Author Guidelines

Authors are required to carefully prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the template and editorial standards of Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA). Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal’s formatting, structure, citation style, and ethical requirements may be returned to the authors before entering the peer-review process.

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA) must meet the following requirements:

1. The manuscript must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication in another journal or publication outlet.
2. The manuscript must be relevant to the focus and scope of Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA), including agronomy, crop science, horticulture, soil science, land management, plant protection, phytopathology, animal husbandry, animal health, postharvest technology, agribusiness, agroecology, sustainable agriculture, smart farming, digital agriculture, and precision agriculture.
3. The manuscript may be written in English or Bahasa Indonesia.
4. The manuscript must follow the official article template provided by the journal.
5. The manuscript must be written in clear, concise, systematic, and academic language.
6. The manuscript must use recent, relevant, and reputable references, especially journal articles, books, proceedings, government reports, and other reliable scientific sources.
7. All submitted manuscripts will undergo editorial screening, plagiarism checking, and peer-review evaluation.

2. Types of Manuscripts

Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA) accepts the following types of manuscripts:

1. Original Research Articles, which present empirical findings based on qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, experimental, field-based, laboratory-based, or applied research.
2. Review Articles, which critically examine current scientific developments, theoretical debates, methodological issues, or emerging trends in agricultural science and related fields.
3. Scientific Conceptual Articles, which offer theoretical, methodological, or policy-oriented contributions relevant to agricultural development and sustainability.

3. Manuscript Title

The title must be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the main focus of the research. The title should not exceed 15 words. It should clearly indicate the main issue, object, variable, or context of the study.

The title should avoid unnecessary words, abbreviations, and overly general expressions. A good title should represent the novelty and scientific contribution of the manuscript.

4. Author Identity and Affiliation

The manuscript must include complete author information, consisting of:

1. Full name of each author;
2. Institutional affiliation;
3. Country of affiliation;
4. Email address of the corresponding author;
5. ORCID ID, if available.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial team during the submission, review, revision, and publication process.

5. Abstract

The abstract must be written in one paragraph and should be provided in English and Bahasa Indonesia. The abstract should contain 150–250 words.

The abstract must clearly present the following components:

1. Objective: briefly explains the main purpose of the research and why the study is important.
2. Methodology: describes the research approach, research design, data sources, data collection techniques, and data analysis method in a concise manner.
3. Findings: presents the most significant findings of the study.
4. Research Implications: explains the theoretical, practical, policy, or methodological implications of the findings.
5. Originality/Value: states the novelty and contribution of the research compared to previous studies.

The abstract should not contain citations, tables, figures, or unnecessary technical details.

6. Keywords

Authors must provide a maximum of five keywords. Keywords should represent the main concepts, variables, objects, or field of study discussed in the manuscript.

Keywords should be written in alphabetical order when possible and separated by semicolons.

Example:

Keywords: agroecology; digital agriculture; food security; smart farming; sustainable agriculture.

7. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles submitted to Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA) should generally follow the structure below:

1. Title;
2. Author names and affiliations;
3. Abstract;
4. Keywords;
5. Introduction;
6. Literature Review;
7. Methodology;
8. Results;
9. Discussion;
10. Conclusion;
11. Suggestion;
12. Declarations;
13. References;
14. Appendix, if applicable;
15. About the Contributor(s).

8. Introduction

The introduction should be written systematically and should guide readers from the broader agricultural phenomenon to the specific research problem. The introduction should include four main elements:

a. Agricultural Social Facts or Actual Phenomenon

Authors should begin by explaining current phenomena in agriculture that are relevant to the scope of Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA). These may include issues related to agronomy, crop production, horticulture, soil and land management, plant protection, animal husbandry, postharvest technology, agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, agroecology, smart farming, digital agriculture, or precision agriculture.

