Standards for the International Turfgrass Society Research Journal (ITSRJ)
1) Backgrounda) The International Turfgrass Society (ITS) runs, through the efforts of the host country, aninternational conference every four years. The ITS is responsible for publishing the papers
presented at each conference in a peer-reviewed format. Acceptable papers will be published in theInternational Turfgrass Society Research Journal (ITSRJ) or at least one additional journal that has
an Impact Factor. This/these additional journal(s) shall be announced by the ITS publishingcommittee at least two years before the conference.
b) Papers submitted to the Impact Factor Journal(s) in conjunction with the ITS conference shall be
written and submitted according to the standards for that /those journal(s)c) This standards document provides authors and ITSRJ Editorial Board members information on:i) the types of papers that will be acceptable for submission to the ITSRJ;ii) a set of instructions to authors, which are specific to the ITSRJ; andiii) the system of refereeing used by the ITS Editorial Board for submitted manuscripts.

2) Types of Journal Articlesa) Scopei) ITSRJ is a quadrennial publication of papers in turfgrass science and management that may
involve, but is not limited to, plant genetics; breeding; metabolism; physiology; ecology; weed
science; entomology; pathology; soil science and management; multifunctionality andecosystem services provided by turfgrass.
ii) While the most common type of paper to appear in the ITSRJ is the standard research paper, theJournal is also open to publish other sorts of papers. The following categories are acceptableformats for publishing in the ITSRJ. Descriptions of each category are summarized below.
(1) Research Papers (volunteered)(2) Review Papers (invited but may also be volunteered)(3) Issue Papers (invited but may also be volunteered)(4) Case Studies (volunteered)(5) Short Communications (volunteered)(6) Technical Paper(volunteered)b) Research Papersi) Articles reporting experimentation or research in turfgrass will be accepted for review as papers.
These papers will be original works of research that describe the background and justification for
the work, how the work was conducted, and its significant findings along with appropriate
interpretations and conclusions.
ii) Most guides to authors from scientific journals provide clear direction on article structure
relative to the type of research: field, greenhouse, laboratory, etc. The general article structure
describing experiments includes an Abstract, Introduction (including literature review),

1Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion (or Results and Discussion sections combined), andReferences. There may be cases where this structure should be altered based on article/researchcontent and examples of this can be found in numerous journals. Any authors choosing todeviate from a traditional structure for a paper must be able to provide documentation of thatstructure being used elsewhere by a recognized scientific journal to the Editor, Technical Editor,
and/or reviewers.
iii) As a general rule, more repetition of experiments is required when there is less control overconditions. Field studies should be repeated in space or time to reflect appropriate or expectedenvironmental (season, soil, etc.) influences. It is generally expected that field experiments will
be repeated for more than one year. Exceptions to this general rule must be justified by theauthor(s). For example, some research questions may be more appropriately answered byrepeating a trial in the same year under different temperature conditions rather than repeating indifferent years under similar temperature conditions. Authors must provide a brief and clear
rationale regarding decisions on the repetition of trial work that might be unusual to reviewers
and many readers.
There is less need to repeat greenhouse/glasshouse experiments depending on how well theconditions have been controlled. A single run for experiments conducted in a fully controlledenvironment (e.g. flowering, temperature effects) should be adequate. For research involving
controlled environments, see https://www.crops.org/publications/forms_resources/ for guidelines.
c) Review Papersi) Articles reporting reviews or interpretation of experimentation or research in turfgrass will be
accepted for review as papers. Review papers are usually less formal than full-length articles
and may be longer than a research paper but should generally not exceed 16 pages in the
Journal including reference list. Plenary papers are often of this category. Such papers should
provide a synthesis of existing knowledge and give new insights or concepts not previously
presented in the literature, or at least not with the same level of detail. These articles should not
be considered exhaustive reviews of the literature but should instead include enough literature
review to provide a basis for understanding and interpretation of the topic under consideration.
ii) A good review is often one of the most important ways to advance an area of science. Readers
expect a review paper to:(1) deal with an important subject that needs a scholarly review,(2) cover the entire spectrum of the subject, not just the segment about which the author of
the review paper has published articles,(3) present a balanced coverage that is fair to all the work it reviews,(4) add a perspective to the entire subject and contribute significantly to understanding, and(5) identify knowledge gaps and needs for further research.
d) Issue Papersi) The intent of these papers is to stimulate discussion and possibly a rethinking of current views.
They may be provocative and controversial. These papers may give a broader and often more
personal perspective on a subject than a review paper. Papers discussing contemporary
environmental issues may present a combination of scientific, political, legislative, andregulatory perspectives. These papers will often have more of a philosophical bent to them, butmust still be based on a foundation of good science. Although most are invited by the Editor,
volunteer submissions should be welcomed. Plenary papers may also be of this category. The
length of these papers should be limited to 16 pages in the Journal including reference list.

