Aims and Scope

The Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST) is an International, Scholarly and peer- reviewed Journal published thrice a year in three Issues. It is an official publication of the Department of Animal Science, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. The Journal intends to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and findings in the area of livestock production and management. The Journal publishes original research works in basic and applied livestock production. The scope of the Journal includes animal nutrition, feeds and feedstuff, breeding and genetics, reproduction, micro livestock, animal biotechnology, pasture and range land management, animal products and handling, fisheries, livestock economics and extension and related fields. Findings from research works in farming systems and Crop/Livestock interaction within the context of sustainable livestock production are also considered for publication. Review articles should cover new developments in a field of livestock production.

General Guidelines for Authors

Manuscripts for NJAST must be written in UK English. Authors whose native language is not English must have their manuscripts checked by a native speaker of English before submission. Manuscript will be pair reviewed by referees selected by the editor and will be published in approximately the order in which the final version is received. Manuscripts will be judged on the basis of originality, innovativeness and relevancy and acceptance based on Reviewers’ recommendation. Upon acceptance for publication, the manuscript must not be published again in any form without written consent of both author(s) and editor in chief.

Editorial Policy

Submission of a paper will be taken to imply that the material has not been previously published and is not being processed for publication elsewhere.  The Nigerian Journal of Applied Animal Science (NJAST) does not necessarily subscribe to the opinions/conclusions expressed by authors in the Journal.  Authors carry the full responsibility themselves regarding the opinion of their articles.  Copy right of all published material rests with the Nigerian Journal of Applied Animal Science.

The Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology ensures that all articles published in the Journal have undergone rigorous peer review, beginning with an initial screening by the editorial Committee and anonymous refereeing by at least two referees who are active in the academic Community.  The purpose of the refereeing process is to ensure that articles provide relevant and accurate material for those researchers, academics, livestock producers, manufacturers in the livestock industries, livestock education, managers, human, resource specialists and policy makers.

Format of the Manuscript

Manuscripts for submission should be typed using Times New Roman of font size 12, double-spaced on A-4 size paper, leaving 3 cm margins on all sides. The paper should be written in English.  Pages of the manuscripts should not be numbered.  The sequence of organization of manuscripts should be:  Title, Name(s) and Address (es) of Author(s), Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion (results and discussion may be combined), conclusions, Acknowledgement, References, Tables and Figures.

Title

The title of the manuscript should be concise, and specific, describing the content of the paper.  It should capture the interest of the reader.

Author(s) Name(s) and Address (es)

Initials and name(s) of author(s) should be provided (e.g. Saleh, B., Alade, N.K. and Modu, A. G.).  Address and affiliation of the authors should be provided.  The corresponding author should be identified and his or her e-mail address provided for further contact.

Abstract

The abstract should be arranged in one paragraph. It should be brief and informative, giving an account of the scope of the paper, techniques, methods and the design used, as well as highlighting the principal findings and conclusions in not more than 250 words. Abstract of a review and general interest article should highlight the new ideas the article is reporting.

Key words

These should consist of 4 - 6 words on the content of the paper. Each word must start with upper case letter and should be separated by a comma. Authors should as much as possible provide words not in the title of the article.

Introduction

This should start the main body of the paper after the abstract.  This should include a brief statement of the problems and clear description of the justification, aims and objectives of the investigation.

Materials and Methods

The materials and method should be clearly stated to permit the work to be repeated by other researchers.  The authors must clearly describe the experimental design and statistical tools used in the study.  List measurement instruments and other tools used for independent and dependent variables.  It suffices to give only references to known methods. Where new techniques are used and/or modifications to known methods are made, they should be described in detail

Results

This Section should contain the observed results and their interpretations.  Results should be adequately described using Tables, figures, chart, graphs e.t.c. Tables should be numbered in Arabic numerals. Where descriptive subheadings are used, they should be italicized and should precede all major paragraphs.

Discussion

Within the discussion section, the author should point out the importance of the results and place them in the context of previous studies. This section should contain the inferences drawn from the results of the study and its application.  (The results and Discussion may be merged)

Acknowledgements

Author(s) may wish to state their appreciation to individuals or agencies or Institutions that contributed in one way or the other to the report.

References

Citing references in text

References should always be listed chronologically and in full unless there are three and more authors.

Example: (Igwebuike and Kwari, 1986; Abbator, 1999; Raji et al., 2010).

For references made to papers with three and more authors, only the first name is cited and adding "et al." (Italic letter). Example: Mohammed et al. 1985

And references made to works by the same author(s) and publication year; a, b, c (and so forth) should be included after the year of publication. Example: (Adamu et al., 2011a, b).

Reference list

In the reference list, provide the names and initials. References should be listed in alphabetical order at the end of the article and in the following standard forms (examples):

Journal articles:

Donoghue, A.M. and Wishart, G.J. (2000) Storage of poultry semen. Animal Reproduction Science 62: 213 – 232.

Online Journal articles

Saleh, B., Mbap, S. T., Kalla, D. J. U., Doma, U. D. and Duwa, H. (2017) Effect of varying levels of dietary energy and protein on reproductive performance of FUNAAB - alpha hens. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 29, Article #57. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd29/3/sale29057.html Last accessed 18.03. 2017.

Conference proceeding

Raji, A.O., Abdulkarim, A.J., Babangona,I. K., Mohammed, B., Yunus, S. A., Nd-Ezuma, A. N. and Nkoloagu, P.U. (2008). Regression equations for the estimation of breast and thigh weights from live body measurements of Japanese quails (Cortunix cortunix japonica).  In: Proceedings of the 13^th Annual Conference of the Animal Science Association of Nigeria. Sept. 15 – 19, 2008, ABU Zaria, Nigeria.

