ISSN-0119-7312

The Philippine Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (PJABE) was organized in 1997 by the Center for Agri-Fisheries and Biosystems Mechanization (BIOMECH), formerly the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP),   College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)  (https://biomech.ceat.uplb.edu.ph/). BIOMECH, CEAT, UPLB takes pride that PJABE is the first refereed journal in the field of agricultural and biosystems engineering

PJABE is a double-blind refereed journal written in the English language.  It is managed by BIOMECH, CEAT, UPLB, and funded by its core funds.  The first PJABE volume (ISSN-0119-7312) was published in 1999.  

Starting in 2019, the PJABE has been regularly publishing biannually (every June and December of the year). The PJABE issues are disseminated both in printed copies and online through its webpage (https://biomech.ceat.uplb.edu.ph/pjabe/). Publication of the approved manuscripts in PJABE is free of charge. 

PJABE was recognized by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines as one of the Accredited Research Journals (Batch 1) for 2009-2012 under Category B per CHED Memorandum Order No. 09, Series of 2010.

PJABE became a member of the CrossRef Organization in November 2020 for the acquisition of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for PJABE manuscripts.  BIOMECH is in the process of registering manuscripts with DOI in CrossRef (i.e., starting from the PJABE Vol. 16, No. 2,  December 2020 Issue and onwards). 

Copies of full manuscripts from Vol. 13, Issue 2017 to Vol. 19, Issue No. 1, June 2023 and onwards can be downloaded free of charge from the PJABE webpage. The abstracts of the PJABE Volumes 1 to 12 are available in the PJABE webpage. Electronic and printed copies of all PJABE Volumes are maintained by BIOMECH, CEAT, UPLB

Aims and Scope

PJABE aims to serve as a venue for the dissemination of information on recent research, development, and extension (RDE) outputs in the field of agricultural and biosystems engineering (ABE).  It publishes significant results in the four (4) major fields of specialization in ABE, namely, Agri-Biosystems Machinery and Power Engineering; Agricultural, Food, and Bioprocess Engineering; Agrometeorology, Bio-structures, and Environment Engineering; and Land and Water Resources Engineering, in the form of full manuscripts/paper/articles and/or research notes.

From 1999 to date, BIOMECH has published 23 PJABE Issues (19 PJABE Volumes) and disseminated them to various Government Agencies, State Universities and Colleges, and institutions involved in the development of the agricultural and biosystems engineering profession. 

Manuscript Evaluation Process and Peer Review Policy

The PJABE follows a double-blind review process to ensure fairness and prevent bias in manuscript evaluation.  Confidentiality of the review process and information on the manuscripts for evaluation are strictly observed.

Upon receipt of the submitted manuscript, the Managing Editor and/or Assistant Managing Editor subject the manuscript to Turnitin similarity check with other published manuscripts.

After the Turnitin evaluation, the Managing Editor sends the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief and respective Editor/s who has the expertise on the manuscript’s subject matter, as an initial evaluation process for possible publication in PJABE.  They shall evaluate the submitted manuscript based on academic merit (significance, originality, validity, clarity) and its relevance to the PJABE’s scope, prior to the referee/reviewers’ evaluation.  They shall make the final recommendation on the manuscript/s which can be subjected to the PJABE review process. The Editor-in-Chief and/or Managing Editor shall identify and recommend at least three (3) reviewers who are experts in the fields/disciplines related to the manuscript to be reviewed. 

BIOMECH has a pool of referees/reviewers for  the four (4) major fields of specialization, from State Universities and Colleges/Higher Education Institutions (SUCs/HEIs) from the Philippines and from abroad; Research and Development Institutions (RDIs).

The Managing Editor and/or Assistant Managing Editor shall send the manuscript/s for review to three (3) identified reviewers/referees. The Managing Editor shall facilitate the review process in close coordination with the Editor-in-Chief with the assistance of the Assistant Managing Editor and Co-Managing editor.

The reviewers/referees evaluate the manuscript based on the PJABE pro-forma referees’ evaluation forms.  In addition, the reviewers may indicate marginal notes and comments on the manuscript’s hard copy or electronic copy. 

Reviewers/referees are given at least two (2) to three (3) weeks to evaluate the paper.  If the reviewer/s recommended the manuscript for publication with minor revisions, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author to address the suggested minor revision, but it will no longer be returned to the reviewer/s.  The Editor-in-Chief, assisted by the Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editor, and/or Co-Managing Editor, shall review the revised manuscript if the referees’ suggested revisions are already integrated and addressed accordingly. 

On the other hand, manuscripts that are recommended for publication but required major revisions by the referees will be returned to the corresponding author for revision (1-2 weeks).  The revised manuscript will then be returned to the reviewer/referee for the second round of evaluation (1-2 weeks).  The reviewer/referee who is recommending the manuscript for major revision shall then approve if the revisions are acceptable and if the manuscript can be finally recommended for publication.

Corresponding authors are informed when the reviewer/s declines the manuscript for publication.  In case when two (2) reviewers/referee/s recommended the manuscript for publication, and the third referee did not recommend the manuscript for publication, the Editor-in-Chief and Editors shall decide if the manuscript will be published.  In case when two (2) reviewers disapproved the manuscript for publication, and only one reviewer recommended the manuscript for publication, the manuscript will not be published in PJABE.  The corresponding author will be informed that the manuscript could not be published in PJABE. 

The Editor-In-Chief and the Editors approve the manuscripts for publication in every PJABE volume/ issue through an en banc meeting. 

Ethical Policy Statement

The Editorial Management shall ensure that all submitted manuscripts that are being considered for possible publication shall undergo a double-blind evaluation process by reviewers/referees.  The Editorial Management also ensures that the reviewers/referees have the expertise to evaluate the manuscript based on its merit for publication in PJABE. 

The Editor-In-Chief, Editors, and Editorial staff shall maintain the evaluation process confidential and shall not divulge any information on the submitted manuscript to anyone other than the reviewers/referees of the manuscript. 

The Editorial Management shall not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their benefit.  The information in the submitted and unpublished paper submitted to PJABE shall be kept confidential during the evaluation process.  The Editors, Editor-In-Chief, and Editorial Staff shall not be directly involved in the screening and evaluation of manuscripts in which conflict of interest may arise. 

Editorial Management Staff