Editorial Policies

About the Journal

The International Journal of New Agricultural and Livestock (IJNAL) is an international, peer-reviewed, Diamond Open Access journal published by the Faculty of Agriculture, Hormuud University, Mogadishu, Somalia. IJNAL is dedicated to advancing knowledge across agricultural and livestock sciences and to publishing rigorous research that addresses opportunities and challenges in these sectors, with particular emphasis on Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and comparable semi-arid and tropical contexts.

Aims and Scope

IJNAL provides a platform for high-quality original, review, technical, and interdisciplinary research. It seeks to bridge academic inquiry with applied and policy-relevant research and welcomes contributions from researchers worldwide.

Crop science, agronomy, and plant production

Soil science, soil fertility, and land management

Livestock production, management, and animal health

Dryland and irrigated agriculture

Agricultural economics and rural development

Food security, nutrition, and value chain analysis

Climate change and agricultural adaptation

Agroforestry and natural resource management

Agricultural biotechnology and genetics

Veterinary sciences and zoonotic disease

Pastoralism and rangeland ecology

Water management and agricultural hydrology

The journal encourages interdisciplinary studies integrating agricultural science with environmental, economic, social, and policy dimensions and gives particular attention to food systems in Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and the broader developing world.

Editorial Governance

IJNAL operates under the academic authority of the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Hormuud University. The Editor-in-Chief provides editorial leadership and is supported by an Editorial Board comprising scholars from Somali and international academic institutions. Institutional oversight is provided by the Centre for Research, Innovation and Industry Engagement, Hormuud University, while technical administration of the OJS platform is supported by the University’s ICT function.

The Stage One Framework identifies Mr. Yusuf Ali Arif, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, as Editor-in-Chief and academic authority, and Ahmed Abdiaziz Alasow as the managing contact.

Peer Review Process

IJNAL employs double-blind peer review for submitted manuscripts. Both author and reviewer identities are concealed throughout the review process. Manuscripts are initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for scope suitability, formatting, plagiarism screening, and minimum quality requirements. Manuscripts passing this stage are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

Submission received by the Managing Editor.

Initial desk review by the Editor-in-Chief.

Assignment to two independent double-blind reviewers.

Reviewer reports requested within 30 days.

Editorial decision: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

Revised manuscripts assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or returned to reviewers as necessary.

Final acceptance followed by production processing.

Plagiarism and Text-Similarity Policy

All manuscripts are screened using iThenticate or Turnitin before peer review. The maximum acceptable overall similarity index is 20%, excluding references, quotations, and author declarations. No single non-reference source may account for more than 5% of the similarity score.

0–20% similarity: manuscript may proceed to double-blind peer review.

20–30% similarity: manuscript is returned to the author for revision before review.

Above 30% similarity: manuscript is rejected without review.

Self-plagiarism or excessive text recycling is subject to the same threshold and should be disclosed.

Confirmed post-publication plagiarism results in retraction and notification to the author’s institution.

Research and Publication Ethics

IJNAL is committed to publication ethics consistent with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Declaration of Helsinki, and other relevant international frameworks.

Human-participant research must include institutional ethical approval and informed consent.

Animal research must comply with relevant national and international animal-welfare regulations.

Authors must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest at submission.

Data fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, plagiarism, and data manipulation are grounds for rejection or retraction.

The journal follows the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

ICMJE recommendations are followed where applicable.

Reporting standards such as STROBE, PRISMA, and CONSORT should be used where relevant.

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

The IJNAL Stage One Framework does not establish a formal policy governing the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies by authors, reviewers, or editors. A dedicated policy should be formally approved and published on the journal’s OJS website before such requirements are enforced. Until then, authors remain responsible for complying with applicable research-integrity, authorship, confidentiality, originality, and disclosure requirements stated in IJNAL policies.

Copyright, Open Access, and Licensing

IJNAL is a Diamond Open Access journal. No submission fee or Article Processing Charge is levied, and publication is free of charge for all article types. This policy is permanent under the Stage One Framework.

Authors retain copyright of their published work and grant IJNAL and Hormuud University a non-exclusive licence to publish and distribute it. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction provided the original work is properly cited.

