Author Guidelines

Submission of Manuscripts

The original manuscript should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word files using the on-line system http://journals.unilag.edu.ng/index.php/wajfas  after the main author registers online as an Author. The submitted file must not contain the authors’ names. The identification and registration of the authors will be done only through the electronic submission system. Registration and login are required to submit items online and to check the status of submissions.

When submitting the manuscript, the author must suggest at least five researchers of recognized competence who may be considered as reviewers including their area of interest, e-mail and affiliation. This information must be included in the ‘Comments for the Editor’ box during the submission of the manuscript.

Types of Manuscripts:

West African Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (WAJFAS) accepts manuscripts in the following sections:

Research Articles:

Contributions should be original. Papers published in other journals or being considered for publication elsewhere will not be accepted. Manuscripts must be clearly presented in the style of the Journal. Articles should be organized in a logical sequence with the following section: Title, Abstract (up to 250 words), Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References and List of figures and tables (with their captions). Manuscripts should not exceed 25 pages, including tables and figures.

Review Articles:

Review articles should be on important scientific methodology and industrial development. There should be prior consultation with the Editors before embarking on a review.

Short Communications:

Short communication reports preliminary work and findings in areas of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Evaluation of newly developed products and technologies will also be accepted. Manuscript must be written in a continuous manner, without the sections mentioned above, except for Acknowledgments, References and List of figures and tables (with their captions). Manuscripts submitted for Short communication should not exceed 10 pages, including tables and figures.

Journal Style:

Contributors are advised to present their paper(s) in the following style of the Journal:

Formats:

All sections of the manuscript must be typed in English language (UK) using Microsoft Word (or compatible), Times New Roman font in 12 point, double line spaced on A4 paper with one inch (2.54 cm) page margins on all sides. Pages should be numbered consecutively beginning with the Title page (at bottom right-hand corner). The full scientific names of all species used must be supplied in each manuscript.

Title Page

The first page of the paper should contain the title of the paper, the abstract and 5-7 keywords. The title should be concise and informative. The name(s), mailing address and affiliation(s) of the author(s) must be avoided. .

Abstract: The abstract should be a single paragraph not exceeding 250 words. Non-standard abbreviations and reference citations should be avoided. 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.

Keywords: Up to seven keywords, which may or may not appear in the title, should be listed in alphabetic order after the abstract.

Tables and Figures

Tables and Figures should be presented at the end of the manuscript with their identification numbers for the review process. All figures must be in an adequate size and quality for the review process. For the final version of the manuscript, after the appropriate corrections, figures must be sent separately by the authors, using the "Supplementary Material" option. Each figure must be submitted in a separate image file.

Citations and References

Citations in text:

• One author: Kusemiju (1975) or (Kusemiju, 1975)
• Two authors: Fagade & Olaniyan (1971) or (Fagade & Olaniyan, 1971)
• Three or more authors: Bayagbona et al. (1971) or (Bayagbona et al., 1971)
• When citing more than one reference, a chronological order must be followed: Ruse (1996), Wally (1998), Probst et al. (2004) or (Ruse 1996; Wally 1998; Probst et al., 2004)

References:
The journal uses American Psychological Association (APA) style of referencing. Author(s) should list only references cited in the body of the text in alphabetic order, following the model below:

Journal Article:

References to articles from journals should be given in this order: name(s) of author(s), year of publication in parenthesis, full title of the article, title of the periodical (italized), volume number (bold), first and last relevant page numbers. Name of journal should be written in full and the DOI supplied where possible e.g.

Asuquo, F.E., Ewa-Oboho, I., Asuquo, E.F. & Udoh, P.J. (2004). Fish species used as biomarkers for heavy metals and hydrocarbon contaminations for the Cross river, Nigeria. Environmentalist, 23(1), 29-37. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ENVR.0000046344.04734.39

Book:

Townsend, D.W. (2012). Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Introduction to Marine Science. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. 512pp

Book Chapter:

Melancon, M.J. (1995). Bioindicators used in aquatic and terrestrial monitoring. In: Hoffman, D.J., Rattner, B.A., Burton Jr, G.A. & Cairns Jr, J. (eds.), Handbook of Ecotoxicology. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp220 - 240.

Ward, R. D. (2002). Genetics of fish populations In: Hart, P.J.B. & Reynolds, J.D. (eds) Handbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries: Fish Biology, Volume 1. First Edition, Blackwell Science Ltd., pp200 - 224. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470693803.ch9

Thesis:

Nwaokoro, R.C. (2001).  The impact of industrial effluents on some fauna in Sasa and Odo Iya Alaro streams in Lagos State. Ph.D Thesis, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. 424pp.

The WAJFAS doesn't accept as references abstracts or expanded abstracts published in proceedings of scientific meetings. Technical reports of restricted circulation, as well as text from internet sites must be avoided, and its use must be justified to the Editorial Board