Journal Guide

Neotropical Biodiversity is an open-access, international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research articles and reviews of exceptional significance for biodiversity within the Neotropics. The journal covers all scales of biodiversity, including molecules, genes, populations, species, and ecosystems. General areas include, but are not restricted to, the following: anatomy, biogeography, computational biology, evolutionary developmental biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, conservation biology, ecology, evolution, landscape genomics, phylogenetic, paleontology, population biology, and taxonomy.

The main criteria for acceptance of reviews and research papers are originality, scientific rigour and appeal to an international readership.   Neotropical Biodiversity also publishes occasional monographs that clearly represent substantial contributions in a particular field. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double blind. 

Neotropical Biodiversity es una revista científica de acceso abierto, internacional y revisada por pares. La revista publica artículos de investigación inéditos y artículos de revisión que tengan excepcional importancia para la biodiversidad de las regiones neotropicales. La revista abarca todos los niveles de biodiversidad, incluyendo mol éculas, genes, poblaciones, especies y ecosistemas. Las áreas generales incluyen, pero no se limitan, a las siguientes: anatomía, biogeografía, biología computacional, biología de la conservación, biología evolutiva del desarrollo, biología molecular, biología de poblaciones, biotecnología, ecología, evolución, genómica de paisaje, filogenética, paleontología y taxonomía.

Los principales criterios para la aceptación artículos de investigación y de revisión son la originalidad, el rigor científico y su relevancia para una audiencia internacional. Neotropical Biodiversity también publica monografías de manera esporádica, aunque únicamente se considerarán aquellas que claramente representen aportaciones significativas en un campo del conocimiento determinado. Todos los manuscritos enviados son objeto de una evaluación inicial por parte del editor y, si son considerados apropiados para una evaluación posterior, se someten a una revisión por pares expertos, independientes y anónimos. Todas las revisiones se llevan a cabo mediante el sistema doble ciego (double-blind review).

Aims: The diversity of aquatic life in the southern continents and oceans is of worldwide interest to researchers and resource managers in research institutions, museums, and other centres. The New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research plays an important role in disseminating information on field-based, experimental, and theoretical research on the marine, estuarine, and freshwater biology of the region. Scope of submissions: The New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research publishes original research papers, review papers, short communications, book reviews, letters, and forum articles. We welcome submissions on all aspects of aquatic science (including fisheries), with particular emphasis on Australasia, South America, Antarctica, and the Pacific. The journal's subject matter includes ecology, taxonomy, aquaculture, genetics, biodiversity, bioinvasions, physical oceanography, limnology, hydrology, and aquatic chemistry. Prospective contributors should consult recent issues of the journal and can contact the Editorial Office to discuss whether a planned submission is appropriate. * No page charges for publication * Online iFirst e-before print publication between quarterly issues option * iFirst Open Access option available Electronic and printed issues are published quarterly (B5 format) Print ISSN: 0028-8330, Online ISSN: 1175-8805.

The North American Journal of Fisheries Management is intended to promote communication among managers, the journal addresses the maintenance, enhancement, and allocation of fisheries resources. Its contents chronicle the development of practical monitoring and management programs for finfish and exploitable shellfish in marine and freshwater environments. Contributions relate to the way species, habitats, and harvests may be managed to protect and enhance fish and fishery resources for societal benefits. Case histories of successes, failures, and side effects of fisheries programs help convey practical management experience to others.

The Northeastern Naturalist is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary scientific journal with a regional focus on northeastern North America, including Canada. It features research articles on terrestrial, fresh-water, and marine organisms, and their environments. It focuses on field ecology, biology, behavior, biogeography, wildlife and fisheries management, taxonomy, evolution, anatomy, physiology, geology, and related fields. It is co-published with the Southeastern Naturalist. Both journals are identical in focus, format, quality, and features, thus providing an integrated publishing and research resource for the eastern part of North America.

Oecologia publishes innovative ecological research of general interest to a broad international audience. We publish several types of manuscripts in many areas of ecology:

Categories: Concepts, Reviews and SynthesesViews and CommentsSpecial TopicsMethodsPhysiological ecology - Original researchBehavioral ecology - Original researchPopulation ecology - Original researchPlant-microbe-animal interactions - Original researchCommunity ecology - Original researchEcosystem ecology - Original researchGlobal change ecology - Original researchConservation ecology - Original researchIn general, studies that are purely descriptive, mathematical, documentary, and/or natural history will not be considered.

In the Concepts, Reviews and Syntheses section, we seek papers on emerging issues in ecology, especially those that cross multiple boundaries in ecology, provide synthesis of important bodies of work or delve into new combinations of theory and observations with the potential to create new paradigms or challenge

