Includes information for manuscript submissions to HortScience, HortTechnology, and the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Author Responsibility, Prior Publication, and Preprints
Preprints
Disclosure of Previous Posting
Artificial Intelligence and AI-assisted Technologies
General Formatting Requirements
Figures and Tables
Units of Measurement
References
Submitting manuscript files
Submitting non-manuscript files
Supplementary files
Reviewing your submission
Track your submission
Open Access Article Processing Fees
Login help
Browser settings
Author Responsibility, Prior Publication, and Preprints
At the time of submission, the Corresponding Author is responsible for submitting the manuscript on behalf of ALL Contributing Authors.
The Corresponding Author attests that the submission represents original, unpublished material that is not under editorial consideration elsewhere, in whole or in part, other than in abstract form. Submissions with material included in a thesis or dissertation may also be submitted, provided that the university- or student-held copyright does not exclude this use. Please also see section below Re: Preprints
Any information that is already in the public domain in a scientific context will be considered published and will not be published again by ASHS. Submission of a manuscript to ASHS implies no concurrent submission elsewhere. Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of the ASHS and HortScience should be substantially different from industry-oriented publications and locally published progress or extension reports.
Preprints
Understanding the value of early dissemination of research, ASHS journals welcome submissions that have been shared on recognized preprint archives. Please note, that by submitting your manuscript for publication in one of our journals, and upon acceptance, you agree to pay the applicable article processing fee and for your article to be published under an open access.
Disclosure of Previous Posting
It is your responsibility as an author to let ASHS know at the time of submission if your work has been previously posted elsewhere. Should your manuscript be accepted for publication, we request that you update the preprint version with a citation to the final published article, including the DOI and a direct link to the publication.
If a question exists about prior publication, send copies of the previously published material to the Editor. If industry-oriented publications will appear before the scientific article, make sure the industry report describes the take-home lesson and does not place the supporting data and graphs in a scientific context, as is customary in scientific articles. ASHS prefers, but does not require, “first right” for publication of research reports presented at ASHS annual conferences.
ASHS does not offer waivers for open access article processing fees.
Artificial Intelligence and AI-assisted Technologies
At the time of submission, authors must provide a statement that discloses their use of AI and AI-assisted technologies. This statement must provide detailed information on which elements of the work were generated by AI and AI-assisted technologies.
All Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics or rights.
ASHS Artificial Intelligence Policy statement.
Overview
Our goal for the submission process is to get your research in front of our editors and reviewers as quickly as possible. Adherence to the basic, minimum formatting guidelines below will help ensure a smooth submission process.
| HortScience | |
| Acceptance Criteria Submit to HortScience |
| HortTechnology | |
| Acceptance Criteria Submit to HortTechnology |
| Journal of the ASHS | |
| Acceptance Criteria Submit to JASHS |
General Formatting Requirements
Please note the following as you submit your manuscript via the submission system.
- All manuscripts must be in MS Word format (no PDF), Tables may be embedded in the manuscript file, or as separate MS Word file(s), Figures may be embedded in the manuscript file or uploaded separately as TIFF, JPG, PDF, Postscript, or EPS files.
- All manuscripts and information in the submission form must be in English.
- All manuscripts must include:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Materials & Methods
- Results
- Discussion section*
- * (excluding Cultivar and Germplasm Releases, which require a Title, Introduction, Origin (Materials and Methods), Description (Results), and Availability Statement).
- You may share, copy and redistribute this material for non-commercial purposes in any medium. You may also adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material with proper attribution.
- Your manuscript should be formatted using double-line spacing.
- Keywords – Provide at least three (3) keywords or concepts that inform the retrieval of the manuscript content via search engines such as Google and Bing.
- For maximum impact, keywords should occur in the abstract and where possible form part of the title or subtitle of the manuscript.
Figures and Tables
- Figures may be embedded in the manuscript or uploaded separately as TIFF, JPG, PDF, Postscript, or EPS files. Figures should be hi-res (at least 300 dpi) single images (no layering), regardless of whether they are embedded in the body of your manuscript or uploaded separately.
- Tables can either be included in the manuscript file, or as separate Word file(s).
- Each figure and table must include a title/legend and be labeled in numerical order (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.; Table 1, Table 2, etc.)
- Figures and tables must use in-text citations throughout the manuscript. For example: “Photosystem I measures did not correlate significantly outside of intra-photosystem I comparisons(Fig. 2).
Units of Measurement
- HortScience and JASHS use SI Units for all measurements.
