Author Guidelines

Journal of Phytochemical Insights

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) welcomes the submission of original, high-quality, and scientifically rigorous manuscripts that contribute significantly to the advancement of phytochemistry, natural products, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biotechnology, pharmacology, toxicology, computational drug discovery, and related disciplines.

Authors are encouraged to carefully read these guidelines before submitting a manuscript. Compliance with the journal's instructions will facilitate efficient editorial processing, peer review, and publication. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's requirements may be returned to authors for technical revision before entering the peer-review process.

All submissions must represent original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal. Authors are expected to adhere to internationally accepted standards of publication ethics, research integrity, and responsible scientific reporting.

Before You Submit

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the submission satisfies the journal's editorial, ethical, and technical requirements. Careful preparation of the manuscript helps to reduce delays during editorial assessment and peer review.

Article Types

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights publishes several categories of scholarly articles. Authors should select the most appropriate article type before submission. Manuscripts should present scientifically sound, original, and ethically conducted research that falls within the aims and scope of the journal.

Manuscript Preparation

Authors should prepare manuscripts in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English. The manuscript should be written using Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) and organized according to the journal's formatting requirements. Authors are encouraged to use consistent terminology, scientific nomenclature, and internationally accepted units (SI Units) throughout the manuscript.

Before submission, authors should carefully proofread the manuscript to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Manuscripts that do not conform to the journal's formatting and editorial requirements may be returned to the authors for technical revision before peer review.

General Formatting Requirements

File Format	Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
Language	English
Page Size	A4
Font	Times New Roman
Font Size	12 pt
Line Spacing	Double (2.0)
Margins	2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides
Page Numbering	Bottom center or bottom right

Manuscript Components

Unless otherwise specified for a particular article type, manuscripts should be arranged in the following order:

Title Page

A separate title page must be submitted with every manuscript. The title page provides essential information about the manuscript and its authors and is used during editorial processing. Authors should ensure that all information is complete, accurate, and consistent with the online submission metadata.

1. Manuscript Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript. Abbreviations, formulas, and uncommon acronyms should be avoided whenever possible. Titles should facilitate indexing and retrieval by academic databases and search engines.

• Clear and informative
• Specific to the study
• Avoid abbreviations whenever possible
• Avoid unnecessary words and jargon

2. Running Title

Authors should provide a short running title not exceeding 60 characters (including spaces). The running title should summarize the manuscript title in a concise form.

3. Author Names

List the full names of all authors in the order agreed upon by all contributors. The sequence of authors should not be changed after submission without written approval from all authors.

• Use full given name(s) and family name.
• Do not include academic degrees (e.g., PhD, MD, M.Pharm.) after author names.
• Use superscript numbers to indicate institutional affiliations.

4. Institutional Affiliations

Each author's institutional affiliation should be provided in full, including department, institution, city, postal code, and country. If an author has multiple affiliations, each affiliation should be clearly indicated using superscript numbers.

5. Corresponding Author

One author should be designated as the corresponding author. This author will be responsible for all communication with the Editorial Office during peer review, production, and after publication.

The corresponding author should provide:

• Full name
• Institutional affiliation
• Email address
• ORCID iD (recommended)

6. ORCID iD

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide their ORCID iD during submission. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers and improves the discoverability of scholarly work.

7. Author Contributions

Authors should include a brief Author Contributions statement describing the specific contribution of each author. The journal recommends using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) whenever applicable.

8. Equal Contribution (Optional)

If two or more authors contributed equally to the work, this should be indicated in a footnote on the title page.

9. Present Address (Optional)

If an author's current affiliation differs from the institution where the research was conducted, the present address may be indicated as a footnote.

Abstract & Keywords

The abstract provides a concise and accurate summary of the manuscript, enabling readers to understand the purpose, methodology, principal findings, and significance of the study without reading the full article. The abstract should be informative, self-contained, and written in clear scientific English.

For all manuscript types, the Journal of Phytochemical Insights requires an unstructured abstract. The abstract should summarize the background, objectives, methods, key findings, and conclusions in a single paragraph without section headings.