2e) Case Studies Papersi) Case studies should provide thorough documentation of an activity or series of activities thatinvolve turfgrass science or management. These papers should provide all the relevant
information or material gathered about the activity. Arrangements of these papers will probably
be varied because of the diverse and unique subject matter for papers in this category. The
arrangements, however, should serve as an organized record and have analytical value for ascientist, educator, student, manager, etc. The length of these papers should be similar to that ofresearch papers. The same criteria for originality of work and review process apply to papers inthis category as for other categories.
f) Short Communicationsi) Short Communications represent a category of manuscripts that describe recent results andexperiences from research that is still in progress and not necessarily repeated, but that has beenvalidated and discussed in a scientific context. Authors could be graduate students or scientists
that have only one year of field data. Papers on new experimental techniques and apparatus fallin this category if presented in a scientific context. Company representatives are welcome tosubmit results from in-house research of non-commercial character as long as data are analyzed
statistically and interpreted in light of the peer-reviewed literature.
ii) The Short Communications will be published in the same ITSRJ volume and under the samethematic area as full papers, but each paper shall normally not occupy more than three printed
pages in the journal.
iii) Authors submitting papers to ITSRJ must fully understand the consequences of publishingdata in this category. All reputable scientific journals expect that any submitted work is
original and unpublished or not being considered for publication elsewhere. If portions of apaper have been submitted or published elsewhere, the authors are required to disclose thatfact at the time of submission and to provide copies of relevant prior publications. In general,publication as a short communication /technical paper in an issue of ITSRJ will be considered
prior publication only if substantially all of the data and conclusions have been published.
iv) Occasionally, the Editor of ITSRJ may believe a paper submitted as a full paper will better fit
this category, or vice versa. If the author agrees, the manuscript can be transferred to or fromthis category of papers.
v) The criteria for originality remains paramount and the Short Communications will be subjected
to peer-review involving a Technical Editor, an Associate Editor and at least one Reviewer.
Compared with full papers, the deadline for submissions will normally be closer to theconference and the Editor shall – as far as possible - facilitate a rapid review to allow inclusionof recent results.
g) Technical papersi) This category is suitable for concepts, ideas for new projects and experiences from advisorsand practitioners reflecting the benefit of turfgrasses and turfgrass management in real world
situations. It has been set up to encourage participation and communication among various
segments of the turfgrass industry at the conference.
ii) Papers in this category will not be subjected to peer–review, but they will be assigned to a
Technical Editor who will check the English language, ensure that the paper is not ofcommercial character, and offer his/her advice for improvement of the paper.
iii) Technical papers will be published in a digital annex to the ITSRJ designated ‘Nonreviewed technical papers’. The length of a technical paper shall normally not exceed three3

printed pages.

3) Instructions to Authorsa) General Requirementsi) Papers must be either reports of original research, critical reviews, issue/interpretive articles,
case studies, or short communications/technical papers. Submissions to ITSRJ must not be
previously published in or simultaneously submitted to any other scientific or technicaljournal.
b) No Prior Publication, No Simultaneous Submissioni) Except for reviews or issues papers, publications in the ITSRJ must be original reports ofresearch, case studies or practical experiences. Submission of a manuscript for review isunderstood to imply that the work is original and unpublished and not being considered for
publication elsewhere. If portions of the paper have been submitted or published elsewhere, theauthors are required to disclose that fact at the time of submission and to provide copies of
relevant prior publications. Whether publication in nontechnical outlets constitutes priorpublication is decided on a case-by-case basis. In general, publication in non-technical media or
as a short communication / technical paper (e.g. in a previous issue of ITSRJ) will be considered
prior publication only if substantially all of the data and conclusions have been published.
c) Eligibility of Authorsi) Papers are published on the condition that at least one of the authors will attend the ITRC with anoral or poster presentation of the paper.
ii) At least one author of each paper presented to the ITSRJ must be a member in good standing of
the International Turfgrass Society. For full members, an author cannot be the sole member onmore than two paper submissions. Student members cannot be the senior or first author or solemember on more than one paper submission. Authors presenting plenary papers may be the solemember on two paper submissions in addition to the plenary paper. For information on ITS
membership, visit http://www.turfsociety.comd) Length of the Printed Paperi) Manuscripts should be as concise as possible to reduce to a minimum the number of pages of theITSRJ. As a general rule the maximum recommended length of an invited paper is 16 pages andof a submitted oral paper or poster is 8 pages, including figures and tables, except for shortcommunications / technical papers which should be no more than 3 pages. An average page oftext will contain about 800 words. Manuscript reviewers may recommend eliminating
unnecessary information and will advise on the number of pages each manuscript should havetaking into account its content and characteristics. ITS will have the right to charge a fixedcharge per page exceeding a certain length to be announced at the call for paper submissions.
e) Languagei) English is the official language for the Journal. The ITSRJ has no preference whether English or
American spelling (fertilizer-fertiliser, center-centre, etc.) is used although uniformity withineach paper is required. Latin words or phrases are in italics, with the exception of very common

