For Authors
Word limits are provided as general guidance. Editors may accept papers exceeding these limits based on peer review feedback.
Research article
Reports original full-length research with a detailed narrative covering introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and references.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 250 words (excluding keywords) |
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Word limit |
Up to 6,500 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, figures, and legends) |
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Tables and figures |
Maximum of 8 combined |
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References limit |
Up to 60, prioritizing key and relevant citations |
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Supplemental info |
Allowed for less essential materials, methods, data, tables, and figures |
Review article
Provides a thorough and systematic analysis of current literature on a specific topic, including expert evaluation, future outlook, and challenges. Reviews should include an introduction, clearly named sections, and a concluding perspective. Standard sections like acknowledgements, contributions, competing interests, and funding must be included.
|
Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 250 words |
|
Word limit |
Up to 6,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables) |
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References limit |
Up to 100 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Mini Review
Focuses on specific aspects and recent advances within a current research area. Provides clear, concise summaries to update readers on new findings or concepts.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 200 words |
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Word limit |
Up to 3,500 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables) |
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References limit |
Up to 50 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Method
Describes a new method, technique, or technology with broad utility and potential impact. Includes technical details and usage recommendations.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 200 words |
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Word limit |
Up to 3,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables) |
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References limit |
Up to 40 |
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Supplemental info |
Allowed for less crucial materials, methods, and data |
Editorial
A timely, authoritative opinion on a topic or paper, typically authored or invited by the Editor-in-Chief.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Not applicable |
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Word limit |
Up to 1,000 words (excluding references) |
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References limit |
Up to 10 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Perspective
Presents an opinion or novel viewpoint on existing research, proposing new hypotheses, discussing innovations, and exploring implications. May include original data.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Not applicable |
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Word limit |
Up to 3,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and figure legends) |
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References limit |
Up to 40 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Short Communication
Concise, peer-reviewed reports of original, hypothesis-driven research or new theories based on existing data. May also provide essential additional information for reproducibility or correct interpretation.
|
Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 200 words |
|
Word limit |
Up to 3,000 words (excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables) |
|
References limit |
Up to 40 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Resources
Describes collections of tools or large datasets with broad relevance and significance to the research field.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Up to 150 words |
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Word limit |
Up to 5,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and figure legends) |
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References limit |
Up to 50 |
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Supplemental info |
Optional |
Research Highlight
Offers a concise summary emphasizing emerging topics and frontiers in vegetable research. Highlights are invited from experts and should provide an objective overview without focusing heavily on the authors’ own work. Original data or analysis should not be included. May be peer-reviewed at the editor’s discretion.
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Feature |
Details |
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Abstract limit |
Not applicable |
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Word limit |
Up to 1,200 words (excluding references) |
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References limit |
Up to 5 |
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Supplemental info |
Not applicable |
Manuscript Preparation: Format, Structure, and Style
1. Content
Published articles must include the following sections in the order listed:
· Abstract
Main Text
The main text should consist of twelve sections as outlined below. Examples of level-1, level-2, and level-3 headings are provided:
5.1 Capitalize the first letter of the heading
5.1.1 Capitalize the first letter, italicized
5. 2 Capitalize the first letter of the heading
5.2.1 Capitalize the first letter, italicized
10 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
11 Ethical Statement (optional)
2. Cover Letter
The cover letter should include:
· Manuscript title and whether it is an original submission or resubmission
· A brief highlight of 3–5 sentences summarizing the key research findings
· Confirmation that all authors agree to the submission
· Assurance that the work is unpublished and not submitted elsewhere, including other languages or forms
· Disclosure of any reproduced figures, tables, or data from other sources, with copyright authorization attached
· Confirmation that the manuscript complies with word limits
· Statement of Conflict of Interest
3. Organization of Manuscripts
3.1 Initial Submission
Initial submissions must include:
i. Cover letter
ii. Manuscript
iii. Supplementary materials (if any)
For initial submissions, please embed tables and figures within the main text (Microsoft Word), preferably on the same or the following page after their first citation. Place figure legends and table captions directly above or below the respective items. Supplementary materials should appear after the References, either embedded or as standalone files. Include continuous line and page numbers to facilitate review. Properly formatted manuscripts expedite the review process.
If supplementary data files (e.g., Microsoft Excel) cannot be included in a single file, you may:
· Submit one master file plus the additional data files separately, or
· Submit all files individually.
The submission system will generate a single PDF with hyperlinked data files. The final manuscript should be one PDF containing all components for review.
3.2 Submission of Revisions
For revised manuscripts, submit separately:
· A rebuttal letter
· Marked-up Microsoft Word manuscript (no figures)
· Clean (unmarked) manuscript version
· Figures at ≥300 dpi resolution
· Supplementary files in Word or Excel format
3.3 Detailed Requirements
Before submission, please verify the following:
(1) Author Information
List all authors in the manuscript order in the submission system, including full names, affiliations (with full address), and official email addresses. Preferably use institutional emails (e.g., abc@zju.edu).
