Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.

Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.

An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper.

General considerations

All manuscript types must meet the journal's standards of scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal's scope. Submissions should demonstrate a meaningful contribution to advancing agricultural extension, agricultural innovation, and the sustainable development of agri-food systems.

Article types

The Journal of Agricultural Extension & Development (REDA) accepts the following types of manuscripts:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Research Notes

Original research articles

These articles correspond to unpublished scientific studies that present findings derived from empirical or experimental research. Manuscripts must follow the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion) and provide robust evidence addressing topics such as agricultural extension, technology adoption, sustainability of production systems, and agricultural development.

Structure

• Title: (mandatory in Spanish and English)
• Abstract: (200–250 words) (mandatory in Spanish and English): should include the purpose, methodology, main findings, implications for agricultural extension, and contribution of the study.
• Keywords: in spanish and english (4–6 keywords)
• Introduction: should provide the background and context of the research problem, justify its relevance to agricultural extension, and clearly state the research objectives or hypotheses.
• Methodology: should describe the research design, study area, participants or units of analysis, data collection techniques, and statistical or qualitative analysis procedures.
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• References

Review articles

These articles include systematic reviews, narrative reviews, and meta-analyses that synthesize the current state of knowledge on a specific topic. They must provide a critical analysis of the scientific literature, identify knowledge gaps, and propose research agendas in areas related to agricultural extension, innovation, and agricultural development.

Review articles may include:

• Narrative reviews
• Systematic reviews
• Meta-analyses

Structure

• Title: (in Spanish and English)
• Abstract: (maximum 250 words) (in spanish and english)
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Thematic synthesis results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• References

Research notes

These are brief contributions that describe innovative methodologies, tools, technologies, or procedures applicable to the agricultural sector. These notes should highlight their practical utility, reproducibility, and potential for adoption in production contexts.

Research notes may include:

• Pilot evaluations
• Proof-of-concept studies
• Study replications

Structure

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• References

Manuscript structure

The manuscript should be organized following a logical structure that facilitates the understanding of the scientific content. The title must be concise, informative, and specific, avoiding the unnecessary use of abbreviations or ambiguous expressions, and should include the main variables of the study.

Abstract

The abstract must be presented as a single paragraph, with a length of 200–250 words, and should concisely describe the study objective, methodology, main findings, and most relevant conclusions. It should not include citations or undefined abbreviations. The abstract must be self-contained and understandable without requiring consultation of the full manuscript.

The abstract should follow the order below:

• Study context and purpose: briefly describe the research problem and its relevance to agricultural extension and development, indicating the main objective or hypothesis, when applicable.
• Methodology: describe the study design, research setting, population or unit of analysis, main data collection and analysis techniques, and, when relevant, the study period.
• Main findings: present the most relevant results, including quantitative information whenever possible. Interpretations, bibliographic citations, or information not developed in the manuscript should not be included.
• Conclusions and implications: state the main conclusion of the study and its contribution to strengthening agricultural extension processes, technology transfer, innovation, rural development, or public policy formulation, as applicable.

Keywords

Keywords should include four to six terms that represent the main content of the article. Authors should avoid repeating terms used in the title and should preferably use controlled vocabularies.

Main text

The main text constitutes the core of the scientific manuscript and should be structured in a logical, coherent, and rigorous manner, allowing readers to understand the research problem addressed, the methods used, the findings obtained, and their scientific or practical relevance. The following sections describe the components of the manuscript and provide specific considerations for their preparation.

Introduction

The Introduction should provide the reader with the context of the study, presenting the research problem and its scientific, technical, or social relevance in a progressive manner. It should include a critical synthesis of the most relevant background information, highlighting existing advances and limitations in current knowledge. The Introduction should not be limited to a mere enumeration of previous studies; rather, it should establish a coherent narrative that leads to the identification of a knowledge gap or a specific research need.

The study objective or proposed hypothesis should be clearly stated and must be directly linked to the research problem described. Authors are encouraged to avoid excessively extensive literature reviews and maintain a focused approach that adequately justifies the relevance and contribution of the study.

Methodology

This section should clearly and systematically describe how the research was conducted to ensure that the study can be replicated. The study location should be specified, including relevant characteristics such as climatic, educational, environmental, social, and cultural conditions, when applicable.

The methodological design should also be described in detail, including the type of study, sample size, and corresponding experimental units. The evaluated variables must be clearly defined, including the measurement methods and instruments used. Statistical analyses should be presented accurately, specifying the models applied, statistical tests performed, significance level, and software used.

Authors should use International System of Units (SI units) and maintain consistent terminology throughout the section.

Results

The Results section should present the findings of the study in a clear, organized, and objective manner, without extensive interpretation. Results should be arranged according to a logical sequence that addresses the study objectives or proposed hypotheses.

The use of tables and figures is encouraged when they enhance the understanding of the information and do not duplicate the content described in the text. Each reported finding must be supported by verifiable data, including, when applicable, measures of variability and statistical significance. The text should emphasize the most relevant findings while avoiding redundant descriptions of information already presented in graphical elements.

Discussion

The Discussion section aims to interpret the findings obtained and place them within the context of existing scientific knowledge. Authors should analyze the meaning of the results, explain possible causes underlying the observed findings, and compare them with previous studies, highlighting similarities, discrepancies, and novel contributions.

The Discussion should not merely repeat the Results section but should provide deeper interpretation, considering both theoretical and practical implications. Study limitations may also be addressed, and future research directions may be proposed. The arguments presented should be robust, evidence-based, and coherently linked to the objectives stated in the Introduction.