Abstract Requirements

Format	Unstructured (Single Paragraph)
Maximum Length	300 words
Language	English
References	Not permitted
Figures & Tables	Not permitted
Undefined Abbreviations	Should be avoided
Statistical Data	Include only when essential

Keywords

Authors should provide 4–8 keywords immediately after the abstract. Keywords should accurately represent the principal topics of the manuscript and improve discoverability through indexing services and academic search engines.

• Provide 4–8 keywords.
• Avoid repeating words already included in the title whenever possible.
• Use internationally accepted scientific terminology.
• Avoid uncommon abbreviations and symbols.
• Arrange keywords in alphabetical order where appropriate.

Abstract & Keywords

The abstract should provide a concise and informative summary of the manuscript. It should briefly describe the background, objectives, methodology, principal findings, and conclusions of the study in a single paragraph. The abstract should be understandable without reference to the full manuscript.

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights requires an unstructured abstract for all article types unless otherwise specified. Abstracts should not contain citations, tables, figures, unexplained abbreviations, or references to the literature.

Abstract Requirements

Format	Unstructured (Single Paragraph)
Maximum Length	300 words
Language	English
References	Not permitted
Figures & Tables	Not permitted
Undefined Abbreviations	Avoid whenever possible

Keywords

Authors should provide 4–8 keywords immediately after the abstract. Keywords should accurately represent the main topics of the manuscript and improve discoverability through indexing services and academic search engines.

• Provide 4–8 keywords.
• Use internationally recognized scientific terminology.
• Avoid uncommon abbreviations.
• Avoid unnecessary duplication of words used in the title.

Main Manuscript Structure

The main manuscript should be organized logically to facilitate scientific communication and ensure consistency throughout the publication process. Unless otherwise specified for a particular article type, Original Research Articles should include the following sections in the order presented below.

1. Introduction

The Introduction should provide sufficient background information to explain the scientific context of the study, summarize the current state of knowledge, identify existing gaps in the literature, and clearly state the objectives or hypotheses of the research. Authors should avoid presenting detailed results or an extensive literature review in this section.

• Provide adequate scientific background.
• Summarize relevant previous studies.
• Clearly identify the research gap.
• State the objectives or hypotheses.

2. Materials and Methods

The Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient detail to enable other researchers to reproduce the study. Established methods should be appropriately referenced, while modifications to published methods should be described clearly. New experimental procedures should be explained in sufficient detail.

Where applicable, authors should report:

• Study design
• Materials and reagents
• Plant authentication and voucher specimen information
• Experimental procedures
• Analytical instruments
• Statistical analysis
• Ethics approval information

3. Results

The Results section should present the findings clearly and objectively without interpretation. Results should be organized logically using text, tables, and figures where appropriate. Data should not be duplicated unnecessarily between tables and figures.

• Present findings objectively.
• Use tables and figures appropriately.
• Avoid interpretation.
• Report statistical significance where applicable.

4. Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to previous studies and explain their scientific significance. Authors should discuss strengths, limitations, potential mechanisms, practical implications, and future research directions where appropriate.

• Interpret the findings.
• Compare with previous literature.
• Discuss strengths and limitations.
• Explain scientific significance.
• Suggest future research directions.

5. Conclusion

The Conclusion should summarize the principal findings of the study without repeating the Results or Discussion. It should emphasize the scientific contribution and practical significance of the research while avoiding unsupported claims.

Declarations

To promote transparency, research integrity, and compliance with international publishing standards, authors must include the following declarations at the end of the manuscript, immediately before the References section. If a particular declaration is not applicable, authors should clearly state "Not applicable."

1. Author Contributions

All authors should clearly describe their individual contributions to the study. The Journal of Phytochemical Insights recommends the use of the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to accurately identify each author's contribution.

Examples of contribution roles include:

• Conceptualization
• Methodology
• Software
• Validation
• Formal Analysis
• Investigation
• Resources
• Data Curation
• Writing – Original Draft
• Writing – Review & Editing
• Visualization
• Supervision
• Project Administration
• Funding Acquisition

2. Funding

Authors should disclose all financial support received for the conduct of the research and preparation of the manuscript. The name of the funding agency and grant number should be provided where applicable.

If the research did not receive any specific funding, authors should state:

3. Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, personal, academic, or professional relationships that could influence or appear to influence the work presented in the manuscript.

