ISSN 2007-3925 versión impresa
ISSN 2007-4026 versión on line

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

INTRODUCTION

Ingeniería Agrícola y Biosistemas (Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering) is a semiannual journal published by the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, offering professionals in agricultural and biosystems engineering a means for publishing previously-unpublished scientific and technological research results. To achieve this task, this guide outlines the rules governing submission of manuscripts, in order to have a standardized structure and format.

TOPICS

Articles submitted for consideration should be related to one of the following subject matters:

• Environment: sewage treatment and use, agricultural waste management, environmental impact ofagricultural development, watershed and natural resource management, pollution control and environmentalprotection.

• Automation: intelligent machines, automatic process control, automated control of greenhouses, biosensors,bioengineering and biosystems modeling.

• Rural constructions: agricultural and agro-industrial buildings, hydro-structures, and use of plastics inagriculture.

• Energy: Facilities for power, bioenergy, and renewable energy (solar, eolian, and geothermic, among others)generation.

• Geomatics: navigation systems, geographic information systems, geographic positioning systems, remotesensing, image analysis, and bioinformatics.

• Machinery: agricultural equipment; machinery for establishing, protecting and harvesting agriculturalproducts; machinery for livestock facilities; equipment for agro-industries; hydraulic and turbomachinery;forest harvesting equipment, tractors and farm tools.

• Simulation and optimization of biosystems: process modeling, validation methodologies, simulation andoptimization techniques, mathematics for agriculture and prediction of agricultural production.

• Soil: soil properties, water relations with soil-plant-atmosphere, dynamics of soils (during tillage, traction andcompaction), and erosion control.

• Food technology: development of agro-food; fermentations; meat products; dairy products; products fromcereals and oilseeds; sensory evaluation; physical, chemical and physicochemical properties of foods andrelated products; analysis and design of food and drying processes.

• Animal production technology: automation and optimization of facilities for animal production, handling andprocessing of livestock products, and construction and technology for apiculture.

• Postharvest technology: properties of biomaterials, processing and storage of fruits and vegetables, electronicscreening, sensors for postharvest, control of maturation and senescence, quality, packaging and packing,biosystems modeling and refrigeration.

• Water use in agriculture: agro-meteorology, crops water requirements, transport processes and infiltration,irrigation and drainage, water resource management, and fertirrigation.

TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS

The types of scientific and technological manuscripts that can be submitted include:

Maximum 25 pages

• Unpublished articles that are the result of original research.

• Critical review articles about agricultural engineering and biosystems.

Maximum 15 pages

• Scientific and technological notes.

PROCEDURE FOR RECEIPT OF MANUSCRIPTS

We suggest consulting the format checklist prior to submitting a paper (http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas/inagbi/archivosPDF/criterios_formato.pdf).

Manuscript receipt

Contributions are received through Editorial Manager (http://www.editorialmanager.com/inagbi/). The follow-up evaluation is conducted through the Editorial Manager system and exclusively in communication with the Corresponding Author. A tutorial on this system is at: http://www.editorialmanager.com/homepage/DOCS/Author_Tutorial.pdf

Documentation submitted to the Journal must include:

a)Identification sheet with the article's title and the names and affiliations of the authors, according to the rulespecified in this guide for authors.

b)Text of the contribution, which must contain all the sections specified in this guide, with the exception of theauthors and their affiliation.

c)Letter of request that includes: affiliation, address, telephone number, email address and the signature of allthe authors, without exception, according to the corresponding format (http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas/inagbi/archivosPDF/Carta de sometimiento_INAGBI.docx).

d)Letter of transfer of rights (http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas/inagbi/archivosPDF/Carta de cesion_INAGBI.docx).

The electronic document must be written with MS Word processor; tables are included at the end of the text and if there are graphs or figures, they must be appended separately. The graphics must be sent in image formats: TIFF or JPG with a minimum size of 945 x 945 pixels and a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 ppi).

Note: The tables and equations should not be images; they must also be submitted in editable format.

Notice of manuscript receipt

If the paper addresses a topic in keeping with the Journal's objectives and meets the requirements described in this guide for authors, a letter acknowledging receipt of the contribution is issued.

STRUCTURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS

Title

The title must not exceed 150 characters, with the first letter in upper case and the rest in lower case. If biological organisms are mentioned in the title that are not common in the agronomic field, they must be written according to the scientific norm. If widely-known species are mentioned, the scientific name is written in the keywords and not in the title.

