Submissions

Author Guidelines

Preparing manuscripts for submission, manuscript test. Manuscripts must be:
* written in English with American spelling and correct grammar and punctuation;
* in 12-point type, double-spaced throughout, including the References section, appendices, tables, and legends
* marked with consecutive page numbers, beginning with the cover page. Write out numbers nine or less except as part of a date, a fraction, a percentage, or a unit of measurement.
Use Arabic numbers for those larger than nine, except as the first word of a sentence.
Use abbreviations of the units of measurement when they are preceded by a number: 3 min, but several minutes.
Write percent as one word, except when used with a number. To indicate the temperature in centigrade, use °C. Italicize names of organisms only when the species is indicated: Neurospora, but Neurospora crassa or N. crassa. In-text citations include both names for citations with two authors. In citations with three or more authors, name the first author with et al. for the other authors. Cite only articles that are published or in the press.

The first page should contain:
* a concise, informative title that includes the name of the organism under study; * the authors' names;
* The authors' institutional affiliations, including department, institution, city, state or province, country, and postal code. For the authors' names, indicate different affiliations with superscript numbering. Use a superscript symbol to indicate the corresponding author and supply this author's e-mail address to be inserted into a dedicatory footnote.

The second page contains:
* a short running title of about 35 characters, including spaces,
* up to five keywords or phrases
* The corresponding author's name and mailing address, including street name and number, phone and fax numbers, and email address.

Abstract

Abstracts are a single paragraph, must be fewer than 250 words, and may not contain citations or abbreviations. The abstract must contain the full name of the organism studied. It should be written for people who may not read the entire paper, so it must stand on its own. The abstract should begin with a broad context of the study, followed by the core findings, results, and conclusions. Introduction: In the introduction, the scope and impact of the work should be clearly stated. A general background on the importance of the study should be provided in a single, well-reasoned paragraph near the beginning of the introduction. Successive paragraphs should contain more specific, important background information, including relevant review papers and similar work in other organisms.

Materials and Methods

Manuscripts should contain a clear description of the experimental design in sufficient detail so that the experimental analysis could be repeated by another scientist. It is important to indicate what statistical analysis has been performed, including the method and model applied.

Results and Discussion

The results and discussion should not be repetitive. The results section should give a factual presentation of the data, and all tables and figures should be referenced. The discussion should not summarize the results but provide an interpretation of the results, and should clearly delineate between the findings of the particular study and the possible impact of those findings in a larger context. It is sometimes acceptable to combine results and discussion.

References

The References section lists only articles that are published or in press. References should be formatted as they appear in a recent issue of Maydica. References are chronologically cited in the text. Order references alphabetically by first author. For multiple citations with the same first author, first list single-author entries by year using 1996a, 1996b, etc., then list multiple-author entries alphabetically by second and successive authors. Sample journal article citations: Becraft PW, 2001. Cell fate specification in the cereal endosperm. Semin Cell Dev Biol 12:387-394 Gruis DF, Guo H, Selinger D, Tian Q, Olsen OA, 2006. Surface position, not signaling from surrounding maternal tissues, specifies aleurone epidermal cell fate in maize. Plant Physiol 141:898-909 Sample book citation: Sturtevant AH, Beadle GW, 1939. An Introduction to Genetics. Saunders WB, Philadelphia. Sample chapter-in-book citation: Beadle GW, 1957. The role of the nucleus in heredity, "The Chemical Basis of Heredity", pp. 3- 22. McElroy WD, Glass B, eds. Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore

GRAPHICS AND IMAGES

General recommendations

Avoid Upsampling: Increasing the DPI of a low-resolution image artificially does not improve quality and often makes it look worse.
File Size Management: Aim for a maximum file size of 50 MB, using LZW compression for TIFFs to keep file sizes manageable
Labeling: Ensure text in the figure is legible. No text should be smaller than 6 pt at the final dimension.
Word’s modification of image resolution
Word automatically reduces the resolution of the images in it. The default setting of 220
DPI should be increased appropriately for printing work, i.e., to 300 DPI.
Images modified automatically by Word would usually have a lower definition
The way you insert an image can affect the properties of the image. Using functions
like Insert, Paste As, or Paste Special is recommended. The Paste function may diminish the resolution. For figures with multiple parts, use A, B, etc. in non-bolded type to label the parts for easy reference within the text. If a figure has important areas, arrows or numbers can be used to draw attention. Label all figures in numerical order with Arabic numerals, and cite figures in the text in their numerical order. Within the label, be sure to distinguish between similar characters, such as the letter l and the number 1. Figure legends should be a self-contained description of the content of the figure and should provide enough detail to fully understand the data presented. Figure legends should start with a brief title.

