Vat-Vriksha | Manuscript Submission

📌 Manuscript Submission:

Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished manuscripts in the domain of Zoology in Specific and life sciences in General, including allied fields such as Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Ecology, Bioinformtics etc.

📄 Manuscript Types:

• Full-Length Research Articles

• Review Articles

• Short Communications

• Case Reports (Biological relevance)

Vat-Vriksha | Manuscript Submission

📚 Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Vat-Vriksha
Authors are requested to follow the below guidelines strictly while preparing their manuscript for submission. Submissions not conforming to these guidelines may be returned without review.

1. Language and Style

• Manuscripts should be submitted in English,
At Vat-Vriksha, we are committed to promoting scholarly communication in both English and Hindi, in alignment with our mission to support and encourage the use of regional languages in science. All submitted manuscripts must include the abstract in English along with its accurate translation in Hindi. This bilingual requirement ensures wider accessibility and inclusivity for our diverse readership. Authors are requested to ensure the Hindi translation maintains the technical accuracy and essence of the English abstract. Submissions lacking either version may be returned for revision prior to review. Let us work together to strengthen scientific dialogue in both global and regional languages.

• Language should be clear, scholarly, and free of grammatical errors.

• Use academic tone suitable for life sciences and ethnobiology publications.

2. Manuscript Structure

• Research Article: Title, Author(s), Abstract (150–250 words), Keywords, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results & Discussion, Conclusion, References, Tables, Figures, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, Funding.

• Review Article: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Keywords, Thematic Sections (based on topic), Future Directions, Conclusion, References.

• Short Communication: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Keywords, Brief Introduction, Methodology, Key Findings, Short Discussion, References.

• Letter to Editor: Title, Author(s), Correspondence Text, Key References (if any).

3. Formatting Specifications

• File Format: Submit manuscripts in .doc or .docx

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12 pt

• Spacing: 1.5 line spacing

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides

• Alignment: Justified

• Page Numbers: Bottom center on all pages

4. Tables and Figures

• Tables must be editable and placed at end or after citation in text.

• Figures must be 300 dpi in .png, .jpeg, or .tiff format.

• Each must have a caption and be cited in the text.

5. References

• Use APA or Vancouver citation style consistently.

• Include valid references preferably from peer-reviewed sources with DOIs/URLs where applicable.

6. Data and Ethics

• Ensure originality, proper citations, ethical approval, informed consent, and data availability.

• Similarity must be below 15% (Turnitin/iThenticate preferred).

7. Supplementary Files (Optional)

• Include appendices such as questionnaires or datasets separately with mention in manuscript.

8. Submission Portal

• Submit via the submission link button .

9. After Acceptance

• Accepted manuscripts will be published with DOI.

• Authors must provide declaration form, proof corrections (if any), and ARF.

• Templates: Download Research Article Template

🔍 Plagiarism Policy:

• Strictly no plagiarism allowed.

• Similarity Index must be below 15% (preferably checked with Turnitin/iThenticate).

📉 Retraction Policy:

• The journal follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines for retraction.

• Articles may be retracted if found to have serious issues such as ethical misconduct, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data fabrication.

• Authors will be notified and given an opportunity to respond before retraction is finalized.

• A retraction notice will be published stating the reason for retraction, and the original article will be watermarked as "Retracted."

• Minor errors that do not affect the results or conclusions may result in a correction notice instead of a retraction.

📢 Early Online Publication (Ahead of Press)

To accelerate the dissemination of cutting-edge research, Vat-Vriksha offers the option of Early Online Publication (Ahead of Press). Once an article successfully completes the peer-review process and receives final editorial acceptance, it may be published online ahead of formal issue assignment.

These early-access articles are fully citable with a DOI, ensuring timely visibility and global reach even before they appear in a scheduled issue. Authors benefit from faster recognition of their work, while readers gain early access to novel findings. Upon final issue assignment, the article’s metadata is updated without altering the original content or DOI.

This practice aligns with international publication standards and enhances the scholarly impact of the work.

💰 Publication Fee Policy

✅ No Article Processing Charges (APC) — We believe in promoting accessible and ethical science. There is absolutely no APC involved at any stage of submission, review, or publication.

Publication Fee

A flat publication fee of ₹1500 is applicable for articles with up to 4 authors.

For every additional author beyond the fourth, an extra ARF (Article Recognition Fee) of ₹500 per author will be added to the total publication fee. This fee is charged only after acceptance of the article.

The ARF supports essential activities such as:

Peer review honorarium (where applicable)

Editorial management and communication

Website maintenance and secure long-term article archiving

Professional formatting and layout for open-access publication

📌 Purpose and Ethical Rationale

The Author Recognition Fee (ARF) is designed not as a revenue mechanism, but as a safeguard to uphold academic integrity and transparency in authorship.

In recent years, the prevalence of honorary or guest authorship — the inclusion of individuals with little or no contribution — has raised ethical concerns and diminished the credibility of research publications.

To discourage such unethical practices, the ₹500 per additional author (beyond 4 authors) serves as a deterrent against unnecessary inclusion of non-contributing individuals. This ensures that every listed author has made a genuine intellectual, analytical, or experimental contribution to the study.

🧩 Responsibility of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors listed in the manuscript have made substantial academic or technical contributions to the research.

By submitting an article, the corresponding author confirms that:

No honorary or gift authors are included.
The authorship list accurately reflects true contributors.

To discourage honorary authorship, a fee of ₹500 per author is applied beyond four authors. Any breach of this policy may result in rejection or post-publication retraction of the article.

📘 Note for Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members shall pay a only a nominal amount of ₹ 750 for articles, in Which they should be an author / co-author.

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