Guide for authors

Presentation

The Revista Chapingo Serie Ciencias Forestales y del Ambiente (RCHSCFA) is an annual scientific journal with continuous publication and bilingual (English and Spanish) edited by the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh). The RCHSCFA offers forestry professionals a means of disseminating and discussing unpublished research results. Its aim is to generate an international space for discussion and dissemination of scientific research results and technological developments related to arid, temperate and tropical forest environments.

Topics

The RCHSCFA considers those manuscripts that contribute to research on forest environments (arid, temperate and tropical) and that are related to any of the following topics:

• Silviculture and management: forest nurseries, fire ecology, forest ecology, endangered plant and animal species, forest management, commercial plantations, forest health, non-timber forest products, and technology of timber forest products.
• Forestry economics and sociology: natural resource economics, markets and marketing of forest products, environmental economics, project formulation and evaluation, and forestry sociology.
• Statistics, informatics and mathematics: quantitative models for forest management, stand production and yield, and social measurements.
• Environment: environmental impact, carbon sequestration and pollution from industrial processes.

Language

The RCHSCFA welcomes manuscripts in Spanish or English (English-speaking authors only), and is published in both languages. Translation is the responsibility of UACh’s Coordinación de Revistas Institucionales (CORI; Coordination of Institutional Journals) and does not generate additional costs for the authors. In this sense, Spanish- and English-speaking authors are invited to send their manuscripts in their native language in order to reduce the editorial processing time.

Types of manuscripts

• Scientific articles: These are original, unpublished manuscripts, developed with ethical practices and derived from a rigorous experimental process or from widely-established theoretical developments, in which a manuscript is made to scientific knowledge. All necessary information must be included so that the experiment can be replicated by other researchers. It should be no more than 4 500 words, excluding references.
• Scientific or technological notes: These are short reports of original research. They have the same objective as the scientific article, and although they are presented in a brief form, this does not mean that they are of lesser importance. They should be no more than 3 500 words, excluding references.
• Review articles: These are written as a result of an exhaustive, updated and critical analysis of topics of interest in the horticultural field. They should address the state of the art, as well as discuss current and future needs for research and technology transfer in the chosen topic area. They should be no longer than 6 000 words, excluding references. Authors interested in submitting a review article should be established researchers in the area.
• Methodologies: These are technical reports that explain the development of a methodology within arid, temperate and tropical forest environments, the modification of an existing methodology or the preliminary results of its application. The manuscript should be no longer than 3 000 words, excluding references.

Before starting

Authors should consider the following points before starting the process of submitting their manuscript.

Code of ethics (COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics)

Originality: Authors must ensure that they have written completely original works. If they have used the work or phrases of other authors, these must be cited appropriately. Plagiarism can occur in many ways, from self-plagiarism (citing one's own work without the respective reference), presenting someone else's work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another work (without attribution), and even claiming as one's own the results of research conducted by others. Plagiarism (in all its forms), as well as fraudulent statements, constitutes unethical conduct and is unacceptable in the scientific community and in the editorial process.

Multiple publication: Authors must not submit manuscripts that are the same, or describe essentially the same research, to more than one journal.

Acknowledgement of sources: Appropriate acknowledgment should always be given to the work of other authors.

Authorship of the manuscript: Authorship must be limited to those who contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research conducted. In addition, all co-authors must have reviewed and approved the manuscript and accepted the submission for publication.

Self-citations and citations unrelated to the topic: Authors should avoid self-citations and citations not related to the main objective of the paper.

For more information on the RCHSCFA Code of Ethics, please refer to the Editorial Policy section.

Use of language

Language used should recognize diversity, be sensitive to differences and promote equality. Manuscripts should not make assumptions about any reader’s beliefs, nor should they assume or suggest that one individual is superior to another on the basis of race, gender, culture or any other characteristic. Authors should ensure that the writing is free from bias.

