Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management Author Instructions

Scope

Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Management (CFTM) is focused on research immediately applicable to the practitioner and those working with practitioners. Therefore, research articles should focus primarily on management and cultural practices that include products and plant material currently available to practitioners in the US or internationally. However, research focused primarily on products or plant material with high likelihood of commercial availability and/or used to test hypotheses will be accepted based on the opinion(s) of the journal Editor.

All articles are subjected to peer review. All authors must have their manuscripts critically reviewed by colleagues prior to submission. Reviews, Diagnostic Guides, and Management Guides are often solicited by the journal Editor, and authors should contact the editors before preparing these types of articles. Manuscripts from symposia at professional society or industry-sponsored meetings may be submitted for publication. Symposium organizers should contact the journal editor before the symposium is presented to make arrangements for submissions. Manuscripts from symposia are subject to the same review process applied to other articles.

Manuscript Types

Original Article. Original reports describing work that represents a significant advance in the understanding of a particular issue and that leads to practical solutions to existing problems. Data reported must be from scientifically valid, replicated plots or observations subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. Experiments should be repeated over time and/or space. Articles should not exceed 3,000 words, not including References.
Review. Reviews summarize and analyze a topic of importance to the journal’s subject matter area for those who are not specialists. Readers should be able to learn what is known and what questions remain unresolved about the subject. Reviews should be documented with appropriate references. It is recommended that the word count not exceed 5,000 words, not including References.
Brief Report. Short reports of new findings and recommendations relevant to the journal’s subject matter area. They can also include survey data as well as responses to rare environmental stress, weather phenomena, etc. Briefs are not abstracts and must not duplicate abstracts published or submitted elsewhere. They are limited to 1,000 words, excluding title, author names, affiliations, references, and tables, and figures.
Diagnostic Guide. Guides describe the methods used to identify nutrient and other abiotic disorders; diseases and their causal agents; and insect, nematode, or weed pests. Discuss symptoms and signs; pathogen/pest names; host range; geographic distribution; methods for isolating, identifying, and storing the pathogen/pest and conducting host range/pathogenicity tests. It is recommended that the word count not exceed 5,000 words, not including References.
Management Guide. Guides intend to expand and update the knowledge base of crop, sod or forage producers, industry representatives, turf and grazingland managers, conservationists, Extension specialists, county agents, consultants, and other adult educators. It is recommended that the word count not exceed 5,000 words, not including References.
Invited Review. By invitation only: Reviews summarize and analyze a topic of importance to the journal’s subject matter area for those who are not specialists. Readers should be able to learn what is known and what questions remain unresolved about the subject. Reviews should be documented with appropriate references. It is recommended that the word count not exceed 5,000 words, not including References.
Letter to the Editor. Letters provide comments and criticisms of published articles or provide a forum to discuss specific topics. 300 words or less. Published subject to review and approval by the Editor.
Book Review. Short description of a book related to applied crop, forage and grazinglands, or turfgrass management.

Manuscript Submission

Templates

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

Submission

Submit manuscripts at the CFTM Manuscript Submission Site. Submissions to CFTM 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 to CFTM undergo single-blind peer review. Papers are assigned to a technical editor, who will assign an associate editor to solicit at least two reviews. After evaluating the completed reviews, the associate editor will recommend a decision to the technical 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. See the ASA, CSSA, SSSA Editorial Policies page for additional information on review policy. All revisions to the manuscript during the review process will be made by the author only, and revisions will be given the same manuscript number, with an R number on the end (e.g., CFTM-2008-02-0024-RL.R1). Each revision has the opportunity for another round of review—the manuscript status “awaiting reviewer selection” is automatic and does not indicate a resubmission. Authors have 30 days 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. Soon after submission, the editorial board will decide whether send the paper through review. For papers that are reviewed, the average time from submission to final decision is about 60 days. It is common for accepted papers go through at least one revision.

