Author guidelines

Authorship:

Include only individuals who have made significant contributions to the research as authors. The authorship should follow the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy). The CRediT statements should be provided during the submission process and will appear above the acknowledgement section of the published article, including authors' names (s) and roles: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition.  The authors should nominate a corresponding author to communicate with the journal during the editorial process. All authors should agree to be responsible for all aspects of the work to ensure that the questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Sample CRediT author statement

Zhang San: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software Priya Singh. Data curation, Writing- Original draft preparation. Wang Wu: Visualization, Investigation. Jan Jansen: Supervision.: Ajay Kumar: Software, Validation.: Sun Qi: Writing- Reviewing and Editing. Ensure that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.

·            Changes to Authorship

The editors of this journal generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted. It is important that the authors carefully consider the authorship list and the order of the authors and provide a definitive author list in the original submission.

The policy of this journal around authorship changes:

ü  All authors must be listed in the manuscript and their details entered into the submission system.

ü  Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should only be made prior to acceptance, and only if approved by the journal editor.

ü  Requests to change authorship should be made by the corresponding author, who must provide the reason for the request to the journal editor with written confirmation from all authors, including any authors being added or removed, that they agree with the addition, removal, or rearrangement.

ü  All requests to change authorship must be submitted using this form. Requests that do not comply with the instructions outlined in the form will not be considered.

ü  Only in exceptional circumstances will the journal editor consider the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors post acceptance.

ü  Publication of the manuscript may be paused while a change in authorship request is considered.

ü  Any authorship change requests approved by the journal editor will result in a corrigendum if the manuscript has already been published.

Note: Any unauthorised authorship changes may result in the rejection of the article or retraction, if the article has already been published.

Originality:

The submitted original work has not been published elsewhere or is under consideration by another journal, except in the form of a preprint, an abstract, a published lecture, academic thesis, or registered report.

Cite and acknowledge all sources used in your research appropriately to avoid plagiarism.

The publication of the article is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out.

if accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically, without the written consent of the copyright holder.

Transparency (Declaration of interests):

Disclose any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., financial, personal, or professional relationships) that could inappropriately influence the research or its interpretation and bias their work.

Clearly state the funding sources for your research, if applicable. If not, state that “there is no conflict of interest to declare”.

Funding sources

Authors must disclose any funding sources who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article. The role of sponsors, if any, should be declared in relation to the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report and decision to submit the article for publication. If funding sources had no such involvement, this should be stated in your submission.

If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence: “This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

Authors must declare the use of generative AI in scientific writing upon submission of the paper. The following guidance refers only to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyses and draw insights from data as part of the research process:

ü  Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used in the writing process to improve the readability and language of the manuscript.

ü  The technology must be applied with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

ü  Authors must not list or cite AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author on the manuscript since authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.

ü  The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing must be declared by adding a statement at the end of the manuscript when the paper is first submitted. The statement will appear in the published work and should be placed in a new section before the reference list. An example:

ü  Title of the new section: Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.

ü  Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes (s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

ü  The declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools, such as tools used to check grammar, spelling, and references. If you have nothing to disclose, you do not need to add a statement.

ü  Moreover, the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies are not allowed by Reviewers or editors in the peer review and manuscript evaluation process to protect authors’ rights and the confidentiality of their research.

Ethical approval and consent:

ü  For studies involving human or animal subjects, provide evidence of ethical approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee.

ü  All animal experiments should comply with ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines.

ü  Studies should be carried out in accordance with Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63 for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes or the NIH (National Research Council) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PDF) or those of an equivalent internationally recognized body.

ü  The sex of animals, and where appropriate, the influence (or association) of sex on the results of the study must be indicated and a statement included in your manuscript that such guidelines as listed above have been followed.

ü  Include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from human participants, where applicable.

 

Suggested Reviewers:

 Authors should suggest from 3-5 reviewers who meet the following criteria:

ü  Hold no conflicts of interest with any of the authors.