Changes in authorship

Before submitting your manuscript, authors should review their names and order thereof according to their manuscripts to the paper. Any changes (addition, deletion or reordering) in the list of authors must be made before the manuscript has been accepted, and must be submitted to the journal’s Editor-in-Chief in a special document, with the signatures of all authors involved, indicating the reasons for the changes. The e-mail address for receiving any request is rforest@chapingo.mx

Conflict of interest

Authors must declare any financial or personal relationship with other persons or organizations that may inappropriately influence or bias the outcome of the work. For this purpose, authors must indicate whether there was a conflict of interest and, if any, mention the agreements reached.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors should state whether they used AI when writing their manuscript. If so, a description of the technologies used and what was generated with them should be included in the manuscript. If AI was used, authors should consider that:

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used to improve the readability and language of the manuscript.
• The use of AI for the generation of results, discussions and conclusions is not allowed.
• The use of AI to create or alter images in manuscripts is not allowed.
• Authors are responsible for supervising, reviewing and editing information obtained using AI, as these technologies may generate incorrect information.
• Under no circumstances may authors include AI as a co-author in the manuscript, as this implies performing activities that can only be attributed to humans.

Currently, the RCHSCFA does not allow the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (such as ChatGPT) by referees and editors in the peer review process, in order to protect the rights of authors and the confidentiality of their research.

Procedure for submitting manuscripts

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should consult the letter, front page and manuscript formats, as well as the initial review criteria in the supporting material section.

Submission

Manuscripts are only received through the Editorial Manager®. All follow-up for the peer review, including the decision of the Editor-in-Chief, is conducted through this manager and communication is maintained exclusively with the corresponding author. Tutorials for the use of this system can be found on the journal's website. If you have any questions or problems with the manager, you may contact us by e-mail at rforest@chapingo.mx; the e-mail must include a telephone number where you can be reached.

Before submitting your manuscript to the Editorial Manager®, be sure to have the following documents and information ready.

1. Cover letter. It must include the title of the manuscript, as well as the full name, institutional affiliation, address, telephone number, e-mail, ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) identifier, type of research collaboration and the corresponding author’s signature. This letter expressly declares that the manuscript is the product of original research, that ethical practices were followed in its execution, that the results presented are unpublished, that the manuscript is not being simultaneously submitted to another publication medium and that it has not been previously published in another medium or in another language.
   A manuscript will be considered as “previously published” when it has been widely published in conference proceedings or any other event (in any language), and has an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) or ISBN (International Standard Book Number).
   Within this letter, the authors must indicate whether there was a conflict of interest and, if there was, mention the agreements they reached.
2. Front page. It must contain the title of the manuscript and the identification of all authors: full name with their respective ORCID, institutional affiliation and contact information.
3. Manuscript. This document must be written in Microsoft Word® format and contain all the sections identified in this guide according to the type of manuscript. To ensure that the review is double-blind, this file must not include the name or affiliation of the authors.
4. Figures. To ensure that the quality of the figures is not lost, they must be submitted, in addition to their corresponding place within the manuscript, separately in TIFF or JPG format with a minimum size of 945 x 945 pixels and a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 dpi).
5. Proposed referees. Authors must provide the full name, e-mail address and place of affiliation of at least three potential referees who have extensive experience in the subject of the manuscript. It is important to mention that they will not necessarily be assigned as referees, but they will provide feedback to the journal's database.

Notice of receipt of manuscript

Upon receipt of the submission, the Editorial Manager® system sends a receipt notification email; subsequently, the manuscript is reviewed in terms of the journal’s subject matter, format (requirements described in this guide for authors) and possible plagiarism. The last is done through iThenticate®. If a submission complies with all requirements, a reference key is assigned and the peer review process described in the Editorial Policy is initiated. Failure to comply with the criteria described in the guide for authors leads to rejection (topic outside the scope of the journal or duplication of content) or to the return of the manuscript for correction before peer review.

Decision on the manuscript

Peer review processes and opinions are issued in accordance with the provisions of the Editorial Policy section.

If a manuscript is accepted for publication in the RCHSCFA, an e-mail is sent to the authors with the decision along with the bank account information for depositing the recovery fee for the publication process. In accordance with the open access and ethics monitoring policies, a letter of copyright transfer for the manuscript is also required, which must contain the signatures of all authors. Individual letters may be sent by each author.