Graphics and plots (Use vector format)
Vector graphics are the standard for scientific, technical, and academic publications, particularly for graphs, charts, and diagrams, because they allow for infinite scaling without losing sharpness. Resolution Independence (Scalability): Vector images can be resized from tiny thumbnails to large poster sizes without becoming pixelated or blurry.
Maximum Clarity & Quality: Lines, curves, and text remain sharp regardless of zoom level, which is critical for complex data visualization.
Easy Editing: Individual elements within a vector file (such as data points, axes, or labels) can be adjusted, colored, or modified in programs like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, even after the file is saved.
Smaller File Sizes: For many types of plots, especially those with many data points or lines, vector files can be smaller in size than high-resolution raster images.
Versatility: They are universally accepted by scientific journals and ideal for both print and digital publications, including posters

Font Handling: All fonts must be embedded in the file. If using Adobe Illustrator, convert text to outlines.
Preferred Formats: EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is the most preferred format for vector graphics. Other accepted formats include PDF (unlocked), AI (Adobe Illustrator), and SVG.
Line Weight: All lines should be at least 0.5 pt to 1.0 pt wide. Avoid hairlines, as they often do not print correctly.
Resolution of Embedded Rasters: If a vector file contains embedded images, those images should be at least 300–600 dpi for color and 1200 dpi for black-and-white line art.

Dimensions and Scaling
Column Widths: Figures should be designed to match the journal's layout:
Single column: ~ 77,8 – 78 mm (3.062992 inches).
Double column full page width: ~ 160 mm (6.29921 inches).

Suggestion for submitting the right size for an image
The size of an image when printed can be calculated when you know its pixel dimensions and printing resolution: the number of pixels (along the length or along the height of the image) divided by the resolution (as either PPI, pixels per inch, or PPC, pixels per centimetre).
Example: If the width of an image is 1770 pixels, the size of the image calculated in inches and in centimetres is as follows:
1770 pixels at 300 PPI (pixels per inch) = 5.9 inches = 15 cm
1770 pixels at 118 PPC (pixels per centimetre) = 15 centimetres (or 5.9 in)
Conversely, if you want your image to be printed so that it is 14 cm wide, the width in pixels in then: 14 cm x 118 DPCM = 1652 pixels

Approximate dimensions Image size in pixels Image size when printed at 300 DPI (figures rounded)
900 x 600 px 7.6 x 5.1 cm (typical image size for online publications)
1920 x 1080 px 16.3 x 9.1 cm (High Definition (HD) image, for example, for TV)
3000 x 2000 px 25.4 x 16.9 cm
2480 x 3508 px 29.7 x 21 cm (A4 sheet of paper, landscape orientation)
Text Size: Font size within figures should be 8–12 point, and never less than 6–8 pt at final size.
Fonts: Use standard sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica for maximum legibility

RASTER IMAGES
Raster images for scientific publications and technical reports prioritize high resolution and specific color modes to ensure clarity in print and digital formats. The standard requirements include a resolution of 300–1200 DPI, depending on the content type, with TIFF being the preferred file format for maximum quality.
Preferred Formats: TIFF (.tif) is strongly preferred for high-resolution, lossless compression (LZW). PNG is acceptable for diagrams. JPEG should be used only for photographs, with the minimum compression (highest quality setting).
Resolution (DPI/PPI):
Color/Grayscale Photographs (Halftones): Minimum 300 DPI at the final printed size
Do not use screenshots or low-resolution images (e.g., 72–96 DPI) from the web!!!.
Do not use JPG for sharp-edged graphics (graphs, diagrams)
Combination Halftones (Graphs with text): 600–900 DPI.
Black & White Line Art (Monochrome): 1000–1200 DPI
Color Mode: CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) is required for accurate color reproduction
Sizing: Images should be created at the final, intended column width (77,8 mm for single, 160 mm for double)

TABLES
Format: Tables should be submitted in editable formats (Word or Excel) rather than images.
Placement & Numbering: Number tables sequentially (Table 1, Table 2) in the order they are cited in the text.
Captions: Place captions above the table. The caption should be descriptive and allow the table to stand alone.
Formatting:
Minimize "Data-Ink": Remove heavy gridlines; use horizontal lines
sparingly (top, bottom, and under headers).
Avoid Vertical Lines: Do not use vertical rules or box-style borders.
Font/Spacing: Use standard, readable fonts (e.g., Times New Roman), usually 10-2 point. Single or 1.5-line spacing is common.
Orientation: Keep tables in portrait orientation whenever possible to facilitate reading, using landscape only when necessary for wide data
Alignment:
Text: Left-flush align text and row headings.
Numbers: Right-flush-align numbers and their column headers to make comparisons easier.
Decimals: Align numbers by decimal point and maintain consistent precision (same number of decimal places) throughout a column.