ü  Should not come from the same institution as the authors.

ü  Should not have published together with the authors in the last three years.

ü  Hold a PhD or be MD (applicable for medical research/journals).

ü  Have relevant experience and have a proven publication record in the field of the submitted paper (Scopus, ORCID).

ü  Are experienced scholars in the field of the submitted paper.

ü  Hold an official and recognized academic affiliation.

 

Different Academic Publishing Channels

Beyond Journal Articles: Special Issues, Preprints, and Conference Papers

Animal Reports Journal welcomes special issues, preprints, and conference papers as additional academic publishing channels, provided that they adhere to the journal's guidelines.

Special Issues

Special issue is a dedicated section or entire volume of a journal that concentrates on a specific subject or research area. It is often guest edited by experts in the field to highlight cutting-edge research, address emerging trends, or explore interdisciplinary connections within a focused topic.

The peer review process for special issues follows the same process as outlined in the author’s guidelines for regular submissions, except that a guest editor may send the submissions to the reviewers and may recommend a decision to the journal editor. The journal editor oversees the peer review process of all special issues and article collections to ensure that the high standards of publishing ethics and responsiveness are respected and is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles.

Preprints

A Preprint is a draft version of a paper made available online before submission to a journal. Animal Reports accepts submissions that have previously been made available as preprints provided that they have not undergone peer review at the submission time. Note that Preprints operates independently of the journal, and posting a preprint does not affect the peer review process. Check the Preprints instructions for authors for further information.

Conference Papers

The Journal of Animal Reports accepts conference papers to be published as journal articles by adapting and expanding the content to meet the standards and requirements of a peer-reviewed journal. Expanded and high-quality conference papers can be considered articles if they meet the following requirements:

• The paper should be expanded to the size of a research article, where the new submission contains at least 30-40% new content (e.g., expanded analysis, additional data, or updated literature).
• The article was published in conference proceedings as an abstract or presented as oral/poster only.
• The conference paper should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
• Acknowledge the conference paper as the foundation of your work and cite it appropriately in the first page of the journal article.
• If the conference proceedings are copyrighted, you may need permission from the publisher to reuse the content.
• The article should follow the Animal Reports journal guidelines, including ethical approval.
• The peer review process for conference papers follows the same process as outlined in the author’s guidelines for regular submissions to Animal Reports,
• Authors are asked to disclose that it is a conference paper in their cover letter and include a statement on what has been changed compared to the original conference paper.

Open access policy

For all articles published in the journal of Animal Reports, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow maximum use and exposure of the work while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit.

 

Extensive English Editing

The manuscript was expected to be written in readable and correct English. If extensive editing is required, your paper could be returned to you at the English editing stage of the publication process. This could delay the publication of your work. It is the authors’ responsibility to present their work in correct English.  You may have your work reviewed by an experienced English-speaking colleague or use a paid language editing service before submitting your paper for publication. 

 

Writing and formatting

Title Page

These sections should appear in all manuscript types

• Runing Title: include abbreviated or short forms of the title, such as a running title or head.
• Title: the manuscript’s title should be clear, focused, and directly related to the research. Indicate whether the study involves clinical trial data, a systematic review, meta-analysis, or replication study. If referencing genes or proteins, use their standard abbreviations instead of full names other abbreviation not preferred in the title.
• Author List: Authors' full first and last names must be provided. The initials of any middle names can be added.
• Affiliations: the affiliation order by numbers. The standard format of affiliations according to PubMed / Medline is used for affiliations: complete address information including city, zip code(if applicable), state/province, and country. After acceptance, updates to author names or affiliations may not be permitted.
• Equal Contributions: authors who have contributed equally should be marked with a superscript symbol (#). The symbol must be included below the affiliations, and the following statement is added: 'These authors contributed equally to this work'. The equal roles of authors should also be adequately disclosed in the author contributions statement. Please read the criteria to qualify for authorship.
• Corresponding Author(s): At least one author should be designated as the corresponding author.