Manuscript structure

It is suggested that you download the manuscript template located in the supporting material section, for its use in the writing and presentation of the manuscript.

Front page

The authors' names should be written after the title and aligned to the left, each on a different line. The name(s) should begin with the first name(s), followed by the last name(s), which if there are two should be joined by a hyphen without spaces. No mention should be made of academic degrees or titles. After each author's name, his or her ORCID should appear in parentheses.
After the names, the affiliation and complete address should be written: institution, street (avenue, road, highway, boulevard, etc.), number, neighborhood or town, city or municipality, state, postal code and country.
In the case of authors with different affiliations, a numerical superscript at the end of each name and at the beginning of the affiliation is used to identify their data. The corresponding author must be identified with the sign * and the phrase "Corresponding author" followed by his/her e-mail address and telephone number.

Manuscript

The manuscript must include the following sections, according to the type of manuscript:

• Scientific articles and Scientific or technological notes: title, highlights, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, conclusions and references.
• Review articles: title, highlights, abstract, keywords, introduction, methodology (criteria used to search for references), discussion and critical analysis of the literature, conclusions and references. The discussion should include a glimpse of the need for current and future research work and, if applicable, technology transfer.
• Methodologies: title, highlights, abstract, keywords, introduction, critical analysis of the literature, methodology development, discussion, conclusions and references.

Scientific articles and Scientific or technological notes

Title

The title of the manuscript should not exceed 140 characters with spaces, with the first letter in upper case and the rest in lower case, unless the grammatical rules indicate otherwise. If biological organisms that are not common in the agricultural field are mentioned in it, they should be written according to the scientific standard that exists for such a case. If widely known species are mentioned, the scientific name should be included in the keywords and not in the title.

Highlights

This section consists of three to five brief sentences that express the most important results of the research and provide additional information to the article title. Each sentence must be no more than 100 characters, including spaces.

Abstract

It is a summary of the most relevant aspects of the contribution, structured into the following sections: introduction, objectives, materials and methods, results, and conclusions. It should not include discussion, citations, table or figure callouts. It should be no more than 250 words for scientific articles, and 150 words for scientific or technological notes.

Keywords

It is a list of three to five words, simple or compound, not included in the title, that indicate to the reader the topics addressed by the manuscript. They should be written in a separate paragraph immediately after the abstract, in lowercase, separated from each other by commas and with a period at the end of the list. If the title does not include the scientific name(s) of the species(es) under study, it(they) should be included at the beginning of this list. The use of acronyms or abbreviations will be avoided.

Introduction

This section states the problems related to the object of study, as well as the "state of the art" of the topic in question, pertinence, originality, relevance, bibliographical background, objectives and working hypotheses; that is, the problem to be addressed must be precisely stated and justified, avoiding generalities.
The background should be based on relevant and recent scientific literature (at least 80 % of the citations should be less than 10 years old). The objectives should clearly specify and delimit the purpose and scope of the study. These should be presented at the end of the introduction. They should coincide with those stated in the abstract and be consistent with the methodology and conclusions.

Materials and methods

This section describes the most relevant and exclusive aspects of the work, allowing other researchers to know how the research was conducted and, in turn, to replicate and corroborate the results. This section should include dates and locations (with geographical coordinates and elevation), factors and levels under study, treatment design, experimental unit and design, sampling schemes, variables evaluated along with their units and method of measurement, materials, equipment (brand, model, country), reagents (brand, country) and techniques used, management of the experiment, and statistical analysis procedures and techniques. If methodologies are used whose description is extensive and can be consulted in a manual or specialized publication, the corresponding citation must be referenced. In case of making modifications to generalized methods, they must be declared.

