Submissions

Author Guidelines

Author(s) should refer a recent issue of the 'Seed Research' and or read these guidelines (online) carefully before preparing manuscript of paper(s) and follow it strictly to avoid rejection at preliminary stage.

Target Audience

Seed professionals including personnel from certification agencies, seed industry and policy makers; researchers. teachers and scholars working on seed production, certification, quality enhancements, variety maintenance, plant breeding, plant variety protection, seed pathology, seed entomology. phytosanitary issues, seed physiologists and biotechnologists. seed related ICT and Al, to name a few.

Types of Paper(s)

1. Full length paper(s) - It should report only the results of original research. The material should not have published elsewhere, except in preliminary form.
2. Short Communications (newly developed methodology, preliminary results of pilot experiments; application results of published research) - Completely documented, except abstract, with complete description of experimental procedures, results and conclusions as a regular paper but without separate headings. It should not be more than 5-6 manuscript pages including figures, tables etc. and references at the end.
3. Review articles are normally invited. These should cover subjects of wider interests, either a new area or a conventional topic.

For queries and/or any suggestions, please contact the Chief Editor (ceseedres@gmail.com)

 Authorship of Paper(s)

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contribution to the reported study. An undertaking. signed by all authors will need to be submitted before the publication of the paper that all the named authors have actually contributed to the paper in a substantial manner. Any other person, who might have directly or indirectly helped the authors, must be Acknowledged in a proper manner. It would be the duty of corresponding author to ensure ethics in publishing by not including the inappropriate co-author(s). The corresponding author shall also ensure that co-author(s) have critically gone through the manuscript and approved the submission of final version of the paper for publication to Seed Research and the same shall also be included in 'Undertaking submitted with the manuscript (MS). It is mandatory for the author(s) to be the member of Indian Society of Seed Technology for publication in Seed Research. One of the authors has necessarily to be the life member and all others may the annual members. Indication of your ISST membership status is must in the paper forwarding letter/mail.

Language

Manuscripts must be written in good English, preferably American or British, but not a mixture of these two. The language should be clear and to the point. The author(s) must ensure the correctness of grammar, spellings, and scientific terms. If not satisfied with the language of manuscript, you should consult an expert or use a professional scientific editing service to ensure that the language is correct before sending it for consideration of publication in Seed Research.

Submission and Undertaking

It is required that the author(s) submit their manuscript of papers online through Indian Society of Seed Technology website (www.isst-india.com). Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described is approved by all co- authors. It would also be deemed as undertaking by the author(s) that results have not been published elsewhere, except in the form of poster, an abstract or a thesis and there are no conflict of interest or issues of financial and/or copyright and/or patents amongst authors and/or between anyone else. In addition to uploading paper(s) on web- based Research Paper Management System (RPMS) on society website, the author(s) must mail the soft copy of manuscript strictly in format for records and intimation to the Chief Editor (ceseedres@gmail.com). The manuscript(s) not in the format of 'Seed Research' shall not be processed for printing. On receipt of an article an acknowledgment giving the registration number of the paper will be sent to the corresponding author. The given or online generated number should invariably be quoted while making further enquiries from the ISST secretariat about its publications. In extraordinary situations, if the author submits his/her paper to some other journal, it would be the sole responsibility of corresponding author to inform/report to the Chief Editor and the ISST secretariat immediately about the withdrawal of the paper.

Acceptance and Copyrights

For accepted papers, proofs will be e-mailed to the corresponding author for corrections. These should be restricted to desktop publisher's errors. Other substantial alterations can be undertaken only at the author's expense. The revised/modified/corrected copy of manuscript(s) must be sent to the editor within ten days, failing which it would considered that the author(s) is/are not interested in publication of the same in Seed Research. Acceptance of an article for publication in Seed Research would imply the permission of author(s) for sale or resale or distribute outside the members of ISST and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If excerpts from other copyrighted works were included, it would be assumed that that the author(s) have obtained written permission from the copyright owners and credited the source(s) in the article. The ISST retains the copyright for the papers published in this journal. However, the views expressed in papers will be that of the authors. Photocopies of papers may be made for personal use. For permission to reproduce other than single copies, apply to the Chief Editor. Although every effort is made by the editors to correct the proof, they assume no responsibility for any error that may remain in the final printing.

