Submissions

Author Guidelines

Instructions for Authors

Journal Scope

Journal of Environmental Microbiology and Toxicology (e-ISSN 2289-5906) is an open-access, online-only, biannual journal published in July and December. The journal features original research papers, short communications, mini-reviews, and full review articles. It focuses on both basic and applied research that enhances knowledge and advances applications in environmental microbiology, toxicology, and related fields. These areas include, but are not limited to, xenobiotics, toxicity testing and evaluation, biochemical and food toxicology, environmental biochemistry, environmental chemistry, environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, biodegradation of xenobiotics, and the development of biosensors for environmental conservation and risk management. All manuscripts must be submitted through the online submission system. For technical issues or queries regarding submission, please contact the Editor-in-Chief at editor.jemat@hibiscuspublisher.com

Length of manuscript

Type of manuscript	Words
Research paper	3000 to 7000
Short communication	2000 to 3000
Mini review	4000 to 5000
Review article	5000 to 10000

Cover Letter

The manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter that includes the following statements:

1. All authors concur with the submission.
2. The work has not been published elsewhere.
3. The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
4. The manuscript does/does not contain experiments using animals or humans. If it does, then permission from national or local authorities is needed. Please attach a copy of the permit letter. If your country does not have such permissions, this must be stated.

Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous peer-review process, beginning with an initial scope and formatting assessment by the Editor-in-Chief. These manuscripts are then evaluated by at least two independent subject matter experts who provide feedback and recommendations on originality, methodology, and ethics. The Editor-in-Chief then makes a final decision—acceptance, revision, or rejection—based on these reviews and, if applicable, the quality of subsequent author revisions.

 

Ethical Considerations

The journal adheres to the ethical guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and The Malaysian Code of Responsible Conduct in Research (MCRCR). All parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct.

 

Confidentiality

All manuscripts and review processes are treated with strict confidentiality. Reviewers are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and maintain the confidentiality of the review process.

Format and Style of Manuscripts

Manuscripts should be submitted in English. British spelling should be used throughout. We prefer to receive manuscripts in Microsoft Word's .docx or .doc format. Manuscripts must be typewritten with double spacing (including references, tables, legends, etc.) using a page setup that leaves margins of 2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides. Add line numbers to the manuscript.

Title page of manuscript

Manuscript Structure

Title Page

• Title of the article
• Full names of all authors
• Institutional affiliations with the country
• ORCID iD (where available)
• Corresponding author details (email and full address)

Abstract

Maximum 250 words, followed by 5 keywords and 3 SDG goals (optional).

1. Introduction

Clear background, rationale, knowledge gap, and study objectives or hypotheses.

2. Materials and Methods

Detailed description of study design, materials, experimental procedures, statistical analysis, and ethical approvals where applicable (including human or animal research compliance).

3. Results (or Results and Discussion)

Clear presentation of findings with appropriate tables and figures. Avoid duplication of data between text and visuals.

4. Discussion

Interpretation of results in relation to existing literature, scientific implications, limitations of the study, and future perspectives.

5. Conclusion

Concise statement of main findings and their broader significance.

6. Author Contributions

A clear statement describing each author's contribution to the work (for example: conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing – original draft, writing – review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition). All listed authors must meet authorship criteria.

7. Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors must declare any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. If none exist, state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

8. Funding Statement

Details of financial support, grant numbers, or institutional funding. If no funding was received, state accordingly.

9. Data Availability Statement

Statement indicating where supporting data can be accessed (public repository with DOI, supplementary files, or available upon reasonable request).

10. Supplementary Materials

Additional datasets, extended methods, raw data, figures, tables, or multimedia files should be submitted as supplementary files and clearly referenced in the main text.

11. Ethical Approval and Consent (if applicable)

Include the approval number and the name of the ethics committee for studies involving humans or animals.

12. Acknowledgement

Recognition of individuals or institutions that contributed but do not meet authorship criteria.

13. References

References must be cited in the text using Arabic numerals in square brackets in the order of first appearance. The journal encourages authors to use the freely available reference management software Zotero (https://www.zotero.org/). Hibiscus journals use the journal template style of Vancouver (brackets). References, including those in tables and figure legends, should be numbered sequentially in the order in which they appear in the text. Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should be cited in the text only (e.g. Smith A, 2000, unpublished data), and not appear in the reference list.

Titles of journals should be abbreviated according to standard practice (see http://library.caltech.edu/reference/abbreviations/). If necessary, cite unpublished or personal work in the text, but do not include it in the reference list. The DOI for the reference should be included at the end of the reference. Responsibility for the accuracy of bibliographic references rests entirely with the author.

Please note the following examples:

Journal article

Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002; 347(4):284-7.

Books

Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed.St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer.NewYork: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

Papers in conferences, proceedings and symposiums

O'Connor J. Towards a greener Ireland. In: Discovering our natural sustainable resources: future proofing; 2009 March 15-16; Dublin, Ireland. Dublin: Environmental Institute; c2009. p. 65-69.

Theses and dissertations should not be referred to unless necessary.

Conflict of Interest

Generally, members of the editorial board are not encouraged to publish in the journal. Manuscripts authored by members of the editorial board will be supervised by a senior editor who will review the decision of the assigned decision editor for objectivity before a final decision is taken. (See WAME Publication Ethics. http://www.wame.org/resources/publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals#conflicts).

Legends, Illustrations, and Tables

1. Figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in order of mention in the text. Include Figure captions at the bottom of the Figure.
2. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. The table caption should be at the top of the Table and in the text of the article should refer to Table 1 for example, as "Table 1" in bold font.
3. The text of the article should refer to figures as "Fig. 1" in bold font.
4. Tables and Figures should be included in the manuscript file.
5. Color figures should be in RGB format and supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi.
6. Monochrome (bitmap) images must be supplied at 1200 dpi. Grayscale must be supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi.

Nomenclature

Authors should use systematic names similar to those used by Chemical Abstract Service or IUPAC. SI units must be used throughout.

Language Polishing

Authors who require information about English language editing services pre- and post-submission, please contact us.

Fees

The journal adheres to the Diamond Open Access Policy, where there is no fee for publication in the open-access format. The publication process generally takes between 2 and 4 months from submission to publication.

Data Availability
The journal encourages authors to deposit raw data in recognized public repositories. This aligns with COPE [COPE Data Sharing Guidelines](https://publicationethics.org) and [MCRCR Data Management Guidelines](https://www.mcrcr.gov.my). The following are some well-known, free-to-use data repositories where researchers can deposit data.

1. Figshare
   - Description: Figshare is a free and open platform that allows researchers to upload, share, and cite research data, figures, and datasets. Data deposited here is given a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and is publicly accessible.
   - Link: [https://figshare.com](https://figshare.com)
2. Zenodo
   - Description: Zenodo is a research data repository developed by CERN and OpenAIRE, designed to support data from any field of science. It offers free storage and ensures all data gets a DOI for easy citation.
   - Link: [https://zenodo.org](https://zenodo.org)
3. Dryad
   - Description: Dryad is a free data repository for the publication of research data, particularly from the life sciences. It is commonly used by researchers who need a secure place to host and share their data openly.
   - Link: [https://datadryad.org](https://datadryad.org)
4. Open Science Framework (OSF)
   - Description: OSF is a free and open platform that supports researchers in managing their projects and sharing data. It facilitates data storage, version control, and collaboration.
   - Link: [https://osf.io](https://osf.io)
5. Mendeley Data
   - Description: Mendeley Data is a free cloud-based platform where researchers can upload and share datasets. It allows for easy organization and citation of data.
   - Link: [https://data.mendeley.com](https://data.mendeley.com)