Results and discussion

This section will include the results or observed findings derived from the application of the methodology, presented in an organized, full, and concise manner. Tables and figures (drawings, graphs, photographs, among others) will be cited and placed in the appropriate locations within the text. The information presented in the tables and figures should not be repetitive with that provided in the manuscript and should be clear on its own without having to refer to the text.
It is necessary to include the results derived from statistical analyses, indicating whether or not statistical differences were found, as well as the level of risk assumed by the researcher when making these assertions (p value, α, or significance level). When appropriate and relevant, interactions between the factors under study should be interpreted coherently. In addition to measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, such as the coefficient of variation or standard error, should be included when applicable.
The results must be explained and discussed, including the relationship to the hypothesis and objectives, based on a comparison with findings reported in the scientific literature related to the topic. It is important to emphasize that merely presenting results is insufficient; interpreting and discussing their significance is essential. Avoid excessive citations for a single idea and the discussion of literature unrelated to the results. Do not repeat information already presented in the "Materials and methods" section or include text resembling a literature review.
This section may be presented as "Results and Discussion" or as two separate sections; if so, avoid repetition of information.

Conclusions

This section presents, in a concise manner, the premises derived from the results and the discussion. Conclusions should not be a summary of the results and should be fully aligned with the stated objectives and hypotheses. This section should include only verified findings from the study and should not contain hypotheses or speculations. Recommendations should be avoided unless explicitly stated as part of the objectives. Tables, figures, and references should not be included. The maximum length is 150 words.

Acknowledgments

This section includes recognition of persons, institutions, funds or research grants that in some ways have supported or collaborated in an important way in the development of the study. Acknowledgments will be added after the manuscript is accepted.

Declaration of conflict of interest

Authors must declare any financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could influence or bias the outcome of the research. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include financial (memberships, employment, consultancies, grants or other types of funding, and patent licensing agreements, among others) and non-financial (personal or professional relationships, affiliations, and personal beliefs, among others). In this case, authors must add the following statement and the conflict of interest they wish to declare:

• «The authors declare the following financial interests (or personal relationships) that may be considered as potential conflicts of interest ..., which were resolved by...»

If there are no conflicts of interest, the authors must indicate:

• «The authors declare that we have no known financial conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could have influenced the research presented in this article.»

Declaration of the use of AI

In accordance with the Use of AI section, if generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used in the scientific writing, this must be stated in this section by means of a brief description; for example:

• «During the preparation of this work, [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] was used for the purpose of [REASON]. All material obtained with this technology was reviewed and edited, so the authors assume full responsibility for the content of the published article.»

If generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have not been used, the authors must declare this; for example:

• «The authors declare that they have not used generative AI or AI-assisted technologies for the development of this manuscript.»

The declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools, such as those used for grammar and spell checking, as well as reference managers.

References

All bibliographic references cited in the manuscript should be presented according to APA 7 (http://www.apastyle.org). A guide to APA 7 references is available on the journal’s website. References cited in the text should be included in the reference list (and vice versa). All references should include their DOI (Digital Object Identifier: www.doi.org) or, if unavailable, the electronic address where the original source can be accessed.
References must come from primary sources; under no circumstances will secondary sources (e.g., "cited by") be accepted. References from theses, brochures, abstracts, conference proceedings, or any other limited-circulation publications are not admitted. Internet citations are not allowed, unless they are related to statistics or yearbooks from official sources, in which case the consultation date must be recorded. References should be current (last 10 years); as far as possible, they should represent 80 % or more of the total sources.

If a reference management program is used, field codes should be deleted before submitting the manuscript:

• E In your Word file press Ctrl + e to select all content.
• Press Ctrl + 6 or Cmd + 6 to unlink all fields and remove hidden link.

Review articles

The title, highlights, abstract (250 words), keywords, introduction, acknowledgments, statements, and references should follow the guidelines mentioned above. As for the methodology, it should specify the criteria used for reference searches (analysis period, keywords, databases consulted, among others), as well as the strategy and methods used for the selection and analysis of the reviewed literature.

Discussion and critical analysis of the literature can be organized into thematic sections that address aspects of the topic. Studies should be compared, contrasted, and critically analyzed to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the existing literature. Current and future research needs, and where appropriate, technology transfer needs, should be highlighted.

Conclusions should be drawn from the discussion of the key points addressed in the article and include recommendations for future research.

