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Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines – PhytoTalks

1. Aims and Scope

PhytoTalks is a peer-reviewed, fully open access journal publishing high-quality research in all areas of plant sciences, including but not limited to taxonomy, ecology, ethnobotany, plant physiology, biotechnology, and environmental sciences.

2. Open Access Policy

PhytoTalks provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

All articles are freely accessible without subscription or payment.

3. Licensing Policy

All articles published in PhytoTalks are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits:

  • Unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium
  • Commercial use
  • Adaptation and modification

Conditions: Proper credit must be given to the original author(s) and source.

To view the license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

4. Copyright Policy

Authors retain full copyright for their work.

By submitting and publishing in PhytoTalks, authors grant the journal:

  • The right of first publication
  • The right to distribute the work under the CC BY 4.0 license

5. Author Fees (Article Processing Charges)

Article Processing Charges (APC)

PhytoTalks is an open access journal published by Safavid e Publishers. To support editorial management, peer-review administration, digital archiving, and online hosting, the journal charges a modest Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts.

APC for Authors from India

Authors affiliated with institutions in India are required to pay an Article Processing Charge of INR 3000 per accepted article.

The APC is payable only after the manuscript has been accepted following peer review. There are no submission charges.

APC Waiver for International Authors

To encourage global participation and international collaboration, authors affiliated with institutions outside India will receive a full waiver of the APC for the first two years of the journal’s operation.

This waiver policy is valid until 31 December 2027

This fee covers DOI assignment, High-quality editorial processing, Indexing and metadata curation, OJS maintenance & hosting, and Long-term digital archiving

What the APC Does Not Influence

To comply with COPE, DOAJ, and UGC-CARE ethical standards, the APC has no role in editorial decisions.

  • Manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance.

  • Waiver requests do not affect the review outcome.

  • The decision to accept or reject a manuscript is independent of the authors’ ability to pay.

Waiver & Discount Policy

To promote equitable access to publishing, PhytoTalks offers partial or full APC waivers in the following cases:

Eligibility for Waivers

  • Students / early-career researchers

  • Authors without institutional or project funding

  • Researchers from low-income or lower-middle-income countries

  • Cases of financial hardship (reviewed confidentially)

How to Apply

Authors may request a waiver at any point before APC payment by emailing the editorial office with:

  • Manuscript ID

  • Brief justification

  • Supporting documents (if applicable)

Waiver decisions are fair and confidential and do not affect peer review.

No Hidden Charges

The journal does not charge for:

  • Submission

  • Initial review

  • Resubmission

  • Color figures

  • Supplementary files

  • Editorial correspondence

Only the APC is applicable after acceptance.

Refund Policy

  • APC is payable only after final acceptance.

  • Fees are non-refundable once the article enters production.

  • If withdrawal occurs before acceptance, no APC is charged.

Compliance with International Standards

This APC policy adheres to:

  • UGC-CARE Guidelines for Transparency in Publishing

  • DOAJ Best Practices for APC Disclosure

  • COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

  • OASPA Ethical Standards

The policy is reviewed annually to ensure fairness, transparency, and sustainability.

Contact Information

For APC-related queries or waiver requests, authors may write to:
[email protected]; [email protected]

 

6. Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process:

  • Initial editorial screening
  • Review by at least two independent experts
  • Final decision by the Editor-in-Chief

The review process ensures quality, originality, and scientific integrity.

7. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

PhytoTalks adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Authors must ensure:

  • Originality of submitted work
  • No plagiarism or data fabrication
  • Proper citation of sources
  • Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Any ethical misconduct will result in rejection or retraction.

8. Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are checked using plagiarism detection software.

  • Acceptable similarity: typically below 10–15%
  • Manuscripts exceeding this limit may be rejected

9. Manuscript Preparation

Authors should prepare manuscripts in clear English and include:

  • Title page (title, authors, affiliations, corresponding author)
  • Abstract (150–250 words)
  • Keywords (4–6)
  • Main text (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion)
  • References (formatted as per journal style)

Figures and tables must be high quality and properly labeled.

Download Manuscript Template

10. Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted through the online system of Open Journal Systems:

https://phytotalks.com

Authors need to:

  • Register/login
  • Upload manuscript and supplementary files
  • Complete metadata

11. Archiving Policy

The journal ensures long-term digital preservation of content through:

  • OJS archival system (PKP PN / LOCKSS if enabled)

12. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that may influence the research.

13. Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Share supporting data in repositories
  • Provide data availability statements

14. Corrections and Retractions

The journal follows standard procedures for:

  • Corrections (errata)
  • Retractions in case of serious issues

15. Contact Information

For queries related to submission and publication:

Dr. Syed A. A. Safavid Al Mousavi
Safavid e-Publishers
108/387, Talab Gagni Shukul
Lucknow-226001
Uttar Pradesh

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

 

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements:

  • This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • This submission is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
  • All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
  • Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets, and other material provided with this submission.

    Note:  Download Manuscript Template here

Articles

Section default policy

Copyright Notice

Authors publishing in PhytoTalks retain the copyright of their work. By submitting and publishing an article, authors grant the journal the right of first publication.
The published work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).  This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:
Authors are required to submit a signed copyright and licensing agreement confirming that they hold the work's copyright rights and agree to its publication under the stated Creative Commons license. 

Privacy Statement

Data Gathering and Safeguarding Policy

PhytoTalks collects and processes personal data from both registered and unregistered users in accordance with standard practices of scholarly publishing. The information collected is used solely to support the editorial and publishing functions of the journal.

This includes:

  • Facilitating communication during the editorial and peer review process
  • Informing readers about authorship and editorial contributions
  • Generating aggregated statistics on readership and usage
  • Supporting the analysis of scholarly communication patterns

The editorial team uses this information exclusively to manage, improve, and disseminate the journal’s content and services.

Where necessary, anonymized and aggregated data (excluding personally identifiable information) may be shared with the Public Knowledge Project for the purpose of maintaining and improving the publishing platform. Neither PhytoTalks nor PKP sells or uses user data for commercial purposes.

Authors are solely responsible for ensuring that any human subject data included in their research complies with applicable ethical standards and data protection regulations.

Data Protection and User Rights

PhytoTalks prioritizes high standards of data privacy and protection. The journal adheres to internationally recognized data protection principles, including those outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where applicable.

Users have the right to:

  • Be informed about how their data is used
  • Access their personal data
  • Request correction or deletion of their data (“right to be forgotten”)
  • Receive their data in a portable format
  • Expect data protection by design and by default

In the event of a data breach, we will take appropriate measures to notify affected users in accordance with applicable regulations.

Commitment to Open Access and Integrity

While PhytoTalks promotes openness under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license, this policy applies to published scholarly content and not to personal data. The journal balances openness with privacy by ensuring that personal information is protected while maintaining the integrity and accessibility of the scholarly record.

The journal also recognizes the broader public interest in the availability and reliability of scientific knowledge and is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of published research.