4expressions such as "i.e.," "e.g.," "et al.," "in vitro," "ex vitro" and "etc." The expression "etc."
for "and so forth" should be used only with series, such as 1, 2, 3, etc. The authors’ instructions
used by the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS) contain useful suggestions for
preparing a manuscript for an international audience; see http://www.ishs.org/wri/pap1.htm.
f) Unitsi) Use the metric system exclusively. Use abbreviation L for liter, mg/L for milligram per liter, ml
for milliliter, and t for tonne (metric ton). SI units can be used where appropriate.
g) Arrangement of Manuscriptsi) Manuscripts of research papers prepared for ITSRJ are normally arranged in the following order:(1) Title and byline.
(2) Author–paper documentation (addresses/affiliations, e-mail of the corresponding author, etc.).
(3) Abstract.
(4) Introduction (including literature review).
(5) Materials and Methods.
(6) Results. This section is sometimes combined with the discussion.
(7) Discussion. This may include a subsection for conclusions. No separate summary section isused, because it would duplicate the function of the abstract; a summary statement may,
however, be given as a closing paragraph.
(8) Acknowledgments (optional).
(9) References. (The reference format used by Crop Science is recommended; it
provides a comprehensive list of journal name abbreviations to use).
(10) Figure captions, then tables, then the figures themselves.
ii) Authors are encouraged to review the Style Manual of the American Society of Agronomy fordetails on arrangement of papers. Deviations from this order are acceptable if based on a
structure that is consistent with the subject matter content; it is preferred that the arrangement bebased on one used by a recognized scientific journal. For the cases where the arrangement of amanuscript is highly unusual, the corresponding author should consider providing an example
paper using such an arrangement along with the submission or the Editor and Technical Editor
may request this from the corresponding author.
h) Statistical Design and Analysis – Research papersi) A description of the statistical design and analysis is expected so that readers can judge theresults for validity. The particular statistical method used and its appropriateness depend upon
the type of research, theoretical assumptions, sampling design, and type of observations. The
reporting of the results from each analysis should include a brief description of the statisticalmethod and a literature citation providing its full detail, and descriptions of sampling design andexperimental observations in relation to the statistical analysis. In all cases, a measure of thestatistical confidence used to interpret the data in relation to the research question(s) should bereported by the authors.
ii) More details on reporting of statistical design and analysis can be found in the guidelines for
authors of many scientific journals; for example, see
https://www.crops.org/files/publications/style/chapter- 04.pdf Additionally, the following
textbooks provide detailed discussions of the principles and procedures of statistics forresearch.
(1) Little, T.M., and F.J. Hills. 1980. Statistical methods in agricultural research. John Wiley &Sons, New York.
(2) Steel, R.G.D., and J.H. Torrie. 1980. Principles and procedures of statistics: A

5

biometrical approach. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.
(3) Steel, R.G.D., J.H. Torrie, and D.A. Dickey. 1997. Principles and procedures ofstatistics: A biometrical approach. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.
i) Description of Soil
i) Authors should use the system that applies in their country for describing the soil used in anexperiment that will be published in ITSRJ. If feasible, authors are also encouraged to provide
the equivalent description in the US soil classification, at least at the broader level.
ii) In the cases where turfgrass will be grown on a man-made profile, the profile should beproperly described and a soil type will not be stated. Some countries have terms for such soils;
for example, anthroposols in The Australian Soil Classification (Isbell, 2003) and there issimilar terminology in other systems around the world, which authors should use.
j) Chemical Namesi) Authors should use the simplified common name of chemicals based on standard on-line databases.
k) Plant Species and Cultivar Namesi) The scientific and common names of plant species and cultivars should be stated at first
appearance in the paper, and then scientific names thereafter. This is the preference for aninternational audience given the often parochial nature and use of common names. The botanicalauthority should be stated the first time only or in a list in a table.
ii) There is often confusion about names of plant varieties. Full and correct names should always be
used. For example, the registered name of the hybrid bermudagrass is ‘Champion Dwarf’(PP9888) not ‘Champion’ as is often stated. Moreover, plant varieties are sold with formal
cultivar names or under a trademark, either registered or unregistered. These need to bedifferentiated clearly and used accurately. For species names, use single quotation marks aroundthe cultivar name only; ™ or ® should be used with a varietal name at first use only, and simply
the name thereafter. FloraDwarf is a trademark used with ‘FHB-135’ (PP9030), and TifSport isthe trademark use to market ‘Tift 94’ (PP10079). If these names are unregistered in the countryof the research, these names should bereferred to with a trademark: as FloraDwarf™ and TifSport™. If the name is a registeredtrademarks, a superscript ® should be substituted for ™: for example, Paspalum vaginatum
SeaDwarf®.
l) Ethical Responsibilitiesi) Issues such as plagiarism and not giving proper credit to others will not be tolerated in
ITSRJ. Evidence of plagiarism and similar misconduct are immediate grounds forrejection of a manuscript and loss of membership in ITS.