Authors, affiliation and address

The name of the authors must be written after the title, leaving a space, aligned to the left, and each in a different paragraph. Academic degrees or titles must not be mentioned. It is recommended to include the name as it is registered, in the event that it is, in the ORCID system (http://orcid.org/). The name must start with the first name(s), followed by surnames, which in the case of two must be linked by a hyphen without spaces.

In the case of authors with a different affiliation, a numerical superscript after each name is used to identify their data.

Following the authors' names, their affiliation and full address is written, as well as the email address and telephone number of the Corresponding author.

The Corresponding author is identified by the superscript * and the words "Corresponding author" in parentheses.

Abstract

It is a synthesis of the most relevant aspects of the contribution: brief introduction, objectives, methodology, results, limitations of the study, originality and conclusions, all of which must be presented separately. It should not include a discussion or references to tables or figures. It must not contain more than 250 words in the case of scientific articles and critical reviews; in scientific or technological notes the limit is 150 words. Consult the manuscript template manuscrito (https://www.chapingo.mx/revistas/en/inagbi/index.php?seccion=material).

Highlights

This section consists of four core points that indicate the importance of the contribution and encourage people to read it.

Keywords

It is a list of up to five simple or compound words, not included in the title, indicating the topics addressed in the contribution. They must be written in a line below the last line of the Abstract, on the left margin of the text, in lowercase, separated by comas and with a period at the end of the list.

Introduction

It includes issues related to the object of study: the importance, background literature, hypotheses and research objectives. It provides a precise justification for the scientific problem to be addressed and highlights what makes the contribution distinctive. The objectives are written at the end of this section, and they must specify and clearly define the purpose and scope of the study performed.

Materials and methods

This section describes the most pertinent and unique elements of the research process, enabling other researchers to both understand how the research was conducted and, in turn, duplicate and corroborate it. This section includes: study locations and dates, factors and levels under study, treatment design, experimental unit and design, variables evaluated together with their units and method of measurement, materials, equipment (make and model) and techniques employed, handling of the experiment, procedures and statistical analysis techniques. If the methodologies used require a lengthy description which can be found in a manual or specialized publication, the corresponding citation should be made. If changes are made to these generalized methods, they must be stated.

Results and discussion

They include the results obtained or facts observed arising from the application of the methodology in an orderly, complete and concise manner. Tables and figures (drawings, graphs, photographs, etc.) may be submitted; they must be understood on their own without having to refer to the text, and information in the text should not be repeated in tables or figures or vice-versa. They must be attached to the end of the text; however, where they should be inserted in the text must be indicated.

It is necessary to incorporate the elements derived from the statistical analysis; therefore, reference needs to be made to the existence or lack thereof of statistical differences, and the extent of risk assumed by the researcher in making such statements. If appropriate and relevant, the interactions between factors under study must be construed in a coherent way. In addition to measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion such as the coefficient of variation or standard error should be included when relevant.

The reasons for the results obtained and their relationship to the hypothesis and objectives must be explained, supported by reference to the results and reflections present in the scientific literature related to the topic. Each relevant result must be discussed.

Do not repeat information concerning materials and methods and avoid a literature review-type approach. This section may be submitted in two separate parts; if so, avoid repetitions.

Conclusions

These are statements derived from the results; thus they should not exceed their scope, nor be a summary. They must be in complete agreement with the stated objectives at the beginning of the study. In this section, only the proven facts in the study must be included, so that one should not include hypotheses or speculations, and should not make recommendations that guide future studies.

Acknowledgment

They are a way of recognizing individuals, institutions, funds and research grants, among others, that have somehow supported or contributed in a major way to the carrying out of the study.

References

The bibliographic references cited throughout the paper are presented here in accordance with APA 6 standards (http://www.apastyle.org/; a guide for their use is found on the journal site (http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas/archivos/guia_apa.pdf). They must all include their DOI (Data Object Identifier: www.doi.org), or alternatively the electronic address where the original citation can be consulted. Theses, pamphlets, conference proceedings, and any other publication of limited circulation are not allowed as references. Nor are Internet citations allowed, except those related to statistics and yearbooks from official bodies.

FORMAT

Language

Contributions written in Spanish or English are received.

General information

The text must be in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1.5-line spacing (including tables, figures and literature cited) and 2.5-cm margins on all four sides. Every page must be numbered consecutively, along with the lines on the left margin to facilitate the review work.

