Journals in Agricultural and biological sciences
Journals in Agricultural and biological sciences
The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.
Current Opinion in Food Science
Current Opinion in Food Science is a review journal that aims to provide specialists with a unique and educational platform to keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in the field of food science. It publishes 6 issues per year covering the following 12 sections, each of which is reviewed once a year: Food Physics and Materials Science; Food Engineering and Processing; Food Toxicology; Food Chemistry and Biochemistry; Food Bioprocessing; Food Microbiology; Food Safety; Food Mycology; Sensory Sciences and Consumer Behavior; Functional Foods and Nutrition; Foodomics Technologies; Innovations in Food Science.Current Opinion in Food Science builds on Elsevier's reputation for excellence in scientific publishing and long-standing commitment to communicating reproducible biomedical research targeted at improving human health. It is a companion to the new Gold Open Access journal Current Research in Food Science and is part of the Current Opinion and Research (CO+RE) suite of journals. All CO+RE journals leverage the Current Opinion legacy of editorial excellence, high-impact, and global reach to ensure they are a widely read resource that is integral to scientists' workflow.- ISSN: 2214-7993
Animal Feed Science and Technology
An International Scientific Journal Covering Research on Animal Nutrition, Feeding and TechnologyAnimal Feed Science and Technology is a unique journal publishing scientific papers of international interest focusing on animal feeds and their feeding.Papers describing research on feed for ruminants and non-ruminants, including poultry, horses, companion animals and aquatic animals, are welcome.The journal covers the following areas:Nutritive value of feeds (e.g., assessment, improvement)Methods of conserving and processing feeds that affect their nutritional valueAgronomic and climatic factors influencing the nutritive value of feedsUtilization of feeds and the improvement of suchMetabolic, production, reproduction and health responses, as well as potential environmental impacts, of diet inputs and feed technologies (e.g., feeds, feed additives, feed components, mycotoxins)Mathemati... models relating directly to animal-feed interactionsAnalytic... and experimental methods for feed evaluationEnvironmen... impacts of feed technologies in animal productionThe journal does not encourage papers with emphasis on animal products, molecular biology, genetics or management, or the regulatory or legal aspects of feeds as well as animal production studies with a focus on animal nutrition that do not have a direct link to a feed or feed technology.Manuscrip... must be prepared in accordance with the journal's Guide for Authors. Before preparing their manuscript, it is suggested that authors examine the following editorials by the Editors-in-Chief:Edi... on terminology and analytical methods (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 118 (2005) 181-186) Editorial on experimental design and statistical criteria (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 129 (2006) 1-11) Editorial on general suggestions and guidelines (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 134 (2007) 181-188) Editors comments on plagiarism (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 154 (2009) 292-293) Editorial on review techniques and responding on editorial comments (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 155 (2010) 81-85) Editorial on use of replicates in statistical analyses in papers submitted for publication in Animal Feed Science and Technology (Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 171 (2012) 1-5)For an example of a sample manuscript click here.- ISSN: 0377-8401
Small Ruminant Research
Small Ruminant Research is focused on articles regarding small ruminants and is the official journal of the International Goat Association.Small Ruminant Research aims to publish original, basic and applied research articles. It publishes articles on goats, sheep, deer, and New and Old World camelids.The journal publishes topics including:• Nutrition • Physiology, • Genetics, • Microbiology, • Anatomy if associated with new research on function or production, • Ethology, • Product technology and consumer health effects, • Socio-economics, • Management, sustainability and environment, • Veterinary Medicine, • Husbandry Engineering.The primary focus of the journal is on domesticated small ruminants and camelids, but contributions on non-domesticated small ruminants and camelids may be considered if these have a clear direct or indirect relevance to farmed small ruminants and camelids.Further notes on editorial priority:Small Ruminant Research will consider studies on polymorphisms if they report novel findings and have direct relevance to those species described in the aims and scope of this journal. Manuscripts can include investigations into variation on different levels (e.g. genes, proteins, transcriptomes etc.). Associations studies involving single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), should link them strongly and experimentally to production traits. Associations of a single genetic variant with a single trait within one population without support of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) will normally not be considered for publication. Genetic diversity studies are welcome, but should include more than one or a few breeds with only local importance. Reports on allelic / genotypic frequencies or gene sequences that are not accompanied by novel genetic findings will not be considered. Manuscripts with quantitative RT-PCR without multiple normalizer gene products will be declined at preliminary review.Morphometric studies are not