Original Research Articles

a. Front Matter

They are original articles with clear data and methodology that, through new results or new analyses, make a direct contribution to knowledge and follow a standard scientific structure:

• Title: The manuscript title should be short and concise. It must indicate the purpose of the study as precisely as possible. It should also indicate the study’s noteworthiness and originality.
• Authors and affiliations: The first and last names of the authors must be written in full. It is strongly suggested that authors’ email addresses and ORCID codes appear within the published articles. The corresponding author must maintain contact with the academic editor. Affiliations must include their positions within their institutions (such as Department, Faculty, University), as well as the institution’s address (city and country).
• Abstract: The abstract should be clear, brief and accurate, providing the main objectives, results and conclusions. Verbatim copies from the article’s contents are not acceptable. The abstract should include neither citations, references, nor figures or tables. We suggest that authors add numerical values of their results to increase clarity. Its length should be 200 – 250 words.
• Graphical abstract: The key conclusions of the article are optional and can be summarized in a single graphic manner. The graphic displayed could be the last figure in the article or, preferably, a figure created especially for the purpose of the abstract that presents the content in a concise visual form. The graphical abstract will not appear in the article’s PDF file or print version, but it will be shown in online search result lists and the article’s contents list. The minimum required size is 531 × 1328 pixels (height × width), 300 dpi, in JPEG/PNG/TIFF format.
• Keywords: List 3 to 5 relevant keywords for the article. Consider using keywords that do not appear in the title to increase your article’s visibility. Avoid keywords that are heavily generalising, such as ‘soil’, as opposed to the more specific ‘soil erosion’, so that we can invite the most suitable specialists to review the article.

b. Research Manuscript Sections

• Introduction: The study should be described briefly at the start, beginning with its significance. The current state of knowledge in the field the study is addressing should be carefully reviewed, supported by citations of the relevant and most recent publications. At the end of this introductory section, the study’s objectives should be presented briefly and clearly, followed by its clear hypothesis or hypotheses.  Bibliographic references should be cited in-text, in round brackets (please see the journal template). Footnotes are not accepted.
• Materials and Methods: This section should explain clearly how your research was carried out. In terms of practice, readers should find here all the information necessary for them to perform similar experiments and to judge the quality and validity of the work. Established research methods can be described briefly and must include the necessary bibliographic references. Only new methods/instruments should be described in detail. Research involving animals or humans must include an explicit authoritative statement according to what is specified in Ethical Oversight.
• Results: In this section, the main findings of the undertaken study must be described as precisely and concisely as possible. Express yourself in a clear and well-structured manner, one that is easy to read and understand. Keep in mind that you are presenting your own results, so it is not appropriate to include in this section the results obtained by other authors cited in the references. For all experimental results, a measure of variability must be presented (standard errors, coefficients of variation, least significant differences).
• Discussion: In contrast to the Results section, here discuss the interpretations of your findings; do so as broadly as possible and in relation to both previous research and your own working hypotheses. You should explain what your results mean, what their significance and importance are and how they add new knowledge to the extant research.
• Conclusions: Authors should include conclusions of substance that are based on the findings of their study. Copying and pasting text from other parts of the article into this section is not acceptable. It is sufficient to specify whether the obtained results support known theories. Suggestions for future research are welcome.

Maximum length: 4,500 words (excluding abstract and references).

Data should be recent (preferably from the last five years).

c. Back Matter

Author contributions: In the case of articles with several authors, the contribution of each author must be specified according CRediT taxonomy. This should be done by inserting the initials of the respective author after each one of the following activities: Conceptualisation; Methodology; Software; Formal Analysis; Investigation; Resources; Data Curation; Writing – Original Draft; Writing – Review & Editing; Visualisation; Supervision; Project Administration; Funding Acquisition. Please note that some roles (e.g., resources, supervision, funding acquisition) alone do not justify authorship according to ICMJE. All authors must declare that they have read and approved the publication of the presented manuscript.

Funding: Please specify, as appropriate: ‘There was no external funding for this study’ or ‘The authors express their gratitude to [Name or Designation of the funder] for project/grant number . . . ‘. To avoid errors, copy the format for writing the funder’s name as it appears here.

Data Availability Statement: Please, include this section to inform readers how they can access the data underlying your study. For example: “The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding authors.”