• Abstract: The abstract must not exceed 300 words and should be written as a single, unbroken paragraph. Follow a structured format without section headings, covering: (1) Background—introduce the research question within a broad context and state the study’s objective; (2) Methods—outline key methodologies, including preregistration details (if applicable) and specifics of animal models (species/strain); (3) Results—succinctly summarize core findings; and (4) Conclusion—state the primary interpretations or implications. Ensure the abstract objectively reflects the manuscript’s content: unsupported claims, unsubstantiated results, or overstated conclusions are prohibited.
• Keywords: Include three to eight keywords after the abstract. These terms should be both highly relevant to your study and commonly recognized within your research field. Select specific yet broadly applicable keywords to enhance discoverability.

Introduction: 

The introduction should begin by placing the research in a broad scientific context and clearly establishing its significance. It must articulate the study's specific purpose, key hypotheses, and theoretical or practical importance. A balanced review of current knowledge should follow, incorporating essential references while highlighting areas of controversy or competing interpretations where relevant. The discussion of prior work should logically lead to a concise statement of the study's primary objectives, creating a compelling rationale for the present investigation. Throughout, the writing should remain accessible to researchers across related disciplines while providing sufficient depth for specialists in the field.

Materials and Methods:

It must be described with adequate precision to enable reproducibility, providing enough detail for other researchers to replicate the study or extend its findings. Novel methodologies should be explained comprehensively, while established techniques may be summarized with references to standard protocols. For all computational tools, specify the software name and version number and clearly indicate if associated code is publicly available. Additionally, include any study pre-registration codes or identifiers to facilitate verification of research design and analysis plans. The level of detail should reflect the method's novelty and its importance to the study outcomes, ensuring transparency without overwhelming readers with routine procedures."

Results: 

Provide a clear and focused summary of the experimental results supported by 3–6 tables and/or up to 5 figures (color figures permitted). Ensure all visuals are high resolution (minimum 600 DPI), labelled with descriptive titles/legends, and referenced in the text to reinforce key findings. Emphasise logical connections between data, analysis, and broader implications, avoiding redundancy while maintaining scientific rigour.

Tables

Cite all tables in the manuscript text. Place tables next to the relevant text or on a separate page(s). Number tables consecutively according to their appearance in the text (for example, Table 1, Table 2….etc.). Provide captions along with the tables. Place any table notes below the table body. Avoid vertical rules and shading within table cells.

Figures and images 

Figures, images, artwork, diagrams, and other graphical media must be numbered and included in the manuscript after the first mention. (for example, Fig.1, Fig. 2 etc.). All images must have a caption. A caption should consist of a brief title (not displayed on the figure itself) and a description of the image. We advise you to keep the amount of text in any image to a minimum, though any symbols and abbreviations used should be explained.

Discussion: 

The authors should thoroughly interpret the results in light of the study’s hypotheses and prior research, focussing on how the findings advance the current understanding. Discussion should place the work in a broad scientific context, addressing both theoretical and practical implications while explicitly acknowledging limitations. Where appropriate, suggest future research directions to address remaining questions or expand on the findings. This section may be merged with Results if a combined presentation improves clarity and flow, but authors should ensure that interpretations remain distinct from raw data presentation.

Conclusion 

The conclusion is a mandatory section consisting of one to two concise paragraphs that synthesize the study's key takeaways. It should: (1) restate the central findings in the context of the original hypotheses, (2) emphasise the work's broader significance to the field, and (3) articulate clear take-home messages for readers. Avoid introducing new data or citations; instead, focus on reinforcing the study's most impactful contributions while maintaining alignment with results presented earlier. The tone should be authoritative, yet accessible, leaving readers with a memorable understanding of why the work matters.

Patents: This section is not mandatory but may be added if there are patents resulting from the work reported in this manuscript.

