Author Guidelines

Articles accepted are those that are original and have not been published before or are not being considered for publication elsewhere. An editor initially screens all submitted articles to determine whether they meet the aims and scope, as well as the requirements, of the S&T Journal to merit publication. The selected papers undergo double-blind peer review.  The journal does not charge an article processing cost (APC) for submissions that are accepted for publication.

All submissions should include the Certification of Originality/Unpublished Work and a Confirmation of Consent for Publication.  

The following guidelines should be adhered to to standardize article submissions.

Scope

The MMSU Science and Technology Journal is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary publication that promotes the dissemination of original research across diverse fields of science, technology, and society.  It  publishes scholarly articles from a wide range of disciplines, with a focus on the following thematic areas:

  • Social sciences
  • Agricultural sciences
  • Engineering
  • Health and medicine
  • Basic sciences

The journal is published biannually.  Each issue features at least five (5) articles, ensuring representation of at least one research article from each thematic area.  

Submission

Submissions will be accepted for consideration only when they comply with the following conditions:

  • The manuscript must be an original work and must not duplicate or reproduce any previously published material, including the author’s own prior publications.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any other journal or publication outlet, except for the S and T Journal.
  • The manuscript has not been published or accepted for publication in any other journal.
  • The manuscript contains no material that is abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, fraudulent, or otherwise violates any laws or ethical standards.

Authors are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards and adhere to established best practices in scholarly publishing. The following practices are strictly unacceptable:

    • Data falsification or fabrication, including inappropriate image manipulation;
    • Plagiarism, including duplicate or redundant publication of one’s own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment; and
    • Misappropriation of another person’s work, ideas, or data.

The journal takes all instances of research or publication misconduct seriously. Any suspected ethical or integrity violations will be investigated and addressed in accordance with accepted research ethics and publication policies.

All manuscripts may be subject to integrity screening, including the use of third-party tools and services, to detect issues such as plagiarism, image manipulation, data falsification, or papermill-generated content.

How to Submit

All articles should be submitted electronically in MS Word format via the official website of the journal  https://st-journal.mmsu.edu.ph/index.php/stjournal/about/submissions 

Articles should be accompanied by the certification of originality/confirmation of consent to publish (RD-FRM-015) duly signed by all authors. The form is downloadable at research.mmsu.edu.ph/downloads.

Article Type

The journal publishes original research articles that contribute novel and significant insights to the field. Full-length Research Articles should present original findings, propose innovative approaches, methodologies, or tools, or provide resources that advance scientific understanding and practice.

As a general guide, Research Articles typically include 4–6 figures and/or tables and a main text of no more than 7,000 words, excluding the abstract, figure legends, tables, and references. Each article should contain 30–50 relevant citations reflecting current and foundational literature in the field.

Authors may also submit supplementary materials to support and enhance the main article. Supplementary files should be clearly referenced in the text and submitted as separate documents.

Manuscript Preparation: Format, Structure and Style

Presubmission and Language Editing

Before submitting your manuscript, authors are strongly encouraged to ensure that it fully complies with the journal’s formatting, structural, and stylistic requirements. 

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published before or is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
  • The submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • The submission file is in Word (.docx) format.
  • The submission includes a Certification of Originality/Unpublished Work and a Confirmation of Consent for Publication RD-FRM 15 signed by all authors.

If you are not confident in the quality of your English, you may consider using a reputable third-party language editing service to help ensure that your manuscript is clearly understood by editors and reviewers.

Please note that language editing is optional and does not guarantee acceptance of your manuscript. All submissions, including those that have undergone professional editing, will still be subject to the journal’s standard peer review process.

Cover Letter

Authors are required to include a cover letter when submitting their manuscript. The initial decision on whether and how to handle a manuscript will be based, in part, on the information provided in this letter.

The cover letter should not simply duplicate the manuscript abstract. Instead, it should:

  • Clearly state the significance and originality of the work in advancing understanding of plant biology in the broadest possible context;
  • Explain how the study contributes to new knowledge, approaches, or future research opportunities in the field;
  • Provide a concise rationale if any potential reviewers are being disqualified, noting that the editors will only consider such exclusions if the reasoning is clearly and appropriately justified; and
  • Indicate whether the authors request inclusion of more than one corresponding author in the publication, along with a sound and material justification. Requests lacking sufficient justification will not be considered.

Formatting

  1. Articles should not exceed 30 pages, including tables, figures, references, and the abstract.  It should be typed in MS Word format using the template.
  2. Illustrations, figures, and tables should be placed just after they were cited.  They should be numbered with arabic numerals and should carry brief descriptive titles. 
  • Tables should have at least three columns.  Columns that show no significant variations should be omitted.  
  • Titles should be clear and column headings should be brief with units of measurements in parentheses.  
  • Only the first letter of the first word of titles and headings should be capitalized; the rest should be presented in lower case unless in the case of proper nouns; and no period should be placed at the end of titles. Type size of tables should not be reduced to accommodate data.  
  • Symbols and abbreviations should be defined below each table.  
  1. Figures may include line drawings, photographs, graphs, or computer-generated plots that effectively illustrate key findings. Where applicable, magnification should be indicated using a scale bar rather than numerical magnification alone. Each figure should be prepared to a size that does not exceed one full manuscript page and must maintain high visual quality and readability. Photographs and other raster images should be submitted in JPEG, TIFF, or PNG format, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (and up to 600 dpi for optimal print quality). All pages, except the first page, should be numbered at the bottom center of the page, including those with tables and figures.
  2. Footnotes in the text should be avoided. Ancillary information should appear in the text set off in parentheses.
  3. The International System or metric units of measurement should be used. The following abbreviations are acceptable:  h, min, s, yr, mo, wk, km, m, cm, mm, kg, g mg, ml, etc. without periods.  Use l for liter and % instead of percent.  Designate temperature as in 27oC.  For names of months, use three letters without the period as “Jan, Mar, Apr,” etc.  Symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms should be defined when they are used first.  Abbreviate units of measurement only beside numerals otherwise, spell out the units.  Write the unit and numeral without space (4m, 15m2).  For numbers, write out one to nine unless they are followed by a unit of measurement (e.g., two species, 3 cm). Day, month, and year should be written as “11 May 2006.”

Title Page

  • The title should be no more than 17 words, in the ‘Title Case’ format, 13 font size, and must accurately identify and describe the manuscript's contents.
  • To facilitate the processing of papers while protecting anonymity in the peer review, authors should identify themselves only on the title page that should precede the article. Honorary authors are not allowed. A person who has nothing to do with the analysis of data and writing of the paper and who cannot assume responsibility for the technical content of the paper cannot be considered an author.
  • Include each author's complete mailing address and/or institutional affiliation on the title page. Indicate the author to whom correspondence should be addressed by putting an asterisk (*) after the name and the author's e-mail address.

Abstract

The abstract should be placed on a page after the title page. The title of the paper should be indicated above the abstract. It should be a concise summary of the important points of the paper, not to exceed 250 words. Keywords and phrases should not exceed five and should be arranged alphabetically to be written just after the abstract.

Body of the Paper

The main text of the manuscript should be organized into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion (which may be presented as separate sections or combined, depending on the nature of the study), and Conclusion. Each section should be clearly labeled and structured to provide a logical flow of information from background and objectives to methodology, findings, interpretation, and final remarks.

Introduction - It should include a brief background of the study, a short survey of relevant literature, a research gap, a statement of the problem, the research objectives, the significance of the study, and the scope and delimitation. This should be written without subheadings of its different components.

Methods - The methodology includes the locale of the study, research design, variables of the study, including the theoretical/conceptual framework, data gathering procedure, and statistical analysis.

Results and Discussion - The results and discussion could be presented together or separately, depending on what best conveys the research outputs. Brevity and clarity of arguments must be maintained to address the problems/objectives of the study. The results answer the research question, but the discussion highlights its significance. Add citations that explain or justify your results.

Conclusion - The conclusion contains an overview of the study's results and findings, particularly in relation to the objectives. The collected data should support them. It should also include brief, relevant recommendations that demonstrate how the research's findings and best practices can be applied to address a problem or issue.   

Referencing and Literature Cited

Authors must provide accurate and consistent citations for all sources used. Only works cited in the text should appear in the reference list, following the prescribed citation style. All manuscripts must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition citation and reference format. Authors are encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero, or BibTeX/BibLaTeX (for LaTeX users) to ensure consistent and accurate citations. The reference list should be titled “References” and appear at the end of the manuscript following the format indicated below. 

  • Entries should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author. 
  • Apply hanging indentation (0.5 inch) to each reference. 
  • All journal names should be italicized and written in full (not abbreviated). 
  • Include DOI or URL for online sources whenever available. 
  • Ensure all references cited in the text appear in the reference list and vice versa.

Detailed instructions for preparing and formatting references are provided in the journal’s Reference Formatting Guidelines, available [here]. Please consult these guidelines to ensure consistency with the journal’s citation style, including the correct ordering, punctuation, and presentation of author names, titles, and publication details..

Acknowledgment and Funding

Acknowledgments and funding details should appear at the end of the manuscript. Please provide complete information about all sources of financial support, including the full name of the funding body and the specific grant numbers, where applicable.

Author Contributions

Authorship should reflect significant intellectual involvement in the research. Each author must have contributed meaningfully to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the study, and to the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript. The corresponding author bears responsibility for confirming that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria, have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

The journal adheres to the authorship standards set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which require that all authors meet the following four criteria:

  1. Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and
  2. Participated in drafting or revising the work critically for important intellectual content; and
  3. Provided final approval of the version to be published; and
  4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of any part of the research.

An Author Contributions section must follow the Acknowledgements, specifying the individual roles of each author (e.g., study design, data collection, analysis, tool development, or manuscript preparation). Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section, with their written consent obtained prior to inclusion.

Each author must provide a valid and unique email address. Upon submission, all authors will receive an automated email confirming the manuscript’s submission and must verify their approval. Any post-submission modifications to authorship require written consent from all coauthors.

Data Availability

Authors must include a clear Data Availability Statement at the end of the manuscript, indicating where and how the data supporting the study’s findings can be accessed. This statement should specify whether the data are publicly available, available upon reasonable request, or restricted due to confidentiality or ethical considerations.

Examples:

  • The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the (repository name) repository, (DOI or URL).
  • The data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
  • All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this publication (and its supplementary information files).
  • Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Authors should ensure that all referenced repositories are accessible and that links or DOIs are active at the time of submission.

Plagiarism Check

Papers to be submitted must first be checked with similarity-checking software like Turnitin and should have a similarity index of no more than 10%. If the author(s) used an artificial intelligence (AI) platform in developing the article, the Use of AI Declaration should be included.