Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering Mycological Spectrum, the official journal of the Association of Fungal Biologists, for your research publication. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to follow these submission guidelines to ensure your manuscript meets our formatting and content requirements.

Mycological Spectrum welcomes the following types of manuscripts:

• Research Article: Original research papers presenting new findings, methodologies, and analyses in mycology.
• Review Article: Critical evaluations of existing data, emerging trends, or key issues in fungal biology.
• Case Study: In-depth analyses of specific cases related to fungal diversity, ecology, or pathology.
• Short Communication: Concise reports highlighting significant research findings or advancements.
• Opinion/Perspective Article: Discussions on emerging topics, debates, or novel ideas in mycology.
• Book Review: Thoughtful reviews of recently published books relevant to fungal research.

• Page Limit: No strict limit; however, authors should maintain clarity and conciseness.
• Introduction: Clearly state the research objective, avoiding redundant discussion of results.
• Sections: Organize content into clearly defined sections for readability.
• Formatting: Use double-spacing and continuous line numbering throughout the manuscript.
• Page Numbers: Number pages at the bottom right corner.

• Paper Size: A4 (21 cm × 29.7 cm / 8.27 inches × 11.69 inches).
• Margins: Minimum of 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.

• Font Type: Times New Roman.
• Font Size: 12-point.
• Italics: Use italics instead of underlining.
• Quotation Marks: Use double quotation marks for direct quotes and single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.

• Title: Should be informative and clearly reflect the manuscript’s content.
• Author Affiliations: Provide full names, institutional affiliations, and postal addresses.
• Corresponding Author: The submitting author must be identified as the corresponding author.

• Word Limit: Up to 300 words.
• Summary: Concisely present the research objectives, key results, and conclusions.
• No References or Non-Standard Abbreviations: Ensure the abstract is self-contained.

Authors should provide five relevant keywords that are not already present in the title.

• Alignment: Centered with a caption below.
• Resolution: Minimum 300 dpi.
• Caption Format: Title followed by a brief description.
• Minimize Text: Avoid excessive text within figures.

• Editable Format: Submit tables as text, not images.
• Numbering: Tables should be numbered in the order of appearance.
• Table Notes: Place notes below the table.
• Avoid Duplication: Do not repeat data already presented elsewhere.

• File Types: Submit supplementary material (datasets, images, audio, etc.) as separate files.
• Original Format: Submit in their original format without track changes.

Include a section acknowledging individuals, institutions, or funding sources that contributed to the research.

Clearly specify all funding sources, including grant numbers. If no funding was received, state it explicitly.

Disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research.

All references should follow the APA (7th edition) format.

• Single Author: (Sharma, 2022) or Sharma (2022) states…
• Two Authors: (Kumar & Patel, 2023) or Kumar and Patel (2023) found that…
• Three or More Authors: (Verma et al., 2021) or Verma et al. (2021) suggested that…
• Direct Quotes: “Fungal diversity is crucial” (Mycological Spectrum, 2023, p. 45).

Journal Article with DOI
Sharma, R. K., & Iyer, A. (2022). Diversity of fungi in tropical forests. MycoIndia, 10(2), 123–145. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Journal Article without DOI
Kumar, P., & Patel, S. (2023). Insights into fungal ecology. MycoIndia, 11(1), 45–67. Retrieved from https://www.mycoindiajournal.com/article123

Book
Verma, D. (2021). Fungal biodiversity and its applications. MycoIndia Publishing.

Website
MycoIndia. (2023). Guidelines for authors. MycoIndia Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2023, from https://www.mycoindiajournal.com/guidelines

Dataset
Singh, A., & Rao, T. (2022). Fungal dataset of Asian biomes. MycoDB. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Preprint
Menon, V., & Das, B. (2023). Novel approaches to fungal genomics. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

• Multiple studies on the same topic: (Kumar & Patel, 2023; Sharma, 2022; Verma et al., 2021)
• If citing within a sentence: Several studies (Kumar & Patel, 2023; Sharma, 2022; Verma et al., 2021) have explored fungal diversity.
• If an author has multiple publications in the same year: (Sharma, 2022a, 2022b)

Reference Format:
Author of Chapter. (Year). Title of chapter. In Editor(s) (Ed(s).), Title of Book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. DOI (if available).

Example:
Smith, J. A. (2020). Marine fungal biodiversity and its ecological roles. In D. Verma (Ed.), Advances in Mycology Research (pp. 45–67). MycoIndia Publishing.

Refer to the official APA guidelines here: 🔗 APA Style (7th Edition) Guide

Before submitting your manuscript, ensure that you have:

• Uploaded all required files.
• Included all essential sections (Title, Abstract, Keywords, References, etc.).
• Verified citations and references for accuracy.
• Performed a thorough language check and proofreading.
• Ensured consistency between citations and references.
• Obtained permission for any copyrighted material.
• Disclosed any potential competing interests.
• Suggested reviewers (if applicable).
• Ensured the similarity index is below 10%.

For any further assistance, please email us at contact.mycologicalspectrum@gmail.com.

Updated as of 13 March 2025