If no competing interests exist, authors should state:

4. Acknowledgements

Authors may acknowledge individuals, institutions, laboratories, or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

5. Data Availability Statement

Authors should indicate where the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed.

Example:

6. Ethics Approval

Studies involving humans or animals must include the name of the approving ethics committee together with the approval number.

If ethics approval was not required, authors should clearly state this.

7. Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians before participation in the study.

8. Consent for Publication

When manuscripts contain identifiable personal information, images, or clinical details, authors must confirm that appropriate consent for publication has been obtained.

References

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of all references cited in the manuscript. References should include only works that are cited in the text and should not contain unpublished data or personal communications unless essential. The Journal of Phytochemical Insights follows the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition referencing style.

Authors are encouraged to verify all citations before submission and include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) whenever available.

In-Text Citations

References should be cited within the text using the APA 7th Edition author–date citation style.

Reference List

The reference list should appear at the end of the manuscript and should be arranged alphabetically according to the surname of the first author.

• Arrange references alphabetically.
• Use a hanging indent.
• Include DOI whenever available.
• Ensure every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa.

Reference Examples

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Authors should include the DOI for every reference whenever one is available. DOIs should be presented as active URLs using the format:

Reference Management Software

Authors are encouraged to prepare references using standard reference management software such as EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, or RefWorks. The final responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of references remains with the authors.

Tables & Figures

Tables and figures should present data clearly, accurately, and concisely. They should complement the text rather than duplicate information. Authors should ensure that all tables and figures are of publication quality and are cited in numerical order within the manuscript.

Tables

Tables should be created using the table function in Microsoft Word and should not be submitted as images.

• Number tables consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.).
• Provide a concise and descriptive title above each table.
• Explain all abbreviations and symbols in table footnotes.
• Avoid duplicate presentation of data already shown in figures.
• Each table must be cited in the main text.

Figures

Figures should be of high quality and prepared for professional publication. Authors should ensure that all labels, symbols, and text remain clear after reduction for publication.

• Number figures consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, etc.).
• Each figure must have a descriptive legend.
• Figures should be cited in numerical order within the text.
• Do not embed low-resolution screenshots or compressed images.
• Ensure consistency in font size, symbols, and labeling.

Image Quality Requirements

Minimum Resolution	300 dpi
Preferred Formats	TIFF, PNG, JPG, EPS
Color Mode	RGB
Compression	Avoid excessive compression

Figure Legends

A figure legend should enable readers to understand the figure without referring extensively to the main text. Legends should define all abbreviations, symbols, and statistical annotations used in the figure.

Permissions

If figures, tables, or other copyrighted materials have been reproduced or adapted from previously published sources, authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from the copyright holder before submission. Appropriate acknowledgment must be included in the manuscript.

Supplementary Materials

Authors are encouraged to submit supplementary materials that support and enhance the scientific content of the manuscript but are not essential for inclusion in the main text. Supplementary files will be published online alongside the article and should be clearly referenced within the manuscript.

Supplementary materials should provide additional information that improves the transparency, reproducibility, and completeness of the research without interrupting the flow of the main article.

Acceptable Supplementary Materials

• Supplementary Figures
• Supplementary Tables
• Raw Experimental Data
• Extended Methodology
• Additional Statistical Analyses
• Datasets
• Computer Code or Scripts
• Multimedia Files (Videos or Audio)
• High-Resolution Images
• Supporting Information (PDF)

Formatting Requirements

• Supplementary files should be clearly named (e.g., Supplementary Table S1, Figure S1).
• All supplementary materials must be cited in the main manuscript.
• Each file should include an informative title or caption.
• Data should be presented in an organized and readable format.
• Files should not contain confidential or identifiable personal information.

Accepted File Formats

Document	PDF, DOCX
Spreadsheet	XLSX, CSV
Images	PNG, TIFF, JPG
Videos	MP4, MOV
Datasets	CSV, XLSX, TXT

Availability

Supplementary materials accepted for publication will be made available online together with the published article. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and usability of all supplementary files submitted to the journal.

Language & Style

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) must be written in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English. Authors are responsible for ensuring the linguistic quality of their manuscripts before submission. Manuscripts with poor language quality may be returned for revision prior to peer review.

Scientific writing should be accurate, objective, and logically organized. Authors should use internationally accepted scientific terminology and nomenclature throughout the manuscript.