Include a concise title (<250 characters), full author names, affiliations with complete addresses, and corresponding author’s name and official email.
(3) Abstract
A single paragraph up to 250 words summarizing the background, purpose, methods or rationale, main results, and conclusions. Avoid abbreviations and references.
(4) Introduction
Provide background and focused literature review highlighting known findings, controversies, challenges, and your research hypothesis. Briefly summarize materials, methods, and rationale. Do not include results or conclusions.
(5) Results
Results must be presented in a clear and logical order within the text, tables, and figures, typically following the sequence outlined in the Materials and Methods section. Avoid presenting the same data multiple times in different formats. The Results section should focus on reporting findings without extended interpretation or discussion.
(6) Discussion
The Discussion should not merely restate the results but rather summarize them in a way that supports or challenges existing hypotheses, assumptions, or established facts presented in the Introduction or literature. It must connect the new or significant findings to the broader knowledge in the field, emphasizing advances in understanding and technology (for Methods papers), as well as the overall importance of the study and proposed directions for future research.
(7) Conclusions
Offer a brief summary of the main findings in a dedicated Conclusions section.
The Materials and Methods section must be detailed enough to enable other laboratories to accurately replicate the study and to clearly explain how the results were obtained. Please include a "Statistical Analysis" subsection that thoroughly describes the statistical approaches used, including threshold cut-offs, to allow evaluation and replication of the data analysis. If the manuscript exceeds the word limit, it is advisable to reduce repetition in the Introduction, Results, and Discussion sections rather than shorten the methods section excessively. When space constraints are tight, detailed but routine procedures can be moved to the Electronic Supplementary Information section.
Acknowledgments must list the funding agencies and grant numbers that supported the research. Additionally, individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be recognized in this section.
Trends in Plant Biology requires that each author’s individual contributions be detailed during online submission, with all authors accepting public responsibility for the content of the submitted work. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately within the manuscript. Author roles and contributions should be described as follows: Conceptualization: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Methodology: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Investigation: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Visualization: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Funding acquisition: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Project administration: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Supervision: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Writing – original draft: X.X., X.X., and X.X. | Writing – review and editing: X.X., X.X., and X.X. The authors confirm their contributions to the paper as follows.
For single-author manuscripts, use this statement: The author confirms sole responsibility for study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation.
(11) Electronic Supplementary Information
a. All supplementary figures, tables, and methods that provide additional support to the main results and conclusions should be included as Electronic Supplementary Information and submitted as a separate PDF file alongside the manuscript.
b. A statement indicating the presence of Electronic Supplementary Information must be included in a distinct paragraph within the manuscript, positioned directly before the References, labeled as: "Electronic Supplementary Information."
A declaration regarding conflicts of interest must be provided for all contributing authors. Potential conflicts include employment, consultancy roles, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications or registrations, and funding or resources that might influence the research outcomes. If no conflicts exist, the manuscript should include the statement: "The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest."
(13) Citations in Text
Examples:
1. Plants are continuously exposed to various abiotic and biotic stresses, including heat and pathogens [1-3].
2. In natural conditions, multiple stresses, such as drought with high salinity, heat, or high light intensity, are very common in many agricultural areas [4, 5].
3. David et al.[6] generated a high-resolution maize root atlas under heat stress.
Please verify that every source cited within the manuscript text is also listed in the bibliography. Authors should ensure reference accuracy and are advised to use reference-management tools such as EndNote etc during manuscript preparation. When multiple citations appear in a single location, use only one citation per reference number and separate multiple references with a comma and a space.
If you opt to use EndNote while drafting, download and apply the EndNote style file (Click on link to download Link-1). Open the downloaded file by double-clicking and save it under the specified name or a preferred name. This action will populate EndNote’s output style within your Word document.
List the references in Literature Cited sequentially with numerals followed by periods, without parentheses.
Include the following elements in this order:
· Author names with the surname first and initials directly after, without periods. Include all initials that appeared in the original source, and do not insert spaces between initials. Separate different authors with a comma—do not place a comma between a surname and its initials. Include all authors.
· Year of publication, followed by a period, without parentheses. If an article is in press, list it under Literature Cited with the journal title and anticipated publication year, plus known volume and page numbers.
· Article or chapter title (note that some journals, such as certain Annual Reviews, may have specific policies regarding article or chapter titles).
· Full title of the journal or the complete book title (do not abbreviate unless it forms part of a periodical series).
· For books, include the editor(s) names.
· Volume number, followed by a colon and inclusive page numbers. If there is no volume, provide inclusive page numbers preceded by a comma and “pp.” e.g., 10:123–30.
· For book references, include the place of publication, the publisher, and the edition if it is relevant.
Examples: