Author Guidelines

The Journal of Natural Science Review (JNSR), published by Kabul University, welcomes original research and review articles in the natural and applied sciences. The journal publishes research in areas including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, environmental and earth sciences, agricultural sciences, food science, biotechnology, veterinary sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, water resources, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Authors should read these guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. Submissions that fall outside the journal's scope, fail to meet its basic requirements, or raise concerns about research integrity may be returned for correction or declined before peer review.

Download the manuscript template: Download Submission Template

1. Article Types and Length

JNSR considers the following types of manuscripts:

Original Research Articles: Reports of original scientific investigations based on appropriate research designs, methods, data, and analysis. Articles must present findings that make a clear contribution to the relevant field.

Review Articles: Critical and analytical assessments of existing research on a defined topic. Reviews should synthesize relevant literature, identify areas of agreement and disagreement, evaluate the strength of available evidence, and establish a clear contribution beyond a descriptive summary of previous studies.

Research must be relevant to the journal's focus and scope and demonstrate adequate methodological quality, originality, and scholarly value.

Research articles between 4,500 and 10,000 words are preferred. The word count generally includes the main text, abstract, and other textual elements, but excludes the reference list and supplementary files. Authors should use the journal's manuscript template and contact the editorial office if a particular manuscript type requires a different length.

2. Language and General Formatting

Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Authors may use either American or British English but must apply their chosen variety consistently throughout the manuscript.

Prepare the manuscript in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), using the journal's submission template. Authors should observe the template's requirements for font, headings, paragraph spacing, tables, figures, equations, and references.

Additional requirements include:

• Use a concise, informative title that accurately reflects the study.

• Number major sections and subsections consistently where appropriate.

• Define abbreviations at first use and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

• Use SI units where applicable and report measurements consistently.

• Use decimal points rather than decimal commas.

• Number equations consecutively when they are referred to in the text.

• Ensure that tables, figures, and supplementary materials are cited in the manuscript.

• Check the manuscript for spelling, grammar, formatting, and reference accuracy before submission.

The journal may return manuscripts that require substantial technical or language corrections before editorial assessment.

3. Title Page and Author Information

The title page must be uploaded as a separate file from the anonymized manuscript.

It should contain:

1. The full manuscript title.

2. The full names of all authors in the agreed order.

3. The institutional affiliation of each author, including department, institution, city, and country.

4. The name and email address of the corresponding author.

5. ORCID identifiers, where available.

6. Acknowledgments, funding information, and declarations, as applicable.

Academic titles and degrees should not be included alongside author names.

Each author's affiliation should reflect the institution associated with the work. Where an author has more than one relevant affiliation, each should be identified accurately.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors approve the submitted manuscript, agree to the author order, and authorize submission to JNSR.

4. Anonymized Manuscript

JNSR uses a double-blind peer-review process. The manuscript file intended for reviewers must not contain information that directly identifies the authors.

Before submission, authors should:

• Remove author names, affiliations, email addresses, and acknowledgments that identify the authors.

• Avoid identifying information in the manuscript's headers, footers, and file properties.

• Refer to their own previous work objectively, without unnecessary self-identification.

• Check that supplementary files intended for reviewers do not reveal author identities.

Author information must be supplied separately in the title-page file. The editorial office may return manuscripts that have not been properly anonymized.

5. Abstract and Keywords

Each manuscript must include an informative abstract of approximately 150–200 words, followed by three to six keywords.

The abstract should summarize the study without requiring readers to consult the full manuscript. For original research, it should normally state:

• The research problem or objective.

• The principal methods or research design.

• The main findings, including relevant quantitative results where appropriate.

• The principal conclusion and its scientific significance.

The abstract should be a single paragraph unless the journal's template specifies otherwise. Avoid references, unexplained abbreviations, unnecessary background information, and claims that are not supported by the findings.

Keywords should represent the principal concepts, methods, subjects, or applications addressed in the article. Avoid using only words already contained in the title.

6. Manuscript Structure

6.1 Original Research Articles

Original research articles should generally follow the structure below, with adjustments where required by the discipline or research design.

Introduction

Introduce the research problem, explain its scientific or practical relevance, and critically discuss the most relevant previous research. Identify the knowledge gap the study addresses and explain how the research contributes to existing knowledge.

The introduction should end with a clear statement of the research objective, question, or hypothesis.

