Author Guidelines

PREAMBLE

Gashua Journal of Irrigation and Desertification Studies is one of the two university-based journals being published by the Federal University, Gashua. This has come to be as a result of the policy of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to make fund available for publication of university-based journals. GJIDS publishes peer-reviewed original research and critical reviews on agriculture, irrigation, environmental studies, desertification studies, forestry, wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture. The journal also consider a limited number of relevant scholarly manuscripts addressing ethical or socioeconomic issues related to modern agricultural and environmental sciences as applicable to developing countries. GJIDS is double blind peer-reviewed.

UNIQUENESS OF THE JOURNAL

GJIDS publishes research findings on current topical issues of interest to both public and private sectors with a particular focus to addressing challenges of desertification and climate change as well as other related problems of agriculture in the desert prone regions. Findings from multidisciplinary research covering diverse areas of interest with potential impact on the public and private sectors of both the national and international communities are priorities of the journal.

SUPPORT FROM TETFUND

The policy of TETFund to make fund available to universities for journal publications will surely promote and sustain publication of quality journals of international standards. With this arrangement the Federal University, Gashua is poised to sustain the publication of GJIDS within the ambit of international best practices. TETFund is hereby commended for funding university-based journals in the country. This is a great contribution to the development of technologies and for economic advancement.

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Gashua Journal Irrigation and the Desertification Studies (GJIDS) welcome research papers covering original work that has good potential for practical application. GJIDS is dedicated to promoting research activities in a multidisciplinary approach focusing on problems that confront contemporary issues relevant to Agriculture and Environment. It is a bi-annual journal published in June and December. GJIDS is devoted to the publication of knowledge created in all fields of Agriculture, Wildlife, Irrigation studies, Desertification Studies, Forestry, Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Environmental studies. Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that the work being reported is original and that the result has not been published previously nor been under considerations for publication elsewhere. The language of communication must be in English and spellings must be consistent with Oxford Dictionary.

Copyright: Submission of an article for publication implies the transfer of the copyright of the manuscript from the author(s) to the publisher upon acceptance. Accepted papers become the permanent property of the publisher and may not be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

Submission of Manuscript: Manuscripts should be clearly typed in English, double spaced on A4 format with 2.5cm on all margins. Receipts of papers will be acknowledged. Authors will be informed of the referee's comments. Papers rejected are not returned to authors.

Manuscript Category:

• Full length paper
• Short communication
• Review

Manuscript Preparation:

The format of the typescript should be as follows: It is mandatory that the title should unambiguously reflect the contents of the paper and should not be longer than 20 words.

Names and Address(es) of the Author(s): The names (surname last) and affiliations of authors should be given with postal addresses. Avoid the use of titles for authors. The author to whom proofs and correspondences are to be sent should be indicated with e-mail address and telephone number(s).

Abstract: All articles should be with an abstract not exceeding 250 words. It should be written in simple language, clear and concise. The abstract should give the scope, purpose, procedures, significant result and conclusion of the research work. All abbreviations should be avoided and if used, explained at least once.

Key Words: A maximum of six (6) keywords must be given at the end of the abstract.

Running Title: Authors should provide a running title of not more than twelve (12) words.

INTRODUCTION: This should provide a general context of the work, explaining its significance and indicating why it should be of interest to scientists in other areas. The literature cited must be discussed to show the relationship between the published works and the study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Previously described methods should be cited and not elaborately described. Details should be referred to literature cited. New approaches or methodology should receive detailed attentions. Statistical methods of treatment should be mentioned if they have been used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results and discussion should be combined. The original and important findings should be stated. Results should be illustrated with figures or tables where necessary but these should be kept to the minimum. The discussion should highlight what is new by the paper. The study should be related to published articles in literature.

CONCLUSION: This should summarize the major findings alluding to possible future directions.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: These should be presented at the end of text and before the references. Technical assistance and advice may be acknowledged. Acknowledgments of financial support can also be stated in this section.

REFERENCES: References should be listed in a separate sheet. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and the completeness of their references. References should be cited in the text by the last name of the author (both authors if only two, the first author and et al., when more than two followed by the year). References should be listed alphabetically without numbering at the end of the text. If there is more than one reference in the same year for the same author(s), then please add the letters (a), (b), etc to the year, for example (Rahman et al., 2006a, 2006b). Only published paper(s) or in press can be mentioned in the manuscript.

Reference Examples:

Journal Article: Olaofe, O., Adeyemi, F.O. and Adediran, G.O. (1994). Amino acid and mineral composition and functional properties of some oil seeds. J. Agric Food Chem., 42; 878-881.

Book: Mustihlar, E. and Derendorf, H. (1995). Drug Actions. Basic Principles and Therapeutic Aspects. CRS, Ann Arbor, MI. USA. 180pp.

Contribution to a Book: Jamali, F. (1993). Stereochemically Pure Drugs: An Overview. In: Wainer, I. W and Drayer, D. (eds). Drug Stereochemistry: Analytical Methods and Pharmacology. 2nd edn., Marcel Dekker, INC, New York. NY. pp: 375-384.

Illustrations:

Tables: Tables should be typed in separate sheets at the end of the references and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Tables consist of three horizontal rows, with box headings centered over each column and should have a short descriptive caption at the top.

Figures: Figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and show description under the figure. Graphs should preferably be drawn using appropriate computer software. These should be constructed in such a manner that they can be understood without reading the text. Photographs should be produced in black and white.

Symbols and Units: Symbols, units and nomenclature should conform to the recommendations of the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). SI units should be used for physical quantities.

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Submission of manuscripts on-line is recommended. Each manuscript should be accompanied by a letter including a statement of justification that outlines why the work should be considered for publication. Manuscript should not exceed 12 pages; excess will be charged at N3000 per page.

PAGE CHARGE

Authors are required to pay the following charges: Nigeria - N25,000.00 (publication fee for accepted articles). All other countries - 100 USD. Processing charge is N5,000.00.