- HortTechnology may use either SI Units or US Customary Measurement System but not both systems within a single article. Please be clear which system of measurement is used in your submission.
References
References must be included in your manuscript but do not need to be formatted as part of the initial submission process. If your article is accepted, you will be asked to format all references according to our style manual.
The ASHS style guide requirements are:
- In-text citations to references must include the first author’s last name and year in parentheses, for example: (Hall 2014)
- References must be listed at the end of the manuscript in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name.
- There should be no papers authored by ‘Anonymous’.
- For journal articles, include full author information, year, article title, journal abbreviation, volume, issue, page range, and DOI. For example:
- Celebioglu, B., Myers, J. R., Hart, J. P., Porch, T., & Griffiths, P. (2024). Phenotypic Variability for Leaf and Pod Color within the Snap Bean Association Panel. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 149(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS05326-23
Manuscript Submission Process
Returning authors, please sign in with your credentials for the requisite journal submission system.
First-time users of the online submission system must register for an account.
NOTE: Each journal has its own submission system requiring a username/password for each site. When first registering, the system will automatically create a username that is forwarded to your email address. You may change that username once you log in by going to modify your profile. The same username and password can be used in each of our three submission sites.
Alternatively, if you have an ORCID ID, you may use that to log in.
Instructions on how to register for an account are accessed at the bottom of each journal login page.
After you register and log in, you may submit a manuscript and/or track its progress through the system.
The submission process is as follows:
- General Information: All information about your manuscript, including the Authors, Manuscript Title, Abstract, Manuscript Classification, and File Quantities is gathered using a single submission form. NOTE: There is a button at the bottom of the screen that will allow you to save your progress and come back later, if needed. However, it is highly recommended that you try to submit your paper in one session if possible.
- Upload Files: A screen asking for the actual file locations (via an open file dialog). After completing this screen, your files will be sent to be converted to PDF for the peer review process.
- Receipt: A completion screen that will provide you with a specific manuscript tracking number for your manuscript.
- Approve Manuscript Files: An approval screen that will allow you to verify your manuscript has been uploaded and converted to PDF correctly.
Submitting manuscript files
- In the submission forms for HortScience and HortTechnology, please indicate if the submission should be considered a short paper. Short papers:
- May not be more than 1800 words (including references, table text, figure legends).
- May have no more than two tables or two figures (or one of each). Where possible, images should be scalable.
- Upload your manuscript as a Word file.
- Include a title page with the title, all author first and last names, author institutions, corresponding author information, and acknowledgements. If you wish to submit the title page as a separate file, please do so. There is a ‘title page’ file type available in the system.
- All authors must be entered into the submission system; each author must have a unique email address.
- Classifications – As part of the submission process you are required to select one subject from a list that best categorizes your manuscript. If none of the subjects seem relevant, please select Miscellaneous/Other.
- Reviewer Suggestions – Authors are encouraged to suggest potential reviewers for the editors to contact.
Submitting non-manuscript files
- A cover letter is optional. If you include a cover letter, please upload it as a separate file. We encourage authors to recommend up to five potential reviewers in their cover letter.
- If you are re-submitting a previously rejected manuscript or submitting a revision, please upload a Response to Reviewer file that includes the previous paper’s manuscript number as well as a point-by-point response to the editor/reviewers’ comments.
Supplementary material
- Supplementary material in support of your manuscript may be provided as part of your submission. This content must be uploaded separately as part of the submission process.
- General documentation should be in Word or PDF file format:
- Supplementary tables and figures should be labeled ‘Figure S1’ and ‘Table S1,’ etc.
- Each supplementary figure or table must have a corresponding legend included in the supplementary file.
- Each supplementary figure or table must have an in-text citation in the manuscript. For example:
- “As the intention was to provide an overview of relationships between plant physiological parameters and the soil matric potential, ANOVA output is presented whereas summary statistics and post-hoc mean separation have been provided as Tables S1–S5 for additional consideration.”
- Supplementary tables may be uploaded as Excel files - .xls or .xlsx.
- Supplementary video of audio files must be uploaded individually into the system and should have a corresponding legend in a separate supplemental Word file or PDF. Audio file types include .avi, .mp3, and .wav.
- Video files types include .avi, .mpeg, and mp4. Files should be no more than 25MB. Other acceptable file types for supplementary data include: .ppt, .pptx, .tar, .vsd, .xml, zip.
Review your submission
After your files are uploaded and once your manuscript is submitted, you will be taken to a page that allows you to review your manuscript converted into PDF format. If the PDF conversion is not correct, you may replace or delete your manuscript files as necessary.