Materials and Methods

Describe the study design, study area or materials, sampling procedures, participants or experimental units, instruments, data collection procedures, and analytical methods, as applicable.

Provide sufficient detail for readers to assess the validity of the methods and understand how the study could be replicated. Identify statistical procedures, software, analytical models, and relevant methodological assumptions.

For research involving humans, animals, or other ethically regulated activities, include the relevant ethical approval and consent information.

Results

Present the findings in a logical sequence corresponding to the research objectives or hypotheses. Report the evidence needed to evaluate the conclusions, including relevant numerical results, statistical tests, uncertainty estimates, and negative or nonsignificant findings where appropriate.

Use tables and figures when they improve the presentation of results. Avoid repeating all the information from a table or figure in the main text.

Discussion

Interpret the findings in relation to the research objectives and relevant published literature. Explain how the results agree with, differ from, or extend previous findings. Discuss plausible explanations, scientific or practical implications, and limitations.

Distinguish results directly supported by the data from interpretations or hypotheses that require further investigation. Avoid overstating the significance or generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion

Summarize the main findings and state the principal conclusion supported by the research. Explain the contribution of the study without simply repeating the abstract. Recommendations or suggestions for future research may be included when justified by the findings.

Declarations and Additional Sections

Include the applicable author-contribution statement, acknowledgments, funding statement, competing-interest declaration, data-availability statement, and ethics statement. These should follow the reference list or the arrangement specified in the journal's template. Information that would identify the authors must be provided separately during initial submission when necessary to preserve anonymity.

6.2 Review Articles

Review articles should have a clear purpose and a defined scope. Their structure may vary according to the type of review.

Authors should normally include:

• An introduction defining the topic, rationale, objectives, and scope of the review.

• A description of the literature-search strategy and selection criteria where applicable.

• A critical synthesis of the relevant evidence, organized under appropriate headings.

• A discussion of the consistency, limitations, and gaps in the existing literature.

• A conclusion that summarizes the principal findings of the review and their implications.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should describe their methods transparently and follow appropriate reporting standards for the review design. Authors should not describe a review as systematic unless a systematic method was actually used.

A review article should provide critical analysis and synthesis rather than merely summarize one publication after another.

7. Tables, Figures, and Equations

Tables and figures must be clear, relevant, and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text.

Tables

• Provide a concise, informative title above each table.

• Define abbreviations, symbols, and statistical notation in table notes.

• Use consistent units and decimal precision.

• Avoid duplicating the same information in the text and tables.

• Ensure that every table is referred to in the manuscript.

Figures

• Provide a concise caption for each figure.

• Supply figures at a resolution suitable for publication; 300 dpi is recommended for raster images.

• Ensure that text, labels, symbols, and legends remain readable at publication size.

• Identify adapted or reproduced material and obtain permission where required.

• Ensure that images have not been manipulated in a way that misrepresents the underlying evidence.

Equations

Use a consistent format for mathematical expressions. Number equations consecutively when they are cited in the text, and define symbols and variables where necessary.

8. References and Citations

Every source cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and every reference-list entry must be cited in the text.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all citations. They should:

• Use reliable, relevant, and up-to-date scholarly sources.

• Cite original sources where appropriate.

• Provide complete bibliographic information.

• Include a DOI for a cited work whenever one is available.

• Verify author names, publication years, article titles, journal titles, volume and issue numbers, page ranges or article numbers, and DOI information.

• Avoid fabricated references and citations that do not support the associated claims.

• Use the reference style specified in the official JNSR manuscript template consistently throughout the manuscript. Do not mix citation styles. Before submission, check all in-text citations against the reference list.

9. Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship must reflect substantial contributions to the research and manuscript. All authors must approve the final version and accept responsibility for their contributions.

The corresponding author must ensure that:

• All eligible authors are included.

• No individual is listed as an author without a qualifying contribution.

• The author order has been agreed upon by all authors.

• All authors approve the submitted version.

• Any subsequent change to authorship is justified and approved by all affected authors.

• An author-contribution statement should identify each author's role in the research and preparation of the manuscript. Contributions should be described specifically rather than through vague statements.

Individuals who provided assistance but do not qualify for authorship may be acknowledged with their consent.

10. Research Ethics and Declarations

Authors must comply with JNSR's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy and all other applicable journal policies.

Depending on the research, manuscripts must include the following declarations.

Ethics approval and informed consent: For research involving human participants, animals, or other activities requiring ethical review, identify the relevant committee or authority and provide approval details where applicable. Explain the consent procedures or authorized waiver where relevant.

