Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems Author Instructions

Scope

Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems is a multidisciplinary open access journal that publishes original research and reviews on urban and peri-urban agricultural production for food and other human related services. By focusing on the full range of dimensions related to urban and regional agriculture (production, ecological, social, and cultural), the journal aims to explore, analyze, and critically reflect upon these activities through a range of spatial contexts and relations.

The journal addresses one of the contemporary grand societal challenges: how to secure access to and availability of culturally appropriate, nutritious, and safe food and other important plant products for a growing and rapidly urbanizing world population in times of increasing resource scarcity, diet-related ill-health, and climate change. This contemporary grand societal challenge requires a multidisciplinary approach, and hence Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems welcomes contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, such as:

Production and Ecological: Controlled environment agriculture, horticulture, agronomy, soil science, plant breeding and genetics, water and nutrient management

Social and Cultural: Public health studies, sociology, economics, marketing and consumer studies, gender studies, human and economic geography, urban and regional planning, architecture, political science, urbanism, landscape architecture

Manuscript Types

The journal publishes original research as well as critical reviews.

Original Article. Papers that advance current knowledge on a specific research topic.
Review. Longer, more comprehensive papers that present interpretation of data that has largely been previously published.
Perspective: Papers presenting a broader, more personal perspective on a single specific topic, usually providing interpretation of data that has largely been previously published
Invited Review. Invited only. Longer, more comprehensive papers that present interpretation of data that has largely been previously published.
Letter to the Editor. Comments and criticisms of published articles, or discussion of other concerns or viewpoints.

UARFS also publishes special sections, which are designed to bring to the forefront and promote new areas of research of broad interest to the UARFS readership; highlight and provide a platform for scientific exchange resulting from symposia, collaborative projects, and topical conferences through rigorous and professional peer review process; and provide a periodic overview of the state of the art in various research areas by soliciting contributions from active leaders in the field of urban agriculture and food systems. A typical special section size varies from 6 to 25 manuscripts. A proposal for a special section solicits and calls for papers along a theme (approved by the UARFS Editor) to be submitted, reviewed, and published within the time frame of approximately one year. Submit your proposal using our online form.

Manuscript Submission

Templates

Download the UARFS Manuscript Submission Template and Pre-Submission Manuscript Formatting Checklist.

Submission

Submit manuscripts at the UARFS Manuscript Submission Site. Submissions to UARFS may not be previously published in their entirety or simultaneously submitted to any other scientific or technical journal. American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) journals follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style) for references. Consult our Publications Handbook and Style Manual for specific questions about style.

Creating the Manuscript File

Microsoft Word or LaTeX files may be submitted for review. For your convenience, we encourage you to use our Word template. The manuscript should be double-spaced, using page and continuous line numbers. See our LaTex File Submission Guidelines for instructions on submitting LaTeX files.

Peer Review and Revision

All manuscripts submitted undergo double blind peer review. Papers are assigned to an associate editor who solicits at least two reviews. After evaluating the completed reviews, the associate editor will recommend a decision to the editor. Authors will be prompted to provide a list of potential reviewers. These reviewers must not have a conflict of interest involving the authors or paper, and the editorial board has the right to not use any reviewers suggested by authors. Authors have four weeks to review and return their manuscript following reviewer and associate editor comments. Manuscripts may be released if revisions are not received, and the paper will have to be submitted as a new manuscript. All revisions to the manuscript during the review process will be made by the author only. Each revision has the opportunity for another round of review. It is common for papers to accepted papers to have gone through at least one revision. See the ASA, CSSA, SSSA Editorial Policies information page for additional information on review policy.

Double Blind and Preprint Repositories

UARFS operates under a double-blind peer review process. Authors are responsible for ensuring their manuscript is anonymized for review. A separate document containing any relevant identifying information, including author lists, affiliations, acknowledgments, or anything else that could be used to identify any of the authors should be uploaded as a title page. UARFS will consider articles for review that were previously available as preprints. However, authors should note that sharing their manuscript in preprint form may compromise their anonymity during peer review.

