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LOGO: Journal of Cotton Science

 

Author Instructions

 

Contributions to the Journal of Cotton Science may be compilations of original research, reviews, short communications, or perspectives of contemporary issues, from any discipline concerning cotton. Letters to the Editor may also be submitted. Contributions may not be previously published or simultaneously submitted to another refereed journal. Articles must be original or provide a significant contribution that improves the understanding of cotton science in one of the following eight academic disciplines:

  • Agronomy & Soils
  • Arthropod Management and Applied Ecology 
  • Breeding, Genetics, & Genomics
  • Economics & Marketing
  • Engineering & Ginning
  • Plant Pathology & Nematology
  • Textile Technology
  • Weed Science

The Journal of Cotton Science is published electronically four times per year at http://www.cotton.org/journal/.

Submission of Manuscripts

Original manuscripts must be submitted electronically using Microsoft Word (.doc), WordPerfect (.wpd) or Rich Text (.rtf) formats. Submit manuscripts as an email attachment to Editor-In-Chief, Journal of Cotton Science, National Cotton Council of America at journal@cotton.org . [Telephone: 901-274-9030]. Authors will receive acknowledgement of receipt of their manuscript, usually within 72 hours. If they do not receive this acknowledgement within a week, authors should contact the editor-in-chief by email and clarify the status of their manuscript.

Include a cover letter with the manuscript stating the desire to publish in the Journal of Cotton Science, and identifying the preferred academic discipline for consideration (one of eight academic disciplines listed above) and the corresponding author, and include a statement indicating that all authors approve the submission of the manuscript to the Journal of Cotton Science. To speed the publication process, the editorial board highly recommends that authors seek comments and corrections from their peers before submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Cotton Science.

Before a submitted manuscript is placed into peer review, it will be screened by the Editor-in-Chief to ensure that the authors have followed the proper format and style (see Guidelines for Preparing Manuscripts), and the experiments have been properly replicated and repeated. Submissions not in compliance will be returned to the authors. Manuscripts in compliance are directed by the Editor-in-Chief to the Associate or Assistant Editor of the appropriate discipline for a double-blind peer review. Final acceptance or rejection is the decision of the Associate or Assistant Editor. All correspondence will be conducted through email.

Revision of Accepted Manuscripts

Authors are permitted 60 days to revise manuscripts deemed acceptable for publication with revision. Only in extenuating circumstances can the Associate or Assistant Editor supervising the review of the manuscript allow authors more than 60 days to complete revisions. Additional time for revisions must be requested in writing to the Associate or Assistant Editor, who will inform the Editor-in-Chief of situations in which time beyond the 60-day limit is granted. Manuscripts that are not revised within 60 days must be resubmitted as a new manuscript.

In a cover letter, the corresponding author should explain in detail how the revisions suggested by the Associate or Assistant Editor and the reviewers were addressed. The author may rebut any suggested changes in the cover letter, but the Associate or Assistant Editor will make the final decision on revisions that are necessary before publication. The Associate or Assistant Editor will assist the author(s) in making the necessary corrections to make the manuscript acceptable for publication, and may request authors make additional revisions. Although it is the intent of the Editors to facilitate the publication of the accepted manuscript, failure of the author(s) to adequately address the comments of the reviewers or the Associate or Assistant Editor can result in rejection of the manuscript.

Following acceptable revision, the authors will be instructed by the Associate or Assistant Editor to submit a hard copy of the manuscript and the signed Permission to Print and Reprint form (117K PDF) to the Editor-in-Chief for publication. The Associate or Assistant editor will provide an electronic version of the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief will submit the manuscript to the Copy Editor for proofing the format, grammar, and other nonscientific aspects of the manuscript. Following revision, the manuscript will be forwarded to the web contractor to be formatted for publication on the Journal of Cotton Science web site and to prepare galley proofs for final approval by the author. Galley proofs represent the final copy and can only be edited for minor technical revisions recommended by the author(s) and the Editor-in-Chief. Upon return from the author(s) the manuscript will be scheduled for electronic publication.

Appeal of Released Manuscripts

Author(s) have the right to appeal decisions that result in the release of their manuscript. Author(s) should send their written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief, specifically stating why they do not agree with the stipulations for release of the manuscript outlined by the Associate or Assistant Editor that released the manuscript. This information will then be provided to the Policy Board of the Journal of Cotton Science, which has the final authority as to the disposition of the appealed manuscript. The Policy Board may ask the Associate or Assistant Editor for copies of the Register and Record of manuscript along with reviewer reports to provide background information. Associate and Associate Editors should therefore retain records of all manuscripts for 1 year. The Policy Board will notify the author(s) and the Editor-in-Chief of their decision on the status of the appealed manuscript within 30 days.

Re-Submission of Released Manuscripts

Manuscripts previously declined for publication in Journal of Cotton Science may be re-submitted for review and consideration as new manuscripts with the following stipulations. The manuscript is submitted to the Editor-in-Chief with a letter detailing the changes that have been made to the manuscript to address the comments of the previous reviewers and the Associate or Assistant Editor. The letter should also state clearly in the letter to the Editor-in-Chief that the manuscript is a re-submission to the journal. Any deviation from this policy will be brought before the Policy Board of the Journal of Cotton Science and result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript for publication at any time in the present or future should the Board find just cause for purposeful deceit by the author. The manuscript will be assigned a new identifying code, but will be handled, when possible, by the same Associate or Assistant Editor as the original manuscript. The same ad hoc reviewers may be assigned the manuscript.