Guide for Authors

Types of Paper
The Palawan Scientist (TPS) categorizes manuscripts based on their contents and scientific contributions. The TPS classifies submitted manuscripts into 3 types:

Research Article/Case Studies: Regular papers should report the results of original research which have not been previously published elsewhere, except in preliminary form. It should have a total of not more than 6,000 words and must be organized with the following main headings: ABSTRACT, Keywords, INTRODUCTION, METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, FUNDING, GENERATIVE AI STATEMENT, ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, DECLARATION OF COMPETING INTEREST, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES.
Notes should be brief descriptions of experimental procedures, technical operations or applied activities within the laboratories or in the field. It should have a total of not more than 3,000 words and consist of ABSTRACT, Keywords, followed by the NOTES, FUNDING, GENERATIVE AI STATEMENT, ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, DECLARATION OF COMPETING INTEREST, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES.
Review Paper should cover specific topics which are of active current interest. It may contain an ABSTRACT, Keywords, INTRODUCTION, the different headings of the sub-topic, FUNDING, GENERATIVE AI STATEMENT, ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, DECLARATION OF COMPETING INTEREST, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES with a total of not more than 8,000 words.

Manuscript Submission Process

Before submission, the authors are advised to carefully read and follow strictly the journal policies and the Guide for Authors to avoid delay in the publication process.
Authors must submit an e-copy of the manuscript through the “Make Submission” button of the website. The file name of the manuscript should be Type of Paper_Family Name of the Corresponding Author_Version 1 (e.g. Research Article_Cruz_Version 1).
The corresponding author must submit the following files:

Full Manuscript in WORD FILE using the paper template.
Cover letter
Copyright Transfer Agreement
Open Access Agreement

Manuscript Preparation

1. General Guidelines

The manuscript should be typewritten using Time New Roman, font 10; double-spaced, single column, justified on A4 (8.3”x11.7”) size paper, with 2.54 cm margins on all sides. All pages should be numbered consecutively at the bottom center of the page. Line numbers should be continuous (do not restart at each page).
The manuscript should be free from plagiarism; well written in American English; spelling and grammar are checked; and have been proofread by English Critic or a language editing software is used.
The author should refrain and/or are discouraged in citing publications from suspected predatory journals.

2. Title Page

The title page should contain the following: title of the article, running title, author(s), affiliation(s), name and complete contact details (mailing address and e-mail address) of the person to whom correspondence should be sent.
A superscript in Arabic numbers should be placed after the author’s name as reference to their affiliations. The title of the paper should be above-centered, bold and written in a sentence form.
Capitalize only the first word of the title and proper nouns if there are. Scientific name(s) when included in the title should be italicized and accompanied by taxonomic authority.

3. Abstract

Abstract page should not be more than 250 words. The abstract should contain facts and conclusions, rather than citation of the areas and subjects that have been treated or discussed.
It may start with the hypothesis or a statement of the problem to be solved, followed by a description of the method or technique utilized to solve the problem.
It should end with a summary of the results and their implications.
Keywords – maximum of six alphabetically arranged words not mentioned in the title, lower-cased, except for proper nouns.

4. Introduction

Provide sufficient information of the introduction/background of the study and critique of pertinent literature or current level of knowledge (without subheadings, figures, and tables) to give the readers clear understanding of the purpose and significance of the study.

5. Methods

Provide all information of the population/samples of the study, study sites, research design, sampling procedure, data collection technique and data analysis which includes subheadings to distinguish the different methods (for each objective and other relevant subtopics).
Authors should clearly state all statistical tests, parameters and replications.
Equation should be inserted using the Equation Editor in the journal's suggested font type.
Authors should provide only the brand/model and country of all chemical/equipment used.

6. Results

Authors should present the result section by stating the findings of the research without bias and interpretation arranged in accordance with and to the order of objectives which are indicated by subheadings. Texts should not excessively repeat the contents of the tables and figures.