The phenomenon should be supported by empirical data, previous research, official reports, agricultural statistics, field observations, or other credible evidence. Authors should explain the relevance and impact of the phenomenon on agricultural productivity, food security, farmers’ welfare, environmental sustainability, rural communities, agribusiness development, technological innovation, and agricultural policy.

b. Literature Facts and Research Gap

Authors should review previous studies related to the topic. The literature should be organized into relevant categories or themes to show how the issue has been studied. Authors are encouraged to present at least three categories of previous research to clarify the scientific position of the study.

After reviewing previous studies, authors must clearly identify the research gap. This gap may refer to theoretical limitations, methodological weaknesses, contextual differences, limited data, contradictory findings, or underexplored issues.

c. Research Objective

The research objective must clearly explain what the study seeks to examine, analyze, test, describe, or develop. The objective should directly respond to the research gap identified in the previous section.

d. Argument or Hypothesis

Authors should present the main argument, proposition, or hypothesis of the study. For quantitative research, the hypothesis may describe the expected relationship between variables. For qualitative research, the argument may present the initial analytical position or conceptual direction of the study.

9. Literature Review

The literature review should discuss the key concepts, theories, and previous studies relevant to the research topic. Authors should explain the conceptual definitions and categories of each main concept used in the study.

The literature review may include:

1. Definition of key concepts;
2. Theoretical framework;
3. Categorization of concepts;
4. Relevant variables, dimensions, indicators, types, forms, stages, or cases;
5. Critical synthesis of previous studies.

The literature review should not merely summarize previous studies but should critically analyze them to support the research framework and strengthen the novelty of the manuscript.

10. Methodology

The methodology section must explain the research process clearly and transparently. It should allow readers to understand how the research was conducted and how the data were analyzed.

The methodology section should include:

a. Unit of Analysis

Authors must clearly state what is being studied. The unit of analysis may include individuals, farmer groups, agricultural institutions, commodities, land areas, farming systems, technologies, policies, documents, communities, or specific agricultural practices.

b. Research Design

Authors must explain the research design used in the study, such as qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, experimental, survey, case study, field research, laboratory research, or literature-based research. The reason for choosing the design should also be explained.

c. Data or Information Sources

Authors should describe the sources of data or information used in the study. These may include respondents, informants, field observations, laboratory results, survey data, government reports, institutional documents, statistical databases, literature, or other relevant sources.

d. Data Collection Techniques

Authors must explain how data were collected. Data collection techniques may include observation, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus group discussions, laboratory testing, field measurements, documentation, or secondary data collection.

e. Data Analysis

Authors must explain the analytical techniques used in the study. These may include descriptive analysis, statistical analysis, regression analysis, thematic analysis, content analysis, comparative analysis, spatial analysis, laboratory analysis, or other methods relevant to the research design.

11. Results

The results section must present the research findings objectively and systematically. The presentation of results should be aligned with the research objectives or research questions.

Authors may present findings using textual explanation, tables, figures, graphs, diagrams, maps, or other visualizations. Each table and figure must be cited in the main text and numbered sequentially.

Example:

Figure 1. Description of the figure.
Table 1. Description of the table.

The results section should include:

1. Presentation of research data;
2. Data visualization, if necessary;
3. Explanation of patterns, trends, or relationships found in the data;
4. Initial interpretation of the findings.

12. Discussion

The discussion section must provide an in-depth interpretation of the research findings. Authors should not simply repeat the results but should explain their meaning, significance, and contribution.

The discussion should include:

1. Summary of the main findings;
2. Explanation of why the findings occurred;
3. Comparison with previous studies;
4. Identification of similarities and differences with existing literature;
5. Explanation of the novelty of the study;
6. Interpretation of theoretical, practical, social, environmental, technological, or policy implications;
7. Reflection on the strengths, limitations, and possible consequences of the findings;
8. Recommended action or policy direction based on the findings.

13. Conclusion

The conclusion must summarize the main findings and scientific contributions of the study. It should be written concisely and should not merely repeat the abstract or discussion.

The conclusion should include:

1. The key findings of the study;
2. The scientific contribution of the research;
3. The practical, policy, or methodological implications;
4. The limitations of the study;
5. Recommendations for future research.