in our scope unless they are explicitly related with a production trait of small ruminants. Papers on the use of feeds in nutrition are publishable only if these feeds have more than local importance, which should be detailed in the introduction. In many studies of nutrition, the effect on animal performance of substituting a feed with another is investigated and the hypothesis is that no effect is anticipated. We recommend a power analysis to determine sample size before planning the study. If authors want to report that they have discovered no difference they should add confidence limits to the difference between the sample means: if the sample size is indeed too small, these limits will usually be too broad to be informative. If the authors' aim is to show no effect, then the usual rule for bioequivalence is that the 90%CI for the ratio between the two means needs to lie between 0.8 and 1.25. Authors need to clearly state the experimental unit and degrees of freedom for the error term. With nutrition papers involving feeding animals in paddocks or pens with more than one animal, it is the number of paddocks or pens which determines the experimental units, not the number of animals in total, unless it is demonstrated that each animal takes independent foraging decisions. Manuscripts that deal with the effects of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) or plant extracts using in-vitro methods only are not published, unless if associated to a large-scale, long-term in vivo study. In studies with PSMs or plant extracts, advanced chemical analysis of the extracts should be documented. In vitro studies of the nutritional value of feeds are not in our scope unless they provide a background for in vivo studies in the same manuscript. Studies of the quality of semen, oocytes, embryos, following exposure to various materials (plant extracts, anti-oxidants, fatty acids and diluents) will be considered only if they are associated with in vivo experimental evidence in the same submission. Studies on estrus synchronization protocols will be considered only if the protocol used is new and supported by hormonal analysis or other biochemical measurements. Estrous or anestrous period of the animals used, must be verified by hormonal analysis. Adapting protocols to new breed of animals has local importance but is not considered a novelty.In the field of health, case reports presenting work in individual animals will not be considered. Only case reports presenting population medicine approaches will be considered for further evaluation on the condition that they have wide implications, well beyond their local interest, and good statistical evidence. Studies examining the prevalence of disease are not in our scope, unless their implications are of interest to the international readership of Small Ruminant Research. Submissions must describe in detail how the presented information will enhance the management of small ruminants nationally or internationally. For products, we will consider studies on carcasses but not on the further processing of meat products for human food. Studies on the textile processing of fibres are also excluded. Studies on the manufacture of "milk products" as mixtures of milk components or fractionated milk with non-milk ingredients will not be considered for publication. Papers on production systems will be considered only if their results can be connected to concepts and knowledge published elsewhere and/or extend them to scale up in genericity. Therefore, descriptive papers on production systems and local projects without connection to global development issues will generally not be considered. Special attention is given to the quality of methodological approaches and bibliographical references.The section of Integrative Genomics, Transcriptomics and Multi-Omics accepts original research applying genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and integrative multi-omics approaches to advance understanding of biological systems in small ruminants. It includes both basic and applied studies using high-throughput and systems biology approaches to investigate traits such as feed efficiency, product quality, growth, reproduction, health, adaptation to environmental and nutritional challenges, and sustainability. Studies should link molecular findings to phenotypic or production outcomes, providing clear biological relevance; purely descriptive studies without functional or experimental context will normally not be considered. Submissions integrating multiple omics layers, discovering novel biomarkers, or developing analytical frameworks are particularly encouraged. Manuscripts must employ robust experimental design, adequate replication, appropriate statistical and bioinformatic analyses, and transparent reporting. Deposition of data in publicly accessible repositories is recommended to ensure reproducibility.- ISSN: 0921-4488
Flora
Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of PlantsFLORA, the scientific botanical journal with the longest uninterrupted publication sequence (since 1818), considers manuscripts in a range of areas of botany which appeal to a broad international scientific readership. The journal publishes original contributions and review articles on plant structure (morphology and anatomy), plant developmental biology (ontogeny), phytogeography (including phylogeography), plant population genetics, plant functional ecology (including ecophysiology), plant population ecology, biotic interactions between plants and other organisms, plant community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Suggestions for Special Issues are welcome, as are compilations of manuscripts (both original and review articles) for Special Features on a specific topic. Manuscripts on the following subjects are highly welcome, especially when they integrate between areas