4) System for Refereeing Manuscripts Submitted to ITSRJa) Editorial Boardi) The ITSRJ will have both an Editor (for the current Conference) and an Assistant Editor (normallythe designated Editor for the next Conference) that are selected by the ITS Board. The Editor and6Assistant Editor will propose a broad international group of Technical and Associate Editorsreflecting the diversity of the ITS membership.
ii) The selection of Technical and Associate Editors must also be matched the wide range of
topics in the ITSRJ including, but not limited to, soils, nutrition, breeding and molecularstudies, plant physiology, ecology, weeds, pests, diseases, economics, education andecosystem servicesiii) Manuscripts should be assigned to Technical and Associated Editors with appropriate expertise.
b) Review Processi) The editorial process for ITSRJ is described for the benefit of improving consistency inrefereeing standards for all submitted manuscripts. The review process is provided to all
Editorial Board members (Editor, Assistant Editor, Technical Editors, Associate Editors andreviewers). It also available through the ITS website and is included in all calls for papers.
ii) All manuscripts are to be submitted electronically to the submission platform decided by the
Editor. The Editor will make an immediate determination of each manuscript as it is submitted
regarding its readiness for review. The Editor may ask the Assistant Editor for a second opinion
regarding the readiness of a manuscript but this action should not substantially delay thedecision. If the manuscript is ready, it is immediately assigned to a Technical Editor with theappropriate expertise. The Technical Editor has the authority to may make suggestions andprovide the authors an opportunity to revise the manuscript accordingly and, should time allow,
resubmit the manuscript for review.
iii) The Editor along with the Assistant Editor will assemble an appropriate number of Technicaland Associate Editors that will be representative of the membership of ITS. Once assembled, alisting of Associate Editors will be reported to the ITS Board for approval. The ITS Board has
authority to request modifications in composition of the Associate Editors. The assembly ofTechnical and Associate Editors should be completed and published on the ITS website before
the call for papers.
iv) The Editor will be responsible for monitoring all Technical Editors and assuring an expedientand fair review process. The Assistant Editor may assist the Editor with this duty but thisshould be limited and full responsibility for all manuscripts lies with the Editor.
v) The Editor is responsible for handling all appeals. The Editor may assign appeals to the Assistant
Editor in the case of a conflict of interest or an extraordinary number of appeal cases.
vi) Plenary and invited papers should be refereed by the Editor and the Assistant Editor or a
Technical Editor qualified to review the subject matter. The Editor may select a reviewer otherthan the Assistant Editor or an Associate Editor if expertise outside the Editorial Board isrequired.
vii) Each Associate Editor will handle no more than five manuscripts. Associate Editors will solicit
two additional reviews for each manuscript, with the exception of Short Communications which
will require one additional review. All reviewers agreeing to review for ITSRJ will be sent theStandards for ITSRJ by the Associate Editor.
viii) Any recommendations from the Associate Editor for each manuscript to the Editor should bebased on a minimum of two reviews.
ix) See the document – Guidelines for ITSRJ Reviews – for more information on review criteria
and recommendations of reviewers, Associate Editors, Technical Editors and the Editor.
c) Appeal Processi) Authors will have the option to appeal any result of the review of a submitted manuscript.
ii) Authors and the Editorial Board must adhere to all submission and review deadlines for theappeal process to be effective. If timelines are not meet, there may not be sufficient time to7

process appeals.
iii) All appeals are made to the Editor. Immediately upon appeal, the Editor and/or Assistant Editor
will identify at least one representative from the author’s region or country to assist with theappeal. The country/regional representative does not need to, but may, be a Technical or
Associate Editor or ITS Board member. The appeals board will be a three-person including the
Editor, Assistant Editor, and country/regional review representative. A majority vote by theappeals board constitutes a valid decision on the appeal.
iv) The Technical Editor that handled the appealed manuscript may be queried for information
about the appealed manuscript but will not deliberate or have a vote on the decision of theappeal.
v) The Editor and Technical Editor should be prepared to report on any appeal to the ITS Board forthe purpose of monitoring the integrity of the process with the expectation that this would berarely done, if at all.

8