Graphical Abstract:

The graphical abstract (GA) is a non-mandatory but preferred visual summary that accompanies the text abstract. It should creatively capture the article's key findings in an engaging, visually striking manner while avoiding direct duplication of any figures from the manuscript (including composite adaptations).  GA must be original, unpublished artwork free from copyright elements such as currency, postage stamps, or trademarked items. Submit as a high resolution image (minimum 560 × 1100 pixels, height × width) in PNG, JPEG, or TIFF format. All text included in the GA should use legible fonts (Times, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Ubuntu, or Calibri) and maintain clarity when scaled to size. The image quality must be sufficient for high-quality reproduction in both digital and print formats.

Acronyms/Abbreviations/Initialisms should be defined the first time they appear in each of three sections: the abstract; the main text; the first figure or table. When defined for the first time, the acronym/abbreviation/initialism should be added in parentheses after the written-out form.

SI Units (International System of Units) should be used. Imperial, US customary and other units should be converted to SI units whenever possible.

Accession numbers of RNA, DNA, and protein sequences used in the manuscript should be provided in the Materials and Methods section.

References

Any references cited within your article should also be present in your reference list and vice versa. Some guidelines:

1.      The references cited in your abstract must be given in full.

2.      We recommend that you do not include unpublished results and personal communications in your reference list, though you may mention them in the text of your article.

3.      Any unpublished results and personal communications included in your reference list must follow the standard reference style of the journal. In substitution of the publication date add "unpublished results" or "personal communication."

4.      References cited as "in press" imply that the item has been accepted for publication.

5.      Linking to sources cited will increase the discoverability of your research.

6.      Before submission, check that all data provided in your reference list are correct, including any references which have been copied. Providing correct reference data allows us to link to abstracting and indexing services such as Scopus, Crossref, and PubMed. Any incorrect surnames, journal or book titles, publication years, or pagination within your references may prevent link creation.

7.      We encourage the use of digital object identifiers (DOIs) as reference links, as they provide a permanent link to the electronic article referenced.

Include each first author’s initials in all citations. Initials of first author are included even if year of publication differs.  The initial can be also negligible, especially if the reference managed with using DOI as a specific identifier. 

All citations in the text should refer to:

Single author: the author's name and the year of publication

… information (J. P. Lewis, 2020)

J. P. Lewis (2020) reported that ….

Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication.

… information (S. Lewis & Edwards, 2025)

S. Lewis and Edwards (2025) reported that ….

Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication.

… information (Noble et al., 2022; Harris et al., 2021)

Lewis et al., 2023 and Edwards (2024) found that .....

Works with same author(s) and same year, place an a, b, c etc. after the year .

(Jordan & Kendall, 2020a) - (Jordan & Kendall, 2020b)

The reference style could follow American Psychological Association (7^th ed.). the references should format according to APA 7^th at the submission or before the acceptance. The using of reference management programs such as Endnote or Mendeley is recommended. The Endnote style is available in the templates and can be downloaded from here.

Journal Article

Edwards, A. A., Steacy, L. M., Siegelman, N., Rigobon, V. M., Kearns, D. M., Rueckl, J. G., & Compton, D. L. (2022). Unpacking the unique relationship between set for variability and word reading development: Examining word- and child-level predictors of performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(6), 1242–1256. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000696 

Online Magazine Article

Thomson, J. (2022, September 8). Massive, strange white structures appear on Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/mysterious-mounds-great-salt-lake-utah-explained mirabilite-1741151

Print Magazine Article

Nicholl, K. (2020, May). A royal spark. Vanity Fair, 62(5), 56–65, 100. Online Newspaper Article (Section 10.1) Bernstein, J. (2024, June 3). The man who couldn’t stop going to college. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/magazine/benjamin-bolger-college-harvard-yale.html