Conclusions

The Conclusions section should clearly and concisely summarize the main findings of the study in relation to the proposed objective. Conclusions should be written directly, avoiding the repetition of results or the inclusion of new information that has not been previously presented.

Conclusions must be fully supported by the data obtained and should reflect the contribution of the study to existing knowledge or its practical application. When appropriate, recommendations derived from the findings may be included, provided that they are adequately supported. Excessive generalizations or statements beyond the scope of the study should be avoided.

Author Contributions

At the time of manuscript submission, authors must declare the specific contribution of each participant involved in the research, following the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework. This statement promotes transparency in authorship attribution and allows the identification of each author's contribution.

CRediT roles include, among others: conceptualization, methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing – original draft, writing – review and editing, project administration, and funding acquisition.

The author contribution statement should be included at the end of the manuscript, before the References section.

Example:

Author Contributions. JP: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, formal analysis, and writing – original draft. MG: Data curation, validation, visualization, and writing – review and editing. CR: Supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, and manuscript review.

All authors must have made substantial contributions to the research, approved the final version of the manuscript, and accepted responsibility for its content. The inclusion of individuals who do not meet authorship criteria constitutes an unacceptable editorial practice. Contributions that do not justify authorship should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section.

Funding

Authors must declare all funding sources that supported the research and/or preparation of the manuscript. This information should include the name of the funding institution, project, contract, or grant number (when applicable), and the author responsible for the funding, if relevant.

If the research did not receive external funding, this must be explicitly stated.

The funding statement should be included at the end of the manuscript, after the Author Contributions section and before the Conflict of Interest Statement section.

Example:

Funding. This research was funded by the National Program for Scientific Research and Advanced Studies (PROCIENCIA), through Project No. XXX-2026-PROCIENCIA, and by the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), through Investment Project CUI No. XXXXXXXX.

Conflict of Interest Statement

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could influence the results or interpretation of the study. These may include, but are not limited to, funding sources, consultancies, intellectual property ownership, institutional affiliations, or relevant personal relationships.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors must explicitly state this.

The conflict of interest statement should be included at the end of the manuscript, after the Funding section and before the Acknowledgments section, when applicable.

Example:

Conflict of Interest Statement. The authors declare that there are no financial, personal, academic, or institutional conflicts of interest related to this research.

References

References must be prepared according to the standards of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition. The reference list should include only sources cited in the text and must be arranged alphabetically according to the surname of the first author.

Authors are encouraged to prioritize relevant, current, and peer-reviewed scientific literature, preferably published within the last five years, unless older studies are considered seminal or essential references for the research. Sources that are difficult to access, lack scientific support, or do not provide verifiable evidence should be avoided.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and consistency of all references, ensuring correspondence between in-text citations and the final reference list. When available, authors should include the DOI or permanent URL of the publication.

General considerations for manuscript preparation and submission

Manuscript language 

Manuscripts may be submitted in Spanish. Titles, abstracts, and keywords must be provided in both Spanish and English. Additionally, abstracts and keywords may optionally be submitted in an Indigenous language related to the study context. In all cases, authors are expected to use clear, precise, and technical language appropriate to the academic standards of the journal. Authors are responsible for ensuring the linguistic quality of the manuscript; therefore, specialized language revision is recommended when the language of submission is not the authors’ native language.

Writing style

Manuscripts must be written using technical, formal, and precise language, preferably in the third person and using an impersonal style. Consistency and coherence should be maintained throughout the text, with appropriate logical connectors to facilitate understanding. Authors should avoid ambiguities, redundancies, subjective statements, and colloquial expressions, ensuring a clear and academic writing style.

Manuscript format

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format, using Times New Roman font, size 12, single line spacing, and 2.5 cm margins on all sides. Pages and lines must be numbered to facilitate the peer-review process.

Tables and figures 

Tables and figures must be presented clearly, organized, and numbered consecutively according to their first appearance in the text. Each table or figure must include a descriptive title that allows independent understanding of its content.

Images must have adequate resolution for publication, with a minimum recommendation of 300 dpi. Redundancy between tables and figures should be avoided, as well as unnecessary repetition of information already described in the text.

Ethical considerations 

Authors must ensure that the manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Authors must also disclose any potential conflicts of interest and, when applicable, indicate compliance with ethical standards related to experimentation, biosafety, or the use of living organisms.

Furthermore, all authors (the corresponding author and co-authors) are responsible for the accuracy of the data presented, the opinions expressed, and the consistency of the cited information with the original sources. Scientific integrity and transparency are fundamental principles in the publication process. The Editorial Committee reserves the right to reject manuscripts in which any ethical non-compliance or undeclared conflict of interest is identified.

Manuscript submission procedure

Authors interested in publishing in the Journal of Agricultural Extension & Development must submit their manuscripts through the online editorial management system (OJS). During submission, authors must complete the required metadata and upload the corresponding documentation, ensuring the consistency and accuracy of the information provided.

Before submission, authors must prepare and attach the following information:

Cover letter 

The manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter addressed to the editorial team, including:

• A clear statement confirming that the manuscript is original, unpublished, and has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal.

• A brief justification of the relevance of the study and its contribution to the field of agricultural extension and development.

• Confirmation that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Once you have verified that your submission complies with these requirements, please use the checklist below to prepare your manuscript for submission.