Author Guidelines

Al-Hayat Journal of Biological Sciences (AJBS) — Author Guidelines

AJBS welcomes high-quality submissions in all areas of biological sciences. Please follow the guidelines below to ensure consistency and smooth editorial processing.

1. Manuscript Preparation
1.1 General Formatting
  • Use Times New Roman, 12-point size for all text.
  • Use Symbol font for mathematical symbols (in text and figures).
  • Line spacing: set to double spacing (2.0) throughout the manuscript.
  • Justification: use full justification (or left alignment if preferred).
  • Do NOT underline text. Use italics, bold, or bold italics if emphasis is needed.
  • Leave one line space between: paragraphs, main sections, and section titles with the paragraph that follows.
  • Leave only one space after each full stop (period).
1.2 Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should include the following sections in order:

  1. Title Page
  2. Abstract and Keywords
  3. Introduction
  4. Materials and Methods
  5. Results
  6. Discussion
  7. Conclusion
  8. Acknowledgments (optional)
  9. Conflict of Interest
  10. References
1.3 In-Text Citations (Numbered System)
  • All references must be cited numerically inside the text using square brackets, e.g., [1], [2–4].
  • Citation numbers must appear in order of appearance in the manuscript.
  • Each number corresponds to a full reference in the reference list.
Example: Oxidative stress plays a major role in disease progression [3,7].
1.4 Reference List Format

Required Reference Style: APA (Journal Article Format). AJBS requires that references follow APA style formatting, adapted to a numbered reference list.

[1] Stanley, S. L. (2003). Amoebiasis. Lancet, 361(9362), 1025–1034. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12830-9
[2] Guillén, N. (2023). Pathogenicity and virulence of Entamoeba histolytica, the agent of amoebiasis. Virulence, 14(1), 2158656. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2022.2158656
[3] Ralston, K. S., & Petri, W. A. (2011). Tissue destruction and invasion by Entamoeba histolytica. Trends in Parasitology, 27(6), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2011.02.006
[4] Mondal, D., Petri, W. A., Sack, R. B., Kirkpatrick, B. D., & Haque, R. (2006). Entamoeba histolytica-associated diarrheal illness is negatively associated with the growth of preschool children. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 193(12), 1760–1764.
[5] Korpe, P. S., Haque, R., Gilchrist, C., Valencia, C., Niu, F., Lu, M., et al. (2013). Natural history of cryptosporidiosis in a longitudinal study of slum-dwelling Bangladeshi children. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 7(12), e2564.
Important Requirements:
  • Arrange references numerically, not alphabetically.
  • Ensure every citation in the text appears in the reference list and vice versa.
  • For DOIs, always use the URL DOI format: https://doi.org/xxxxx
1.5 Tables and Figures
  • Number tables and figures consecutively (Table 1, Figure 1, etc.).
  • Include clear titles, legends, and labels.
  • Use Times New Roman 12 pt inside tables; Symbol for scientific symbols.
  • Figures must be high-resolution (300 dpi or higher).
1.6 Ethical Requirements
  • Human and animal studies must include ethics approval.
  • Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest and funding sources.
1.7 Submission
  • Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) only.
  • The manuscript must be original and not under review elsewhere.
  • Authors may be asked to provide a plagiarism report (Turnitin).
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