English Language

• Manuscripts must be written in English.
• Use consistent spelling throughout the manuscript (either American or British English, but not both).
• Avoid grammatical and typographical errors.
• Professional language editing is recommended for authors who are not native English speakers.

Scientific Writing Style

• Write clearly, precisely, and objectively.
• Avoid redundant words and unnecessary repetition.
• Define abbreviations at first mention.
• Avoid colloquial expressions and informal language.
• Use standard scientific terminology throughout the manuscript.

Units & Measurements

The International System of Units (SI) should be used throughout the manuscript.

• Use SI units whenever applicable.
• Express concentrations, temperatures, pressures, and measurements using internationally accepted units.
• Report statistical values consistently.

Scientific Nomenclature

• Scientific names of plants, microorganisms, and animals should be written in italics.
• Plant names should follow internationally accepted botanical nomenclature.
• Chemical compounds should be identified using accepted IUPAC nomenclature whenever appropriate.
• Genes should be formatted according to accepted gene nomenclature.
• Proteins should be named using internationally recognized conventions.

Abbreviations

• Spell out abbreviations at first mention.
• Use only standard abbreviations.
• Avoid excessive use of abbreviations.
• Do not use abbreviations in the title unless universally recognized.

Numbers, Symbols & Statistics

• Use Arabic numerals throughout the manuscript.
• Report p-values appropriately (e.g., p < 0.05).
• Present statistical analyses using internationally accepted notation.
• Use a leading zero before decimal values (e.g., 0.25).
• Clearly define all mathematical symbols and statistical abbreviations.

Submission Process

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) Online Submission System (Open Journal Systems, OJS). Submissions sent by email will not be considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

Before submission, authors should ensure that all required files and supporting documents have been prepared according to the journal's Author Guidelines. Incomplete submissions may be returned for technical correction before entering editorial assessment.

Online Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal's online submission system.

• Create or log into your author account.
• Select the appropriate article type.
• Complete all metadata accurately.
• Upload all required files.
• Confirm compliance with the journal's policies.
• Finalize the submission.

Required Submission Files

Authors should upload the following documents during submission:

Submission Metadata

During submission, authors should carefully provide complete metadata, including:

• Article title
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Author names
• Institutional affiliations
• ORCID iDs (recommended)
• Funding information
• References

Cover Letter

A cover letter should accompany every manuscript submission. The cover letter should briefly explain the significance of the work, confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere.

Final Submission Checklist

• ✓ The manuscript complies with the Author Guidelines.
• ✓ All authors have approved the submission.
• ✓ The manuscript falls within the journal's scope.
• ✓ References have been checked carefully.
• ✓ Figures and tables are correctly cited.
• ✓ Ethical requirements have been fulfilled.
• ✓ Required declarations have been included.
• ✓ All submission files have been uploaded successfully.

Submission Confirmation

After successful submission, the corresponding author will receive an automatic confirmation email containing the manuscript identification number. Authors are encouraged to use this manuscript ID in all future correspondence with the Editorial Office.

Peer Review Process

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) employs a single-blind peer-review system to ensure a fair, objective, and scientifically rigorous evaluation of all submitted manuscripts. In this model, reviewers are aware of the authors' identities, while the identities of the reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

1. Initial Editorial Assessment

Following submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial assessment by the Editorial Office to determine:

• Compliance with the Author Guidelines.
• Completeness of submission files.
• Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
• Originality and scientific quality.
• Compliance with publication ethics.

Manuscripts failing to meet these basic requirements may be returned to the authors before peer review or declined without external review.

2. Plagiarism Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity using appropriate plagiarism detection software before external peer review. Manuscripts with evidence of plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical publication practices may be rejected immediately.

3. External Peer Review

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial editorial assessment are assigned to an Academic Editor or Handling Editor and sent to at least two independent expert reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.

The reviewers evaluate the manuscript independently and provide constructive comments and recommendations to assist the Editor in reaching an editorial decision.

4. Review Criteria

Reviewers are requested to evaluate manuscripts based on the following criteria:

• Originality and novelty
• Scientific significance
• Methodological quality
• Experimental design
• Statistical analysis
• Quality of presentation
• Interpretation of results
• Ethical compliance
• Appropriateness of references
• Overall contribution to the field

5. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewers' comments and the Editor's evaluation, one of the following editorial decisions will be communicated to the authors:

6. Revision Process

Authors receiving a revision decision should submit a revised manuscript together with a detailed point-by-point response explaining how each reviewer comment has been addressed. Revised manuscripts may be evaluated by the original reviewers or by the Editor, depending on the extent of the revisions.

7. Reviewer Confidentiality

Reviewer identities are kept confidential and are not disclosed to the authors. Reviewers are expected to treat all manuscripts as confidential documents and must not share, distribute, or use unpublished information for personal or professional benefit.

8. Final Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests solely with the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor may seek additional expert opinions whenever necessary to ensure a fair and informed editorial decision.

Acceptance & Production

Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, it enters the production stage. During this process, the manuscript undergoes professional copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, and final quality checks before publication. Authors are expected to cooperate promptly throughout the production process to avoid unnecessary delays.

1. Copyediting

Accepted manuscripts are copyedited to improve clarity, consistency, grammar, formatting, and adherence to the journal's style. Editorial changes are intended to enhance readability without altering the scientific content of the manuscript.

2. Author Proofs

The corresponding author will receive page proofs for final review before publication. Authors should carefully examine the proofs and return any necessary corrections within the specified timeframe. Only minor corrections, such as typographical or formatting errors, should be made at this stage. Substantial revisions to the scientific content are generally not permitted after acceptance.

3. DOI Assignment

Each published article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref, providing a permanent and citable link to the published work.

4. Online Publication

Following completion of the production process, accepted articles are published online immediately under the journal's Continuous Publication model. This enables research findings to become available to the scientific community without waiting for the completion of an entire issue.

5. Issue Assignment

Although articles are published online immediately after production, they are subsequently assigned to one of the journal's two regular issues published each year. This approach combines the rapid dissemination of continuous publication with the structured organization of biannual issues.

6. Article Visibility

Published articles are made openly accessible through the journal website and are distributed through the journal's indexing, abstracting, and digital preservation services to maximize their visibility, accessibility, and long-term availability.

Publication Charges (Article Processing Charges)

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) is committed to supporting the global dissemination of high-quality scientific research through an open-access publishing model. To encourage submissions from researchers worldwide, the journal currently does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, or publication.

Current Fee Policy

Submission Fee	None
Peer Review Fee	None
Article Processing Charge (APC)	None
Publication Fee	None

Open Access Commitment

All published articles are made freely available online immediately upon publication. Readers may access, read, download, and share published articles without subscription or access barriers, subject to the journal's copyright and licensing policy.

Future Changes

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights reserves the right to revise its publication fee policy in the future. Any changes to the journal's fee structure will be announced in advance on the journal website and will apply only to manuscripts submitted after the effective date of the revised policy.

Waiver Policy

As the journal currently does not charge submission or publication fees, a fee waiver policy is not applicable at this time. Should publication charges be introduced in the future, a transparent waiver or discount policy may be established to support eligible authors.

Copyright & Licensing

The Journal of Phytochemical Insights (JPCI) publishes articles under an open-access publishing model. Authors retain the copyright of their work while granting the journal the right to publish, archive, and disseminate the article as the official version of record.

All published articles are distributed under the terms of the journal's selected Creative Commons license, enabling the broad dissemination and reuse of scholarly research while ensuring appropriate attribution to the original authors.

1. Copyright Ownership

Authors retain the copyright to their published work. By submitting a manuscript and accepting publication, authors grant the Journal of Phytochemical Insights a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, archive, and identify the article as the original published version.

2. Open Access License

Unless otherwise stated, articles published in JPCI are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license permits anyone to copy, distribute, adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the published work for any lawful purpose, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the source of publication.

3. Author Rights

Authors retain the right to:

• Reuse their published work in future books, reviews, or educational materials.
• Deposit the published article in institutional or subject repositories.
• Share the published version on personal or institutional websites.
• Distribute the article for academic and non-commercial purposes with appropriate citation.

4. Third-Party Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce or adapt any copyrighted material, including figures, tables, images, or other content from previously published sources. Appropriate acknowledgment must be included within the manuscript.

5. Licensing Statement