7. Discussion

Provide comprehensive interpretation and significance in accordance with the results in light of what is already known about the problem investigated, explained new knowledge or insights (conclusion and recommendation) that emerged in the results section.
Tables and figures may be used to compare the results of the study with those of other authors/studies.

8. Acknowledgments

Indicate the source of financial support, individuals who assisted in the conduct of research and anonymous reviewers.

9. References

- Referencing software like Zotero, Mendeley, Endnotes & the like was used. The Council of Science Editors (CSE) Manual: Scientific Style and Format 8th edition (name-year) is the preferred citation and referencing style. Lastly, referencing fields were removed before submission of the paper.
- References to the literature citations in the text should be by author and year; if there are two authors, both should be mentioned; with three or more authors, only the first author’s family name plus “et al.” need to be given.
  References in the text should be cited as:
  ▪      Single author: (Frietag 2005) or Frietag (2005)
  ▪      Two authors: (De Guzman and Creencia 2014) or De Guzman and Creencia (2014)
  ▪      More than two authors: (Sebido et al. 2004) or Sebido et al. (2004).
- Use a semicolon followed by a single space when citing more than two authors. Arrange by date of publication with the latest being the last in the list (example: Sebido et al. 2004; Frietag 2005; De Guzman and Creencia 2014).
- Use a comma followed by a single space to separate citations of different references authored by the same author (example: Jontila 2005, 2010). If the same author and year are cited, use a “letter” to distinguish one paper over the other (example: Creencia 2010a, b).
- Alphabetize authors with the same year of publications. Use semicolons to separate each publication (example: Balisco and Babaran 2014; Gonzales 2014; Smith 2014).
- Write journal’s name in full (examples: The Palawan Scientist, not Palawan Sci; Reviews in Fisheries Science, not Rev. Fish. Sci.).
- For articles with more than 10 authors, list only the first 10 authors followed by "and others".
- The list of citations at the References section of the paper should include only the works mentioned in the text and should be arranged in alphabetical and chronological manner. If a referencing software was used, the following fields should be removed before submitting the manuscript.
- Citing journal articles – Last Name and Initials. Year. Full title of research article (in sentence form). Name of the Journal (not abbreviated). Volume Number(Issue Number) (if given):Range of page numbers. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Examples: 
Dolorosa RG, Grant A, Gill JA. 2013. Translocation of wild Trochus niloticus: Prospects for enhancing depleted Philippine reefs. Reviews in Fisheries Science. 21(3–4):403–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641262.2013.800773 
Kumar N, Goel N. 2019. Phenolic acids: Natural versatile molecules with promising therapeutic applications. Biotechnology Reports. 24:e00370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2019.e00370
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- Citing journal articles with the same Authors name - Last Name and Initials. Year(a). Full title of research article (in sentence form). Name of the Journal (not abbreviated). Volume Number(Issue Number) (if given):Range of page numbers. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Examples: 
Dolorosa R. 2015a. Size and abundance of Red Striped sea cucumber Thelenota rubralineata in Cagayancillo, Palawan, Philippines. The Palawan Scientist. 7:40–42. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2015.7.1.05
Dolorosa RG. 2015b. The sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of Tubbataha reefs natural park, Philippines. SPC Beche-demer Information Bulletin. 35:10-18.
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- Citing of books – Last Name and Initials. Year. Full title of research article. Edition. Place: Publisher. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Example:
Fleming LE, Creencia LBA, Gerwick WH, Goh HC, Gribble MO, Maycock B, Solo-Gabriele H, editors. 2023. Oceans and human health: opportunities and impacts. Second edition. London San Diego Cambridge Oxford: Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2021-0-02526-8
Boyle AE, Redgwell C, Birnie PW. 2021. Birnie, Boyle & Redgwell’s international law and the environment. Fourth edition. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
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- Citing a chapter in a book – Last Name and Initials. Year. Full title of research article. In: Title of the Book. Publisher. Page. Accessed Date. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Example:
Fleming LE, Depledge MH, Maycock B, Creencia LA, Gerwick WH, Goh HC, Gribble MO, Keast J, Raps H, Solo-Gabriele H. 2023. Horizon scan of oceans and human health. In: Oceans and Human Health. Elsevier. p. 729–742. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95227-9.00003-8
```
  m. Citing paper published in conference proceedings, book form - Last Name and Initials. Year. Title of the paper. In: Editor A, Editor B, editors. Title of proceedings. Publisher. Page range. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Examples: 
Cismas S. 2010. Educating academic writing skills in engineering. In: Dondon P, Martin O, editors. Latest trends on engineering education. WSEAS Press. p. 225–247.
Morgan R, Meldrum K, Bryan S, Mathiesen B, Yakob N, Esa N, Ziden A. 2017. Embedding digital literacies in curricula: Australian and Malaysian experiences. In: Teh G, Choy S, editors. Empowering 21st century learners through holistic and enterprising learning: Selected papers from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College International Conference 2016. Springer. p. 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4241-6_2
```
  n. Citing a Webpage – Last Name and Initials. Year. Title of the website. Accessed Date. Weblink.
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Examples: 
Froese R, Pauly D. 2022. FishBase. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. www.fishbase.org.
IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Version 2021-1. 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://www.iucnredlist.org/.
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  o. Citing a thesis or dissertation – Last Name and Initials. Year. Title of the Thesis/Dissertation. [Type of Thesis]. [Place]: University. [Accessed Date]. Full link of DOI or weblink (if available).
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Examples:
Ree K. 2020. Ex-Post (Pseudo) Out-of-Sample Forecast Accuracy of Proposed Oil Price Models [Master’s Thesis]. [Norway]: University of Stavanger. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/337307522.pdf.
Mecha NJM. 2022. Spiny Lobster (Panulirus spp.) Puerulus Fishery in Palawan, Philippines [Master’s Thesis]. [Philippines]: College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University. [accessed 2025 Jul 2].
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  p. Citing a Report - Last Name and Initials. Year. Title of the paper. Institution/Department Report No. [Accessed Date] Full link of DOI or web link (if available).
```
Examples:
Bedford DAD. 2017. Enterprise Information Architecture:  An Overview. Washington State Department of Transportation Report No.: WA-RD 896.4. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/896-4.pdf.
Dolorosa RG, Picardal RM, Conales SF. 2015. Bivalves and gastropods of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines. Tubbataha Managment Office and Western Philippines University. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://checklist.pensoft.net/article/19104/.
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  q. In Press articles when cited must include the name of the journal that has accepted the paper - Last Name and Initials. In Press. Title of the paper. Journal. Full link of DOI (if available).
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Example: 
Alcantara LB and Noro T. In press. Growth of the abalone Haliotis diversicolor (Reeve) fed with macroalgae in floating net cage and plastic tank. Aquaculture Research.
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  r. Citing an article from an online newspaper - Last Name and Initials. Year. Title of the paper. Publisher. [Accessed Date]. Weblink.
```
Example: Fabro K. 2021. Surge in seizures of giant clam shells has Philippine conservationists wary. Mongabay. [accessed 2025 Jul 2]. https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/surge-in-seizures-of-giant-clam-shells-has-philippine-conservationists-wary/
```

10. Figures and Tables

Figures and tables should be numbered (Arabic numerals) chronologically. Stand-alone captions for figures and tables should be sentence-cased, double spaced, and have justified margins; the first line is not indented and placed immediately after the paragraph where it is first mentioned. The use of text boxes for figure and table captions are not allowed.
