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Author Guidelines

About the Journal

Forest and Society is an international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to exploring the complex relationships between people, forests, and societal processes, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia. Its scope encompasses interdisciplinary research across fields such as forestry, geography, sociology, anthropology, ecology, law, economics, and environmental sciences. The journal aims to promote innovative, policy-relevant, and theoretically grounded studies that advance understanding of sustainable forest management, land use, and socio-ecological resilience. Its purpose is to publish research and developments that inform policy, support capacity-building, and foster dialogue on issues related to forests and human societies in the region and beyond.

This journal follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Language
To ensure a fair and efficient review process, manuscripts are required to be in idiomatic English. It is the author's responsibility to ensure the text is grammatically sound prior to submission. Manuscripts with poor language quality risk being misunderstood by reviewers, which can compromise the assessment of the science and result in rejection.

Types of Articles

  1. Original research papers: Research articles that have not been published previously may be submitted as regular papers/original research papers. The word limit is 8000 words (but not restricted), excluding Tables, Figures, and References.
  2. Review papers: Review papers exist for the expression of opinions and allow authors to submit material that may not be appropriate for original research articles but which contains ideas worthy of publication, which include a letter from the Editor or letter to the Editor.
  3. Policy forum: The policy forum format encourages submissions from researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. Researchers long engaged on a particular issue that has identified emerging trends or critical elements of an issue, practitioners noticing issues overlooked among the research community, or policy-makers that have particular insights into the design, application, and implementation of a policy are encouraged to submit through this format to shape research and policy agendas going forward. Envisioned as a shorter format that focuses on these emerging trends, policy forum submissions should target 1,500 - 3,000 words. Submissions will undergo a peer-review process. The suggested outline for submissions should initially focus on a brief introduction about the issue at hand, present the authors' overall reliability or authority on the topic, and present the relevance for contemporary debates on critical issues of environment-society relations going forward in Southeast Asia.
  4. Notes from the field: Research contexts in South-East Asia -- including geographical, linguistic, and cultural dimensions -- can be particularly challenging given the region's breadth and diversity. Notes from the field provide a format for researchers interested in sharing their fieldwork experiences and raising critical questions about data collection complexities. This format aims to exchange different experiences on fieldwork, encourage more rigorous discussions about the researcher's role and various approaches to collecting data, and raise essential discussions about ethical considerations. The suggested format is a 1,500 - 6,000 words reflective narrative in which ethical, methodological, empirical, and other problems and solutions are presented. The suggested outline should begin by providing a brief introduction about the research, followed by a description of the research method(s), and focus on the fieldwork issue raised.
  5. Methodological engagement: The boundaries between the different scientific disciplines have faded over the years. With the arrival of new technologies, there has been increasing innovation in approaching research in new ways for both communications and research applications. As a format, methodological engagement encourages submissions that provide insight and direction about creative ways of tackling complex research problems. In this format, we envision the cross-pollination of disciplines from social, political, ecological, spatial, economic, and others to trigger new debates and generate research ideas across a fraught research field with complexity. The format is open to creative interpretation, but we suggest guidelines of between 1,500 - 3,000 words. The suggested outline should begin with a brief introduction about the research topic, the interwoven research traditions, methodological challenges, and the potential delivery of research outcomes.
  6. Book Reviews: Book reviews should comprise 800-2000 words on new books, software, and videos relevant to the scope of Forest and Society.
  7. Conference Reports: Reports on significant conferences of particular interest to Forest and Society, approximately 1000-2000 words.
  8. Forthcoming meetings: Notices of forthcoming meetings for listing in the Calendar section are welcomed. Entries must be received at least three months before publication.

Before Submission
Please ensure your submission adheres to the following pre-review criteria:

  1. Originality: The manuscript is an original work, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration elsewhere.
  2. Research Ethics: For studies involving human or animal subjects, a dedicated "Ethics Approval" statement is required.
  3. Language Quality: The manuscript must be written in clear, grammatical English, free of spelling errors.
  4. Formatting: The document must conform to the journal's Manuscript Template.
  5. Figures: All figures must be of high quality and uploaded as individual files.
  6. References: References must be correctly formatted, numbered sequentially, and follow the journal's specified style.
  7. Scope: Submissions must align with the journal's aims and scope to be considered for peer review.
  8. Guidelines: The manuscript must fully adhere to the journal's Author Guidelines.

