Policies

Overview of the Publication and Peer Review Process

Manuscripts that comply with the style guide and have appropriate content are sent for a double-blind peer review. The Philippine Scientist (TPS) invites two to three experts to evaluate each manuscript based on scientific merit, novelty, originality, organization, and clarity of language. Anonymous copies of these reviews are sent to the authors to facilitate revisions.

Authors must provide a rebuttal letter to the Editor to address the reviewers’ comments, especially if certain comments are not incorporated into the revised text. The review process may undergo subsequent rounds as necessary for up to six months. To follow up on the status of a submitted manuscript, authors should check the submission link. All correspondence should be directed to the Associate Editor at editorphilsci@usc.edu.ph or via telephone at +63 32 230 100 loc. 290.

Review Decisions

Possible final decisions include:

 Acceptance without revision

 Acceptance subject to minor revision

 Resubmission for review after major revision

 Declined

The review process is closed immediately if none of the reviewers recommend either acceptance or further revision. Authors of accepted manuscripts must submit a signed Transfer of Copyright agreement prior to publication.

Submission of Manuscripts

Submission to TPS is free and open to everyone. The corresponding author must register on the journal site and enroll as an "Author" before submitting. Authors are required to check off their compliance with all submission guidelines, as non-adherent submissions may be returned. Authors can register and track their manuscript status directly via the portal.

Submissions must be sent via email and the journal portal to:

The Editor, The Philippine Scientist

University of San Carlos Press Building

University of San Carlos Talamban Campus

Nasipit, Cebu City 6000, Philippines

Email: editorphilsci@usc.edu.ph

Pre-Submission Checklist

All submissions must include the following five items:

1. Cover Letter (PDF format): Must contain the reason why the manuscript satisfies the scope and nature of TPS, the email addresses of all contributing authors, and a statement that the manuscript is not currently under consideration by any other journal or publication.

2. List of Reviewers (PDF format): A list of four potential reviewers from external institutions (reviewers must not share an affiliation with the authors) including their full names, affiliations, addresses, and email addresses.

3. Authors’ Contributions (PDF format): A document stating the specific role of each author in the work, covering conceptualization, research design, field/laboratory work, data analyses, drafting, revision, overall supervision, and grant acquisition.

4. Ethics Approval: Provided as required depending on the nature of the research:

 Live Animals: Clearance from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent, pursuant to Philippine Republic Act 10631.

 Wildlife Collection: A Gratuitous Permit issued pursuant to Philippine Republic Act Number 9147 (or equivalent international permit).

 Human Participants: Research Ethics Committee clearance issued pursuant to Philippine Republic Act Number 10532.

5. Full Manuscript: Submitted in both Word (.doc) and PDF formats, adhering to the specific category formats below.

Manuscript Types and Formatting Categories

Research Articles

These contain novel and relevant results answering specific research questions. Texts must be written in English using Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, with 3 cm margins on all sides. Continuous line numbering must be used throughout, and every page must be numbered in the upper right-hand corner. References should not exceed 60.

Research articles must follow this structural order:

 First Page: Clear and descriptive title (maximum 30 words, including symbols/formulas); names and complete postal affiliations of all authors; full telephone/fax numbers and email of the corresponding author; and the correspondence address for sending proofs.

 Second Page: Abstract (double-spaced, maximum 300 words) and 3 to 6 keywords listed in alphabetical order.

 Succeeding Pages: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgments, Literature Cited, Tables, Figures, and Captions.

Reviews

These summarize developments in areas related to the journal's scope. Reviews are typically submitted upon invitation by an Editorial Board member and suggest a maximum of 80 references. Unsolicited proposals for reviews must be under 1,000 words and sent to the Editor for approval before writing to ensure the topic has not already been commissioned.

Research Notes

Shorter than standard articles, these are limited to four total pages, 2,000 total words, and a combined maximum of four figures and tables. They require approval from the Editor and follow this format: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusions or Discussion.

Structural Style Guide

Tables

 Must be numbered with Arabic numerals sequentially as they appear in the text.

 Each table must be placed on a separate page at the end of the manuscript, not embedded in the text (authors may indicate preferred placement inline).

 A brief, self-explanatory caption must be placed at the top of each table.

 Column headings must be brief, with standard SI units included in parentheses.