ORCID iD

Corresponding authors are required to use an ORCID iD when submitting their manuscript. More information on ORCID can be found on their website. We encourage all authors to list their ORCID iD in the manuscript.

Plagiarism Screening

Papers submitted to ASA, CSSA, SSSA journals are screened for plagiarism before being sent for review. If there appears to be major repetition from other sources, the editor will evaluate the duplication and take appropriate action as warranted.

Article Requirements

Authors should follow the Publications Handbook and Style Manual when formatting manuscripts for submission. Articles for UARFS have to be between 6000 and 8000 words.

Please submit the manuscript file in Word format containing the title, abstract, text, references, figures, and tables. Ensure that the manuscript is anonymous by omitting your name, funding information, and excluding self-identifying references. Submissions should be double-spaced with line numbering. TeX files are not accepted for review or production of accepted manuscripts. The submission should contain the following elements:

Title
Core ideas
Abstract
Plain Language Summary
Abbreviations
Text
Supplemental Material statement
Data Availability statement
Author Contributions
References list
Tables*
Figures* and figure captions

*Tables and figures (review quality) with captions should be placed into the text document at first mention. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, figures must also be submitted separately as high-resolution image files in the following acceptable formats: PDF, EPS, TIF, or JPEG.

When your paper is accepted you will need to submit final files for production.

Paper Structure

On the first page, give the title and a list of all nonstandard abbreviations used in the paper (standard abbreviations available in the Publications Handbook and Style Manual), and any other necessary footnotes (please note: the byline and affiliations are omitted from the first page to keep the authors anonymous during review). An abstract is required and is normally the second manuscript page. After the title page and abstract, the usual order of sections is Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions (optional), Acknowledgments (optional, added at acceptance only), and References. Results and Discussion may be combined and conclusions can be given at the close of the Discussion section. Start each section on a new page and number all pages.

Title. A short title, not exceeding 12 words, is required. It must accurately describe the manuscript contents.

Core Ideas. Include 3 to 5 summary statements that convey the core findings of the article. The purpose of these short, bullet-pointed statements is to identify the most relevant outcomes of the paper and to provide a synopsis encapsulating the significance of the research and its implications for readers. Each statement must be 115 characters or less (spaces included). If the article is accepted, the core ideas may also be used for promoting and publicizing the research.

Abstract. An informative, self-explanatory abstract, not exceeding 250 words, must be included. It should state specifically why and how the study was made, what the results were, and why they are important.

Plain Language Summary. You may include a plain language summary (limit 1000 characters). The summary should be clear, concise, and free from jargon. See guidelines for writing plain language summaries here.

Abbreviations. Prepare a list in alphabetical order of abbreviations used in your article. Do not include SI units, chemical abbreviations, or abbreviations listed in the style manual as not needing definition.

Supplemental Material. Supplemental material may be included in the online version of articles at the discretion of the editors. The material must be submitted along with the original manuscript and will undergo peer review. Authors are encouraged to submit materials that contribute to the content and quality of the article or to use supplemental material as a means to shorten the text of manuscripts. Ancillary information such as some experimental data, including schematics of apparatus and maps of study sites, or material of interest mainly to specialists, are examples of potential supplemental material. When using supplemental material to shorten the text of a manuscript, keep in mind that the Materials and Methods section should provide enough detail to allow the reader to determine whether the interpretations are supported by the data.

Supplemental tables and figures should be cited in order in the main manuscript, as Supplemental Table S1, etc. Tables and figures should be numbered Supplemental Table or Supplemental Figure S1, S2, etc.The following are not allowed: executables (.exe) of any kind, java script, TeX, or PowerPoint.

Include a short (one- or two-sentence) paragraph, titled “Supplemental Material,” describing the supplemental material in the main manuscript directly after the main text.

In place of supplemental material, our journals encourage the use of data repositories that assign DOIs or other persistent unique identifier (PID) to the data.

