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GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS


GENERAL

South-east European forestry (SEEFOR) is an open-access, peer-reviewed, international journal publishing research covering all aspects of forestry and related disciplines.

Before preparing a manuscript, authors should review the journal’s Aims and Scope to ensure that the topic fits the journal. Additional information is available in the Publication Policy, Publication Procedure, and Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement sections.

To facilitate the publication process, authors are requested to follow these Guidelines for Authors when preparing their manuscripts. Manuscripts not prepared in accordance with these guidelines may be returned to authors prior to peer review.

 

TYPES OF PAPERS

The journal publishes original scientific papers, preliminary communications, review papers, and data papers written in the English language. During the submission process, authors are required to propose the category of the submitted manuscript.

  • Original scientific papers report unpublished results of original research and must contain sufficient information to enable the reproducibility of the described research.
  • Preliminary communications contain unpublished preliminary, but significant, results of ongoing research that require rapid dissemination. These papers may present a limited dataset or early findings and do not necessarily require all methodological details for full reproducibility.
  • Review papers provide an original, critical, and up-to-date synthesis of a specific topic or research field in forest science, based on a comprehensive and relevant literature.
  • Data papers describe original, well-structured and well-documented datasets relevant to forest science (e.g., forest inventory and monitoring datasets, long-term ecological and environmental datasets, experimental or observational datasets, remote sensing and geospatial datasets, modelling input or output datasets relevant to forestry, etc.). The primary purpose of a data paper is to enable data access, reuse, and citation, rather than to test specific hypotheses or draw extensive scientific conclusions.

 

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Authors must use the official Microsoft Word templates (Title Page template and Manuscript template) to prepare their submission. The use of these templates is mandatory and facilitates consistent formatting and efficient editorial processing.

Manuscripts should be submitted online via the journal’s Manuscript Submission system by registering and logging in to the website. The entire submission, editorial, and peer-review process is conducted using the Open Journal System (OJS). Online submission streamlines editorial handling, shortens review and publication timelines, and allows authors to track the status of their manuscripts throughout the process.

 

CONDITIONS

During the submission process conducted using the Open Journal System (OJS), authors are required to agree to the journal’s conditions as stated in the Submission Checklist and the Copyright and Licensing Notice.

The submission of a manuscript implies that:

  • the work described is original and has not been previously published,
  • the manuscript is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
  • the manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the Guidelines for Authors,
  • the submission has been approved by all co-authors.

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce figures, tables, or other material from previously published sources, where required. Manuscripts reporting research involving animals or humans must comply with relevant ethical standards and legislation. Papers that do not meet ethical or editorial standards will not be accepted for publication.

For data papers, authors are required to deposit the dataset in a recognised, publicly accessible data repository (e.g., institutional, national, or international) prior to publication. The manuscript must include a Data Availability Statement that provides a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI) or a stable access link to the dataset.

Authors retain the copyright of their published work. By submitting and publishing an article in South-east European forestry, authors grant the Publisher (Croatian Forest Research Institute) a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article. All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. For more detailed information, please refer to Open Access & Copyright.

 

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION


Language and Style

Only papers written in proper English (UK language standard) are considered. The authors have to follow a concise scientific style of writing. The authors need to ensure that the manuscript does not contain grammatical, stylistic or other linguistic errors. Thus, the authors who are not native speakers of English are kindly asked to use an independent copy-editing service.


Manuscript Layout and Manuscript Template

The submission must be conducted using the official Microsoft Word templates (Title Page template and Manuscript template).

Title Page Template

A Title Page is mandatory for all submissions and must be uploaded as a separate file. It includes:

  • Suggested type of the paper,
  • Title of the manuscript,
  • Full names of the authors with the indication of the corresponding author,
  • Full names of institutional addresses,
  • E-mail address for the corresponding author,
  • Author contributions,
  • Funding,
  • Acknowledgments,
  • Conflict of interest,
  • Suggested reviewers.

Because of the double-blind peer review process, this part of the manuscript will not be disclosed to reviewers during the editorial process. Also, it is recommended for the co-authors to avoid being identified anywhere in the manuscript. Please note that during the manuscript submission, you will be requested to submit the complete information of all authors, including e-mail addresses, on the OJS page. This information will not be revealed to the reviewers, but it will be available to the editors.  


