جامعة السلطان قابوس
Sultan Qaboos University

Authors' Guide

Submission Procedure | Review Process | Editing  

 Proofs | Reprints

Submission Procedure

Electronic Submission

Articles can be submitted by Email to: squjs@squ.edu.om

Postal Mail Submission

Articles can be submitted to the following address:

Editor- in -Chief

SQU Journal for Science  

Sultan Qaboos University

P.O. Box 36, Muscat 123

Sultanate of Oman

Telephone: (968) 24415427

Initial submission

Initially papers must be submitted as pdf files in which all figures and tables, if any, are placed in the correct position within the text of the paper. The full paper is sent as an attachment to an email to the above address. Revised papers are also sent in the same way. This form of the paper is used for refereeing purposes.

Final submission

After the paper has been accepted, it must be prepared according to the format described below and sent by email in a zipped folder with the title code number_name of corresponding author, and containing the following:

1. The text of the paper prepared in MS Word with the figure captions on a separate page after the references
2. The line figures in EPS format: each figure in a separate file clearly marked with the figure number
3. The tables each in a separate file
4. Any other illustrations each in a separate file
5. A covering letter

The preparation of the manuscripts must conform to the following guidelines.

Review Process

Manuscripts are refereed internationally in the normal way and referees reports are discussed by the Editorial Board before acceptance is communicated to the authors. Manuscripts will be accepted for publication based on the recommendation of the referees and the Editorial Board of Sultan Qaboos University Journal for science.  Whatever the outcome of the evaluation, authors will receive copies of the evaluation reports. It is essential that manuscripts are prepared carefully so that they are concise, informative and clear.

Manuscripts

The author(s) is responsible for providing a concise manuscript in correct English and Arabic abstract. Where this is not the case the manuscript will be either returned for correction, or rejected. When a manuscript is finally accepted by the editor in chief, it is the responsibility of the author to ensure that the final manuscript for printing is perfect in format and in language. If this is not the case the manuscript will be returned and delays in publication may ensue.

Manuscript preparation

The following format must be used when submitting the manuscript for publication:

1. Double-space text.
2. Put the name of the first author along with the page number in the upper right-hand corner of every page, with the exception of the first page, and ensure that the pages are numbered.
3. Leave a 3-cm margin on all sides.
4. Use a single-column format and a standard font (12 point Times Roman is preferred).
5. Author names and affiliations together with the email of the corresponding author must appear on the first page of the manuscript, titles should not be included.

The manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

TITLE: The title of the manuscript should be descriptive and concise. It should be followed by the full names of all authors. The affiliations and addresses of the authors must be included. The email of the corresponding author must also be included with the full address.

ABSTRACT: The abstract must be a single paragraph of 250 words or less. It should contain a concise summary of the manuscript including the primary objective of the research along with the major findings. Each paper should include an English and Arabic abstract. Five to ten key words must be provided.

SECTIONS OF THE MANUSCRIPT: Major headings and sub-headings should be bold and in lower-case letters. They must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals. They should be placed at the beginning of the line.

CITATIONS: There are two ways of citing references in the text depending on sentence structure. These include: …by Smith and Brown (1994) or …(Smith and Brown, 1994). When the cited reference has more than two authors, the citation should be done as follows: Smith et al (1994) or (Smith et al 1994). Citations of unpublished work are listed in parentheses in the text only as follows: …by J.A. Smith (personal communication); …(J.A. Smith, personal communication); …according to J.A. Smith (unpublished data); or …(J.A. Smith unpublished data).

FIGURES: All figures  (line drawings and photographs) must be of a high enough quality for good reproduction. Line drawings and photographs should not be combined into one figure. Figures should be numbered consecutively and referred to in the text in the same order. The captions should be provided on a separate page and included after the references section.

All figures should be cited in the text. Do not abbreviate the word Figure whenever used in the manuscript.

TABLES: Tables must be double-spaced and on separate pages. All tables should be numbered consecutively, given concise titles, and cited in the text in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Tables should be included at the end of the manuscript along with illustrations.

EQUATIONS: All important equations should be displayed on separate lines, and numbered in consecutive order. Equation numbers using Arabic numerals should be provided in parentheses at the right margin of the corresponding equation to assist with reference within the text. All equations must be written using the same font size as the text (i.e. Size 12 ).

ABBREVIATIONS: Abbreviations should be avoided except when absolutely necessary. Because abbreviations make the text difficult to read, only cumbersome and very long terms should be abbreviated. The following guidelines should be used when abbreviations are used in the text:

1. Define abbreviations when first used in the text. For example, coefficient of variation (CV).
2. Avoid all but the most standard abbreviations in the abstract.
3. Do not begin sentences with abbreviations or use abbreviations in titles and subtitles.
4. Abbreviations rather than words should be used in presenting units and percentages (e.g. cm, mm, kg , ml, %, etc.).

SYSTEM OF UNITS: Articles published in SQU Journal for Science must be in SI (Metric) Units.

References List

There must be a reference list including all those references cited in the text. Your references should provide the reader with needed information to retrieve and examine the cited reference. Ensure that the following guidelines are used for references:

1. Arrange the list of cited references in alphabetical order by first authors’ surname.
2. Use initials for first and middle names in all citations.
3. Initials are placed after the author's last name, which must be in upper case letters.
4. Place single-authored articles before those in which the individual is a senior joint author, if there are any.
5. List two or more titles chronologically when the authors of these references are identical.
6. Use the letters a, b, etc. to indicate two or more titles by the same authors in the same year. For example, 1994a, 1994b, etc.
7. The titles of journals and books must be in italics.
8. Volume of journal number must be in bold (without using the word volume), followed by a colon and then page numbers ( without using pp.).
9. Rerences of book chapters, conference proceedings and bulletins should be prepared after consulting the examples below.  

Following are some examples of common references:

SINGLE AUTHOR PAPER:

FAKHRILDIN, M-B. , M-R. 2005. Effect of cumulus cell co-culture and protein supplement on success of in vitro fertilization and development of pre-implanted embryos in mice. SQU J. for Science, 10:???.

MULTIAUTHOR PAPER:

AL-KINDY, S./ M. Z., ABDULNOOR, A.O. AND AL-RASBI, M.M. 2001. Determination of some sugar and mineral contents in some Omani Fruits. J. Scientific Res.-Science & Tech., 6(1): 39-44.

BOOK:

El-BAZ, F., ELTAYEB, I.A. and HASSAN, M.H.A. 1991. Sand Transport and Desertification in Arid Lands. World Scientific. Singapore, London, Hong Kong.

CHAPTER IN A BOOK:

APEL, M. and TURKAY, M. 1992. The intertidal crabs and hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Paguridae) in the study area and their condition after the oil spill. In establishment of Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region. eds E. Feltkamp and F. Krupp. Jubail and Frankfurt. Pp. 234-250.

BULLETIN:

PAGE, C.H. and VIGOUREAUX, P. (Editors). 1986. The International System of Units (SI). National Bureau of Standards Special Publication No. 330 (rev.). U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

PROCEEDINGS:

STIRM M., 1994. Oceanographic conditions and pelagic biological processes in Omani waters. Proceedings of FAO Workshop ”Mesopelagic Fish Stocks of NW Indian Ocean”, Muscat 29-31 October 1994. FAO Rome.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION:

ALKINDI, A.Y.A, MAHMOUD, I.Y., AL-GHAILIANI, H., BAKHEIT, C.S. and AL-KIYUMI, A. 2002.  Disorientation of the green turtles, Chelonia mydas, during nesting exercise relative to some physical factors at Ras Al-Hadd, Oman. The 22^nd  Annual Symposium of Sea Turtles Biology and Conservation, 4-7 April2002, Miami, USA.

* It is advisable that authors consult the Journal website at:  www.squ.edu.om/jstsqu/index.html for samples of published papers.

Proofs

One set of electronic galley proofs will be provided to the corresponding author for typographical checking only. It should be returned within 72 hours of receipt.

Reprints

Authors will be provided with thirty reprints per paper free of charge.