Data Availability Statement. Authors are required to make their original research data publicly available. We encourage authors to submit original data as supplemental information with their manuscript, or, alternatively, to make the information publicly available in an institutional or other type of repository (ex., Dryad). Authors should be mindful of the confidentiality of research respondents (ex., social science research). Authors are also should include a data availability statement directing readers to research data if it is not included as supplemental information.

Conflict of Interest Statement. At the time of acceptance, authors should include a statement just before the References section that explains any conflicts of interest. If there are none, authors should explicitly state there are no conflicts of interest.

Author Contributions. The contributions of each author to this work must now be indicated as part of the submission process. You may provide Author Contributions at original submission, but you MUST provide the information at revised submission. The submitting author is required to assign specific author contribution roles for each coauthor, using the CRediT taxonomy to indicate their respective roles. The 14 roles are Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review & editing. Author Contributions will be published with the accepted article and cannot be edited after article acceptance. Therefore, you must ensure the Author Contribution information you provide is accurate prior to final acceptance.

References. ASA, CSSA, SSSA journals follow the APA style for citations and references. The author-year system for citations is required; do not use numbered references. Refer to chapter 1 of the Publications Handbook and Style Manual for examples of our reference and citation style, in addition to following these guidelines:

Arrange the list alphabetically by the surnames of the first authors and then by the second and third authors.
Single-authored articles should precede multiple-authored articles for which the individual is first author.
Two or more articles by the same author are listed chronologically; two or more in the same year are indicated by a, b, c, etc.
Only literature that is available through libraries or other readily accessible public media can be cited. Material that does not meet this standard should be cited as personal communication or unpublished data.

Tables. Each entry should appear in a new table cell. Do not use tabs, spaces, or graphics. Cite each table in the text in numerical order; do not use table parts (1a, 1b). Each table must be cited in the text. Table heads should be brief but complete and self-contained. Define all variables and spell out all abbreviations. Table notes can include “Notes” for general notes that apply to the entire table, superscript lowercase letters for specific notes, and asterisks and other symbols as needed for significance notes.

Figures. At submission, review-quality figures with captions should be placed into the main text document at first mention. Authors may also submit figures as separate files. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, color figures must adhere to our color-figure policy. Figures must also be submitted separately as high-resolution image files (300 dpi preferred) in the following acceptable formats: PDF, EPS, TIFF, or JPEG. PPT files are acceptable if the figure was created in PowerPoint. Width of figures should approximate desired print size, i.e., 80 mm for a one-column figure, 180 mm for a two-column figure. All figure parts should be labeled. Multi-panel figures should be submitted as one image. Biplots should have equally scaled axes with tick marks.

Spell out abbreviations on first mention in figure captions, even if they have already been defined in the main text. Define symbols used either in the caption or in a legend within the figure. For more information on figures, see Chapter 5 of the style manual.

Math. Use keyboard formatting where possible (i.e., bold, super-/subscripts, simple variables, Greek font, etc.); if needed, use MathType (preferred) or Word Equation Editor (only if MathType is not available).

Units of Measure. The International System of Units (SI) must be used. Other units may be indicated in parentheses after the SI unit if this helps understanding or is needed for replication of the work.

Nomenclature

Both the accepted common name and the chemical name of pesticides must be given upon first mention in the manuscript. Use chemical symbols for elements, ions, and simple compounds except at the beginning of a sentence or in a title or heading. The Latin binomial or trinomial (and authority for plants) must be included with the common name for all plants, insects, pathogens, and animals at first mention. When referring to soils, give at least the subgroup in accord with the US system of soil taxonomy. Ideally, both the series and complete family name should be given.

Changes to Author Byline

From time to time, authors' names are either added or removed from a given manuscript between the time of submission and publication. In situations such as this, the ethical and responsible manner of handling this type of change is for the lead author to advise the author being added or removed of the change and to notify, in writing, the journal editor and journal program manager for approval. In addition, all coauthors should notify the program manager that they are aware of and approve of the change.