Manuscript Template

Manuscripts have to be submitted as a single Microsoft Word file (.docx) with all tables and figures inserted into the main text close to their first citation. There are no limitations on manuscript length, provided the text is concise and comprehensive.

The structure of the manuscript has to follow the intended category of the paper.

An original scientific paper and preliminary communication should have the following sections:

  • Title: Concise, precise, and informative; clearly reflects the content of the paper. Abbreviations and colloquial expressions should be avoided.
  • Abstract: A clear and structured summary of the study, not exceeding 400 words. Briefly states the research context and objectives, outlines the materials and methods, summarises the key results, and highlights the main conclusions. Written as a single paragraph; references should not be included, and abbreviations should be kept to a minimum.
  • Keywords: Four to seven keywords reflecting the main topics of the paper and supporting indexing and discoverability. Keywords should preferably differ from words used in the title.
  • Introduction: Clearly defines the aims and significance of the study and places it in the context of existing research. Relevant literature should be cited to outline the current state of knowledge, while extensive or unnecessary literature reviews should be avoided.
  • Materials and Methods: Description of the study design, materials, and methods in sufficient detail to ensure reproducibility. Novel methods should be described in detail, while established methods may be cited. Subsections (e.g. Study Area, Data Collection, Statistical Analysis) may be used where appropriate.
  • Results: Presented clearly and concisely, without interpretation. Redundant presentation of the same results in both tables and figures should be avoided. The Results and Discussion sections may be combined only if scientifically justified.
  • Discussion: Interpretation and contextualization of the results, explanation of their significance, and comparison with previous studies. Results should not be repeated. Limitations and implications may be addressed where relevant.
  • Conclusions: Presented clearly and succinctly, highlighting the main findings that directly arise from the results. No new data or interpretations should be introduced.
  • Appendix (optional): Additional material that supports the main text but is not essential for understanding the core results (e.g., detailed tables, extended methodological descriptions, or supplementary analyses). Appendices are included within the manuscript file after the Conclusions section and referenced in the main text where appropriate.
  • References: List of all cited literature, formatted according to the journal’s reference style. Only sources cited in the text should be included. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references.
  • Supplementary files (optional): Additional materials provided as separate files that complement the article (e.g., extended datasets, figures, tables, multimedia content, or methodological documentation). Supplementary files are published online and referenced in the main text where appropriate.


Review papers may follow a more flexible structure than original research articles. Title, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Conclusions, and References are mandatory sections, while Materials and Methods and Results sections may be omitted where not applicable. The organisation of the remaining sections and headings should be determined by the scope and objectives of the review.


A data paper should generally include the following sections:

  • Title: Clear and descriptive; reflects the content of the dataset, including key variables and, where relevant, spatial and temporal coverage.
  • Abstract: Concise summary of the dataset, its purpose, and scope. Describes the data content, methods of data collection, and potential reuse. Focuses on the dataset rather than analytical results; references should not be included.
  • Keywords: Four to seven keywords describing the dataset, subject area, and potential applications, supporting indexing and discoverability.
  • Introduction: Description of the scientific or practical context in which the data were generated, including the rationale for data collection and their relevance to the research community.
  • Data Description: Detailed overview of the dataset content, structure, variables, formats, units, spatial and temporal resolution, and associated metadata.
  • Methods: Description of data acquisition, generation, processing, and curation procedures, including instruments, protocols, sampling design, and data processing steps, sufficient to allow reproducibility.
  • Data Quality and Validation: Information on quality control measures, validation procedures, uncertainty assessment, and known limitations of the dataset.
  • Data Reuse Potential: Description of possible applications, reuse scenarios, and scientific or practical fields in which the dataset may be valuable.
  • Data Availability Statement: Mandatory statement specifying where and how the dataset can be accessed, including repository name, persistent identifier (e.g. DOI), access conditions, and license.
  • References: List of cited literature, datasets, and software relevant to the creation, validation, and reuse of the dataset.

The structure of the Data paper may be adapted where appropriate, provided that all essential information for data understanding and reuse is clearly presented.