Correction, Retraction, and Post-Publication Misconduct

The Stage One Framework requires retraction where confirmed plagiarism, fabrication, data manipulation, or other serious misconduct is identified after publication. In cases of confirmed post-publication plagiarism, the journal will retract the article and notify the author’s institution. A detailed withdrawal and version-control procedure is not specified in the Stage One Framework and should be formalised separately.

Article Types

Original Research Articles

Review Articles

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Short Communications

Case Studies

Technical Notes

Letters to the Editor

Manuscript Structure and Submission Files

To support double-blind review, author-identifying information must be provided on a separate title page, while the main manuscript must be anonymised. Manuscripts may be prepared in Microsoft Word (.docx) or LaTeX (.pdf).

Title Page: article title and complete author details, submitted separately.

Abstract: 200–300 words.

Keywords: 5–8 terms.

Main manuscript: Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; Conflict of Interest Statement; References.

Figures and tables: embedded in the text, sequentially numbered, and supplied with clear captions. Figures should be at least 300 dpi.

Supplementary files: data files where applicable, ethical approval or waiver documents, and a signed authorship contribution statement. The CRediT taxonomy is recommended.

Formatting Guidelines

Font: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial.

Line spacing: double-spaced.

Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.

Original Research Articles: 4,000–8,000 words excluding references.

Review Articles: up to 10,000 words.

Short Communications: 1,500–3,000 words.

Language of Publication

English is the mandatory publication language. Authors may additionally provide a Somali translation of the abstract. British English is preferred, while American English is accepted if used consistently throughout the manuscript. Authors who use English as a second language are encouraged to obtain language review before submission; IJNAL does not provide language-editing services at this stage.

Reference Style

IJNAL follows the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition reference style. References must be listed alphabetically by the first author’s surname. In-text citations use the author–date system. Direct quotations should include a page number, and multiple citations within one parenthesis should be arranged alphabetically.

Single author: (Smith, 2021).

Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2021).

Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2021).

Direct quotation: (Smith, 2021, p. 45).

Multiple citations: (Ali, 2020; Smith, 2021).

Publication Frequency and Publication Model

IJNAL publishes biannually, with Issue 1 in June and Issue 2 in December. The Stage One Framework identifies submission deadlines of 31 March for the June issue and 30 September for the December issue. The journal uses continuous publication within each issue, allowing accepted articles to be published online upon completion of the editorial and production process. The initial target is 6–12 articles per issue, subject to review as submission volume grows.

Digital Archiving and Preservation

All published content is archived on the OJS platform hosted through Hormuud University’s ICT infrastructure. IJNAL intends to register with the PKP Preservation Network and, following ISSN assignment, pursue additional preservation services including CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, and Portico. The journal also intends to assign DOIs through CrossRef to support permanent citability and discoverability.

Journal Platform and Discoverability

IJNAL is hosted on Open Journal Systems (OJS). The journal’s discoverability strategy is phased and includes Google Scholar, PKP Index, ROAD, DOAJ, CrossRef, Dimensions, AGRIS, CABI Abstracts, Scopus, and Web of Science as the journal meets the eligibility and quality requirements of each service.

The journal does not claim current indexing in Scopus or Web of Science. The Stage One Framework recognises that these services require an established publication record, consistent editorial quality, citation activity, transparency, and international diversity before application.

ISSN and Journal Identification

The journal title is International Journal of New Agricultural and Livestock, abbreviated IJNAL. It is an online-only publication based in Somalia. The ISSN is currently to be assigned. Until a formal ISSN is issued, journal materials and correspondence should state “ISSN: To be assigned.”

Editorial Contact

Official journal email: ijnal@hu.edu.so. Physical address: Faculty of Agriculture, Hormuud University, Daru Shura Campus, Villa Baidoa, Wadajir, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Policy Status

This editorial policy is derived from the IJNAL Stage One Framework (HU0001, February 2026). Where the Stage One Framework does not specify a detailed operational policy, including generative AI use and manuscript withdrawal/version control, the matter should be governed by a separately approved IJNAL policy before enforcement.