Besides, submissions that do not comply with these requirements will be returned or administratively rejected prior to the peer review stage.

Furthermore, all authors must disclose any potential competing interests in a dedicated 'Conflicts of Interest' section, including a rationale for why the interest is considered a conflict. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state: "The author(s) declare(s) no conflict of interest." The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all co-authors have declared their interests.

Meanwhile, all sources of financial support including funding for Article Processing Charges (APCs), along with any other payments, goods, or services that could be perceived as influencing the work, must be declared. All funding must be listed in the 'Acknowledgments' section, regardless of whether it constitutes a conflict.

Preparation of Manuscripts
Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word files (Word 2007 or later) through our Editorial Manager site:

https://www.editorialmanager.com/forsoc/default.aspx

For a detailed format, the author(s) can use this Manuscript Template directly.

Online Submission
Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively by a listed author via the online through Editorial Manager, and submissions from non-authors will not be accepted. The acceptable file formats are limited to Microsoft Word documents (.doc and/or .docx), and there is no page limit for submissions. Authors are required to follow the on-screen instructions provided within Editorial Manager to complete the process. The submitting author bears full responsibility for the manuscript throughout the submission and peer-review stages. Should any technical issues prevent submission via the MTS, please contact for assistance.

Initial evaluation
All submissions undergo an initial screening by the Editorial Office to assess their adherence to the journal's formatting and ethical policies. This includes a mandatory plagiarism check using iThenticate software.

Manuscripts may be desk-rejected for several reasons, including but not limited to: failure to comply with ethical standards, misalignment with the journal's scope, insufficient scientific priority, or preparation in a style that deviates significantly from the journal's guidelines. In such cases, manuscripts will be returned to the authors without proceeding to peer review.

Furthermore, authors are required to write in clear, comprehensible English (American usage is accepted). The Editor reserves the right to reject manuscripts based on poor language quality, a decision that will be verified by the Editor-in-Chief.

Submission Declaration and Verification
By submitting a manuscript, the authors confirm that the work is original and has not been previously published, except in the form of an abstract, thesis, or lecture. The manuscript must not be under consideration by any other publication. All authors must approve the submission, along with the relevant institutional authorities. Upon acceptance, the article may not be republished in any form or language without obtaining written permission from the copyright holder. To uphold these standards, all submissions will be screened for potential plagiarism using Crossref Similarity Check powered by iThenticate.

Article structure
The manuscript should be compiled in the following order:

  1. Title page
  2. Abstract, Keywords
  3. Introduction
  4. Material and methods
  5. Results
  6. Discussion (Results and discussion can be combined in one section)
  7. Conclusion
  8. Author Contribution
  9. Conflicts of Interest
  10. Acknowledgment(s)
  11. References

Title page
The title page should include the following in English:

  1. Title: The title should be brief, concise, and descriptive (maximum of 15 words). This is your opportunity to attract the reader’s attention. Remember that readers are the potential authors who will cite your article. Identify the central issue of the paper. Begin with the subject of the paper. The title should be accurate, unambiguous, specific, and complete. Do not contain infrequently-used abbreviations.
  2. Authors and affiliations: Write Author(s) names without title and professional positions such as Prof, Dr, Production Manager, etc. Do not abbreviate your last/family name. Always give your First and Last names. If you have a one-word name such as Isehu, write Isehu Isehu. Write a clear affiliation of all Authors. Affiliation includes department/unit, (faculty), name of university, address, country. Please indicate Corresponding Author (include email address) behind the name.
  3. Corresponding author should be indicated with an asterisk, and e-mail address.

Abstract
The abstract should be clear, concise, and descriptive. This abstract should provide a brief introduction to the paper's problem, followed by a statement regarding the methodology and a summary of results. The abstract should end with a comment on the significance of the results or a brief conclusion. Abstracts are preferably not more than 300 words.

Keywords
A maximum of 8 keywords separated by a semicolon (;), crucial to the papers' appropriate indexing, are to be given. e.g: policy; ecology conservation; economics; interest.

