Research Papers for Breeding and Aquaculture Sciences Journal should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Articles are expected to contribute new information (e.g. novel methods of analysis with added new insights and impacts) to the knowledge base in the field, not just to confirm previously published work. Review Articles can cover either narrow disciplinary subjects or broad issues requiring interdisciplinary discussion. They should provide objective critical evaluation of a defined subject. Reviews should not consist solely of a summary of published data. Evaluation of the quality of existing data, the status of knowledge, and the research required to advance knowledge of the subject are essential. Short Communications are used to communicate results which represent a major breakthrough or startling new discovery and which should therefore be published quickly. They should not be used for preliminary results. Papers must contain sufficient data to establish that the research has achieved reliable and significant results. Technical Papers should present new methods and procedures for either research methodology or culture-related techniques. The Letters to the Editor section is intended to provide a forum for discussion of aquaculture and breeding science emanating from material published in the journal.
This journal will publish different fields of science as follow:
Nutrition
The Nutrition Section welcomes high quality research papers presenting novel data as well as original reviews on various aspects of aquatic animal nutrition relevant to aquaculture. Manuscripts addressing the following areas of investigation are encouraged: 1) determination of dietary and metabolic requirements for various nutrients by representative aquatic species. Studies may include environmental/stress effects on animal's physiological responses and requirements at different developmental stages; 2) evaluation of novel or established feedstuffs as well as feed processing and manufacturing procedures with digestibility and growth trials. Such studies should provide comprehensive specifications of the process or evaluated ingredients including nutrients, potential anti-nutrients, and contaminants; 3) comparison of nutrient bioavailability from various ingredients or product forms as well as metabolic kinetics of nutrients, food borne anti-nutrients or toxins; 4) identification of key components in natural diets that influence attractability, palatability, metabolism, growth reproduction and/or immunity of cultured organisms; 5) optimization of diet formulations and feeding practices; 6) characterization of the actions of hormones, cytokines and/or components in intracellular signaling pathway(s) that influence nutrient and/or energy utilization. 7) evaluation of diet supplementation strategies to influence animal performance, metabolism, health and/or flesh quality. Manuscripts concerning other areas of nutrition using novel or advanced methods are also welcome. Please note that in regard to various diet additives such as probiotics, prebiotics, herbal extracts, etc., a very large number of papers have already been published. Therefore, Aquaculture and Breeding will not continue to accept manuscripts that present initial and preliminary investigations of such additives. Manuscripts addressing these and other feed additives will be accepted for review only if they are of the highest scientific quality and they represent a significant advance in our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in their metabolism. Manuscripts may also be considered if they present clinical efficacy data generated in large-scale trials and economic cost-benefit analysis of these applications.
Aquaculture and Breeding Production Science
This section supports worldwide dissemination of the results of innovative, globally important, scientific research on production methods for aquatic foods from fish, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, and all types of aquatic plants. Contributions are encouraged in the following areas: 1) Improvement of production systems that results in greater efficiencies of resource usage and sustainability of aquaculture; 2) Effective applications of technologies and methods of aquaculture production for improved stocking regimes; 3) The use of new species and species assemblages; and, 4) Investigations to minimize aquaculture wastes and improve water quality, including technologies for nutrient recycling in aquaculture and breeding ecosystems, and potential synergy of aquaculture and other food production systems using methods such as polyculture and integrated aquaculture. Aspects of seafood processing and technology will not be considered in this section although aquaculture techniques that may influence the nutritional value of aquatic food products may be considered in the Nutrition Section.
Physiology
The Physiology Section welcomes high quality papers that present either novel research data or original reviews. The content must be relevant to solving aquaculture problems on all aspects of the physiology of cultured aquatic animals and plants. Submitted manuscripts must have a valid hypothesis or objective, clearly state the relevance to aquaculture, have proper experimental design with appropriate controls and utilize appropriate statistical analysis. Mention of trade names is limited to the main text. Relevant physiological topics include, but are not limited to: Reproductive and endocrine physiology, including control of development and sex differentiation, induced ovulation, gamete quality, and triploid and transgenic organisms Cardiorespiratory, including endocrine and environmental regulation of growth Larval physiology and ontogeny, including metamorphosis, molting Performance under variable culture conditions, including temperature, water quality, rearing density, and stress and disease physiology of harvest and handling techniques.
Genetics
The Genetics Section welcomes high-quality research papers presenting novel data, as well as critical reviews, on various aspects of selective breeding, genetics and genomics. Submitted manuscripts must have a valid hypothesis or objective, clearly state the relevance to aquaculture, have proper experimental design with appropriate sample size and controls and utilize appropriate statistical analysis. Aquaculture and Breeding will not accept manuscripts focusing mainly on population genetics studies that are based on RAPD and AFLP markers, since the dominance and multilocus nature of the fingerprints are not suitable for making inferences about population genetic diversity and structure.
Sustainability and Society
The Sustainability and Society section of the journal Aquaculture invites articles at the interface of natural and social sciences that address the broader roles of aquaculture in global food security and trade. Aims and scope of the Sustainability and Society section are the: global dissemination of interdisciplinary knowledge regarding the management of aquatic resources and resulting impacts on people. Interconnections with other sectors of food production; resource management and implications for societal impact. Going beyond a narrow techno-centric focus, towards more holistic analyses of aquaculture and breeding within well-defined contexts. Enquiry based on understanding trajectories of change amid the global challenges of climate change and food security. Mixed methods and approaches those incorporate and integrate both social and natural sciences. Relevance for the diverse range of policy makers, practitioners and other stakeholders involved. Articles that take a value chain approach, rather than being wholly production orientated, are encouraged.
Disease
The Disease section welcomes critical reviews and high quality articles containing novel data on all aspects concerning diseases of farmed aquatic species. The aims of the section are: description of new and emerging diseases including characterization of the causal agent(s), development in the understanding of fish pathogens for example including new methods of growth where this has been a problem for fastidious organisms, pathogenicity and epizootiology, developments in the diagnosis of disease going beyond the use of standard well used methods, and methods of disease control, notably new developments in vaccines, immunostimulants, dietary supplements, medicinal plant products, probiotics, prebiotics and genetically-disease resistant stock. Relevance to aquaculture must be demonstrated. Articles, which adapt well known methods without further refinement of those methods, are unlikely to be accepted. Submission Checklist You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review. Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more details. Ensure that the following items are present: One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
• E-mail address
• Full postal address all necessary files have been uploaded: Manuscript:
• Include keywords
• All figures (include relevant captions)
• All tables (including titles, description, footnotes)
• Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided
• Indicate clearly if color should be used for any figures in print Graphical Abstracts / Highlights files (where applicable) Supplemental files (where applicable) Further considerations
• Manuscript has been 'spell checked' and 'grammar checked'
• All references mentioned in the Reference List are cited in the text, and vice versa •