Methodologies

The title, highlights, abstract (150 words), keywords, introduction, conclusions, acknowledgements, statements and references should follow the guidelines mentioned above. The critical literature review should mention the existing methodologies and identify the limitations or problems of the current methodologies that the new proposal seeks to solve. The methodology section will provide a detailed description of the new methodology to ensure its reproducibility, including the materials and equipment used, as well as the validation criteria or justification for the selected methods. In the discussion section, the results will be interpreted and the advantages, limitations and possible applications of the new methodology will be mentioned. In the discussion section, the results will be interpreted, and the advantages, limitations, and potential applications of the new methodology will be discussed.

Format

General information

The text must be presented in 12-point Arial font with 1.5 line spacing (including tables, figures and references) and 2.5 cm margins on all four sides. Each page should be numbered consecutively in the bottom right margin, and line numbers should be placed continuously on the left margin (except for tables and figures) to facilitate the review process.

Sentence length should be limited to a maximum of 45 words and paragraph length to 10 lines to facilitate the understanding of the ideas to be expressed.

Abbreviations

The first time an abbreviation is used in the document, the full meaning should be written out, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. In subsequent occurrences, only the abbreviation should be used without further explanation. For example, "...the compounds were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)"; thereafter, only HPLC will be used.

Nomenclature

Common names of elements, substances, plants, animals, and things should be written in lowercase. Proper names should be written in lowercase, except for the first letter(s). Product brands should not be used; instead, the generic or chemical name should be used.

Chemical names (those in which the chemical structure of a substance is established) should be written according to the nomenclature of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC, http://www.iupac.org/); for example: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. When using a commercial product, the brand and country of origin should also be indicated.

Scientific names should follow, in parentheses, the common names of plants and animals the first time they are mentioned; thereafter, they may be omitted. Scientific names should be written in italics and consist of the generic epithet (genus), specific epithet (species), and the classifier's last name(s). Scientific names should be written in lowercase, except for the initial letters of the genus, classifier's last names, and cultivar names that are appended to the scientific name; for example: Quercus affinis Scheidw.

Equations and variables

Mathematical formulas must be created using the Word equation editor (Insert → Equation → Insert new equation). All equations must be written aligned to the left, on a separate line and, if required, numbered sequentially in the right margin.

The variables used in the manuscript should be defined fully (name, symbol, and units) and as simply as possible. To help distinguish them from units, all variables and mathematical symbols (use the insert symbols tool) should be written in italics. Within the text, avoid using the equation editor to insert symbols or variables.

Numbers, symbols and units

Arabic numerals must always be used when indicating units and measurements, and when designating numbers from 10 upwards. When whole numbers from zero to nine are mentioned, which are not associated with units, they should be written in letters; for example: "… seven treatments were carried out …" and "…the temperature of the refrigeration chamber was 7 °C…".

The International System of Units (SI) must be used throughout the document. All units must be written in normal text and in linear form; for example: kg·ha^-1. For monetary units, pesos (MXN) or dollars (USD) must be used; for example: "…100.00 MXN…" or "…100.00 USD…".

In quantities, a period must be used to separate the integer part from the decimals and a thin space to separate the thousands. For very large or small values, prefixes or scientific notation should be used. Some examples are as follows: "....3.6 MPa was used...", "... with permeability of 1.45 x 10^-14 kg·m·s^-1·m^-2·Pa^-1 and thickness of 35 mm…".

In a series of data with the same measurement unit, the values should be listed and the unit placed at the end; for example: 7 and 10 kg; 4, 8, 11 and 13 %; 15, 18 and 22 mg·g^-1. Values and their units should always be separated by a space and should never be pluralized, i.e., do not write cms, kgs, etc.

Tables

Before presenting any table, its title should be written in a short and precise manner, starting with the word "Table," followed by the consecutive Arabic numeral that corresponds to its order of appearance in the text. All tables should be placed immediately after the paragraph where they are mentioned for the first time. The title should be presented in a paragraph of text, not as part of the table; i.e., it should not be placed in a cell.

Tables should only have three main horizontal lines: above or at the beginning of the table, below the column header and below the table. If there are hierarchical concepts in the header row, horizontal line segments may be placed. If another variable or statistic needs to be separated, such as the least significant difference or coefficient of variation, dashed lines are allowed. Vertical lines are not allowed. Tables must be constructed in Word, without using tabs or lines made with the drawing tool. Both tables and equations must be presented in editable format.

Any abbreviation used in the table should be made explicit at the bottom of the table. All tables should be self-explanatory, without the need to refer to the text. Indications of statistical significance, where appropriate, should be indicated with lowercase letters from the beginning of the alphabet (a, b, c, d, ...). Also, a single asterisk (*) can be used for P ≤ 0.05, double asterisk (**) for P ≤ 0.01 or triple asterisk (***) for P ≤ 0.001. Whenever mean comparisons are presented, the minimum significant difference should be included according to the statistical test used, along with the coefficient of variation (the latter if the analysis of variance is not presented). Additionally, if a table with an analysis of variance is presented, please remember that in this table the units should not be placed in the variables.

Some examples of these and other tables can be found in the Manuscript template.

Figures

Figures, like tables, should be placed immediately after the paragraph where they are mentioned for the first time; additionally, they should be attached separately to ensure their quality. At the bottom of each figure there should be a legend with the word "Figure", followed by the Arabic numeral corresponding to its order of appearance in the text, and a text containing the title and the information necessary to understand it. Figure titles should be included as text, and not be part of the figure. Points, lines or bars representing means in graphs should be accompanied by their standard errors. As with tables, they should be self-explanatory, without the need to refer to the text.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all images included in their manuscript are their own work or that they have the appropriate written permission for reuse. The use of AI for their construction is not permitted.

Figures must be attached in PNG, TIFF or JPG format, with a minimum size of 945 x 945 pixels and a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 dpi). All figures must be grouped, without letters, symbols or lines placed with the drawing tool. If there is a need to do this, the image must be grouped as a single image or saved as an image with the aforementioned characteristics. If the figures contain text, it must be ensured that the text is complete and error-free.

Graphical abstract

Authors whose contributions are accepted will be asked to provide a graphic abstract that represents the work described in the manuscript through an original image. For the design of the graphical abstract, certain criteria should be followed, such as a reading logic from top to bottom and left to right, with the inclusion of visual elements like arrows, lines, or color gradients to guide the visual flow.

During the article's style editing process, the editorial team will request the graphical abstract from the authors, who must submit it as a separate file with the following characteristics:

Image size: Dimensions must be at least 1366 x 768 pixels (width x height), with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. If the submitted image is larger, a 5:2 aspect ratio should be maintained.

Typography: Arial is recommended, with a font size large enough to ensure clear readability on screen.

File-type: The recommended file-types are PDF, EPS, MS Word, or MS PowerPoint.

To keep the image as simple as possible, it is recommended not to include large blocks of text or additional synopsis. We suggest downloading our "Graphical Abstract" template, which contains some elements that may be helpful.

As part of the editing process, the journal's design team will make some adjustments and send a preliminary file to the authors along with the galley proof for approval. At the end, the graphical abstract will be published along with the article online and will be available for download, but it will not appear in the PDF or print version of the journal.

Article publishing charge

Manuscripts accepted for publication will be subject to a 300.00 USD recovery fee, which will cover part of the costs of the publication process. The account information for depositing the fee from anywhere in Mexico is as follows:

Bank: Santander S. A.
Account number: 65501084813
Interbank CLABE: 014180655010848131
In the name of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo

For international deposits, the account information is:

Bank: Santander S.A.
Account number: 82-50020139-5
Interbank CLABE: 014180825002013953
SWIFT code: BMSXMXMMXXX
In the name of the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo

Once your deposit has been made, you must send the corresponding receipt to the e-mail account facturascori@chapingo.mx. If you require an invoice, you must attach the updated tax status certificate and indicate the use of the CFDI.

Author support

It is recommended to consult the Frequently asked questions section. Questions and requested clarifications will be addressed by e-mail: rforest@chapingo.mx