ISSN 1314-3905 (Print)  ·  ISSN 2603-2996 (Online) University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria
LTU
Forestry Ideas International Scientific Journal

Instructions to Authors

Instructions for Authors

Forestry Ideas – Guide for Manuscript Preparation and Submission

1. Accepted Types of Publications

Forestry Ideas accepts the following types of contributions:

  • Research articles
  • Review articles
  • Short communications
  • Announcements (e.g. conferences and symposia)

The language of the journal is English (United Kingdom).

2. Manuscript Length and Submission

  • Research articles: up to 15 printed pages
  • Review articles: up to 30 pages
  • Short communications: up to 8 pages

Page limits include abstract, tables, figures, and references.

Authors are strongly encouraged to prepare their manuscripts using the journal template.
Download the manuscript template (MS Word, .docx)

Manuscripts must be submitted in both PDF and MS Word (.docx) formats, without hyphenation.

3. Article Processing Charge (APC)

  • Standard rate: €25 per page
  • Additional pages (upon editorial approval): €30 per page

The APC is invoiced after acceptance and covers the organisation of peer review, language editing, prepress preparation, and online publication.

4. Formatting Requirements

General layout

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
  • Page size: A4; margins: 2.5 cm all sides
  • Line spacing: 1.5; first-line indent: 1 cm

Title and authors

  • Title: centred, bold, 14 pt
  • Author names: full names, centred, no abbreviations
  • Affiliations: department, institution, city, postcode, country, email
  • Use superscripts for multiple affiliations
  • Corresponding author marked with an asterisk (*)
  • ORCID iDs required for all authors

Abstract and keywords

  • Abstract: one paragraph (up to 300 words) presenting the objectives, methods, key results, and conclusions
  • Do not cite references in the abstract
  • Key words: up to 6 terms, alphabetical order, avoid repeating words from the title

Recommended structure of the text

  • Introduction
  • Material and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion (or Results and Discussion)
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements (if applicable)
  • Statement on Welfare of Animals (if applicable)
  • References

Section headings: bold, left-aligned, 13 pt. Subheadings: bold, left-aligned, 12 pt.

Style and nomenclature

  • Use standard abbreviations (e.g., i.e., et al., DNA); define non-standard abbreviations at first mention
  • SI units required (e.g., m·s⁻¹, not m/s)
  • Standard binomial nomenclature; Latin names below family rank italicised
  • Author names of taxa given at first mention (abstract, tables, figures)

Tables

  • Number consecutively (Arabic numerals)
  • Title above the table, centred, bold, 11 pt
  • No vertical lines; minimal horizontal lines
  • Font size 10 pt, single spacing
  • Define abbreviations below table

Figures and Illustrations

  • Number consecutively
  • Captions below figures, centred, bold, 11 pt
  • Graphs: axis titles should begin with a capital letter; units should follow a comma (e.g., Density, plants·ha⁻¹)
  • Images: minimum 300 dpi; formats: Excel, JPEG, TIFF, EPS, PDF; submit as separate files
  • Do not duplicate data in tables and figures
  • Place tables and figures after first citation in text

5. Citing References

Citing in the text

  • Use the author–year system: (Johnson 2010), (Johnson and Spiecker 2010), (Johnson et al. 2010)
  • Multiple references listed chronologically
  • Institutional authors: (Ministry of Agriculture 2011)

Reference list

  • References arranged alphabetically by first author, no numbering, journal titles in full
  • Use the format: Author(s). Year. Title. Source.
  • Where available, DOIs must be provided in the format https://doi.org/...
  • For online sources, include the URL and access date
  • For books, include total number of pages and ISBN where available
  • For non-English sources, provide the title in English followed by the original language in parentheses

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references.

Reference format examples

Journal article:
Tashev A., Dimitrova V. 2019. Medicinal Plants of Bulgaria. Current Perspectives on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 2(1): 29–39. https://doi.org/10.38093/cupmap.596100

Journal article (article number):
Czyza S., Kowalczyk A. 2024. Applying GIS in blue-green infrastructure design in urban areas for better life quality and climate resilience. Sustainability 16, 5187. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125187

Book:
Helms J. A. 1998. The Dictionary of Forestry. Society of American Foresters, Bethesda. 210 p. ISBN 978-0939973540.

Book chapter:
Kowarik I. 1995. Time lags in biological invasions. In: Pysek P. et al. (Eds), Plant invasions. SPB Academic Publishing, Amsterdam: 15–38.

PhD thesis:
Gray M. 2007. Role of genetics in tolerance of Texas live oaks. PhD thesis, Texas A&M University, USA. 149 p.

Non-English source:
Jansons Ā. 2008. Theoretical basis and perspectives of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Latvia [Parastās priedes (Pinus sylvestris L.) selekcijas teorētiskie pamati un attīstības perspektīvas Latvijā]. PhD thesis, Jelgava, LLU. 110 p. (in Latvian).

Website:
Alabama Invasive Plant Council 2007. List of Alabama's invasive plants. http://www.se-eppc.org/alabama/2007plantlist.pdf (Accessed 5 January 2026)

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automated tools

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in the preparation of the manuscript, beyond basic language editing and formatting. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, validity, and originality of the content. AI tools cannot be listed as authors and cannot be cited as primary sources.

7. Submission, Review, and Publication Process

  • Upon submission, the corresponding author must submit the signed Publication Consent and License Agreement (Agreement_FI-20-000)
  • Manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers
  • Authors receive reviewer comments and submit a revised version within one month
  • Responses to reviewers must be provided point-by-point
  • After acceptance, authors receive proofs; only typographical errors may be corrected
  • The corresponding author must confirm by e-mail, on behalf of all co-authors, approval of the final version of the manuscript for publication

8. Peer Review Policy

Forestry Ideas maintains a rigorous and timely peer review process to ensure high scientific quality. Manuscripts are evaluated for originality, scientific rigor, clarity, and relevance to forestry, landscape architecture, ecology, and environmental protection.

Review process:

  • Single-blind: reviewers know authors; authors do not see reviewer names
  • At least two independent reviewers per manuscript
  • Constructive, unbiased feedback; ethical compliance checked

9. Time to Acceptance

  • Initial editorial check: 1 week
  • Peer review: 2–3 weeks
  • Revision by authors: 1 month
  • Final editorial decision: 1 week after revision

Editorial decisions: acceptance, minor/major revisions, or rejection. The average time from manuscript submission to acceptance is approximately 11 weeks.

10. Publication Ethics

  • Plagiarism detection using specialised software
  • Journal follows COPE principles

11. Authorship Changes

Any change in authorship (addition, removal, rearrangement) must:

  • Be requested by corresponding author
  • Include justification
  • Include written consent from all authors
  • Be submitted before acceptance

12. Copyright and Open Access

Upon acceptance, the corresponding author confirms via email, on behalf of all co-authors, their agreement with the publication terms and the granting of a non-exclusive licence to publish under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0).

13. Submission Address & Payment Details

Submission address

Editor-in-Chief, Forestry Ideas
University of Forestry
10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Email: forconf2010@abv.bg | ForestryIdeas@ltu.bg

Bank transfer details

University of Forestry – NIS, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., Sofia 1797, Bulgaria
IBAN: BG39BNBG96613100104501
BNB Bank – CU Sofia | BIC: BNBGBGSF
Reference: Forestry Ideas