 

References

In-text citations

In-text citations should be placed in parentheses and before punctuation marks. Authors are encouraged to avoid citing non-scientific literature (e.g. legislation, regulations, web pages) whenever possible. If necessary, sources such as personal communications, regulations, or unpublished works should be mentioned only in the text, preferably in parentheses, and not included in the reference list.

Citations should include the author’s family name followed by the year of publication (James 2018). For publications with two authors, both authors' family names should be given (James and Smith 2018). For publications with more than two authors, only the first author’s family name should be followed by et al. (James et al. 2018). Publications by the same author(s) published in the same year should be distinguished by lowercase letters (James et al. 2018a, 2018b). Multiple citations within the same parentheses should be listed in chronological order and separated by commas (James et al. 2018a, 2018b, Brown 2019, Smith 2019).

Multiple citations within the same parentheses should be listed in chronological order and separated by commas (James et al. 2018a, 2018b, Brown 2019, Smith 2019).

Reference list

All references cited in the text, including those cited in tables and figures, must be listed in the reference list in alphabetical order. The reference list should include only works cited in the manuscript that have been published or formally accepted for publication.

Authors must follow the reference formatting instructions exactly, as deviations may result in delays in the publication process.

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) should be provided for all references where available.

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to ISO 4 standards, using the Journal Title Abbreviations provided by Web of Science.

  • Journal paper

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s), Year. Title of the paper. Abbreviated Journal Name Volume(Issue): first page–last page or article ID. DOI.

Examples:
Nicolescu V-N, Buzatu-Goanță C, Bartlett D, Iacob N, 2019. Regeneration and Early Tending of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) Stands in the North-West of Romania. South-east Eur for 10(2): 97–105. https://doi.org/10.15177/seefor.19-14.
Ostrogović Sever MZ, Alberti G, Delle Vedove G, Marjanović H, 2019. Temporal Evolution of Carbon Stocks, Fluxes and Carbon Balance in Pedunculate Oak Chronosequence under Close-To-Nature Forest Management. Forests 10(9): 814. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090814.

  • Paper in Proceedings

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s), Year. Title of the paper. In: Editor(s) family name and initial(s) of given name(s) (eds) Title of Collected Work (if available) or Proceedings of the Name of the Conference, Location of Conference, Country, Date of Conference. Publisher, City, Country, first page–last page. DOI (if available).

Example:
Balenović I, Seletković A, Pernar R, Marjanović H, Vuletić D, Benko M, 2012. Comparison of Classical Terrestrial and Photogrammetric Method in Creating Management Division. In: Pentek T, Poršinsky T, Šporčić M (eds) Forest Engineering - Concern, Knowledge and Accountability in Today’s Environment, Proceedings of 45th International Symposium on Forestry Mechanization, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 8-12 October 2012. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Forestry, Zagreb, Croatia, pp 1–13.

  • Book

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s), Year. Title of the Book. Edition. Publisher, City, Country, total number of pages. DOI (if available).

Example:
Van Laar A, Akça A, 2007. Forest Mensuration. 2nd edn. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 383 p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5991-9.

  • Chapter in a book

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s), Year. Title of the Chapter. In: Editor(s) family name and initial(s) of given name(s) (eds) Title of the Book. Edition. Publisher, City, Country, first page–last page. DOI (if available).

Example:
Curtis PS, 2008. Estimating Aboveground Carbon in Live and Standing Dead Trees. In: Hoover CM (ed) Field Measurements for Forest Carbon Monitoring. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8506-2_4.

  • Thesis

Author's family name and initial of given name(s), Year. Title of the Thesis. Type of Thesis (PhD or MSc Thesis), Faculty, City, Country, Pages.

Example:
Anić M, 2019. Inter-annual variability of CO2 exchange between pedunculate oak forest (Quercus robur L.) and the atmosphere. PhD Thesis, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Zagreb, Croatia, 106 p.

  • Non-scientific literature

a) Paper in online magazine

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s), Year. Title of the paper in online non-scientific magazine. Journal Abbreviation (if available) or full Journal name Volume(Issue): first page–last page (if available). Available online: URL (Date of accessing).