Funding: Identify all sources of financial support, grant numbers where applicable, and the role of funders in the research. If the research received no external funding, state this explicitly.

Competing interests: Disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research. If none exist, state that the authors have no competing interests.

Data availability: Explain whether the data supporting the findings are publicly available, included in the article or supplementary files, available from the corresponding author subject to appropriate restrictions, or unavailable for stated reasons.

Acknowledgments: Identify individuals or organizations that provided assistance but do not meet the authorship criteria. Obtain permission where appropriate before naming individuals.

Author contributions: Specify each author's contribution to the study and manuscript.

Include only the declarations relevant to the study, and ensure that the information is consistent across the manuscript and submission system.

11. Originality, Plagiarism, and Previous Publication

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time.

JNSR screens submissions for textual similarity and examines potential originality concerns before or during peer review. Similarity results are assessed in context; a similarity percentage alone does not establish whether plagiarism has occurred.

Authors must properly acknowledge all sources and disclose relevant overlap with their previous publications, conference papers, preprints, or related manuscripts.

Preprints and conference presentations should be disclosed where applicable. Authors should explain any substantial overlap and ensure that the submitted article makes a distinct scholarly contribution. Prior dissemination does not automatically make a manuscript ineligible, but duplicate publication or undisclosed substantial overlap may lead to rejection or post-publication action.

For details, consult the journal's Plagiarism Policy and Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy.

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must follow the journal's AI Policy.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and proper attribution of all submitted content, including material prepared with AI assistance. AI systems must not be listed as authors.

Where generative AI has been used for purposes beyond basic language correction, grammar improvement, or editing for clarity, authors must disclose the tool and its purpose in accordance with the journal's policy. AI-generated information, references, data, and claims must be independently verified before submission.

13. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening for relevance to the journal's scope, originality, compliance with the author guidelines, and basic scholarly quality.

Manuscripts considered suitable for external assessment are subject to JNSR's double-blind peer-review process. The journal assigns at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise, subject to the requirements of its peer-review policy.

Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Authors asked to revise a manuscript must submit a revised version and a clear, point-by-point response explaining how each reviewer or editor comment has been addressed. Where a suggestion has not been adopted, the authors should provide a reasoned explanation.

Submission does not guarantee acceptance. The Editor-in-Chief retains responsibility for the final publication decision.

Further details are available in the Peer Review Policy.

14. Copyright, Open Access, and Publication Fees

JNSR is an open-access journal. Articles are made freely available to readers under the journal's stated licensing terms.

Authors retain copyright in their published work and grant the journal the right of first publication. Published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), subject to the journal's copyright and licensing terms.

JNSR does not charge submission fees or publication fees. Authors should not make payments to individuals claiming to represent the journal in exchange for editorial decisions or publication.

For details, consult the journal's Copyright Notice, Licensing Terms and Article Processing Charges pages.

15. Submission Procedure

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Authors should register or log in and follow the instructions provided by the system.

Before submitting, ensure that:

• The manuscript falls within JNSR's focus and scope.

• The manuscript follows the journal template and formatting requirements.

• The title page and anonymized manuscript are prepared as separate files.

• All authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

• All tables, figures, captions, and supplementary files are included.

• References and DOI information have been checked.

• Required ethical approvals, disclosures, and declarations are included.

• Any relevant prior publication, preprint, or overlapping manuscript has been disclosed.

• The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

• Authors should provide accurate contact details for the corresponding author and monitor the submission system and registered email address for editorial correspondence.

16. Revised Manuscripts and Proofreading

When revisions are requested, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the deadline specified in the editorial decision. If additional time is needed, the corresponding author should contact the editorial office before the deadline.

The response to reviewers should address each comment separately and indicate the changes made in the revised manuscript. Changes should be clearly identifiable where requested by the editor.

Accepted manuscripts may undergo copyediting, typesetting, and proofreading. Authors are responsible for checking proofs carefully and reporting errors before publication. Proof corrections should be limited to errors and necessary corrections; substantial changes to the accepted manuscript require editorial approval.

17. Contact

For questions about manuscript preparation, submission requirements, or the suitability of a proposed article, authors should contact the JNSR editorial office through the official contact details provided on the journal website.

Authors are encouraged to consult the relevant journal policies before submission to ensure that their manuscripts meet the journal's requirements.