Authors are encouraged to deposit raw data or supplementary materials in open-access repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad, etc.) and provide the corresponding DOI in the manuscript as in the following form: The datasets generated during the current research are available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7654321.

In the case of other authors’ data used in the study, their location will be specified: This study used publicly available datasets: These data can be accessed from Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7654321.

The guidelines of this section are based on Springer Nature, Elsevier, and Wiley editorial policies.

If data cannot be shared openly, specify that they are available upon reasonable request and explain any restrictions. If data cannot be shared openly, specify that they are available upon reasonable request and explain any restrictions.

In the case of review articles that usually include bibliographic summaries or already published data, we recommend a statement such as “ Only data from cited sources were used in this article.“

Acknowledgments: If you have received logistical, technical or administrative support (e.g., experimental materials, writing assistance, language revision) from a source other than the funder, it is fair to admit this.

Conflicts of Interest: Please specify any conflicts of interest or lack thereof by the following expression: ‘The authors declare no conflict of interest.’

References must be listed in alphabetical order, at the end of the manuscript. We encourage use of specialised software, such as EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero. To facilitate access to cited references, it is important to include the digital object identifier (DOI). All references must be provided in English (ACS Style) with a specification of the original language in round brackets when appropriate. Authors must avoid excessive self-citation and include only their own articles that are directly relevant to the study.

References must follow this format:

Journal papers: Names and initials of authors. Title of the paper. Journal name Year, Volume (issue), page range. DOI.

Xiong, M.; Sun, R.; Chen, L. Effects of soil conservation techniques on water erosion control: A global analysis. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 645, 753–760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.124.

Proceedings Volumes: Names and initials of the authors. Title of the paper. Conference name, Date, Place, Publisher, DOI or Citable Link.

Hardy, J.; Massa, G.; Nabity, J.; Kociolek, P. Review of Targeted Lighting Approaches for Controlled Environment Agriculture in Space Habitats. 51st International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES-2022-6, 10–14 July 2022, St. Paul, Minnesota, Texas Digital Library, https://hdl.handle.net/2346/89549.

Books: Names and initials of the authors. Title of the book, Edition. Editor, Publisher name, Publisher location, Country, Year, Page numbers.

Heldt, H.W.; Piechulla, B. Plant Biochemistry, 5th Edition. Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2021, pp. 335–371.

Chapter in books: Names and initials of the authors, Title of the chapter, In Book Title, Edition. Editor, Publisher name, Publisher location, Country, Year, Page numbers.

Heldt, H.W.; Piechulla, B. Biosynthesis, Processing, and Degradation of Plant Proteins, In Plant Biochemistry, 5th Edition. Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2021, pp. 503–531.

Dissertations: Names and initials of author. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis (PhD Thesis, MSc Thesis), University Name and Location, Date of Completion.

Kammoun, M. Active molecules extraction and conversion from plant biomass: Salts as green catalysts and solvents. PhD Thesis, University of Liège, 2022.

Web references: Title of Site. Available online: URL (accessed on Day Month Year).

FAO. Zero tillage: when less means more. http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0101sp1.htm (accessed on 25 August 2022).

Acronyms/Abbreviations: All abbreviations should be defined the first time they appear in the abstract, the main text of the manuscript and in each table and figure legend.

Equations: Insertion of equations as images is not allowed. Please use the equation editor of the word processing program you are using so that the calculation relationship is visually pleasing but also allows the intervention of the editorial office for possible rearrangements. Immediately below the formula, the meaning of the symbols that compose it must be explained. Formulas are aligned flush right and numbered in order of appearance, with numbers in parentheses.

SI Units: As a general rule, International System measurement units should be used.

Research data and supplementary materials: Note that publishing your manuscript implies that you must make all materials, data and protocols related to the publication available to readers. Any limitations on the accessibility of the materials or information should be disclosed at the submission stage. For more rules, read the information regarding Additional Information and Data Deposit.

Organisation names: Name should be written in full, followed by the acronym in square brackets in the first citation. In subsequent citations, the acronym alone can be used. Example: National Institute of Statistics (INSSE), 2025.

Guidelines and standards: ALSE Journal adheres to criteria and recommendations for particular categories of research. For further details, please visit Editorial policies.

Reviews

• Should provide a critical synthesis of existing research and suggest new directions.
• The narrative flow should be structured using the following section headings. If the authors choose to ignore this structure, they must argue for it.
• Recommended structure:
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methods and Analyses
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions/Future Work.

Case Studies

• Must justify the relevance and uniqueness of the subject.
• Should clearly indicate the added value and methodological contributions.
• The structure can be like that of Original Research Articles

In line with COPE guidelines “AI tools (such as ChatGPT) cannot meet the requirements for authorship and should not be listed as authors on manuscripts.” Authors are required to declare transparently any use of AI tools during the preparation of their manuscript in Material and Methods or Acknowledgment section. Acceptable uses include grammar correction, stylistic refinement, and language polishing tools such as Grammarly, DeepL, or similar platforms. If this type of use is not explicitly stated in the Authors’ Ethical Statement (sent with the manuscript), it may be considered a violation of publication ethics and the manuscript may be rejected.

Any use of AI tools to generate scientific content is not permitted.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their manuscript.

• ALSE is a diamond open access journal.
• NO submission or publication fees apply.
• NO APCs, review charges, editing fees, or colour figure charges.
• All articles are published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 License.

Peer review is a cornerstone of academic publishing, ensuring the integrity, originality, and relevance of published research. ALSE relies on the valuable contribution of expert reviewers to maintain high editorial standards. This section outlines the expectations, responsibilities, and ethical guidelines for peer reviewers.

Role and Responsibilities

Peer reviewers are invited based on their expertise and objectivity. Their role is to:

• Provide a constructive, unbiased, and confidential evaluation of the manuscript;
• Assess the scientific quality, clarity, relevance, and originality of the work;
• Identify major or minor issues and suggest improvements;
• Help editors make informed publication decisions.

Reviewers must submit their report within the agreed deadline or inform the editors if an extension or withdrawal is needed.

Ethical Principles and Confidentiality

Reviewers are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards:

• Confidentiality: manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents. They may not be shared or discussed with others without permission from the editorial office.
• Impartiality: comments should be objective, constructive, and free from personal bias.
• Originality: if the reviewer suspects plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data fabrication, they must notify the editors immediately.
• No use of unpublished data: reviewers may not use any information from the manuscript for a personal or competitive advantage.

Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest, such as:

• Recent collaboration or institutional affiliation with the authors;
• Financial or personal interest in the research topic;
• Inability to provide an impartial review for any reason.

In such cases, reviewers should decline the invitation.

Review Structure and Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers are asked to provide:

• A brief summary of the article’s topic and main findings;
• General comments on novelty, methodology, significance, and clarity;
• Specific comments, with references to line or section numbers;
• Suggestions for improvement (language, figures, data interpretation, etc.);
• A recommendation:
• Accept as is;
• Minor revision;
• Major revision;
• Reject.

Reviewers may also provide confidential comments to the editors, separate from those shared with the authors.

AI use by peer reviewers

Peer reviewers must assume the accuracy of the information and opinions expressed in their reviews based on their own scientific expertise. Therefore, we ask our reviewers not to upload manuscripts to generative artificial intelligence platforms which, despite rapid progress, have limitations that can distort reality. In addition, sensitive or confidential content in manuscripts should not be shared outside the review process.

If the reviewer has resorted to using AI tools during the review process to improve the readability or language of their review, they must explicitly and transparently declare it to the Academic editor.

If it is found that the report was indeed generated by AI, the report will be dropped and examiner credentials will not be granted.

Peer reviewers remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their report.

Recognition of Reviewers

The journal values the expertise and time invested by its peer reviewers. To formally recognise their contribution, reviewers may:

• Request a reviewer certificate issued by the editorial office;
• Be included in the annual public acknowledgment of reviewers (optional);
• Be considered for future editorial board roles, based on consistency and review quality;
• Opt in for reviewer recognition via the Web of Science Reviewer Recognition Service (formerly Publons). During the review submission process, reviewers should choose an answer to the following question: “Reviewer opts in to receive recognition on Web of Science?” – Yes / No. This option appears during the review submission process in ScholarOne Manuscripts.

If selected, the journal will transfer basic metadata (e.g., journal name, date of review, anonymised title) to Clarivate’s system, where it will appear in the reviewer’s academic profile.

The journal uses a single-blind review model, and the reviewer’s identity remains confidential unless otherwise agreed by both parties, the reviewer and the corresponding author.