Example:
Lemmens M, 2011. Digital Photogrammetric Workstations, Status and Features. GIM International 25 (12). Available online: http://www.gim-international.com/issues/articles/id1797-Digital_Photogrammetric_Workstations.html (20 November 2012).

b) Manuals, Reports and other documents from web pages

Author(s): family name and initial(s) of given name(s) or name of institution (preferably abbreviation), Year. Title of the manual or report. Institution (publisher), City, Country, page range or total number of pages. Available online: URL (Date of accessing).

Example:
FAO, 2012. State of the World’s Forests 2012. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, 47 p. Available online: http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3010e/i3010e.pdf (12 December 2013).

c) Professional and other web pages

Title of Site, Year (if applicable). Title of the Topic (if applicable). Available online: URL (Date of accessing).

Example:
Croatian Forests Ltd., 2013. Forests in Croatia. Available online: http://portal.hrsume.hr/index.php/en/forests/general/forests-in-croatia (14 December 2013).

Supplementary files

Supplementary files may be uploaded in any file format during Step Four of the online submission process (Open Journal System). Files should be named consecutively as Suppl. File 1, Suppl. File 2, etc.

Supplementary materials must be explicitly referenced in the manuscript using the corresponding file name (e.g. Supplementary File 1: Dataset 1). When supplementary files are provided, authors should include in the manuscript a brief description of each file, including file name, file format, title, and a short description.

Supplementary materials are not displayed within the final article, but are made available online via direct links to the files supplied by the authors.

Tables

Tables should be inserted into the manuscript close to their first citation and numbered consecutively according to their appearance in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.).

Tables should be prepared using the journal’s manuscript template, where available. Table captions should appear above the table and clearly describe its contents. Column headings should be concise and, where necessary, explained using abbreviations defined in the caption or in a table legend placed below the table.

Numerical values should use decimal points (e.g. 2.53). The use of colour in tables should be avoided; only table headings may be shaded (grey). For large tables, use a smaller font, but no smaller than 8 pt.

If tables are reproduced or adapted from other sources, the original source must be clearly cited, and authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the copyright holder.

Figures

Figures (photographs, graphs, diagrams, schematic drawings, etc.) should be placed in the manuscript close to their first citation and numbered consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).

In addition to figures embedded in the manuscript, all figure files must be uploaded separately during submission as a single ZIP archive. Figures should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Common file formats are accepted; TIFF and JPEG are preferred.

Figure captions should appear below the figure and clearly describe its content. Legends should be concise and may be placed inside or below the figure where appropriate.

Both colour and black-and-white figures are acceptable. Diagrams and graphs should be presented on a white background. Consistent symbols, line styles, and colours should be used for the same variables throughout the manuscript.

If figures are reproduced or adapted from other sources, the original source must be clearly cited, and authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the copyright holder.

Equations

Equations should be written clearly and numbered consecutively in parentheses on the right-hand side. Simple equations may be included directly in the text. Complex equations should be created using Microsoft Equation Editor (MS Office 2007 or later) or MathType. Equations must be editable and should not be submitted as images. In the text, equations should be referred to as Equation 1, Equation 2, etc.

Units

The International System of Units (SI) must be used. Non-SI units should be converted to SI units where possible. All symbols, Greek letters, and special characters must be clearly defined.

Exponential notation should be used for units rather than slashes. Examples: m; m2; m3·ha-1; µmol·m‑2·s‑1, etc.

Monetary values should be expressed in euros (preferred) or US dollars. If another currency is used in the original data, it must be converted to euros, using the exchange rate valid at the time of data collection. The date of conversion (at least month and year) should be provided.

Scientific names

Scientific names of plants, animals, and microorganisms should be written in italics. The author citation of scientific names should be provided only at the first occurrence in the abstract and main text, but not in the title (e.g. Quercus robur L., Abies alba Mill.).

When common names are used, the corresponding scientific name should be given at first mention.

Abbreviations and Footnotes

Abbreviations and acronyms should be defined at first use in the text and introduced only if the term appears three or more times.

Footnotes should not be used.

 

Help

If you have any questions, please contact the SEEFOR Editorial Office.


SEEFOR Editorial Office
Croatian Forest Research Institute
Cvjetno naselje 41
HR-10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Tel: +385 1 62 73 000; +385 1 63 11 584
Fax: +385 1 62 73 035; +385 1 63 11 588
e-mail: seefor@sumins.hr
URL: www.seefor.eu