Print Newspaper Article

Reynolds, G. (2019, April 9). Different strokes for athletic hearts. The New York Times, D4. Blog Post (Section 10.1) Rutledge, P. (2024, April 23). Are tweens too young for digital literacy? Dr. Pam: Living With Media. https:// www.pamelarutledge.com/are-tweens-too-young-for-digital-literacy/

Authored Book

Kaufman, K. A., Glass, C. R., & Pineau, T. R. (2018). Mindful sport performance enhancement: Mental training for athletes and coaches. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000048-000

Edited Book Chapter

Zeleke, W. A., Hughes, T. L., & Drozda, N. (2020). Home–school collaboration to promote mind body health. In C. Maykel & M. A. Bray (Eds.), Promoting mind–body health in schools: Interventions for mental health professionals (pp. 11–26). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000157-002

Online Dictionary Entry

American Psychological Association. (2018). Internet addiction. In APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/internet-addiction  

Report by a Group Author

World Health Organization. (2014). Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition.  https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/113048/WHO_NMH_NHD_14.1_eng.pdf?ua=1

Report by Individual Authors

Winthrop, R., Ziegler, L., Handa, R., & Fakoya, F. (2019). How playful learning can help leapfrog progress in education. Center for Universal Education at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/how_playful_learning_can_help_leapfrog_progress_in_education.pdf

Press Release

American Psychological Association. (2024, April 11). People who use willpower alone to achieve goals, resist temptation, deemed more trustworthy [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2024/04/people-who-use-willpower

Conference Session

Davidson, R. J. (2019, August 8–11). Well-being is a skill [Conference session]. APA 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL, United States. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/a5ea5d51/files/uploaded/APA2019_Program_190708.pdf

Dissertation From a Database

Horvath-Plyman, M. (2018). Social media and the college student journey: An examination of how social media use impacts social capital and affects college choice, access, and transition (Publication No. 10937367) [Doctoral dissertation, New York University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Preprint Article

Latimier, A., Peyre, H., & Ramus, F. (2020). A meta-analytic review of the benefit of spacing out retrieval practice episodes on retention. PsyArXiv. https://psyarxiv.com/kzy7u/

Data Set

O’Donohue, W. (2017). Content analysis of undergraduate psychology textbooks (ICPSR 21600; Version V1) [Data set]. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1

Film or Video

Docter, P., & Del Carmen, R. (Directors). (2015). Inside out [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios. TV Series Episode (Section 10.12) Dippold, K. (Writer), & Trim, M. (Director). (2011, April 14). Fancy party (Season 3, Episode 9) [TV series episode]. In G. Daniels, H. Klein, D. Miner, & M. Schur (Executive Producers), Parks and recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions; Fremulon; 3 Arts Entertainment; Universal Media Studios.

Webinar

Lee, C., McAdoo, T., & Denneny, S. (2023). APA Style seventh edition refresher for instructors [Webinar]. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-webinars

YouTube Video

Above The Noise. (2017, October 18). Can procrastination be a good thing? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ

 Infographic

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Data sharing [Infographic]. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf 3

PowerPoint From a Classroom Website

Mack, R., & Spake, G. (2018). Citing open source images and formatting references for presentations [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. https://fnu.onelogin.com/login

Open Educational Resource

Fagan, J. (2024, February 7). Nursing clinical brain. OER Commons. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/53029-nursing-clinical-brain/view

Webpage

Taras, Z. (2024, May 30). Situational irony can be funny, tragic or even terrifying. howstuffworks. https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/situational-irony.htm

Webpage on a News Website

Volpe, A. (2024, June 3). How the self-care industry made us so lonely. Vox. https://www.vox.com/evenbetter/350424/self-care-isolation-loneliness-epidemic

Webpage With a Retrieval Date

Worldometer. (n.d.). Current world population. Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

By adhering to these guidelines, you contribute to the integrity and credibility of the Journal of Animal Reports and the broader scientific community. We appreciate your commitment to ethical research and publishing practices. For further guidance, refer to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/.

 

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