AIMS AND SCOPE

The Journal of Laboratory Science is an official publication of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology. It would provide a platform for professionals in the field of Science and Technology to publish the results of scientific breakthrough as well as to share knowledge and collaborate for further research. The Journal therefore welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the criteria of international standard and recognition. The Papers should be findings in the fields of laboratory science and technology . The experimental procedures for the findings should be clearly and appropriately described in detail for others to verify the work. The detailing should also conform to the criteria of the Journal.

TYPES OF PAPER

•  Regular Articles:

These should describe new and carefully confirmed findings, and experimental procedures should be given in sufficient detail for others to verify the work. The length of a full paper should be the minimum required to describe and interpret the work clearly.

•  Short Communications:

A short communication is suitable for recording the results or complete small investigations or giving details of new models or hypotheses, innovative methods, techniques or apparatus. The style of main sections need not conform to that of full-length papers. Short communications are 2 to 4 printed pages (about 6 to 12 manuscript pages) in length.

•  Reviews:

Submissions of reviews and perspectives covering topics of current interest are welcomed and encouraged. Reviews should be concise and no longer than 4-6 printed pages (about 12 to 18 manuscripts pages). Reviews manuscripts are also peer-reviewed.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

(i) Submission of Manuscript:

(a) Manuscripts should be submitted as e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at nisltech@yahoo.com . (b) The cover letter should include the corresponding author's full address and telephone/fax numbers and should be in an e-mail message sent to the Editor, with the file, whose name should begin with the first author's surname, as an attachment. (c) Two hard copies should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at the Editorial Office, NISLT Secretariat, P. O. Box 9764 , U. I. Post Office, Samonda, Ibadan , Oyo State .

(ii) Originality of Manuscript:

Manuscripts submitted for publication should be original contributions exclusive to the fields of laboratory science and technology. Submitted manuscripts should not have been and would not be submitted elsewhere once being considered by the JOURNAL OF LABORATORY SCIENCE .

(iii) Formatting the manuscripts:

Manuscripts should be typewritten (Times New Roman with 12 as font for content) on only one side of an A4 paper with margins of 1 inch (2.54cm) on the four sides of the page. Figures or tables on landscape must also conform to the 1 inch (2.54cm) margin on the left and right sides. The figure/table may however not necessarily extend to the 1 inch margin. The manuscript should have a running title (of not more than 6 words) on even number pages and a footer of the author(s) on the left side of the page. All manuscripts would be written in Standard English.

(iv) Sections of Manuscripts:

a) Title Page:

The full title of the paper (Bold, Times New Roman and Font size 14) should appear on the title page. The Title should be a brief phrase describing the contents of the paper. The Title page should include the authors' full names and affiliations, the name of the corresponding author along with phone, fax and e-mail information.

•  Abstract:

The abstract should be informative and completely self-explanatory, briefly present the topic, state the scope of the experiments, indicate significant data, and point out major findings and conclusions. The abstract should not be more than 200 words and should be stated, appearing on the title page. The abstract should introduce the work done, how it was done as well as the larger implications of the work. Key words of not less than 4 and not more than 6 should be provided below the abstract.

•  Abbreviations:

A list of non-standard abbreviations should be added. In general, non-standard abbreviations should be used only when the full term is very long and used often. Each abbreviation should be spelled out and introduced in parenthesis the first time it is used in the text. Only recommended SI units should be used.

•  Main Point:

The body of the paper should contain all the essential information following the sequence – Introduction, Materials and Methods (Methodology), Results and Discussions (IMRAD). The Introduction should provide a clear statement of the problem, the relevant literature on the subject, and the proposed approach or solution. It should be understandable to colleagues from a broad range of scientific disciplines.

The Materials and Methods should be complete enough to allow experiments to be reproduced. However, only truly new procedures should be described in detail; previously published procedures should be cited, and important modifications of published procedures should be mentioned briefly. Capitalize trade names and include the manufacturer's name and address. Subheadings should be used. Methods in general use need not be described in detail.

Results should be presented with clarity and precision. The results should be written in the past tense when describing findings in the authors' experiments. Previously published findings should be written in the present tense. Results should be explained, but largely without referring to the literature. Discussion, speculation and detailed interpretation of data should not be included in the Results but should be put into the Discussion section.

Discussion should interpret the findings in view of the results obtained in this and in past studies on this topic. State the conclusions in a few sentences at the end of the paper. The Results and Discussion sections can include subheadings, and when appropriate, both sections can be combined.

Tables should be kept to a minimum and be designed to be as simple as possible. Tables are to be typed double-spaced throughout, including headings and footnotes. Each table should be on a separate page, numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and supplied with a heading and a legend. Tables should be self-explanatory without reference to the text. The details of the methods used in the experiments should preferably be described in the legend instead of in the text. The same data should not be presented in both table and graph form or repeated in the text.

Figure should be typed in numerical order on a separate sheet. Graphics should be prepared using applications capable of generating high resolution GIF, TIFF, JPEG or PowerPoint before pasting in the Microsoft Word manuscript file. Tables should be prepared in Microsoft Word. Use Arabic numerals to designate figures and upper case letters for their parts (Figure 1). Begin each legend with a title and include sufficient description so that the figure is understandable without reading the text of the manuscript. Information given in legends should not be repeated in the text.

e. References

References in the text should be the name of the author, followed by a comma and then the year of publication. In the case of two authors, the reference in the text should bear both names e.g. Osuh and Bello , 2010. Text references should be enveloped in brackets. At the reference section of the manuscript, the references should be in strict alphabetical and sequential order. Names of authors should be separated by semi-colon, initials should be punctuated while the surname of the author should be separated by a comma.

1. One author in a journal

Umeh, S. (2010). Title, journal (in italics), Volume (Number); pages.

2.Two authors in a journal

Umeh, S. and Bello , H.S (2010). Title, journal (in italics), Volume (Number); pages

3.Three or More authors in a journal

As in 2, but first author to be cited in text as ( Bello et-al , 2010)

4. Author of a book

Sunmonu, H.B (2010). Microbiological Techniques (in italics), (Edition), Heinemann, London , 71 – 93.

5.Author of a chapter in a book

Musa, J. (2010). Staining Techniques (in Italics) ; In: Sunmonu, H.B. Microbiological Techniques, Heinemann, London,107 – 130.

(v)Acknowledgements

Acknowledgement of people, grants, funds etc should be brief and simple.