This is > than the other one.

Correct: This is bigger than the other one.

Represent numbers with words when they have one digit (zero to nine), and with numbers when they have two or more digits.

Incorrect: 3 samples were taken, ...of the ten localities ...

Correct: three samples were taken, ...of the 10 localities ...

In formal writing, do not use slashes in dates.

Incorrect: 10/12/15

Correct: December 10, 2015

Express time using the 24-h system:

Incorrect: 8:00 a.m., 9:30 p.m.

Correct: 8:00 h, 21:30 h.

Insert formulas with Word’s equation editor:

Incorrect: X = (-b2±( b2-4ac)0.5 )/(2a)

 

Basic Units

  • Ampere - A
  • Candela - cd
  • Calorie - cal
  • Centimeter- cm
  • Cubic centimeter- cm3
  • Degree Celsius - °C
  • Degrees Brix- °Brix
  • Gram - g
  • Hectare - ha
  • Hectometer - hm
  • Hour - h
  • Kilogram - kg
  • Kilometer - km
  • Millimole - mmol
  • Liter - L
  • Meter - m
  • Microgram - μmg
  • Milligram - mg
  • Minute - min
  • Milliliter - mL
  • Millisecond - ms
  • Millivolt - mv
  • Mole - mol
  • Nanometer - nm
  • Milligrams per liter - mg L-1
  • Second - s
  • Ton - t
  • Volt - v

CONTACT INFORMATION

Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

Secretaría de Investigación, Posgrado y Vinculación

Av. 27 de Febrero #626, Col. Centro

CP. 86000

Villahermosa, Tabasco, México.

Tel: (01-993) 3581500 Ext. 5036, 5040 y 5041

Email: era@ujat.mx

www.ujat.mx/era

e-ISSN: 2007-901X