1 Aims and Scope
Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica focuses on the Northwest region while catering to the entire country. It primarily publishes original research papers with innovative contributions in the fields of plant genetics and breeding, molecular biology, plant genetic engineering, plant anatomy, plant taxonomy, plant physiology and biochemistry, analysis of medicinal plant components, fundamental theoretical studies on plant synecology, biodiversity, plant succession, and floristic geography. The journal also features high-quality review articles.
2 Submission Guidelines
For initial submissions, authors are required to register and submit their manuscripts through the website of Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica (h http://xbzwxb.alljournal.net/xbzwxb/home). Authors may suggest one to two potential reviewers who are not affiliated with their institution. Along with the manuscript, authors must submit a signed Copyright Transfer Agreement, which can be downloaded from the journal’s website.
3 Plagiarism detection
All manuscripts will be tested by the plagiarism detection system developed by Wanfang Data. The manuscripts shall be rejected if the repetition rate is over 15% (for experimental research) or 20% (for review articles).
4 Fees
This journal charges review fee and APC for accepted and published manuscripts. There are no fees for manuscripts that are rejected. The review fee is RMB 100 yuan per article, and the APC is RMB 300 yuan per page (within 7 pages).
5 Manuscript Information Requirements
Authors should provide their full names, affiliations, addresses, contact numbers, and email addresses. Additionally, the funding information, including the project title(s) and number(s), should be mentioned in the footer of the first page. A brief author introduction should include the author’s name, birth year, gender, educational background, degree, professional title, and research specialization.
6 Typesetting Requirements
Manuscripts should be typeset using 5-point font and 1.5 line spacing. Figures and tables should be inserted at appropriate positions within the text. Punctuation marks should be used correctly. Difference between uppercase and lowercase letters should be distinct. Italic font, superscript, and subscript numbers or symbols should be accurate. The first appearance of plant genera and species in the text should be accompanied by their Latin names (in italics) and verified for accuracy.
7 Writing Requirements
Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica accepts manuscripts written in Chinese. However, certain elements are presented in both Chinese and English, including the article title, author name(s), affiliations, abstract, keywords, and table/figure titles. Additionally, all text within tables, including footnotes, should be provided in both Chinese and English. Figure legends and the labels of the horizontal and vertical axes should be provided in both Chinese and English.
7.1 Title and Headings
Title should be concise, precise (not overstated), and innovative. It should be consistent with the content of the article and should not include subtitles. Generally, title should not exceed 20 Chinese characters, and the Chinese and English titles should be consistent. Avoid using uncommon abbreviations, symbols, or codes in the title. Chinese headings should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals, such as 1, 1.1, 1.1.1; 2, 2.1, 2.1.1, etc. The hierarchical divisions should generally not exceed 3 levels.
7.2 Abstract and Keywords
Abstract should provide a complete and accurate summary of the essential content of the paper, including the objective and significance, main methods, most important results, and conclusions (with specific result descriptions and clear conclusions). The abstract should be independent and self-contained, presented as a complete text without separate paragraphs, figures, tables, or references. Additionally, abstract should not include content that is a common knowledge in the field or provide interpretations and comments on the paper's content. The English abstract should have the same content as in the Chinese abstract and adhere to English writing conventions. A list of corresponding keywords (3-8) should be provided below both the Chinese and English abstracts.
7.3 Introduction
The introduction should be written concisely, following a hierarchical structure that includes the research significance (academic value or economic significance), previous research progress (the most relevant progress related to the current study should be summarized as comprehensively as possible), the research entry point (limitation or gaps in previous research), and the key problems to be addressed. The aim is to achieve a brief and concise presentation of the content.
7.4 Materials and Methods
When a plant name appears for the first time in the text, its Latin name should be provided. If the experimental methods are the same as those used by previous researchers, it is sufficient to cite the relevant literature. Any improvements to the methods should be clearly described, and if new methods are used, they should be detailed.
7.5 Results and Analysis
Figures and tables should be clear and self-explanatory. Whenever possible, quantitative relationships should be presented in graphical form. The analysis and summary of data in figures and tables should be accurate and logically organized. However, text should avoid repeating data already presented in figures and tables. The analysis and discussion should conform to logical relationships and clearly summarize the profound implications of the research results and the problems to be addressed. Figures should be computer-generated, with appropriate size (half-column width ≤ 7.5 cm, full-column width ≤ 16.0 cm), clear differentiation between main and auxiliary lines, and complete labeling. Photographs should have clear images, and the layout of the entire figure should be neat, with a width of 15 cm and a height of ≤ 20 cm. Figure headings should be specific and accurate. Tables should be designed using three horizontal lines, with clear headings. The content of figures and tables should be consistent with the main text, and the titles, labels, and annotations of figures and tables should be provided in both Chinese and English. Legal units of measurement should be used, and the presentation of numbers, units, and formatting (capitalization, italics, superscripts, and subscripts) must be standardized.
7.6 Discussion
The discussion should primarily compare the research results with previous studies, provide comments, and explain what has been validated, confirmed, or disproven. It should elaborate on clear principles or mechanisms and further analyze and explain unclear reasons or inconsistencies. By reading this section, readers could understand the differences or novelties of the results compared to relevant existing research and logically derive conclusions. The wording should be further refined within logical framework.
7.7 Conclusion
The conclusion should be presented in a separate paragraph and not mixed with the discussion. For research papers, the conclusion should avoid excessive textual descriptions and instead rely on necessary data support. The writing should strive for a clear and hierarchical structure, with emphasis on presenting all the fundamental information revealed by the study in a summarized manner. The conclusion should not be a commentary on the research results, and language expressing comments like "laying the foundation" or "providing guarantees" should be avoided.
7.8 References
The references should be publicly available materials and should be numbered in the order of their appearance in the text, indicated by [reference number] in the upper right corner of the corresponding citation in the main text. References cited within the papers should be listed in their original language. Chinese books and doctoral and master dissertation should be listed in Chinese, while papers from Chinese journals should be listed in both Chinese and English. For detailed instructions on reference formatting, please refer to the website.
8 Notes
In order to facilitate academic exchanges, Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica is indexed in the “China Journals Network Full-text Database (China Academic Journals - CD-ROM Edition),” “China Core Journals (Selection) Database (Wanfang Data-Digital Journals Group),” “Chinese Science and Technology Journals Database (Chongqing Weipu Information Co.,Ltd., Southwest Information Center, Ministry of Science and Technology),” Taiwan Huayi Chinese Electronic Periodical Service-CEPS, and Chaoxing Journal Database. The author’s copyright usage fee and the remuneration for this publication shall be settled in one-off payment. Two copies of the journal current will be posted to authors after publication.
Contact Information
Mailing (remittance) Address: Editorial Department, Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, Building #0, South Campus, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
Postal Code: 712100
Telephone: 029-87082936
Website: http://xbzwxb.alljournal.net/xbzwxb/home