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The online submission process is broken into the following steps:
- Step 1: Specifying the manuscript
type, and submitting a covering letter
- Step 2: Specifying the author information, title, abstract, and keywords
for the manuscript
- Step 3: Uploading the body text
- Step 4: Specifying the list of attachments and uploading those attachments
- Step 5: Final verification of the manuscript
The author interface for each of these steps includes details on how
to enter the information required.
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Formatting a Manuscript
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- Organizing your submission
- Abstract, acknowledgments and keywords
- Body text
- Attachments
- Equations, Greek symbols and statistics
1. Organizing your submission
Manuscripts submitted to Avian Conservation and Ecology must be divided
into separate files to allow processing by our software. Manuscripts that
have embedded figures or tables in the body text can not be processed
and will generate errors during the submission procedure.
Before attempting an online submission, please separate your submission
into the following file types:
- body text (rich-text format)
- tables (each table is an individual file, in rich-text format)
- figures (each figure is an individual image file: JPG, GIF, PNG)
- equations (each figure is an individual image file: JPG, GIF, PNG)
- appendices (most formats: text-only appendices must be in rich-text
format)
The majority of word processing programs will save to Rich Text Format.
GIF and JPG image formats should be adequate for most non-animated figures.
If you are unable to save in one of these formats please contact the editorial office.
2. Abstract, Acknowledgments
and Keywords
Please have your abstract, acknowledgments and keywords prepared and
ready to input directly into the submission interface, either by typing
them in or cut-and-paste. Do not include them in the body text of your
manuscript. Abstracts should be 300 words or less.
3. Body Text
Manuscripts are currently accepted only in English. Write with precision,
clarity, and economy: use the active voice and first person whenever appropriate.
Use American spellings (e.g., behavior, not behaviour) except for titles
and articles in books and journals published in British/Commonwealth English.
The CBE Style Manual, Fifth Edition, is recommended for details
of style.
Spacing, Fonts, and Page Numbering
Single-space all material (text, quotations, figure legends, tables,
references, etc.). Separate paragraphs with a blank line. Use a 12-point font
(preferably Times Roman).
Underlining/Italicization
Please italicize scientific names and the symbols for all variables and
constants except Greek letters in the text. Symbols in Illustrations should
be italic to match the text. Do not underline text. Italics should rarely
be used for emphasis.
Capitalization
For common names of birds, follow the Ornithological Societies of North
America style (AOU checklist), with initial capital letters: Black-throated
Green Warbler. For all non-avian taxa, use lower case for common names
Footnotes
Avoid footnotes in the body text; most footnote material can be incorporated
in the text for the benefit of readers and editors. Additionally, footnotes
are not handled well by our journal software, and their inclusion may
result in a failed submission. Footnotes below tables are acceptable;
instead of numbers, please use (in order): †, ‡, §, |, ¶, #, ††, ‡‡, §§,
||, ¶¶, ##.
Units
Use the International System of Units (SI) for measurements. Consult
Standard Practice for Use of the International System of Units
(ASTM Standard E-380-93) for guidance on unit conversions, style, and
usage. (The Standard can be purchased for $23.00 from ASTM, 1916 Race
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103). When preparing text and figures, note
in particular that (1) SI requires the use of the terms mass or force
rather than weight; (2) when one unit appears in a denominator, use the
solidus (/); for two or more units in a denominator, use negative exponents;
and (3) use a capital L as the symbol for liter.
Statistics
Use leading zeroes with all numbers <1, including probability values
(e.g., P < 0.001). For every significant F statistic reported, provide
two df values (numerator and denominator). Whenever possible, indicate
the year and version number of the statistical software used.
Web (HTML) links
Authors may include links to other Internet resources in their article
[e.g., the Breeding Bird Survey (http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbs.html)].
This is especially encouraged in the reference section. When inserting
a reference to a webpage, please include the http:// portion of the address.
Headings and subheadings
Main headings: The body text should be subdivided into different sections
with appropriate headings. Where possible, the following standard headings
should be used. These headings must appear on a single line by themselves,
and be UPPER CASE.
| INTRODUCTION |
The motivation or purpose of your research should appear in the
Introduction, where you state the questions you sought to answer,
and then provide some of the historical basis for those questions. |
| METHODS |
Provide sufficient information to allow someone to repeat your work.
A clear description of your experimental design, sampling procedures,
and statistical procedures is especially important in papers describing
field studies, simulations, or experiments. If you list a product
(e.g., animal food, analytical device), supply the name and location
of the manufacturer. Give the model number for equipment used. Supply
complete citations, including author (or editor), title, year, publisher,
and version number, for computer software mentioned in your article. |
| RESULTS |
Results should be stated concisely and without interpretation. |
| DISCUSSION |
Focus on the rigorously supported aspects of your study. Carefully
differentiate the results of your study from data obtained from other
sources. Interpret your results, relate them to the results of previous
research, and discuss the implications of your results or interpretations.