References to the tables and figures in the text should be cited as: Table 1; Figure 1; Tables 1 and 2; Figures 1 and 2; Table 1A; Figure 1B; (not Table 1a or Figure 1b) consistent to the label in the Tables and Figures.
Photos, maps, drawings, charts, and graphs should be treated as Figures and have at least 300 dpi, are included in the manuscript using the “Inset Pictures” tool of the MS Word. Note: A separate file of each photo should be available upon request.
Graphs must have white background free from major grid lines (of y-axis); the x and y axes are labeled and legend is provided.
Illustration should be original line drawings of good quality and should not exceed A4 size paper. Inscriptions should be readable even if the drawing is reduced by 75%. Drawings should be scanned and saved in TIF or PDF format before embedding on the manuscript. Separate files of the photos/illustrations may be requested upon the acceptance of the manuscript.
All photos used in the paper must have been taken by the author(s), if possible. Photos taken from other researchers/individuals/organizations must be duly acknowledged in the paper. The use of photos downloaded from the web/internet is strictly forbidden unless a written permission from the copyright holder (of that photo) is presented.
All rows, columns and edges of the table should be bordered by lines.
Large tables occupying two pages or more should have repeat header rows

11. Scientific, English and Local Names

All organisms must be identified by their English, scientific names and local names if possible.
Scientific names and author/s must be cited for all organisms at first mention (e.g. Stiphodon palawanensis Maeda & Palla, 2015). Subsequently, only the initial of the genus should be written except when starting a sentence with a scientific name. All scientific names should be italicized. Example: Epinephelus fuscoguttatus; Anadara sp. Musa spp. Do not italicize the higher levels of taxonomic classification (example: family Echinometridae).
Local names should be in double quotes (example: locally called “saging” not ‘saging’; “palay” not ‘palay’).
Research articles dealing on species list should provide the authorities for each species (example: Conus magus Linnaeus, 1758; Enosteoides philippinensis Dolorosa & Werding, 2014).

12. Punctuations, Equations, Symbols and Unit of measures

Unfamiliar terms, abbreviations, and symbols must be defined/spelled out at first mention even in the abstract. Acronym should only be spelled-out as it is introduced in the text, it should be written in acronym in succeeding parts of the paper.
Mathematical equations should be clearly presented so that they can be interpreted properly. Equations must be numbered sequentially in Arabic numerals in parentheses on the right-hand side of the equations.
In International System of Units of measurements must be used but separated from the value and the unit of measure (e.g. 5 mm, 25 g, 30 m³, 100 μm, 9 ind ha^-1, 10 sacks ha^-1, 2 kg h^-1, 2 kg h^-1day^-1) and probability (P) is in upper cased and italicized (e.g. P > 0.05; P < 0.05; P = 0.01). To fix a single space between the value and its unit of measure, use the MS word command “CTR+SHIFT+SPACE BAR” to provide a space between the value and its unit of measure.
There is a single space between numbers and the following mathematical signs: ±, =, ×, -, +, ÷, (e.g. 92 ± 0.092; 5 × 6).
Numbers less than 10 should be spelled out (for example: eight trees, 10 fish) except when followed by a unit of measure (for example: 9 cm, not nine cm). Number mentioned at the start of the statement should be spelled-out (e.g. Nine fishermen not 9 fishermen or Six degrees Celsius not 6˚C).
The symbol for Degree (˚) should be inserted using the insert symbol option and not zero (0) or alphabet (o) superscript.
Do not separate a percent sign and degree of temperature with the number (example: 5% and 8˚C).
Write dates in this manner: day-month-year (example: 20 October 2012).
Use a 24-h system for time (example: 1300 instead of 1:00 pm). To express a measured length of time, abbreviations for hour (h), minutes (min) and seconds (sec) should be used (example: 2 h and 30 min; or 2.5 h).
Include apostrophes in years (example: 2014’s).
No periods in acronyms (example: UNESCO not U.N.E.S.C.O.; CITES not (C.I.T.E.S.)
Use a single capital letter when writing latitude and longitude (example: 9°44’27.80”N and 118°41’2.01”E). Compass points (north, south, east, west) and their derivations (northern, southern, eastern, western) are lowercase (example: north of Palawan) except when they form part of the place name (example: South Cotabato; Eastern Samar).