After you review the converted files, you need to click on "Approve Manuscript". This link has a red arrow next to it. Throughout the system, red arrows reflect pending action items that you need to address.
Finally, you need to approve your manuscript.
After a review by staff, you will receive an e-mail confirmation of successful completion of your submission.
Track your submission
- To track the status of your manuscript through the review and publication process:
- Log into the journal’s submission system.
- Click on the link represented by your manuscript tracking number and abbreviated title.
- Under the Author Tasks, select "Live Manuscripts" to review current submission status.
- This procedure will display detailed tracking information about where your manuscript is in the submission/peer-review process.
Peer Review Process
The peer review process follows these steps:
- Author submits a manuscript.
- Editor-in-Chief assigns Reviewers to the manuscript for peer review:
- ASHS utilizes hundreds of volunteer reviewers who are experts in the field directly related to the manuscript subject matter.
- A Consulting Editor is assigned to each submitted manuscript.
- A minimum of 2 reviewers are assigned to each paper based on the reviewer's expertise.
- ASHS offers the option for double blind reviews where neither the author nor reviewer names are revealed at the author’s request.
- Editor-in-Chief drafts a decision to be sent to the Corresponding Author.
Authorship
The ASHS Journals have set authorship policies in place based on the COPE guidelines on authorship and contributorship
Clear policies (that allow for transparency around who contributed to the work and in what capacity) should be in place for requirements for authorship and contributorship as well as processes for managing potential disputes.
ASHS follows the authorship criteria of the ICMJE. Authors must meet all 4 of these conditions:
- Substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
- Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
- Final approval of the version to be published; and
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
All authors must meet these criteria for authorship and, conversely, no-one should be omitted from the list if he/she meets these criteria.
Other Contributors
Contributors who do not meet all of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors, but they should be acknowledged. Examples include general administrative support and writing assistance. Authors must confirm the contributor’s willingness to be acknowledged.
Authorship Change Policy
If an author has been added or removed after initial submission and at any time during the processing of a manuscript, all authors, including the author who has been added or removed, must download and fill out the ASHS Authorship Change Form and upload it into the submission system or email it to ashs.journals@kwglobal.com.
Open Access Article Processing Fee
All articles published in ASHS journals (Journal of ASHS, HortScience, and HortTechnology) are open access and are distributed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This license permits you to share, copy and redistribute this material for non-commercial purposes in any medium. You may also adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material with proper attribution.
* Member rate-papers – one author must be an ASHS member to qualify for the Member rate.
** Short Papers -- maximum 1800 words including all titles, references, etc.
Short papers are allowed a maximum two (2) scalable images. Images may be images, tables, or a combination of both.
You must indicate that paper is submitted as a Short Paper during the submission process.
ASHS does not offer waivers for open access article processing fees.
- While we appreciate the financial difficulties experienced by researchers, there are many costs associated with publications, including online publications. ASHS is a small not-for-profit organization that depends on its manuscript fees to continue its programs including off-setting the costs of producing our peer-reviewed publications.
- Regular publications fees include unlimited page count articles, free color, complimentary author alterations, and unlimited images/graphs/tables.
- Please note that ASHS Complimentary Student and Complimentary Early Career memberships cannot be applied to receive discounted publication fees.
Further Assistance
Context-Sensitive Help - If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs spread throughout the manuscript tracking system. A help dialog will pop up with context-sensitive help.
Contact Journal Staff - You may contact the Journal Staff at any time by clicking the "Send Manuscript Correspondence" link under the "More Manuscript Info and Tools" header on the manuscript details screen.
Login help
If you forgot, or do not know your login name or password, click the "Unknown/Forgotten Password" link on the appropriate journal submission page. The system will ask for your Login Name or your First and Last Name.
- Where an account match is found in our database, you will receive an email containing your login name and a temporary password.
- Where no account can be identified from the information provided, please contact the editorial team (see below), and request a password reset.
Browser settings
- Make sure your browser allows JavaScript. You will not be able to proceed past the homepage without JavaScript enabled.
- You must also allow Cookies. The system writes a cookie to your computer during your active user-session. This cookie is a security feature and confirms you are a registered user. The cookie is deactivated once you log out. Each time you log in, a new cookie is generated.
If you have additional questions about our online submission process, please direct your enquiries to the relevant editorial team:
HortScience: hortscience@ashs.org
HortTechnology: horttech@ashs.org
Journal of the ASHS: journal@ashs.org