Introduction
The introduction part (recommended length: 500-1000 words) gives the reader an enticing glimpse of what is to come. It must grab the reader’s attention by stimulating attention, interest, desire, and action. In other words, the introduction must effectively “sell” the manuscript. The introduction generally consists of: a broad statement about the theme or topic of the study; summary of available works of literature and cites the most important studies that are relevant to the current research; a statement about controversies, gaps, inconsistencies in the literature that the current study will address; a statement about problems/questions to be addressed in the study or objectives of the study. You can also state at the end of the introduction outline of the rest of the article's structure.

Material and methods (Experimental or Methodology or Patients and methods)
The materials and methods section describes materials used in research and steps followed in the study's execution. A brief justification for the method used is also stated so the readers can evaluate the appropriateness of the method, reliability, and validity of the results.

Results
Results should be clear and concise. The results should summarize (scientific) findings rather than provide data in great detail. Please highlight differences between your results or findings and the previous publications by other researchers. The discussion should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. Separation or combination of the Results and Discussion section is accepted. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Discussion
The discussion section is the most crucial section of your article. Here you get the chance to sell your data. Make the discussion corresponding to the results, but do not reiterate the results. Often should begin with a summary of the leading scientific findings (not experimental results). The following components should be covered in the discussion: How do your results relate to the original question or objectives outlined in the Introduction section (what)? Do you provide an interpretation scientifically for each of your results or findings presented (why)? Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported (what else)? Or are there any differences?

Conclusion(s)
Conclusions should answer the objectives of the research. Tells how your work advances the field from the present state of knowledge. Without clear Conclusions, reviewers and readers will find it difficult to judge the work and whether or not it merits publication in the journal. Do not repeat the Abstract or just list experimental results. Provide a clear scientific justification for your work, and indicate possible applications and extensions. You should also suggest future works and/or policy implications.

Author Contribution
For research articles with several authors, a short paragraph specifying their individual contributions could be provided. The following statements should be used “X.X. and Y.Y. conceived and designed the experiments; X.X. performed the experiments; X.X. and Y.Y. analyzed the data; W.W. contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools; Y.Y. wrote the paper.” Authorship must be limited to those who have contributed substantially to work reported.

Conflicts of Interest
Declare conflicts of interest or state "The authors declare no conflict of interest." Authors must identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of reported research results. Any role of the funding sponsors in the study's design; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results must be declared in this section. If there is no role, please state, "The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results."

Acknowledgment(s)
Recognize those who helped in the research, especially funding supporters of your research. Include individuals who have assisted you in your study: Advisors, Financial supporters, or may other supporters, i.e., Proofreaders, Typists, and Suppliers who may have given materials.

References
We encourage using APA Style (7th Edition) citation output. References can be in any style or format as long as the style is consistent. Where applicable, author(s) name(s), journal title/book title, chapter title/article title, year of publication, volume number/book chapter, and the pagination must be present. This weblink https://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/apa-style/article-nodoi or https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples, that explaining APA citation could be useful. Use of DOI is highly encouraged. The journal's reference style will be applied to the accepted article by the Editor at the proof stage. Note that missing data will be highlighted at the proof stage for the Author to correct. Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text. Please use Reference Manager Applications like EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, etc. Use other published articles in the same journal as models. All publications cited in the text should be included as a list of references. References are listed alphabetically. Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Please see the example below for commonly used references.

Figures and Tables

All figures and tables should be cited in the main text as Figure 1, Table 1, etc.

Tables are sequentially numbered with the table title and number above the table. Tables should be centered in the column OR on the page. Tables should be followed by a line space. Elements of a table should be single-spaced; however, double spacing can show groupings of data or separate parts within the table. Tables are referred to in the text by the table number. e.g., Table 1. Do not show a vertical line in the table. There is only a horizontal line that should be shown within the table.

Figures are sequentially numbered, commencing at 1 with the figure title and number below the figure, as shown in Figure 1. Detailed recommendations for figures are as follows:

  • Ensure that figures are clear and legible with typed letterings.
  • Black & white or colored figures are allowed.
  • Hard copy illustrations should, preferably, be scanned and included in the electronic version of the submission in an appropriate format.

