Author Guidelines

Submission of manuscripts in soft (electronic) format is preferred. Author(s) are requested to send an email with an electronic version of the manuscript directly to: squjs@squ.edu.om

Initial submission

Initially papers must be submitted as pdf files in which all figures and tables, if any, are placed in the correct position within the text of the paper. The full paper is sent as an attachment to an email to the above address. Revised papers are also sent in the same way. This form of the paper is used for refereeing purposes.

Final submission

After the paper has been accepted, it must be prepared according to the format described below and sent by email in a zipped folder with the title code number_name of corresponding author, and containing the following:

1. The text of the paper prepared in MS Word with the figure captions on a separate page after the references
2. The line figures in EPS format: each figure in a separate file clearly marked with the figure number
3. The tables each in a separate file
4. Any other illustrations each in a separate file
5. A covering letter

 The preparation of the manuscripts must conform to the following guidelines.

Manuscripts

The author(s) is responsible for providing a concise manuscript in correct English and Arabic abstract. Where this is not the case the manuscript will be either returned for correction, or rejected. When a manuscript is finally accepted by the editor in chief, it is the responsibility of the author to ensure that the final manuscript for printing is perfect in format and in language. If this is not the case the manuscript will be returned and delays in publication may ensue.

Manuscript preparation

The following format must be used when submitting the manuscript for publication:

1. Double-space text.
2. Put the name of the first author along with the page number in the upper right-hand corner of every page, with the exception of the first page, and ensure that the pages are numbered.
3. Leave a 3-cm margin on all sides.
4. Use a single-column format and a standard font (12 point Times Roman is preferred).
5. Author names and affiliations together with the email of the corresponding author must appear on the first page of the manuscript, titles should not be included.

The manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

TITLE: The title of the manuscript should be descriptive and concise. It should be followed by the full names of all authors. The affiliations and addresses of the authors must be included. The email of the corresponding author must also be included with the full address.

ABSTRACT: The abstract must be a single paragraph of 250 words or less. It should contain a concise summary of the manuscript including the primary objective of the research along with the major findings. Each paper should include an English and Arabic abstract. Five to ten key words must be provided.

SECTIONS OF THE MANUSCRIPT: Major headings and sub-headings should be bold and in lower-case letters. They must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals. They should be placed at the beginning of the line.

CITATIONS: Please cite references in the text by number only enclosed in parentheses. At the end of the article, list the references in the order they appear in the text. Citations of unpublished work are listed in parentheses in the text only as follows: …by J.A. Smith (personal communication); …(J.A. Smith, personal communication); …according to J.A. Smith (unpublished data); or …(J.A. Smith, unpublished data). If the cited individual is not mentioned elsewhere in the references, the individual’s full name and address should be provided in a footnote.

FIGURES: All figures (line drawings and photographs) must be of a high enough quality for good reproduction. Line drawings and photographs should not be combined into one figure. Figures should be numbered consecutively and referred to in the text in the same order. The captions should be provided on a separate page and included after the references section.

All figures should be cited in the text. Do not abbreviate the word Figure whenever used in the manuscript.

TABLES: Tables must be double-spaced and on separate pages. All tables should be numbered consecutively, given concise titles, and cited in the text in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Tables should be included at the end of the manuscript along with illustrations.

EQUATIONS: All important equations should be displayed on separate lines, and numbered in consecutive order. Equation numbers using Arabic numerals should be provided in parentheses at the right margin of the corresponding equation to assist with reference within the text. All equations must be written using the same font size as the text (i.e. Size 12 ).

ABBREVIATIONS: Abbreviations should be avoided except when absolutely necessary. Because abbreviations make the text difficult to read, only cumbersome and very long terms should be abbreviated. The following guidelines should be used when abbreviations are used in the text:
Define abbreviations when first used in the text. For example, coefficient of variation (CV).
Avoid all but the most standard abbreviations in the abstract.
Do not begin sentences with abbreviations or use abbreviations in titles and subtitles.
Abbreviations rather than words should be used in presenting units and percentages (e.g. cm, mm, kg , ml, %, etc.).

SYSTEM OF UNITS: Articles published in SQU Journal for Science must be in SI (Metric) Units.

References

There must be a reference list including all those references cited in the text. References should be in full and should provide the reader with needed information to retrieve and examine the cited reference. Unpublished results and personal communication are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either “Unpublished results” or “Personal communication”. Citation of a reference as “in press” implies that the item has been accepted for publication. The following guidelines are used for references:

1. Arrange the list of cited references in sequential numerical order.
2. Use initials for first and middle names in all citations.
3. Initials are placed after the author's last name.
4. Place single-authored articles before those in which the individual is a senior joint author
5. List two or more titles chronologically when the authors of these references are identical.
6. Use the letters a, b, etc. to indicate two or more titles by the same authors in the same year. For example, 1994a, 1994b, etc.
7. The abbreviated titles of journals must be in italics, followed by the year with a comma.
8. Volume of journal number must be in bold (without using the word volume), followed by a colon and then page numbers ( without using pp.).
9. The titles of the books must be in italics, followed by the Edition Number, Publisher, Place of publication, year and page number. 

Following are some examples of common references:

SINGLE AUTHOR PAPER:
Yallaoui, B. Filter representation of normal lattices. SQU J. Scientific Res. - Sci. & Tech.,1997 163-67.

MULTIAUTHOR PAPER:
Al-Rumhy, M., Al-Bimani, A. and Boukadi, F. Effect of compositional grading on reservoir performance. SQU J. Scientific Res. - Sci. & Tech.,, 19971: 37-45.

BOOK:
Steel, R.G. and Torrie, J.H. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach (2nd Edition) McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., New York, 1980.

CHAPTER IN A BOOK:
Apel, M. and Turkay, M. The Intertidal Crabs and Hermit Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Paguridae) in the Study Area and their Condition After the Oil Spill. InEstablishment of Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region. Feltkamp, E. and Krupp, F. Jubail and Frankfurt, 1992.

BULLETIN:
Page, C.H. and Vigoureaux, P. (Eds). The International System of Units (SI). National Bureau of Standards Special Publication No. 330 (rev.), U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1986. Washington, DC.

PROCEEDINGS:
Stirm M., Oceanographic conditions and pelagic biological processes in Omani waters. Proceedings of FAO Workshop “Mesopelagic Fish Stocks of NW Indian Ocean”, 29-31 October 1994, Muscat, Oman.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION:
Elbualy, M.S. Sero-prevalence of Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Measles and Toxoplasmosis among Pregnant Women in Oman. 7th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 12-30 March, 1995, Vienna, Austria.

TO ASSIST REVIEW:
Please follow the above general guidelines and check that your manuscript has been prepared according to the style and format of the journal. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts by e-mail (as attachments) to the Editor-in-Chief. When you submit your manuscript, it will assist the review process if you offer the names of three or more potential reviewers with their email addresses. The Editorial Board will be free to use these in the review process.

Proofs
One set of galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author for typographical checking only. It should be returned within 72 hours of receipt.