Brazilian Journal of Microbiology - Soil and Agriculture Section: minimum requirements to be considered for publication
Submissions not compliant with the requirements below will be rejected before peer review.
These requirements might be updated at any time, so please always check them out before your submission.
1. All studies must have scientifically sound protocols, the description of proper controls, and adequate statistical designs and analyses to demonstrate the discussed effects.
2. Tests with beneficial microorganisms must show proper and reliable identification of isolates, based on molecular biology, and an in-depth characterization of the antimicrobial compounds based on instrumental methods.
3. Field and controlled-conditions (e.g. greenhouse or laboratory) trials will be considered for publication when they are well designed and present a relevant sample size. At least two sampling times or two repeated experiments might be needed depending on the sample size and statistical quality of the analysis. Experiments in remote locations as well as those whose hypothesis does not necessarily require repetition will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
4. Provide geographic coordinates of the sites for field trials, or the full address of the institution when the study was carried on under controlled conditions.
5. Include full description of the sampling strategy and the official and scientifically sound protocols for analysis.
6. Minimal information on chemical (pH and total organic C) and physical (clay, silt and sand) properties of the soil. If the study aims at any contaminant, the background concentration is mandatory.
7. Provide the soil classification based on an internationally known classification system, at the lowest possible taxonomic level, like USDA (https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/catalog/CAT87211181 (this opens in a new tab)), FAO (https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/soil-classification/en/ (this opens in a new tab)), or IUSS (https://www.iuss.org/soils-4-u/world-of-soils/ (this opens in a new tab)).
8. Show minimal meteorological data during the field trials: rainfall, minimal and maximal temperatures at least annually. Water balance is mandatory for field trials dealing with drought.
9. Describe crop installation and conduction in detail, including the agronomic practices that were applied during the trial. Provide a history of the land use before installation of the trial. The latter is also required for soil samples taken for trials under controlled conditions.
10. The publication of genomes must be accompanied by experimental results or in-depth bioinformatic analysis based on sound hypotheses. We do not publish genome announcements.