or research approaches: comparative and evolutionary aspects of morphology, anatomy and development, ecophysiology of plant species related to their distribution, mechanisms of ecological interactions in plant communities (e.g. plant-plant interactions, plant-soil feedback, and plant-animal interactions), reproductive ecology including plant-pollinator interactions, genetic and spatial structure of plant populations, and functional diversity in plant communities. Manuscripts focused on floristics or vegetation studies will only be considered if they go beyond a purely descriptive approach and have relevance for interpreting plant structure, distribution or ecology. Manuscripts whose content is restricted to taxonomy, phylogeny, nomenclature, or geobotany of local interest, or applied agricultural, horticultural, pharmacological or silvicultural aspects, or experimental studies dealing exclusively with investigations at the cellular or subcellular level will not be considered for publication.Article typesResearch article: Reporting original results of a theoretical, explorative or experimental botanical research. Typically, 6000-8000 words in length, but longer articles are also being considered, when the content justifies the extent. See formatting guidelines for the structure of the article in the manuscript preparation guidelines below.Review article: The review articles providing an up-to-date overview of a research area and/or scientific problem fitting into the scope of the journal. Review article should go further than the simple summary of published literature and should provide an in-depth analysis of the selected topic and should indicate research gaps or further directions of research. Should be drafted up to 8000 words, but longer manuscripts also being considered when the content justifies the extent. Potential authors are invited to submit an outline, abstract and list of authors first before the full submission of the manuscript.Opinion article: short pieces with a word count to 3000 words of the main text, presenting new ideas and insights, commentaries, opinion responses or new analyses to a published paper of the journal. Opinion article submissions will be assessed first by the editors and in case the topic is of broad interest of the journals potential readership will undergo regular review process for the journal. Commentaries are possible to papers published in the last 12 months in the journal and considered when they provide constructive and well-founded critiques or provide useful arguments for further development of a formerly published research idea. Opinion articles can convey new research ideas or hypotheses for discussion, and it is not necessary to support the idea with own-data-driven analyses. Opinion articles can be single-authored or multi-authored but no more than five authors. Potential authors are invited to submit an outline, abstract and list of authors first before the full submission of the manuscript.Editorial article (for editors, editorial board members and guest editors only)Humboldt Review article (by invitation only): The “Humboldt Review” article type was named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), who was the first describer of the phenomenon of climatic zonation of plant communities and the describer of the first plant functional types among other numerous discoveries. The “Humboldt Review” article type has been established in 2025 to honour eminent researchers in any field covered by the journal’s scope. In each year, 1-2 researchers will be selected by the chief editor(s) based on the nominations of the section editors of the journal for being invited to provide an opinion-review or synthesis paper on their field of research. The guidelines for drafting a Humboldt Review are the same as for a review paper with the exception that the review candidate should also provide a bio sketch up to 250 words and a photograph of her- or himself, which is published together with the accepted manuscript. The Humboldt Reviews are also peer-reviewed publications assessed by invited researchers for scientific rigour and quality.Submission of Papers with Graduate or Undergraduate Students as Lead Authors FLORA has initiated a section in its journal dedicated to highlighting exceptional, original research publications that are part of PhD, graduate, or undergraduate student theses and carry the name of the student, preferably as the lead author.Papers in this category will be published under the heading "Highlighted Student Research" and will be marked accordingly in the table of content of the volume in which it is published.The papers must be recommended for this honor by FLORA Handling Editors, following the normal peer review process and additionally taking the following criteria into account:the student contribution to the work is substantialinnovativ... research question or methodologyhigh quality of study / experimental design and dataabove-average quality of data analysis, presentation and discussionwell written textStudents who wish their papers to be considered for the honor have to explain in the cover letter the main reasons why the paper represents an outstanding contribution to the field, referring to the criteria above, and should indicate such a wish by marking the appropriate box as a FLORA Highlighted Student Research paper during the online submission process. The supervisor should confirm in the cover letter that research was generated during a BSc, MSc, or PhD degree.- ISSN: 0367-2530
Food Microbiology
Food Microbiology publishes original research articles, short research communications, opinions, and review papers on all aspects of the microbiology of foods and food environments, including safety, shelf-life, diagnostics, ecology, and sensory attributes. The Journal aims to advance the microbiology of foods by discoveries, increasing knowledge, research tools, and concepts. The global audience includes academia, government, industry, and competent authorities. The journal considers articles dealing with the application, association, or prevention of viruses, bacteria, yeast, and molds related to foods or food environments through physical, biological, chemical, diagnostics, application of omics, or training/education. The application of advanced tools such as artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and omics is encouraged. The following categories and examples that are within the scope of Food Microbiology:Food processing: Papers that report on intervention methods (physical, biological or chemical) related to inactivation and control of microbes will be considered. The articles should demonstrate optimization (validation) and verification with relevant microbes for the food matrix being reported. The use of protective cultures, microbial metabolites, and bacteriophages, amongst others, will be considered provided efficacy is demonstrated within food systems. Studies relating to natural antimicrobials (for example, bacteriocins, phenolic compounds, or essential oils) can be included, although these should be chemically characterized and novel without simply confirming previous findings. Food fermentations: The ecology, performance, and functionality of fermented foods would be within the journal's scope provided the reported study can be replicated and results applied to define, improve, or contribute to the body of knowledge. Using omics to characterize, correlate, and/or identify populations or to study community assembly in fermented foods is encouraged. Findings of omics are preferably verified and not solely based on sequencing, metabolic profiles, and correlation software. Probiotic studies will be within scope but only if these relate to the interaction of stability within a food system rather than the gastrointestinal tract or effects on the immune system. Food processing environments: The prevalence of pathogens or spoilage microbes within the processing environment can be considered if linked to a production practice or process. The control of biofilms by bacterial strains or communities is within scope if evidence of biofilm formation within a simulated commercial environment exists. Biofilms formed on surfaces not encountered within food processing environments, such as microtiter plates, will not be considered. Pre-harvest microbiology of foods: Aspects of microbiology, ecology, and control of microbes encountered in animal or plant production that impact food safety and/or shelf-life are considered. Survey and prevalence studies: The prevalence of pathogens, including antimicrobial resistance, would be considered within the journal if sampled over a reasonable time period and geographical region and linked to a practice or procedure (for example, administration of antibiotics, cage-free production, amongst others). Risk assessment and predictive microbiology: Studies reporting on risk assessment or predictive microbiology, including the application of artificial intelligence, are within the journal's scope provided they relate to the activity of microbes within a food or processing environment. Microbiology diagnostics: Diagnostics, including biosensors, for detecting microbes are within scope provided they are tested using a sufficient spectrum of strains to assess selectivity and sensitivity. Detection of targets with relevant food systems should also be demonstrated. Food safety education and training tools: Training or teaching approaches and training tools can be considered, provided the learning approaches, methodological framework, delivery methods, and success metrics are provided. Fundamental research on the physiology, genetics, and/or transcriptome of food-derived isolates: Research that reports on the mechanisms of virulence, physiology, or regulation of microbes isolated from foods but not necessarily within a food system. Out of scope The following areas are out of scope for Food Microbiology:Microbi... that resides outside the food or food processing environments. Exceptions are fundamental genetics/physiology of food isolates in relation to virulence, stress resistance or food fermentation. Observations, non-hypothesis, driven research or studies that confirm previous published works. Preliminary studies that only report observations. Research supporting health claims of pre- or probiotics. Prevalence studies or surveys that don’t report on practices, process or cause of the observations. Control of phytopathogens. Drugs or treatments administered to animals, unless there is an impact on the carriage of human pathogens through to the final product.Fermentation studies that do not verify through culturing, sequence and sensory metabolite attribution. Biosensors and microbiology methods that do not demonstrate the performance of detecting relevant microbiological targets in real food systems. Confirmation of diagnostics or those detecting chemical or physical adulterants.- ISSN: 0740-0020
Theriogenology
Theriogenology is a journal for researchers, practitioners, clinicians, and industry professionals.Therio... aims to cover animal reproductive physiology, management and biotechnologies. It mainly publishes research articles and may only accept unsolicited reviews if they are on cutting edge fields and are prepared by teams with outstanding expertise on the relevant subjects.Species of interest for the journal include:• Farm animals (cattle, swine, small ruminants) • Companion animals (horses, dogs, cats) • Farmed poultry and farmed fish. Please note that papers dealing with wildlife are not eligible for submission to “Theriogenology” and should rather be directed towards “Theriogenology Wild”.Theriogenology does not accept submissions reporting studies conducted in invertebrates or humans. Furthermore, toxicological studies run in animals to document risks/effects in humans of drugs, plant extracts and environmental pollutants are also outside the scope of Theriogenology.- ISSN: 0093-691X
Journal of Comparative Pathology
The Journal of Comparative Pathology is an English (UK) language, international, peer-reviewed journal that exists to publish articles reporting research and original scientific findings relevant to the pathology and pathogenesis of diseases of domesticated and other vertebrate animals. Articles on diseases of humans are also appropriate but only if they present features of special interest when viewed against the general background of vertebrate pathology. In addition, Journal of Comparative Pathology may publish Short Papers that are reports of small, completed investigations, new techniques or case descriptions. Please note, case reports of single animals will be accepted only if they make a highly significant contribution to knowledge and if this contribution is not clearly evident, they will be rejected at the desk stage. The journal also publishes, by invitation, full Review Articles and minireview Articles on topics of broad interest from authors with acknowledged expertise in their field.- ISSN: 0021-9975
Next Research
Next Research is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal, publishing research spanning all scientific technical and medical communities.The journal is part of the Next family, a new suite of multidisciplinary journals from Elsevier spanning all branches of science. Managed by our dedicated team of in-house Editors, Next Research offers authors speed, consistency, innovation, flexibility, and ease of submission.Next Research is an inclusive venue for scientifically accurate manuscripts that meet the ethical and scientific publishing standards. It publishes all research topics across the fields of health sciences, physical sciences, life sciences and social sciences. Next Research publishes experimental, computational, and theoretical work, in traditional formats such as Original Research Articles, Communications and Reviews, as well as novel formats and video content.The journal provides authors with rigorous peer review ensuring articles adhere to a high technical standard, with rapid decisions and a highly visible platform for scientists to share their research.We believe that all rigorous research should be shared.- ISSN: 3050-4759
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening is a refereed, international journal aimed at presenting high-quality research with urban and peri-urban woody and non-woody vegetation and its use, planning, design, establishment and management as its main topics. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening concentrates on all tree-dominated (as joint together in urban forests) as well as other green resources in and around urban areas, such as woodlands, public and private urban parks and gardens, urban nature areas, street tree and square plantations, botanical gardens and cemeteries, building envelop greening, etc.The journal welcomes basic and applied research papers, as well as review papers and short communications. Contributions should focus on one or more of the following aspects:Form, functions, and ecosystem services of urban forests and other vegetation, including aspects of urban environmental science and urban ecology.Policy-makin... planning and design related to urban forests and other vegetation.Selection and establishment of tree resources and other vegetation for urban environments.Managem... of urban forests and other vegetation.The ecosystem services urban vegetation provides.Original contributions of a high academic standard are invited from a wide range of disciplines and fields, including forestry, biology, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape ecology, pathology, soil science, hydrology, landscape architecture, landscape planning, urban planning and design, environmental/ecolog... economics, environmental sociology, environmental psychology, public health, and education.Special attention will be given to interdisciplinary research as developed under the approaches of, for example, urban forestry, arboriculture, urban greening, urban ecology, urban health, urban agriculture, urban horticulture, urban silviculture, and community forestry.For field research or descriptive studies, a robust dataset made of multiple dates of measurement conducted over different growing seasons is required for publication. For research conducted under controlled conditions or research conducted using a mechanistic approach, multiple sampling dates are still required, although monitoring can be conducted over shorter time periods.- ISSN: 1618-8667
Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (PPEES) publishes outstanding and thought-provoking articles of general interest to an international readership in the fields of plant ecology, evolution and systematics. Of particular interest are in-depth articles that provide a broad understanding of key topics in the field. There are four issues per year.To maintain high scientific standards, manuscripts are submitted to two or more reviewers for evaluation of their scientific soundness and significance. Authors will be generally notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision of their manuscripts within three months.Biological flora series (monographs of model species) PPEES is particularly interested in contributions to the knowledge of species that are flagship species for conservation, invasive species of particular concern, or species that are frequently used as models in ecological research. Prospective authors should contact the editorial office of PPEES before starting to write a contribution and enquire whether their planned manuscript would be of interest to PPEES.- ISSN: 1433-8319