ORCID iD

Corresponding authors are required to use an ORCID iD when submitting a 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

Accepted manuscripts are prepared for typesetting using Microsoft Word. Therefore, authors are strongly encouraged to use this software during manuscript composition. Rich-format text and TeX files are not acceptable. The file must be double-spaced and line-numbered. The file should contain the following elements:

Title page (including author byline and affiliations)
Abstract (not needed for Briefs)
Plain language summary
Abbreviations
Text
Data Availability statement (optional)
Conflict of Interest statement
Author Contributions
Acknowledgments (optional)
Supplemental Material statement (if applicable)
References list
Figure captions
Tables*
Figures* (figures may also be submitted separately as high-resolution image files in the following acceptable formats: EPS, TIF, PDF, or JPEG)

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

Paper Structure

Title page. The title page should include the title (preferably 12 words or fewer, not including conjunctions or prepositions), author list, and author affiliations, including city, state, and country. Also include in this section the corresponding author’s email address. Use an asterisk to identify the corresponding author.

Abstract. The abstract should consist of a maximum of 250 words that provide an informal summary of the main points of the article and why the research results should be viewed as important. Do not cite references.

Plain Language Summary. 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.

Text. Start with an introduction of one to three paragraphs that describes the problem and the reasons for article. Then describe specifics. Articles should not be subdivided using the more formal journal style of “Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion,” but should instead be subdivided using short clauses describing the particular experiment or series of experiments. Methods should be described only in enough detail that the reader can understand and evaluate the results and conclusions and duplicate the work if so desired. If the experiment includes two or more trials, (e.g., in the form of random locations or environments), then the trials should be discussed separately only if the statistical analysis indicates that separate analyses are more appropriate. The conclusions and recommendations resulting from the trials can be summarized as a whole. All tables and figures should be cited in numerical order. Conclusions and recommendations resulting from the work should be discussed together in the final section of the article. Conclusions should interpret results in terms of practical recommendations and not repeat the findings.

Data Availability Statement. Authors are encouraged to include a data availability statement if applicable.

Conflict of Interest Statement. 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.

A final acknowledgments paragraph may be included.

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

Supplemental tables and figures should be cited in order in the main manuscript, as Supplemental Table S1, etc. Supplemental material should be formatted with a cover sheet listing authors and manuscript title, and the number of pages, figures, and tables. Pages must be numbered consecutively, starting with S1. Tables and figures should be numbered Supplemental Table or Supplemental Figure S1, S2, etc. The journal program manager may limit the quantity of supplemental material posted. Ideally, the supplement will consist of a single PDF or MS Word file rather than a series of files with individual images or structures. Other file types, such as Quick Time or Excel, may be allowed. Contact the program manager with questions about file types. If submitting videos please use the format .FLV (Flash Video) with 640 x 480 or 720 x 480 (widescreen) as the resolution. If you do not have this format available to you please contact the program manager. The following are not allowed: executables (.exe) of any kind, java script, TeX, or PowerPoint.

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.

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. See below for a sample reference citation for a journal:

Bordoli, J. M., & Mallarino, A. P. (1998). Deep and shallow banding of phosphorous and potassium as alternatives to broadcast fertilization for no-till corn. Agronomy Journal, 90, 27–33.

In addition, please be aware of the 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.

Units of Measure. Submissions from non-US countries can be published in either English or metric units depending on the preference of the authors and intended audience. English units are required for US submissions, but authors can chose to include both sets of units (one set parenthetically) if readability is not compromised.

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.

Statistics

Describe statistical methods with enough detail to enable the reader to verify the reported results. Always specify the experimental design and indicate the number of replications, blocks, or observations. Identify the computer program used to analyze data if appropriate. When a quantitative factor (e.g., temperature) is studied, it often is desirable to use regression instead of analysis of variance. For qualitative factors (e.g., cultivar), analysis of variance and mean separation tests can be used, but the specific procedure and significance level should always be indicated. Whenever possible, researchers should consult a statistician before designing an experiment and when analyzing results. For more information, see Johnson and Berger (1982), Madden et al. (1982), Swallow (1984), and Gilligan (1986).

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 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.

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 (approximately 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

The journal does not charge any submission or page fees.

Optional Open Access Opportunity

After manuscript acceptance, authors have the option of paying an 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 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

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.

Green Open Access

Authors with an open access requirement mandated by a funding agency should purchase one of the two gold open access options with funds designated for publication charges by the funding agency. For other repository requirements, authors may post a PDF of the accepted version of a paper to funder and institutional repositories and/or employer’s sites after a 12-month embargo. Authors may post accepted papers to their own personal websites. The doi link must appear on the PDF.

Official Sources

Spelling: Merriam-Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
Plant scientific names: USDA–ARS GRIN database
Soil series descriptions: USDA–NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions
Chemical names: PubChem
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 CFTM program manager.