List of Reviewers

The corresponding author may suggest reviewers, who have necessary credentials and have established themselves as leading scientists in the area of submitted paper. All the contact details and e-mail addresses need to be mentioned while submitting the manuscript. However, it is not obligatory to the Editor to get the paper reviewed by the named reviewers.

File formats

Manuscripts should be submitted in MS Office (Word), Figures (graphs and charts) should be created in MS Office (Word Chart, Power Point or Excel) and submitted as editable files. Other file formats acceptable for figures are PDF and EPS with a resolution of ≥300 dpi for quality reproducibility. Photos should be submitted as TIFF/JPG/ PDF or EPS with a resolution of ≥300 dpi.

Guidelines for the preparation of full length research paper manuscript

The revised guidelines will be followed for publication of papers in issues of Seed Research, Vol. 47, No.1 of June, 2019 onwards. Papers describing experimental work should have the subject matter grouped under following main headings: ABSTRACT, Keywords, MATERIALS AND METHODS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION (If any), ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (If any), and REFERENCES. Whole manuscript(s) should be written using double- line spacing, size 12 pt Times New Roman. All pages must be numbered consecutively, which is an essential for facilitation of peer review.

Running heading/ Short title

A shortened version of the title must be inserted in the top right-hand corner of the first page. It usually contains as much as the title that you can meaningfully fit into 50 characters (including spaces). Running headings should be written with first letter of first word in uppercase while rest all in small case. e.g. Expressed sequence tags from developing arabidopsis seeds

Title

The title should be concise but informative, containing only the important words which describe the subject. First letter of main words should be uppercase/capital and rest should be lower case. It is written in center alignment and bold size 14 pt Times New Roman or similar font. If scientific name(s) of an uncommon English name of a crop(s) is to be mentioned, species should be described only by their scientific ('Latin') names e.g.

Scarification of Seeds Improves Seedling Growth in Albizia labbeck (L.)

Name and address of the author(s)

Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of the author(s) and ensure that they are correctly spelled in all capital/uppercase, all separated by comma and last name joined with AND. It is also required to indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of review and publication, also post-publication. The name of corresponding author should be superscripted with star"*" and different numbers be superscripted with the corresponding author and co-authors affiliated with organization, other than the place of actual work, respectively. Write the full addresses of organization of author/co-authors in order of the superscripted numberings. The full postal address of the institution where the work was actually carried out should follow the names. Corresponding author's e-mail address should be given after the postal address. If an author has moved from the place where the work described in the article was done, the 'Present address' may also be indicated. However, the address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main affiliation address. It is also written in center alignment and bold size 12 pt Times New Roman or similar font. e.g.

               SN SHAKUNTALA¹, S MEHTA*2, P SINGH', JT PATRICK AND A MALIK

                                 ¹Department of Botany, KAU, Thrissur, Kerala - 680656,

               ²Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India

                                                   *Corresponding author: smehta@iari.res.in

(Received ; Revised : Accepted)

 ABSTRACT: An abstract should be concise and factual (not more than 250 words), typed immediately below corresponding author's e-mail address. It should indicate briefly the purpose of study, principal results and major conclusions of the paper. It should present in a short conclusion section, which may stand alone or form a sub section of results and/or discussion section, avoiding any reference. Authorities of the scientific names need not to be quoted after scientific names in the abstract. There is no need to mention in the abstract about the place/location of study. Also, non-standard, or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined as and when mentioned for first time in the abstract.

            Keywords: Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6-9 keywords, separated by comma; only first letter of all first key words in capital in case of two or more words are separated by comma, avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations (only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible). These keywords should be enough for representing your findings, if used for indexing purposes. The key words should be arranged alphabetically.

INTRODUCTION

 The text should start immediately after the key words. There is no need for writing the word "INTRODUCTION". Each paragraph without any tab in the text should elaborate completely the details of one aspect. In the introduction, you need to inform the reader about the rationale behind the work and aim of the experiment, justifying why your work is an essential component for filling the research gap in the mentioned field. The introduction does not have a strict word limit, unlike the abstract, but it should be as concise as possible. Species should be described by their scientific ("Latin') names; at the first mention in the main text the full binomial and authority must be given, but subsequently the genus should be abbreviated to its initial letter and the authority omitted. Abbreviations should be defined the first time they are used, although initial letters, without punctuation, may be used for easily recognized organizations or countries (for example ISTA, USA, FAO). Capital letters and numerals should be used in both headings and text only, when essential (Table 1. or Figure 2. or Plate 3. not as Table I: Figure II; or Figure II, Plate III). Except when occurring in a series of numbers or in conjunction with a specific recognized unit of measurement, numbers from one to nine should be spelt out (8 mm, 5 gm³, but nine hours, three months). Both spellings, percent and per cent, are acceptable, but required to maintain consistency 'percent', more common in US usage. The percentage sign should be used in conjunction with a number (7%), but percentage should be written in full when used as a noun (percentage germination, not per cent germination or % germination), as "Percentage" is used to refer to a general relationship rather than a specific measure. Measurements should be expressed metrically; whenever possible, follow the Sl system. Reference should be cited in sequence of mentioned in the text by putting the respective number(s) in bracket []. Each paragraph in the body of the paper should deal with one aspect completely. The first paragraph under each heading or sub-heading shall be without any tab and subsequent paragraphs should be typed with tab. References should be numbered according to their order of appearance in the text. Please Check: Is the problem/hypothesis stated clearly? Is there sufficient (and relevant) theoretical background? Are relevant and latest references cited correctly?

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The author(s) should mention complete details of materials used, treatments done and elaborate the treatment(s) methodology followed and how observation(s) were taken for each parameter studied. The experimental design pursued and statistical software used for data analysis should also find a mention. The reference of each of the internationally accepted method(s) should be given. Please Check: Could you repeat this study using the methods described? Are dates and locations given? Are numbers in metric? Is the international system of dates and times used?

Table(s), Figure(s) and Photographs

It is very important that the experiment be planned in consultation with statistician(s) and desired analysis be done before putting them in table(s)/figure(s). The table(s), figure(s)/graph(s) and in some cases, photograph(s) are perhaps the best way to show the most relevant information. Repetition of same data in form(s) of representing in tables and figures is not acceptable. The data should be typed uniformly with respect to number of digits before and after decimal in each column/row. Acceptable file formats of table, figure (for graphs) and plate (for photograph) should have clear captions, numbered in series of reference in text and inserted at suitable place/page in the body of manuscript, preferably just after the paragraph in which it is referred. Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork. The illustrations should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. Please do not supply graphics that are disproportionately large for the content. The headings of tables (Table 1.) and figures (Figure 1.) should be concise, clear and written in bold without full stop. The caption for a figure appears below the graphic; for a table, it should be above the table. Tables/figures should be so prepared that data does not get distorted while copying the matter from your file. Consideration should be given as to whether data is presented in tabular or graphical form; analysis of variance tables should not be submitted. Photographs should only be submitted, if they are essential for better understanding of the paper. Don't forget to group all the images and text thereon to avoid any distortions. Ensure that each illustration has a caption, which should comprise a brief title and a description. Each caption for table(s) is to be written in normal font and with full stop after the table number, (Table number will only be in bold font) and no full stop in the end. Please submit tables as editable text, avoiding use of vertical rules. Keep text in the Illustrations themselves to a minimum, but explain all symbols and abbreviations used. Be sparing in the use of illustrations and ensure the data presented in them don't duplicate results described in the article. While citing a table, figure, graph or plate (for photograph) in running text, there is no need to put these in upper case e.g. Germination per cent data has been presented in table 1/ plate 2/figure 2, but in the end of the sentence it is to be typed in bracket e.g. Germination per cent data has been presented (Table 1), (Plate 1) or (Figure 2). The caption for a figure should appear below the graphic and it should be above for a table. The captions should be typed in normal font without full stop in the end, but with full stop after the figure number. Please ensure that every reference of illustration(s) cited in text is also present in the list of illustration(s) and vice versa. Please Check: Are these grouped and saved 2300dpi? Do figures have self-explanatory legends? Are all axes labelled? Are these properly/orderly numbered and referred in text?

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

It is very easy to put too much information into the results section and obscure your findings underneath reams of irrelevance or bury the important findings. While writing results, you should only aim to narrate your findings, without trying to interpret or evaluate them. The reference of data table(s) and or figure(s) is must while writing the results. The results of research paper should be straightforward and provide continuity. The results and discussion sections are combined to avoid repetitions and are common in longer papers. This style is helpful in presenting each of your significant findings one by one and then discuss them individually. Discussion should aim to interpret results in any way. Narrating results while evaluating them is to provide a link to the discussion. Narrating speculations, why a particular correlation is happening, and postulating about what could have happened is important in discussion. Discussion section should highlight any correlations and findings and leaving plenty of open questions. The text, conversely, is used also to clarify any unclear points. Be sure to include negative results writing a results section without them not only invalidate the paper, but it is also extremely bad science. The inclusion of negative results, and your way to handle them, often gives you the making of a great discussion section, so don't be apprehensive to highlight them. Kindly avoid writing open ended statements, "the results are in conformity with findings of Rao et al, [9]". Here, a description of actual finding(s) with scientific reason/logic would be befitting. Please Check: Are results presented in prose? Are figures/tables referred to in the text? Were results of statistical tests given? Are results interpreted rather than merely restated? Are results related to the hypothesis?

CONCLUSION

A conclusion, if separate heading, consisting of maximum two paragraphs, instead of points, discussing the main results and learning from the findings of the paper can be mentioned at the end. Concluding statement(s) could be mentioned in the last paragraph without separate heading.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Acknowledgment is not a mandatory section in Seed Research. However, list of individuals who provided help during the research (e.g. providing language help, writing or typing assistance, proof reading etc.) may be mentioned accordingly. You are also requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and or role of the sponsor(s).

CONFLICT OF INTREST:

 It is to be certified that there is no conflict of intrest among the authors / institutes.

REFERENCES

Citation Method: While writing references, please be careful for use of each comma, full stop, italics, bold etc. in style as per the format of this journal. Please refer the latest issue(s) of 'Seed Research for acceptable format. Reference should be cited in the text by number in square brackets []. These should be numbered according to their order of appearance in the text. If the sentence begins with author(s), then give the surname(s) followed by order number of appearance e.g. Rao and Gupta [1] or Singh et al. [2]. If the order of appearance of more than 2 references is continuous, separate them with hyphen e.g. [10-12] and not [10, 11, 12] or [5, 7-9] and not [5, 7, 8, 9]. At the end of the paper, references should be listed in the same order in which they have appeared in the text. Please ensure to include all names in the list of references and vice versa. For writing names of authors, first the full surname of first author then the abbreviations of name and middle name (without spacing) to be mentioned in all capital letters/uppercase. For rest of the authors, abbreviations of name and middle name (without spacing) followed by full surname to be mentioned in all capital letters/uppercase. Each author will be separated with comma, while last be joined with word "AND". The year of publication should be written in parentheses (), followed by full stop. This should be followed by title of article, where only first letter of first word would be uppercase/capital and rest are in lower case, except scientific name, ending with full stop. It will be followed by full journal title in italics ending with comma, then the volume number in boid and issue number in bracket (), ending in colon. Finally, the page numbers should be separated with hyphen and full stop in the end. The sequence of page numbers should contain the continuity of all digit(s) e.g. Seed Research, 41(2): 208-216.

The correct method of writing reference is given below:

1. Single author

RAO AB (2014) Seed enhancements. Acta Horticulturae, 607: 53-59.

2. Two authors

GUNWAL YA AND BS AFRIA (1990), Seed germination, seedling growth, emergence, and establishment responses of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cultivars as regulated by growth substances. Seed Research, 18: 25-30.

3. Three or more authors:

GUNWAL YA, BS AFRIA AND EF TIND (2014). Effect of timing of NPK and fertilizer application on the quality of groundnut seeds. Pesquisa Agropecuaria Brasileira, 21(9): 491-502.

4. Publication(s) of any organization

ISTA (1999). International Rules for Seed Testing. Seed Science and Technology, 27, Supplement, pp: 333. OR

ANONYMOUS (2018). International Rules for Seed Testing. ISTA, Secretariat, Zurich, CH-Switzerland.