Equations
Equations should be numbered serially within parentheses, as shown in Equation (1). The Equation should be prepared using MS Equation Editor (not in image format). The equation number is to be placed at the extreme right side.

Units, Abbreviations, and Symbols
Metric units are preferred. Define abbreviations and symbols for the first time as they are introduced in the text.

Footnotes
Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article. Many word processors can build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.

Appendix
The appendix is an optional section that can contain details and data supplemental to the main text. For example, explanations of experimental details that would disrupt the flow of the main text, but nonetheless remain crucial to understanding and reproducing the research shown; figures of replicates for experiments of which representative data is shown in the main text can be added here if brief, or as Supplementary data. Mathematical proofs of results not central to the paper can be added as an appendix. All appendix sections must be cited in the main text. In the appendixes, Figures, Tables, etc., should be labeled starting with ‘A’, e.g., Figure A1, Figure A2, etc. Footnotes should be used sparing.

Proofs
The corresponding author will receive a single set of page proofs as a PDF file via email. This proof is intended solely for verifying the typesetting, content completeness, and accuracy of the text, tables, and figures. To facilitate rapid publication, authors must consolidate all corrections and return them in a single response within 7 days. Please note that proofreading at this stage is the sole responsibility of the author. The publisher reserves the right to proceed with publication as-is if no response is received within the stipulated timeframe.

Revised Manuscripts
To proceed with the revision, please upload the following documents via the submission portal:

  1. Revised Manuscript with Track Changes: A version of the manuscript that uses Microsoft Word's "Track Changes" function to clearly indicate all modifications made in response to the reviewers' comments. Please select the file type "Revised Article with Track Changes" for this document.
  2. Clean Revised Manuscript: A final version of the manuscript that incorporates all changes but does not show the tracked edits or reviewer comments. This should be uploaded as your main "Manuscript" file.
  3. Response to Reviewers: A point-by-point letter that addresses each comment raised by the reviewers and the Editor. For each comment, please detail the changes made to the manuscript or provide a scientific justification for any disagreed points. Upload this as a "Response to Reviewers" file.

After Acceptance
Following acceptance, your article will be transferred to our production department for typesetting. The corresponding author will receive the proofs upon completion of this process.

Peer Review
All manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review to ensure they meet the highest standards of academic excellence. In this process, the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential. The final decision on acceptance rests with the Editorial Board, based on the reviewers' recommendations. For manuscripts with significant ethical, security, biosecurity, or societal implications, our Research Integrity team may seek additional expert counsel. This supplementary advice, which may involve specialized reviewers or additional editorial oversight, informs our final publication decision.

For the full peer review process, please visit our Policies and Ethics page.

Ethical Guidelines
Forest and Society upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all necessary measures to prevent academic misconduct. Authors submitting an original article must attest that their work is their own and does not contain any plagiarized content. All submissions are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate software. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism will be rejected, and any author found to have committed plagiarism will be prohibited from future publication in Forest and Society.

Supplementary Materials
Authors are permitted to submit online supplementary materials to accompany their articles. Each supplementary file must be clearly labeled with the article title, journal name, author names and affiliations, and the corresponding author's email address. Please note that all supplementary materials will be published exactly as submitted, without undergoing any formatting, editing, or conversion by the publisher.

Article Publishing Charge
Since Forest and Society is a fully Open Access journal, we do ask an Article-Processing Charge (APC) of USD 400 from authors that have support from a research grant that is stated in the paper's acknowledgments. Articles by graduate students and others based on need will be evaluated on a case by case basis for a waiver of the publication fee. This APC fee also helps us to support our capacity building programs. Authors should submit a waiver or discount request during the submission of their article.

Authors will not be required to make any payment when submitting their manuscripts to the Journal. The APC fee will be collected after the full review process is completed and the editors have accepted the manuscript for publication.

Payment should be made to Forest and Society to the following account:

  • Bank Name: BANK NEGARA INDONESIA
  • Account Name: FOREST AND SOCIETY
  • Account Number: 0988416674
  • Swift Code: BNINIDJA

The Article Processing Charge (APC) can also be paid via PayPal.