Journal Articles

Manuscript Preparation and Submission Guidelines

(Revised June 2024)

The Journal of Agricultural Systems and Technology Management has adopted formatting guidelines to improve consistency across platforms and manuscript development among our authors. Authors should follow these guidelines before submitting manuscripts for review, as manuscripts that deviate from these guidelines will not be reviewed.

Preparing your manuscript for submission using the APA 7^th Edition (APA7)

Authors are expected to prepare manuscripts using the guidelines outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (APA7). Authors should refer to chapter two of the publication manual and prepare their manuscript based on the elements described therein. The following are general formatting guidelines to follow:

1. Manuscripts must be prepared using the Times New Roman typeface in 12-point font
2. Set margins to one
3. Special characters, such as Greek letters and mathematical symbols, should be applied using the special character function of your word-processing
4. Single space between all lines of text, tables, and after titles, headings, quotations, references, and figure captions. You may use a 10-point font within the body of tables if this improves readability. Follow the guidelines for table and figure preparation in APA7.
5. Indent the first line of every paragraph ½ Use the tab function to accomplish this.
6. Do not indent the abstract, block quotes, titles, headings, table titles and notes, or figure captions.
7. Manuscript submitted for publication must not exceed 12 pages in The title page and references are excluded from this page limit.
8. Headings must conform to the guidelines in
9. Insert page numbers in the header of each page, including the title Right justify the page number in the header. Begin with the number 1. Please see example papers in APA7 for guidance.
10. Use personal pronouns to avoid ambiguity. Avoid passive voice. Use “We” or “I” when referring to yourself and your co-authors. Section 4.16 of APA7 explains this

Formatting Tables and Figures

Prepare tables and figures according to the guidelines in section seven of APA7. Tables MUST be prepared using the “Table” function in Microsoft Word.

Assembling the Components of the Manuscript

Please follow the guidelines in section two of APA7. Specifically, assemble your manuscript as follows:

• Page 1 – The Title It is not considered to be part of the manuscript page limit. Insert a title page for your manuscript that includes:
  • The title of the manuscript. Try to limit this to 12 words or less if The title should be centered at the top of the page. Capitalize the major words in the title.
  • The running head is part of the header and appears on every manuscript page. It should consist of no more than 50 characters in all caps and be left justified in the header. The running head will be left justified, and the page number will be right justified on the same line in the header.
  • Author byline and institutional Do not include professional degrees or job titles.
  • An author note that explains data sharing, IRB approval number, conflicts of interest, and/or funding for research associated with this manuscript. Include the contact information for the corresponding author
    • Examples include acknowledgment of grant funding or financial support, an acknowledgment that the manuscript is based on data from a previously published report, or an explanation of any perceived conflicts of interest.
    • Section 7 of APA7 provides detailed information about the author’s note.
  • Page 2 - The Abstract, Keywords List, and Manuscript Text
    • The abstract should be a summary of the article and must be no longer than 250 words. The abstract is considered part of the 12-page limit on the
      • Section 3 of APA7 provides advice on how to prepare the abstract.
      • Your keywords must be from the title or Do not include research methodology as a keyword.
    • The manuscript text starts on page 2, immediately following the keywords.
      • Tables and figures are to be placed appropriately with the text.
      • APA7 recommends that tables be placed at the end of the manuscript. However, the JASTM requires they be placed at or near the location discussed in the manuscript text. This is helpful for reviewers who prefer to read the manuscript on a computer.
    • References
      • Manuscript references start on a separate
      • Prepare references according to APA7
      • References are single-spaced
      • Include DOI numbers in the references where
    • Appendices
      • Appendices must be placed at the end of the manuscript, after the references, with each appendix starting on a new page.

Please note that there is a $200.00 publication fee due to the Journal for each journal article manuscript accepted for publication. This fee shall be paid prior to each manuscript’s publication.

Teaching Tips

This dissemination venue revolves around the sharing of teaching ideas, concepts, and tips designed to improve the teaching and learning of agricultural systems technology-related subject matter in both secondary and post-secondary educational settings. Referred to as “Teaching Tips”, the manuscripts that detail these ideas should:

 1)Range from 500 to 1,000 words; 2) Be written in a succinct manner that communicates a “how-to” method of implementation and use for others to follow;  3) Use the following headings within the main body of the manuscript:

• Introduction (why this Teaching Tips idea is useful for teaching and learning)
• Implementation Procedures (the “how-to”)
• Figures and / or Tables (if applicable)
• Student Assessment Procedures (if applicable)
• Recommendations for Others
• References (if applicable)

Teaching Tips manuscripts should not be considered “peer-reviewed” publications. Rather, the Journal Editor will designate an appropriate individual who can work with the respective Teaching Tips manuscript to provide timely and quality feedback to assist the author(s) prior to the publication of their manuscript.

Authors should follow these guidelines before submitting their Teaching Tips manuscripts for review. Manuscripts that deviate from these guidelines will not be reviewed.

Please note that there is a $25.00 publication fee due to the Journal for each Teaching Tips manuscript accepted for publication. This fee shall be paid prior to each manuscript’s publication.