Guide for Authors - Biosystems Engineering and Renewable Energies 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Conflict of Interest Form
Authors are required to fill out and submit a conflict-of-interest form, disclosing any potential conflicts that could influence their work.

Author's Commitment Form
Each author must complete a commitment form, confirming their active participation and accountability for the submitted work.

Initial Screening Process
At Biosystems Engineering and Renewable Energies  (BERE), we implement a rapid screening process upon receipt of submissions to evaluate if manuscripts are suitable for peer review. The following issues may result in immediate rejection:

1. The manuscript's subject must align with the journal's scope and introduce new insights.
2. Presentation quality, structure, and grammar should meet a high standard—manuscripts may require editing by a native speaker or professional editor.
3. All in-text citations must match references, and each reference should be complete with detailed citation information.
4. The manuscript should reference a sufficient number of recent works, particularly in its field.
5. Mathematical elements must be clearly presented, with all variables clearly defined.
6. Tables and figures should be of high quality and clarity.

TYPES OF PAPERS

Submission Categories
We accept the following types of contributions:

• Research Articles: These should present original, high-quality research results that advance current knowledge in biosystems engineering or renewable energies. The methods and models should be rigorously detailed and tested against relevant data, showcasing their significance and applicability to the field.
• Review Papers: Review articles offer comprehensive overviews of significant advancements in specific areas within the journal's scope. These articles must include a deep literature review, critical analysis, and suggestions for future research.
• Commentaries: Brief commentaries on previously published work or topics of interest in the journal are welcome. Authors should first consult with the Editor-in-Chief before submitting commentaries.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

For electronic submissions, manuscripts should be uploaded directly to the journal’s online submission system. In cases where electronic submission is not possible, contact the Editor-in-Chief at  bere@gau.ac.ir  for further instructions.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Conflict of Interest Declaration

All authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, whether financial, personal, or organizational, that may influence the manuscript's content or interpretation.

Submission Declaration

By submitting to BERE, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under review by another journal. Publication approval must be secured from all authors and, where applicable, responsible authorities. Authors must also ensure the work will not be republished in any form without written consent from the journal.

Authorship Changes

Any requests for authorship changes (adding, removing, or rearranging authors) after acceptance but prior to publication must be made by the corresponding author and include approval from all involved authors. Requests that do not follow this protocol will not be considered.

COPYRIGHT

Once an article is accepted, authors must complete a Journal Publishing Agreement, ensuring wide distribution. Authors may reproduce parts of their article for internal use but need publisher approval for any broader redistribution or translation. If copyrighted material from other sources is used, authors are responsible for obtaining permissions and properly crediting the sources.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE

It is essential to acknowledge the role of any funding bodies in the manuscript.

OPEN ACCESS

The publication of articles in Biosystems Engineering and Renewable Energies is open access and there is no charge.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

Please ensure the manuscript is written in clear, professional English. Both British and American English are accepted, but avoid mixing the two styles.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Submissions are handled exclusively online. Authors will be guided through the process of uploading files, which will automatically be converted into PDF format for peer review. After acceptance, source files must be submitted in their original formats (Word, Excel for tables, etc.).

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

The Biosystems Engineering and Renewable Energies follows a strict double-blind peer review process to maintain high-quality standards. Upon submission, manuscripts are reviewed by experts and may be accepted, revised, or rejected. The review typically involves at least three referees and is expected to take about four weeks. Authors are responsible for addressing referee and editor feedback. After final acceptance, authors must submit their manuscript in an editable file format, and only one galley proof will be sent for final review.

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

File Format

Manuscripts should be prepared in the standard format of the word processor used. Keep formatting simple, and avoid unnecessary codes. Use boldface, italics, and other formats where necessary.

Article Structure

Divide your article into numbered sections (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, etc.). Subsections should be clearly titled, and the numbering should be consistent throughout.

1. Introduction: Clearly state the goals and provide a concise background, avoiding unnecessary literature reviews or result summaries.
2. Materials and Methods: Provide sufficient details for replication. Cite previously published methods, indicating any modifications.
3. Results and Discussion: Present results clearly and concisely. Discuss the relevance of your findings without restating them. Justify your results in comparison to existing studies.
4. Conclusion: Summarize the key findings and their implications.

Essential Title Page Information

• Title: It should be concise and informative, often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae in the title.
• Author Names and Affiliations: Provide the full names of the authors. In cases where family names may be ambiguous (e.g., double names), indicate this clearly. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names, marking affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter. Include the full postal address and, if available, the e-mail address for each author.
• Corresponding Author: Indicate who will handle correspondence during all stages, from refereeing to post-publication. Provide telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code), the email address, and the full postal address of the corresponding author.
• Present/Permanent Address: If an author has moved since the work was conducted or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' or 'Permanent address' can be indicated in a footnote. The main affiliation should remain as where the work was performed. Use superscript Arabic numerals for such footnotes.