14. Suggestion

The suggestion section should provide recommendations based on the research findings. Suggestions may be directed to researchers, practitioners, farmers, agricultural institutions, policymakers, industry stakeholders, or community organizations.

Authors should ensure that suggestions are realistic, relevant, and directly connected to the research findings.

15. Declarations

All manuscripts must include a declaration section before the references. The declaration section should contain the following elements:

a. Author Contributions

Authors must describe the specific contribution of each author.

Example:

Author Contributions: A.B. contributed to conceptualization and literature review. C.D. contributed to methodology and data analysis. E.F. contributed to writing, review, and editing. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

b. Conflicts of Interest

Authors must declare whether there is any conflict of interest.

Example:

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

c. Funding

Authors must state whether the research received funding.

Example:

Funding: This research received no external funding.

d. Ethical Approval

For research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or sensitive information, authors must provide ethical approval information, including the name of the ethics committee and approval number, if applicable.

e. Data Availability Statement

Authors should explain where and how the data supporting the findings can be accessed.

Example:

Data Availability Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

f. Acknowledgments

Authors may acknowledge individuals, institutions, funding bodies, or other parties who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

16. References

References must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (APA 7th edition).

Authors must ensure that all sources cited in the manuscript are listed in the reference section, and all references listed must be cited in the manuscript. References should be arranged alphabetically by the authors’ surnames.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use recent references from reputable sources, especially peer-reviewed journal articles. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be provided whenever available using full URL format.

Example:

Journal Article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Book Chapter
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In A. Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Government Report
Institution Name. (Year). Title of report. Publisher. URL

Webpage
Author or Institution. (Year). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL

17. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must be clear, readable, and relevant to the manuscript. They must be numbered sequentially and cited in the text.

Authors should ensure that:

1. Tables and figures are placed close to the text where they are first mentioned;
2. Each table and figure has a concise title or caption;
3. Tables are editable and not inserted as images;
4. Figures have sufficient resolution;
5. Sources are provided when tables or figures are adapted from other works.

18. Citation Style

In-text citations must follow APA 7th edition style.

Examples:

Narrative citation:

Smith and Brown (2022) argue that sustainable agriculture requires integrated resource management.

Parenthetical citation:

Sustainable agriculture requires integrated resource management (Smith & Brown, 2022).

For sources with three or more authors, use et al.

Example:

Rahman et al. (2023) found that digital agriculture improves farming efficiency.

19. Plagiarism and Similarity Check

All manuscripts submitted to Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA) will be checked using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts with excessive similarity or indications of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, or unethical academic practice may be rejected.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and for properly citing all sources used in the manuscript.

20. Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted through the official online submission system of Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA). Authors must register or log in as an author before submitting the manuscript.

During submission, authors must ensure that:

1. The manuscript follows the journal template;
2. The manuscript file is complete and anonymous if required by the review policy;
3. Metadata are filled in correctly;
4. Author names, affiliations, emails, and ORCID IDs are accurate;
5. The abstract and keywords are entered correctly;
6. References are complete and formatted according to APA 7th edition.

21. Copyright and License

Authors who publish with Holistic: Journal of Agriculture (HJA) retain copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Articles published in this journal are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.

22. Final Submission Checklist

Before submitting the manuscript, authors must ensure that:

1. The manuscript is original and has not been submitted elsewhere;
2. The manuscript is relevant to the focus and scope of HJA;
3. The title does not exceed 15 words;
4. The abstract is written in English and Bahasa Indonesia;
5. The abstract contains 150–250 words;
6. Keywords are provided, with a maximum of five keywords;
7. The manuscript follows the official HJA template;
8. The introduction includes agricultural phenomenon, literature gap, research objective, and argument or hypothesis;
9. The methodology is clear and complete;
10. Tables and figures are properly numbered and cited in the text;
11. Declarations are included;
12. References follow APA 7th edition;
13. The manuscript has been checked for grammar, clarity, formatting, and plagiarism;
14. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.