Instruction for Authors
Aims and scopes
Chinese Journal of Rice Science(CJRS) is a national bimonthly academic journal focusing on rice science, sponsored by the China National Rice Research Institute. It is distributed both domestically and internationally. The journal publishes previously unpublished thematic research reports, academic papers, new technologies and methods, and brief academic communications related to rice.
Submission and acceptance
Manuscripts must be submitted online via the journal's submission system(http://www.ricesci.cn) . The editorial office will acknowledge receipt, assign a manuscript number, and generally inform authors of the decision within two months. Manuscripts must not be submitted elsewhere during this period. The acceptance of all articles is based on the quality and originality of the research, as well as its significance to our readership. Every manuscript undergoes peer review by at least two anonymous reviewers (Double-blind peer review). The final decision on acceptance or rejection resides with the Editorial Board, which reserves the right to decline any material for publication Decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection are typically provided within two months. The editorial office reserves the right to make appropriate modification. The proof will be sent to the author for final approval. If revisions are requested, authors should return the revised manuscript within two months; revisions taking longer will be treated as a new submission.
Ethical issues
Authorship
All authors must have read and approved the final manuscript and agree to its submission to CJRS. Individuals qualify for authorship by meeting all the following criteria:1)Making substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the research;2)Drafting the article or critically revising it for important intellectual content;3)Giving final approval of the version to be published;4)Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part are appropriately investigated and resolved.Those who do not meet all four criteria should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged with their consent. For group authorship, all members must meet the above criteria, share responsibility for the quality, accuracy, and ethics of the work, and participate in determining the authorship order.
Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure
CJRS requires full disclosure of all sources of financial support for the work, including institutional, private, and corporate funding. Any potential conflicts of interest must be declared. Grant numbers should be provided where applicable, and principal grant holders identified.
Policy on Duplicate and "Salami" Publication
A submission will be considered for publication in CJRS only if it is original and not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts that substantially duplicate previously published work—in hypothesis, sample, methodology, results, or conclusions—are prohibited.CJRS also prohibits "salami" publication, which involves inappropriately splitting data from a single research process or study period into multiple manuscripts for publication.
Copyright
Upon acceptance, authors are required to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement with the editorial office, transferring copyright to the Chinese Journal of Rice Science Editorial Department. The Editorial Board therefore has the authority to distribute its printed and electronic versions to related databases worldwide.
Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts should present reliable data, a clear argument, and concise writing. Submit the manuscript as a Microsoft Word document. A standard manuscript should include in order: Chinese Title; Author Names and Affiliations; English Title; Author Names and Affiliations; English Abstract and Keywords; Chinese Abstract and Keywords; Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results and Analysis; Discussion; Acknowledgments; References. The structure for reviews or discussions may vary.
Title
Concisely reflect the paper's content, generally without subtitles. Avoid uncommon abbreviations. Limit to about 20 Chinese characters. The English title must correspond. Capitalize the first letter of all words except articles, conjunctions, and prepositions with ≤5 letters.
Authors
Limited to those who made significant contributions and can assume responsibility. For multiple authors: separate Chinese names with a space; use commas in English. For Chinese names in English: surname in full capitals (compound surnames connected), first letter of given name capitalized. Periods after initials in foreign names are optional.
Affiliations
List affiliation, city, province, and postal code in parentheses. Add country name for foreign affiliations. For multiple affiliations, use superscript numbers after author names. Indicate present address if changed. For co-first authors, mark names with "#" and add "# These authors contributed equally to this work". For the corresponding author, mark with "*" and add "Corresponding author" with email.
Funding
List fund project name(s) and number(s) in parentheses on the first page footer. Separate multiple projects with a semicolon (;).
Abstract
A concise summary (Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion) that is self-contained. Do not include figures, tables, non-standard symbols, or citations. Refer to recent issues for format.
Keywords
Provide 3–8 keywords after each abstract. Use standardized terms. Chinese and English keywords should correspond.
Introduction
Outline the research background, objectives, and significance. The heading "Introduction" may be omitted.
Materials and Methods
Describe clearly for reproducibility. Specify materials, experimental design, replications, sample size. Include ANOVA results before multiple comparisons. Cite standard methods; describe new/modified methods in detail.
Results and Analysis
Present logically using text, figures, and tables. Be concise; avoid repeating data from figures/tables.
Discussion
Focus on new findings and conclusions. Avoid repeating results, vague language, or irrelevant content.
Headings
Use brief headings (≤30 chars) without internal punctuation. Left-align. Use a numbered hierarchy (e.g., 1, 1.1, 1.1.1).
Figures and Tables
Use sparingly. Ensure they are self-explanatory. Place each on a separate page after its first text mention. Provide bilingual titles (Chinese/English). Number sequentially: Table 1 (Table 1), Fig. 1 (Fig. 1). Use three-line tables; use superscripts for notes 1), 2)...). Figure width ≤17 cm. Photos must be clear.
Units
Use legal units of measurement. Refer to national standards.
Numbers
Use Arabic numerals for dates, measurements, etc. Write years in full. Include leading zero in decimals <1 (0.1234). For large numbers, use spaces every three digits (from 5 digits up) or scientific notation (×10n). Report correct significant figures.
Punctuation
Follow GB/T 15834—2011. For English: one space after comma, two after period.
Abbreviations
Use standard forms. Define non-standard abbreviations at first use.
Variety Names
Use original names for foreign varieties. Write Japanese/Korean varieties with corresponding Han characters. Romanize Chinese varieties using Hanyu Pinyin (e.g., Erjiuqing, Guichao 2). Use established names for varieties from Taiwan, China.
Names of People and Places
Use original forms for foreign names. Provide Han characters for Romanized Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese names. Romanize Chinese names in Hanyu Pinyin (surname first). Translate foreign place names into Chinese, except minor ones.
Foreign Letters
Distinguish case and italicization. Follow conventions for scientific names (e.g., Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica Kato), gene symbols (e.g., sd-1) and journal titles (e.g., Genetics, Chinese Journal of Rice Science) .
Acknowledgments
Acknowledge only substantive contributions. Place before References. Acknowledgments to supervisors/reviewers require their signed approval.
References
List only cited works. Provide English translations for Chinese references. Avoid citing abstracts. Use numbered citation order in text. List references sequentially at the end, following the journal's recent format. Include "in press" for accepted papers. List all author names.
Supplementary Information
Material unsuitable for print can be published online and must be mentioned in the text.
About AI
The journal's policy on the use of AI tools is as follows: 1) Submissions listing AI tools as authors are not accepted. References should not include papers that list AI as an author. Authors must be natural persons capable of taking responsibility for the paper's authenticity, integrity, and scientific merit. 2) If AI tools or AI-generated content were used in the writing process—including for data collection/analysis, creating figures/graphical elements, generating algorithms, text, or language polishing—this must be explicitly disclosed in the Data Sources, Methods, or Conclusion section. The specific AI tool(s), detailed usage process, and their contribution must be described to allow assessment of the work's originality.
Publication fee
To support open access publishing, the journal charges an article processing charge (APC). This fee needs to be covered by the authors, their institution, or their research funding projects. The specific standards are as follows: page charge is 400 RMB per printed page; charge for color page is 500 RMB per page; manuscript review fee is 300 RMB per submission.
Contact US
Editorial Office of CJRS, China National Rice Research Institute, No. 28 Shuidaosuo Road, Fuyang District, Hangzhou 311401, Zhejiang Province, China.
Tel: 0571-63370278
Email: cjrs@263.net
Website: http://www.ricesci.cn
