Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.

Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.

An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare your submission.

Information For Authors

IJNAL welcomes original, unpublished manuscripts from researchers worldwide. The journal encourages empirical, experimental, review, technical, and interdisciplinary studies that contribute to agricultural and livestock knowledge and practice, particularly in contexts relevant to Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and the broader developing world.

• Aims and Scope

IJNAL advances knowledge across agricultural and livestock sciences and seeks to bridge academic inquiry with applied and policy-relevant research. It welcomes international and interdisciplinary contributions integrating agricultural science with environmental, economic, social, and policy dimensions.

• Subject Areas

Crop science, agronomy, and plant production

Soil science, soil fertility, and land management

Livestock production, management, and animal health

Dryland and irrigated agriculture

Agricultural economics and rural development

Food security, nutrition, and value chain analysis

Climate change and agricultural adaptation

Agroforestry and natural resource management

Agricultural biotechnology and genetics

Veterinary sciences and zoonotic disease

Pastoralism and rangeland ecology

Water management and agricultural hydrology

Article Types Accepted

Original Research Articles: full empirical or experimental studies presenting new scientific findings.

Review Articles: comprehensive and critical syntheses of existing literature.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: structured reviews following established protocols such as PRISMA.

Short Communications: brief reports of significant preliminary findings or methodological innovations.

Case Studies: focused examinations of agricultural or livestock management practices.

Technical Notes: descriptions of new methods, tools, or technologies relevant to the field.

Letters to the Editor: brief scientific commentary, responses, or discussion on published works.

• Peer Review Process

IJNAL uses double-blind peer review. Author and reviewer identities are concealed during review. Each manuscript is initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for scope, formatting, originality, and minimum quality requirements. Manuscripts that pass desk review are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Reviewer reports are normally requested within 30 days. Editorial decisions are Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

• Plagiarism and Text-Similarity Policy

All submissions are screened using iThenticate or Turnitin before peer review. A maximum overall similarity index of 20% is permitted, excluding references, quotations, and author declarations, with no single non-reference source contributing more than 5%. Manuscripts with 20–30% similarity are returned for revision, while manuscripts above 30% are rejected without review. Confirmed post-publication plagiarism results in retraction and institutional notification.

• Research and Publication Ethics

Human-participant research must include institutional ethical approval and informed consent.

Animal research must comply with relevant national and international animal-welfare requirements.

Authors must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Data fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, plagiarism, and data manipulation are grounds for rejection or retraction.

Relevant reporting standards include STROBE, PRISMA, and CONSORT where applicable.

• Manuscript Preparation

The main manuscript should be anonymised for double-blind review. A separate title page should contain author details. Manuscripts may be prepared in Microsoft Word (.docx) or LaTeX (.pdf).

Font and spacing: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial, double-spaced.

Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.

Abstract: 200–300 words.

Keywords: 5–8 terms.

Main structure: Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; Conflict of Interest Statement; References.

Figures and tables: embedded in the text, numbered sequentially, with captions. Figures should be at least 300 dpi.

Original Research Articles: 4,000–8,000 words excluding references.

Review Articles: up to 10,000 words.

Short Communications: 1,500–3,000 words.

• Reference Style

IJNAL follows the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition reference style. References must be arranged alphabetically by the first author’s surname. In-text citations use the author–date format, and DOIs or stable links should be included where available.

• Language of Publication

English is mandatory for all manuscripts. An optional Somali translation of the abstract may be submitted alongside the English abstract. British English is preferred, although American English is accepted if used consistently throughout the manuscript.

• Submission Checklist

Cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, stating the article title and type and confirming that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.

Declaration of conflicts of interest, funding, and ethical approvals where applicable.

Corresponding author’s full name, institutional affiliation, and email address.

Separate title page with author details and an anonymised main manuscript.

Supplementary data files where applicable.

Ethical approval certificate or waiver letter for studies involving human or animal subjects.

Signed authorship contribution statement; use of the CRediT taxonomy is recommended.

• Publication Fees

IJNAL charges no submission fee and no Article Processing Charge (APC). Publication is permanently free of charge under the journal’s Diamond Open Access policy.

Generative AI Policy

The Stage One Framework does not specify a formal journal policy on generative AI or AI-assisted technologies. Authors should follow any generative-AI requirements published by IJNAL on the OJS website once such a policy is formally approved.

• Submission

Manuscripts are submitted through the journal’s Open Journal Systems (OJS) portal. Authors should ensure that all required files and declarations are complete before final submission. The official journal email is ijnal@hu.edu.so.