Names

The common names of elements, substances, plants, animals, and things must be written in lower case. Proper names are written in lower case, except for the initial(s). Product brands should not be used, but rather their generic or chemical name.

Chemical names (those in which the chemical structure of a substance is established) should be written according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (UPAC) nomenclature (http://www.iupac.org/). For example, "2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid".

Scientific names accompany, in brackets, the common names of plants and animals the first time they are mentioned; after that, they must be omitted. They must be written in italics and are made up of the generic epithet (genus), specific epithet (species) and last name(s) of the classifier(s), the latter of which is not in italics. They are written in lower case except for the initial of the genus, the last names of the classifiers and the names of the cultivars which are annexed to the scientific name. For example: Persea americana Mill.

Mathematical formulas

All equations should be centered on a separate line and numbered successively on the right side margin. It is recommended to write the equations with the equation editor of Microsoft Word® (Equations Microsoft Editor 3.0) or using Math Type™ of Science Design. All of the variables used in the manuscript should be defined in full (name, symbol, and units). The symbols should be as simple as possible. When using subscripts and superscripts, the authors should be careful to have only one meaning for each one and be defined. All of the Greek letters and special symbols must be inserted in a well-defined manner. Special attention must be paid to ensuring the correct relative position of each symbol and number, especially in relation to equations, subscripts and superscripts. All of the mathematical symbols must be written in italics in order to distinguish them from the units.

The International System of Units must be used. All units have to be written in standard text. The lineal format must be used for the writing of compound units; for instance, for specific heat, J·kg-1·K-1 is used.

Abbreviations

The first time an abbreviation is used in the document, the whole meaning must be written in standard text, followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis. Later, the abbreviation may be used without further explanation, for example, "…compounds were identified by means of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)…".

Numbers

Always use cardinal numbers to indicate units, measures, and numbers larger than 10. However, when numbers from zero to nine are stated, not related to units, these should be written out, for example, "… seven treatments were established…" and "…the room temperature was 7 °C…". To separate the whole from decimals in a quantity, the point will be used. For very large or very small quantities. prefixes or scientific notation should be used. Some examples are as follows: "…3.6 MPa were used…"; "with a permeability of 1.45 × 10-14 kg·m·s-1·m-2·Pa-1 and a thickness of 35 µm…"; "… the pressure drop was calculated along a distance of 1.5 km with …".

Tables and Figures

The title, which should be short and precise, is written above the table, starting with the word "Table", followed by the consecutive Arabic numeral that corresponds to its order of appearance in the text.

Tables should only have three main horizontal lines: above or at the start of the table, below the column header row and below the table itself, that is, at the bottom thereof; if it is necessary to separate another variable or statistic such as minimum significant difference or coefficient of variation, dashed lines may be used. Any explanation or abbreviation, except for ones of common use, should be stated at the foot of the table for which superscripts will be used with letters of the alphabet in inverse order (z, y, x, w,…). The indications of statistical significance (where appropriate) should be done in lowercase letters from the beginning of the alphabet (a,b,c,d…). In addition, a simple asterisk (*) may be used for P = 0.05, double asterisk (**) for P=0.01 or triple asterisk (***) for P = 0.001.

Under no circumstances should vertical lines be inserted; their use is not permitted. Tables must be constructed in Word without using tabs or lines made with the drawing tool.

All figures should be drawn up with maximum dimensions of 17.5 x 24 cm, corresponding to the text box of the journal Ingeniería Agrícola y Biosistemas, which allows the following options:

a)Include two figures on the same page, each measuring 17.5 x 11.5 cm, including the title;

b)For very tall figures, place only one image per page, including the title, without exceeding the 17.5-cmpage width;

c)Horizontally, when the figure is too large, place one figure per page, including the title.

It should be understood that figures can be reduced to half size. They must not contain letters, symbols or lines made with the drawing tool; if there is a need to do this, the objects must be grouped together and saved as an image file at a minimum resolution of 300 ppi.

The legend is placed at the bottom of the figure with the word "Figure", followed by the Arabic numeral corresponding to the sequence and a text containing the information needed to understand it. Like the tables, it should be understood by itself without having to refer to the text. If applicable, the species with which the study was conducted must be indicated. The title of the figure should be included as text and should not be part of the figure (they must be independent).

The body of the figure includes the necessary numbers and symbols whose meaning must go in a box, in a corner, without overlapping other lines, areas or bars. Points, lines or bars representing means in the body of the graph must be accompanied by their standard errors. In addition, it must have all the information necessary for a clear understanding of the figure's purpose.