Abstract

The abstract should be concise and factual, outlining the purpose, key results, and conclusions of the research. As it is often presented separately, it should be self-contained, without references. Avoid non-standard abbreviations, or define them when first mentioned in the abstract.

Graphical Abstract 

The graphical abstract should summarize the article in a pictorial form designed for a broad audience. Submit it as a separate file. The image should be at least 531 x 1328 pixels, or proportionally larger, with a resolution of 96 dpi. Preferred file formats are TIFF, EPS, PDF, or MS Office.

Keywords

Provide up to 6 keywords immediately following the abstract, avoiding general terms and plural forms. Use only well-established abbreviations.

Abbreviations

Define non-standard abbreviations in a footnote on the first page. Any abbreviations used in the abstract should also be defined when first mentioned.

Acknowledgements

Place acknowledgements in a separate section before the references. Recognize individuals who contributed to the research, such as those providing language assistance or proofreading.

Math Formulae

Use standard text for simple formulae, using the solidus (/) for small fractional terms (e.g., X/Y). Present variables in italics. Exponential terms are often denoted by "exp." Number equations consecutively if they are referenced explicitly in the text.

Footnotes

Use footnotes sparingly, numbering them consecutively with superscript Arabic numbers. Footnotes can be built into the text using a word processor, or indicated in the text and presented separately at the end of the article.

Figure Captions

Provide captions separately. Each caption should have a brief title and a description of the figure. Limit text within the figure itself, and explain any symbols and abbreviations.

Tables

Number tables consecutively in the order they appear in the text. Include footnotes below the table body, marked with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical lines and do not duplicate data already presented elsewhere.

References

Citation in Text

Ensure that every reference in the text is also listed in the reference list. References in the abstract should be provided in full. Avoid citing unpublished results or personal communications unless essential. "In press" references should have been accepted for publication.

Web References

Provide full URLs and access dates, along with any additional information (DOI, author names, etc.).

References Style

References in the text should be in full if they have one or two authors (e.g. Author, 2012; author and author, 2012); in the case of multiple authors they should be cited as author et al., 2012. In the References list should be arranged in alphabetical order with the following examples:

(i) Article:

Vahedi Torshizi M. and Azadbakht M. 2020. Study on Firmness and texture changes of pear fruit when loading different forces and stored at different periods using artificial neural network. Iranian Food Science and Technology Research Journal, 15(6): 113-132. Doi: https://doi.org/10.22067/ifstrj.v15i6.75049

Motevali A., Abbaszadeh A., Minaei S., Khoshtaghaza M. H., and Ghobadian B. 2012. Effective Moisture diffusivity, activation energy and energy consumption in thin-layer drying of jujube (Zizyphus jujube Mill). Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 14(3): 523-532.  DOI: 10.1080/00439339.2021.1891401

(ii) Book:

Chakraverty A., Mujumdar A.S, Vijaya Raghavan G.S., Ramaswamy H.S., 2003. Handbook of Postharvest Technology. 2^nd Ed. MARCEL DEKKER, INC. NEW YORK • BASEL. 884 Pages.

(iii) Chapter in a book:

Azadbakht M. 2020. X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT) for the Internal Quality Evaluation of Fresh Produce. In: Pathare P.B., Rahman M.S. (Eds). Nondestructive Quality Assessment Techniques for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Springer. Singapore. Pages, 223-279.

(iv) Conference:

Asefpour Vakilian K. 2020. Environmental And Economic Benefits of Water Quality Assessment Biosensors In Developing Countries. 16th International Silk Road Conference. International Black Sea University. Tbilisi, Georgia. Pages, 306-307.

(v) Thesis:

Latifi B. 2023. Evaluation of different methods of peeling plums and the feasibility of developing a laboratory mechanized plum peeling system. M.Sc. Thesis. Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources; Gorgan, Iran, 92 Pages.

 (vi) Software:

SAS (Statistical Analysis System). 2008. SAS/STAT^® 9.2. User's Guide. SAS Institute Inc. Cary, North Carolina.

SPSS (Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences). 1996. SPSS for Windows Release 10.01. SPSS Inc. Chicago.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting, ensure the following:

• A corresponding author is designated with contact details.
• All necessary files (keywords, figure captions, tables) are uploaded.
• The manuscript has been spell-checked and grammar-checked.
• References are correctly formatted and all are cited in the text.
• Permission has been obtained for copyrighted material.
• Color figures are clearly marked for reproduction on the web or print.
• Page numbers and line numbers are included.
• Graphical abstract and article highlights have been added.

After Acceptance

Proofs

Page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author in PDF format. Corrections should be made within 5 days. Major changes to the article will not be considered at this stage.

Offprints

A watermarked PDF of the article will be provided free of charge to the corresponding author. For a fee, paper offprints can be ordered.