Consent and Permissions

Before submitting the paper, the corresponding author should send each living coauthor a draft copy of the manuscript and obtain the coauthors’ assent to coauthorship. Authors are responsible for obtaining all permissions for use of figures or other material from other publishers and should supply these permissions when the manuscript is accepted. Authors are also responsible for obtaining permission from individuals whose images are included in photographs. Note that ASA, CSSA, and SSSA reserve the right to publish and republish any images you submit with a manuscript.

Use of Human Subjects in Research

If your research involves human subjects, a statement must be included in the Acknowledgments section identifying the ethics committee that approved the study and confirming that the study conforms to recognized standards. The statement must be included for the manuscript to be reviewed and move forward with editorial production.

Errata

Errata may be used by the authors of a paper to correct errors and omissions that affect the integrity of the version of record that are identified after publication. All additions and corrections are subject to editorial approval and must be approved by all coauthors before submission; corrections of minor errors or omissions will not be published. Send all errata requests to the journal's program manager.

Plain Language Summaries

Plain language summaries (PLS) are aimed at scientists in other fields, researchers across disciplines, undergraduate and graduate students, and readers not fluent in English. PLS should be written in language that can be understood by an undergraduate student. We suggest writing at a ninth-grade level so that the PLS is easy to read for readers across a variety of disciplines. Make the summary clear, concise, interesting, and free from jargon. Emphasize your results—what you found and why it is important—rather than your methods. The goal is to draw the reader into the journal and to your research. Avoid the use of abbreviations.

The summary should contain a five- to six-sentence summary starting with one or two sentences explaining the problem or issue, followed by a description of what you discovered, your key findings or conclusion, and what the results mean. Plain language summaries in our journals have a limit of 1000 characters (about 150 words).

We recommend that you structure your plain language summary with four key elements: subject overview, research purpose, key findings, and key takeaways.

Subject Overview (1-3 sentences)—What does a nonspecialist reader need to know about the subject to understand your paper? Explain the broad scientific topic to provide context for your study.

Research Purpose (1-3 sentences)—What did you set out to investigate? Give a brief overview of what you set out to do in the research and how you went about it.

Key Findings (1-3 sentences)—What was your most significant result or conclusion? Describe your overall findings but don’t get caught up in explaining technical details.

Key Takeaways (1-2 sentences)—Why should a reader care about your findings? Explain the scientific importance or societal relevance of your study.

Once it is complete, ask someone from outside your scientific discipline to read your summary and provide feedback. If they can’t understand the study or its conclusions, revise it for clarity.

Publication Fees

Mandatory Open Access Fees

Authors are assessed a mandatory open access licensing fee of $1,600 to apply an open access license at the time of publication to make the article freely available without a subscription.

Journal articles in are published open access under the CC BY-NC-ND (attribution, noncommercial, no derivatives) license. Learn more

Authors may request that their article be published under the CC BY (attribution) license. Learn more

No licensing fees are charged for invited reviews, comments, book reviews, or letters to the editor.

For authors publishing in this open access journal, fee waivers and discounts may be available to qualifying corresponding authors based in low- and lower middle-income countries. Visit the waivers and discounts web page to learn more.

Institutional Funding and Transformational Agreements

Your institution or funder may be able to help with open access licensing fees through a transformational agreement. For qualified authors, fees may be covered in full or part when publishing in the journal. Visit the institutional funder payments web page to learn if you qualify and for more information.

Authors Funded by cOAlition S

If you or one of your co-authors received funding from a member of cOAlition S, there may be restrictions on where you can publish. Please check your agreement with your funder for specific details. The information and author compliance tool on this web page can help you make an informed decision about where to publish in alignment with funder and journal requirements.

Official Sources

Spelling: Merriam-Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
Plant scientific names: USDA–ARS GRIN database
Chemical names: PubChem
Soil series descriptions: USDA–NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions
Fungal nomenclature: Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States (APS Press)
ASA, CSSA, SSSA journal style: Publications Handbook and Style Manual

For questions about the format of submissions, the process of submitting a manuscript, or about the status of manuscripts that have been submitted and assigned a manuscript number, please contact the UARFS program manager.