Books:

Olomu, J. M. (2011) Monogastric Animal Nutrition: Principles and Practice, 2^nd Ed, St Jackson Publishing, Benin City, Nigeria.

Book Chapter/Proceedings:

Lawn, R. J. and Ahn, C. S. (1985) Green gram (Vigna radiata L.). In: Summerfield, R. J. & Roberts, E. H (Eds.). Grain Legume Crops. Collins, London, England, pp. 584 - 623.

Dissertation:

Babiker, M. S. (2010). The effect of dietary manipulation of protein and energy levels during the growing period on egg-type pullet growth and laying performance. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

Websites:

Kris, H. (2015). The history of chickens (Gallus domesticus). Domestication and history. http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/chicken.htm Last Accessed18.09.2015.

Software:

SPSS Inc. (2008) SPSS Statistics 17.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago IL.

Manuscript Specifications

Text

Manuscript should be submitted in standard word processing formats: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx). The manuscript should be written in normal, plain font 12 point Times New Roman and typed in double spacing with a margin of 3 cm each side on DIN A4 format. Pages and lines must be numbered consecutively including those containing acknowledgements, references, tables and figures. Please use italics for emphasis (rather than underlining).

Editors reserve the right to modify accepted manuscripts that do not conform to scientific, technical, stylistic or grammatical standards, and minor alterations of this nature may not be seen by authors until the proof stage.

Scientific writing style

Please always use internationally accepted signs and symbols for units. Genus and species names should be in italics.

Tables and Figures

Tables should be positioned at the end of the text. Tables should be cited consecutively in the text and numbered with Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Tables should be typed using the insert table option if it is in Ms word. Column headings should be brief: with units of measurement in parentheses. Captions should not exceed 120 words per table. No table or figure should be given without discussion or reference inside the text.

Tables should be explanatory enough to be understandable without any text reference. Single spacing should be maintained throughout the table, including table headings and footnotes. Table headings should be placed above the table. Footnotes should be placed below the table.

Each figure should have a caption. The caption should be concise and typed separately, outside the figure area. Figures should be self-explanatory. Information presented in the figure should not be repeated in the table. All symbols and abbreviations used in the illustrations should be defined clearly. Figure legends should be given below the figures.

Graphic Elements

All accompanying tables and figures should be numbered, and they should be cited sequentially in the text.  Each Table should be on a separate page.  Authors should not insert embed, or copy any electronic graphic elements into word – processed manuscripts.  Instead, they should prepare graphic elements as separate documents.

Digital and Scanned Photographs.

Photographs taken with digital cameras and scanned photographs should be saved at the highest resolution setting.  The minimum resolution that can be accepted is 1024 x 768 pixels, and the minimum image resolution that is acceptable is 300 dpi (dots per inch).  Authors should not enlarge photographs of lesser pixel sizes and dpi to meet these resolution requirements.

Manuscript Submissions

The Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST) prefers to receive submission of articles electronically.  Interested authors may submit manuscript and accompanying materials to njast@unimaid.edu.ng and copy aoraji@unimaid.edu.ng.   However, articles submitted in hard copies for publication should be sent along with a CD-ROM containing a soft copy of the article for ease of processing at the Editorial office, please.

A cover letter addressed to Editor-in-Chief NJAST must accompany each submission.  The cover letter should provide the corresponding author’s full name and contact information, including the author’s full professional titles and affiliations, preferred mailing address, preferred e-mail address and mobile telephone numbers.

Manuscripts and materials submitted via regular mail should be addressed to the Editor-in Chief, Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST), Department of Animal Science, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.  When mailing submissions, authors must include a hard copy and provide all manuscript components on a CD-ROM.

Peer Review and Publication Process

All manuscripts submitted to the Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST) are first reviewed by the Editor-in Chief.  Submissions are then reviewed by two or more experts in specialties or sub specialties relevant to the manuscripts.

The Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST) will usually notify authors of manuscript acceptance, revision requests, or rejection within four weeks of acknowledgment of receipt of manuscripts.  Authors are encouraged to contact the NJAST if they have not received a status update within that period.

As a means of maintaining editorial and other quality standards, all accepted manuscripts are subject to editing and abridgment.  Such editing takes place after manuscripts have undergone peer review and author revision.  During the editing process, the NJAST editors will revise all accepted manuscripts for clarity, organization, grammar, conformity to house style and format, and appropriate use of terminology, nomenclature and spellings.

Corresponding authors will receive galley proofs of edited manuscripts for review and comment before publication. Corresponding authors are responsible for action on peer reviewers’ comments and concerns.  They are also responsible for verifying all statements in their articles, including the accuracy of changes made by the Editors. Failure to respond fully to peer reviewers’ comment and concerns as well as staff Editors’ queries or to verify statements may result in publication delay.

Processing Charges

The processing or handling charges for submitted manuscript is N5,000.00  only or $20.

Publication Charges.

Upon acceptance of article for publication, a payment of N13,000.00 only or $80.00 per manuscript is charged the contributors. Only papers whose publication charges were paid will be published.

Subscription rates

Within Nigeria (Postage Inclusive).

Individuals -   N9,000   p. a.

Institutions -   N18,000 p. a.

Outside Nigeria (Postage Inclusive).

Individuals -   $200.00    p. a.

Institutions -   $280.00   p. a.

All Payments should be made as detailed below:

Account name:  Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology

Account Number:   4011285907

Bank: Fidelity Bank Plc

Branch:  Maiduguri, Borno State.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).

The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.

Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.

The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed at the end.

The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.

If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.

Copyright Notice

Copy right of all published material rests with the Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal will be used exclusively for the stated purposes and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.