Point out results that do not support speculations or the findings
of previous research, or that are counterintuitive. |
| CONCLUSION |
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| LITERATURE CITED |
The list of Literature Cited should be included after the final
section of the main article body. A blank line should be inserted
between single-spaced entries in the list. |
Where possible, the standard headings should be used in the order given
above. Additional headings may be used and modifications to these heading
suggestions are permissible
Secondary headings should be left-justified, bolded, and lowercase except for the intial letter of the first word which should be uppercase (e.g. Study site). Tertiary headings should be left-justified, italicized, and lowercase except for the intial letter of the first word which should be uppercase. (e.g. Field study and Simulation model).
All lower headings must appear on a line by themselves.
Literature cited
Before submitting the manuscript, check each citation in the text against
the Literature Cited to ensure that they match exactly. Delete citations
from the list if they are not actually cited in the text of the article.
The list should conform in sequencing and punctuation to that found in
recent issues of Avian Conservation and Ecology. All journal titles
should be spelled out completely. In the titles of articles, capitalization
of the common names of organisms and the spellings of all words should
agree exactly with that used in the original publication.
Provide the publisher's name and location when you cite symposia or conference
proceedings; distinguish between the conference date and the publication
date if both are given (see example, below). Do not list abstracts or
unpublished material in the Literature Cited. They may be listed in the
text as personal observations (by an author of the present paper), personal
communications (from others), or unpublished x, where x
= data, manuscript, or report; provide author names and initials for all
unpublished work and abstracts. When possible, include URLs for articles
available online through library subscription or individual journal subscription.
URLs should not be included for articles that are posted on an author's
website, unless it is a software or language program that is not available
by any other means and is integral to the paper.
Example of literature cited:
Beissinger, S. R., M. I. Cook, and W. J. Arendt. 2005. The "shelf
life" of bird eggs: experimental analysis of thrasher egg viability using
a tropical climate gradient. Ecology 86, in press.
Bissonette, J. A., and I. Storch. 2002. Fragmentation: is the
message clear? Conservation Ecology 6(2):14. [online] URL:
http://www.consecol.org/vol6/iss2/art14/.
Borror, D. J., editor. 1976. An introduction to the study
of insects. Fourth edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York,
New York, USA.
Chapin, F. S., III, G. R. Shaver, A. E. Giblin, K. J. Nadelhoffer,
and J. A. Laundre. 1995. Responses of arctic tundra to experimental
and observed changes in climate. Ecology 76:694-711.
Dullinger, S., T. Dirnböck, and G. Grabherr. 2004. Modelling
climate change-driven treeline shifts: relative effects of temperature
increase, dispersal and invasibility. Journal of Ecology 92:241-252.
Feth, J. A. 1947. The geology of Northern Canelo Hills, Santa
Cruz County, Arizona. Dissertation. University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona, USA.
Gilchrist, G., M. Mallory, and F. Merkel. 2005. Can local ecological
knowledge contribute to wildlife management? Case studies of migratory
birds. Ecology and Society, in press.
Gosler, A. G. 1990. Evidence that bill size is adaptive in the
Great Tit, Parus major. Acta of the 20th International Ornithological
Congress (Christchurch, New Zealand, 1990. Supplement:361.
Gowaty, P. A., and J. H. Plissner. 1998. Eastern Bluebirds (Siala
sialis). In A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. Birds of North America,
Number 381. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA,
and American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C., USA. [online] URL:
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
Gradwohl, J., and R. Greenberg. 1982. The breeding season of antwrens
on Barro Colorado Island. Pages 345-352 in E. C. Leigh, Jr., A. S. Rand,
and D. M. Windsor, editors. The ecology of a tropical forest: seasonal
rhythms and long-term changes. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington,
D.C., USA.
McDermott, R. E., and P. W. Fletcher. 1955. Influence of light
and nutrition on color and growth of redcedar seedlings. Agriculture
Experiment Station Research Bulletin 587, University of Missouri, Columbia,
Missouri, USA.
National Cartography and Geospatial Center. 1998. Instructions
for collecting the 1997 National Resources Inventory data. [online]
URL: www.ncg.nrcs.usda.gov/nri/inst_toc.html.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1961-1980. Climatological
data—Kansas. Environmental Data and Information Service, National
Climatic Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
Owen, W. 2002 The history of native plant communities in the
south. Pages 47-62 in D. N. Wear and J. G. Greis, editors. The
southern forest resource assessment: technical report. U.S. Forest
Service General Technical Report SRS-53.
Poole, A., and F. Gill, editors. 1992-2000. Birds of North
America, Numbers 1-560. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA, and American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.,
USA. [online] URL: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
Schaefer, M. 1975. Experimental studies on the importance of
interspecies competition for the lycosid spiders in a salt marsh. Pages
86-90 in Proceedings of the Sixth International Arachnological Congress
(Amsterdam, 1974). Nederlandse Entomologische Vereniging, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
Schroeder, D. 1985. The search for effective biological control
agents in Europe. 1. Diffuse and spotted knapweed. Pages 103-119 in
E. S. Defosse, editor. Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium
for Biological Control of Weeds, 19-25 August 1984, Vancouver, Canada.
Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
Wäckers, F., P. van Rijn, and J. Bruin, editors. 2005. Plant-provided
food for carnivorous insects. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
UK, in press.
List of pointers to avoid common errors:
- Insert spaces between initials except in Washington, D.C.
- Last name appears first for first author; initial(s) first for subsequent
authors.
- Periods and commas associated with bold or italicized words or phrases
should also be bold or italicized.
- In journal citations, there is no space between the colon and the
page range.
- Books and conference proceedings must include publisher information:
name, city, state or province (if pertinent), country.
- Conference proceedings must include the city, state/province, country,
and year in which the conference was held. Conference dates are typically
included, although not required. The editor(s) of the Proceedings should
be included, if possible.
- Journal articles in press should include the volume number of the
journal even if the page range is not known.
6. Attachments
All tables, figures, text appendices, videos, computer simulations, and
databases constitute attachments to the body text of the manuscript. As
such, they must be submitted as separate files to be handled properly
by our software. During the submission process you will be required to
select your attachment type from a drop down list, and then type or paste
its associated caption – these steps are repeated until you have input
the captions for all of your attachments. You will then upload the attachment
files, and our software will generate a web page for each attachment based
on the file names and captions provided. Do not include captions or titles
in the attachment files themselves.
Equation files are not considered attachments. Please see the Equations
section below for information on how to format equations.
Tables
Supply tables in rtf format. Please note that tables are automatically
converted for display on the Web and that the conversion software is very
literal in its translation. Ensure that row and column entries are denoted
by the proper row and column divisions of the table function in the word
processing software. Use of tabs, spaces or blank lines instead of tables
cells to separate information is not acceptable.
Single space all tables. Either portrait or landscape orientation is
acceptable. All title and caption information is entered separately during
the submission process and should not appear in the table file.
Never repeat the same material in figures and tables; when either is
equally clear, a figure is preferable. Do not include information in tables
that is not discussed in the text of the manuscript.
Figures
Figures must be supplied as graphic files (in GIF, JPG, or PNG formats)
at 96 dpi and no wider than 700 pixels (unless given explicit permission
by the managing
editor). Supply figures in either landscape or portrait orientation.
All title and caption information are entered separately during the submission process and should not appear in the figure file.
Please ensure that any text in your figures is legible; text should be
in Arial font and no smaller than 10 point in size. Initial upper case
letters are preferred except where SI requires lower case letters for
unit abbreviations (e.g., dbh, ln). Use italic lettering for single-letter
variables, constants, and scientific names in illustrations to make them
consistent with the text.
Solid black bars in bar graphs tend to overwhelm other parts of the graph;
use colored, shaded, or hatched bars in preference to black ones. Color
figures are accepted, authors should ensure that color figures are also
legible when viewed in black and white.
Photographs of organisms and habitats add interest and "reality" to scientific
data. We encourage you to include such a photograph where appropriate.
Text and table appendices
Text and table appendices must be submitted in rtf format. Include each appendix as a separate file and enter all title and caption information when asked during the submission process – do not include a title or caption in the appendix itself.
Other appendices
Nontext appendices and appendices that contain graphics embedded in text
may be uploaded as graphic files, pdf files or any other filetype (with
the exception of rtf format, which is reserved for text-only appendices).
Appendices should be labeled logically to indicate content (i.e. "Program#.filetype",
"Sound#.filetype"). Captions should describe the attachment fully (by
content, file format, usage, software required to run them, etc.) and
are uploaded separately during the submission process.
7. Equations and Greek characters
Equations
Insert a tag in the form <eqn#> into the body text of your manuscript
wherever you would like an equation to appear, where # = 1,2,3...n and
indicates the sequential number of the equation. Once you have uploaded
the body text, you will be prompted to upload your equation(s). Upload
each equation as a separate graphic file named eqn#.gif, where # corresponds
to the tags inserted into the body text. Any one equation may be specified
any number of times by inserting the appropriate tag in the manuscript
in multiple locations.
Greek characters
To include Greek characters in your manuscript please either use the
"Insert -- Symbol" feature in Microsoft Word, or write out the
full name of the Greek character and enclose the word in parentheses (e.g.,
<alpha>, <beta>) within the text of your manuscript
(click here for a complete list
of Greek characters and the associated full name).
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Submission Preparation Checklist (All items required)
| • | This submission has not been published elsewhere, nor is it at present being considered for publication by another journal.
| | • | The text adheres to the formatting requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines (see About the Journal).
| | • | The manuscript complies with the stated word limits. If not, it may be subject to additional charges
| | • | The text of the paper itself and that of the tables and any textual appendices are in Rich Text Format (RTF); the main body of the text has no embedded figures, equations, or tables.
| | • | Equations and figures, if present, are correctly referenced in the body text of the paper and you have individual image files of the equations and figures ready for upload.
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