5. Citation of a chapter from a book

GUNWAL YA AND BS AFRIA (2014). Chapter title in book. In: Book Title, (eds. EF TIND and GH KHUS), vol. 3, pp: 123-456, Name of Publisher, City.

6. Web reference links

The references are cited in the same way as mentioned above. While copying references, please be careful as they may contain errors. As a minimum, the full URL should be given and the date when the reference was last accessed. Use of DOI is encouraged e.g.http://doi.org/...Web reference can be given after the page numbers e.g. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx OR doi:xxxxxxxXXXX

7. Paper published in another language, its title may be translated. The translation should appear between square brackets, as follows:

AUTHOR GH AND AUTHOR IJ (2014). Title in another language. [Title in English). Journal Title in Full, 00:12-3.

8. Theses and dissertations

GUNWAL YA (2016). Institutional innovation in the cocoa (Theobroma cacao) seed trade in India. Master's Thesis, CCS, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. 126 р.

9. Personal Communications

No date is entered for a personal communication, nor will it be entered in your Literature Cited section. However, the source may be thanked in your Acknowledgments for their contribution. In text, it may be written as "It has been found that the priming in dry land areas increases the plant stand (YA Gunwal, pers. omm...)."

Please Check: Are citations in the proper format? Are all the references listed have been mentioned in text [bracket] as per sequence of first appearance in text?

Instructions for the preparation of short communication manuscript

Short Communication'/'Research Note' are appropriate for the reporting of research which might not justify a full paper but which nevertheless contains important information of potentially practical importance. For example, whilst a study of novel dormancy-breaking treatments in a series of closely related species might justify a single full length paper describing the principles and experimental basis of the work, a 'Research Note' might report data for one particular species of economic importance. 'Short Communication' may also be appropriate in the case of early, but scientifically rigorous experiments in a novel area, where a full length paper is not yet justified but the data warrant immediate publication because of their novelty and importance. The format for 'Short Communications' is as for full- length papers, except for the following conditions: (1) They should be a maximum of 2500 words of text, plus a maximum of two figures, tables or photographs. (2) All the sections will be without headings, except references, but shall contain the details of experimentation, results and discussion (as one section). This will include as a single narrative text, those elements which are normally separated in full-length papers as 'Introduction', 'Materials and Methods', 'Results' and 'Discussion'.

Instructions for the preparation of review paper manuscript

In reviews, author(s) might present the topic based on their own work and/or based on the literature(s) available on the subject. The articles normally shall not exceed 10000 words. The text shall be written in the prescribed format of full length research paper, but with following sections; Running heading, Title, Name and address of the author(s). ABSTRACT, Keywords, Matter with appropriate sub headings related to topic, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (If any) and REFERENCES in the same manner as given for full length paper, the body of manuscript may have area/ topic specific headings and sub-headings.

NB: Kindly download (http://www.isst-india.com) and read the guidelines for authors carefully or/and consult the December 2018 issue of Seed Research before preparation of manuscript.

Graphic formats: Only computer generated charts of figures (as a part of Microsoft word or GIF of JPEG files) or photographs relevant to the contents of the paper will be included.

Acronomys: You have to spell out the acronym for its first occurrence followed by the acronym within parenthesis. Seed Quality Enhancement (SQE).

Plagiarism: Authors must obtain permission to reproduce any copyright material, and include an acknowledgement of the source in their article. They should be aware that the unreferenced use of the published and unpublished ideas, writing or illustrations of others, or submission of a complete paper under a new authorship in a different or the same language, is plagiarism.

Other policies: Articles forwarded to the editor for publication are understood to be offered to the Seed Research exclusively and the copyrights automatically stand transferred to Indian Society of Extension Education. It is also understood that the authors have obtained the approval of their department, faculty, or institute in cases where such permission is necessary. The Editorial Board takes no responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in the Journal, which rests entirely with the authors thereof. Proof-correction should be in Track Change mode. All queries marked in the article should be answered. Proofs are supplied for a check-up of the correctness of typesetting and facts. The proofs should be returned within 3 days. The alternation in authors name is not permitted at any later stage after the article is submitted to the Seed Research.

The Journal is published after every 6 months i.e., January - June and July - December.