Figures

 All figures must be submitted separately from the body text, with each printed on its own page.

 Line drawings, molecular structures, and photographs must be JPEG files of at least ~300 dpi quality. Charts and graphs should be built in Microsoft Excel or equivalent open-source software.

 Figures must use Arabic numerals sequentially.

 Scale indicators must use bar scales directly on the illustration rather than numerical scales.

 Figure captions must be compiled together on a separate sheet of the manuscript.

Nomenclature

 All animals, fungi, plants, protists, and microbes must be identified by their scientific names when the English term is first used (excluding common domestic animals).

 Scientific name authorities must be provided in accordance with relevant codes (ICBN for plants, ICZN for animals, ICNB for bacteria) upon first use.

 Chemical nomenclature must follow IUPAC conventions and the official recommendations of the IUPAC-IUB Combined Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature.

Formulae and Mathematical Text

 Formulas should be written using Microsoft Word with ample surrounding space. Subscripts and superscripts must be clearly distinct.

 Greek letters and non-Latin symbols must be explained in the margin at first use, clearly distinguishing zero (0) from the letter O, and one (1) from the letter l. Symbol meanings must be given immediately following the equation where they first appear.

 Simple fractions should use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line (e.g., Ip/2m).

 Statistical significance levels can be stated without further explanation as *p < 0.5, * *p < 0.01, and * * *p < 0.001.

 Chemical ion valences must be designated as \text{Ca}^{2+} and \text{CO}_3^{2-} (not \text{Ca}^{++} or \text{CO}_3^{--}). Isotope numbers must precede the element symbol (e.g., ^{18}\text{O}).

General Abbreviations, Numbers, and Dates

 Abbreviate units of measurement only when preceded by numerals (e.g., h, min, s, wk, mo, yr, mm, cm, m, km, mg, g, kg, mL, L) and omit periods.

 Use the % symbol instead of writing out "percent". Format temperatures as 37 °C.

 For months, use the first three letters without a period (e.g., Jan, Feb, Mar).

 Acronyms must be defined upon their first use in the text.

 Spell out numbers one to ten unless they accompany a unit of measurement (e.g., two birds, 3 m, 4 mo).

 Format dates as Day Month Year without punctuation (e.g., 8 Sep 2024).

Citation and Reference Guide

In-Text Citations

 Refer to the author’s last name (without initials or commas) and the year of publication: “Results obtained by Malinao (2017) suggest…” or “This is in agreement with results obtained later (Bernil 2022)…”.

 For works with more than two authors, use the first author's name followed by “et al.” (e.g., Steiner et al. 1992).

 Grouped in-text citations must be arranged chronologically.

 Unpublished Communications: Personal communications (letters, emails, memos, etc.) and unaccepted manuscripts are not considered recoverable data and must not be listed in the reference section. Instead, cite them inline as "personal communication," providing the scientist's initials, surname, and the most exact date possible.

Reference List (Literature Cited)

The reference list must be placed at the end of the manuscript. All entries must be checked to ensure spelling and dates match the in-text citations perfectly. Arrange the list alphabetically by the first author's last name, and then chronologically per author. "Et al." is never permitted in the reference list; all co-authors must be named completely.

If an author has both individual and co-authored publications, list single-author works chronologically first, followed by multi-author entries. Multiple publications by the same author(s) in the same year must be designated as 2023a, 2023b, etc.

Follow these formatting templates for the reference list:

 Periodicals:

Li X. 2023. Analysis of economic forecasting in the post-epidemic era: evidence from China. Sci Rep 13: 2696. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-19011-z.

 Edited Symposia, Special Issues, and Multi-Author Books:

Douglas SE. 1994. Chloroplast origins and evolution. In: Bryant DA, editor. The molecular biology of cyanobacteria. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 91–118.

 Books:

Iwasa J, Marshall W. Karp’s cell and molecular biology. 9th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., USA.

Proofs and Reprints

One set of page proofs will be emailed to the corresponding author. Only typesetter errors may be corrected at this stage; no significant changes or additions to the edited manuscript will be permitted.

Authors have one week from receipt to return the corrected proofs. If the author fails to do so within this timeframe, the Editors reserve the right to correct the proofs and edit the material for publication independently. The corresponding author will receive a maximum of 15 free reprints of the published article and is responsible for distributing them to any co-authors.