Oikos is a journal issued by the Nordic Ecological Society and is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals in ecology. Oikos publishes original and innovative research on all aspects of ecology. Emphasis is on theoretical and empirical work aimed at generalization and synthesis across taxa, systems and ecological disciplines. Papers should be well founded in ecological theory and contribute to new developments in ecology by reporting novel theory or critical experimental results. Confirming or extending the established literature is given less priority. Synthesis of new and emerging fields in ecology and beyond is encouraged. Papers of review character should strive for conceptual unification and being a point of departure for future work rather than restrospective summaries of established fields or topics. Papers in Brevia, Horizons and Forum sections are given high priority in the publication process. Oikos Sections Research papers - Research papers report original research in all fields of ecology and should aim at a readership from a wide range of ecological disciplines. Research papers' manuscripts should have a maximum of 50 references. Forum - Forum is the section in Oikos where syntheses and reviews are published. The format can be short notes or more substantial reviews aimed at bringing fields together, to transgress existing boundaries and to syntesize larger fields or seemingly disparate areas, and to offer new ways of interpreting existing data. Forum articles should strive for conceptual unification and being a point of departure for future work rather than just summarizing existing bodies of theory and data. It is an arena for challenging current thinking on ecological issues by revising established concepts and received knowledge through critical experiments or new theory so that new ground can be broken. Horizons - Horizons papers are short (maximum two printed pages) essays on the past and the future of ecological research, an exploration of new territories of ecology by a more speculative, yet scientifically sound, reasoning on topics that also may be more peripheral to traditional ecological thinking. Manuscripts are judged strongly on their novelty and originality.The Horizons section invites authors to look ahead, to go beyond the contemporary and mainstream and serves as an arena for informed reflections and outlooks within or outside the field of ecology. It is aimed at capturing emerging ideas and concepts by using existing knowledge and insights as a springboard for pointing in new directions and for breaking new grounds. Horizon articles may be solicited but are always sent out for review before possible publication. Brevia - Brevia offers the possibility to comment on and discuss papers published in Oikos. Brevia articles should be brief, succcinct and to the point and should broaden and widen the scope of published ccontributions, or debate controversial findings. It is open for discussions on fundamental issues in ecology or the way the science of ecology is done. Manuscripts should rarely be longer than approximately 5 pages with a very brief (maximum 200 words) opening summary and with a reference list in the standard Oikos format. Oikos does not publish book reviews. Oikos is published in cooperation with the journals Ecography, Lindbergia, J. Avian Biology, the internet journal Web Ecology and the monograph series Ecological Bulletins. Manuscripts may be transferred between these journals according to profile.

Articles should be in the region of 4.000 words. Research notes and shorter pieces will also be considered for publication. In addition. papers derived from work done under the EU Research Framework Programme will be readily considered. Submissions should be double-spaced. They can be sent either by e-mail to the Editor or by post c/o of the publisher (contact details above). Electronic versions must be in Word. The text should be ordered under appropriate sub-headings (not numbered paragraphs or sections) and where possible these should not be more than 800 words apart. Three levels of sub-heading are possible. The title page should show the names and addresses of the authors. their professional status and affiliation and the address (including e-mail) to which correspondence should be sent. As this page will not be sent to referees. the title of the article (without author names) should be repeated on the first text page. An abstract should be provided. comprising 80-100 words. Between 3 and 6 keywords should appear below the abstract. highlighting the main topics of the paper. References should follow the Harvard system. That is. they should be shown within the text as the author39;s surname (or authors39; surnames) followed by a comma and the year of publication. all in round brackets: for example. (Smith. 1998). At the end of the article a bibliographical list should be supplied. organized alphabetically by author (surnames followed by initials - all authors should be named). Bibliographic information should be given in the order indicated by the following examples: Articles:Wheeler. T.. and Kay. M. (2010). ‘Food crop production. water and climate change in the developing world’.Outlook on Agriculture. Vol 39. No 4. pp 239–243. Books:Lovelock. J. (2009).The Vanishing Face of Gaia: a Final Warning.Allen Lane. London. Notes should be numbered consecutively in the text and typed in plain text at the end of the paper (not as footnotes on text pages). Tables should be reduced to the simplest form and present only essential data. They should be submitted on separate sheets at the end of the article. The use of vertical rules in tables should be avoided. For illustrations. line drawings and photographs are acceptable. Authors are asked to supply originals of line drawings for reproduction. Photographs should be glossy prints with good contrast. Authors should bear in mind that colour illustrations will be reproduced in black and white in the print version of the journal. Prior Publication Articles are received on the understanding that they are original contributions. and have not been published officially. either in print or electronic form. or submitted for publication elsewhere. In this respect. ‘discussion’ or ‘working’ papers. conference presentations and proceedings are not considered to be official publications. unless they have been formally deemed so by conference organizers. or presented as edited works through recognized publishing channels. If in doubt. authors are asked to draw the attention of the Editor to any prior dissemination of the paper in their letter of submission. Please note that articles should not be posted on personal Websites or social networking sites before or after submission. Refereeing Other than research notes. reports. and personal opinion pieces. articles will be refereed. Papers by authors who are not academics (eg submissions from industry) will also be subject to review before acceptance. but their distinct nature and aims will be fully taken into account. Copyright Authors will be asked to assign copyright. where possible. to IP Publishing Ltd. Relevant authors’ rights are protected.

PLoS Computational Biology features works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales—from molecules and cells, to patient populations and ecosystems—through the application of computational methods. Readers include life and computational scientists, who can take the important findings presented here to the next level of discovery.Research articles that primarily describe new methods and offer only limited biological insight will be considered only in those exceptional instances in which the method is expected to significantly impact the field of computational biology, typically making substantial breakthroughs in areas of demonstrated importance. Research articles modeling aspects of biological systems should demonstrate both scientific novelty and profound new biological insights. Research articles describing improved or routine methods, models, software, and databases will not be considered by PLoS Computational Biology, and may be more appropriate for PLoS ONE.Generally, reliability and significance of biological discovery are validated and enriched by experimental studies. Experimental validation is not required for publication, however, nor does experimental validation of a modest biological discovery render a manuscript suitable for PLoS Computational Biology.For all submissions, authors must clearly provide detail, data, and software to ensure readers' ability to reproduce the models, methods, and results.Authors unsure of whether their work is within the scope of the journal should submit a presubmission inquiry.

Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments is a peer-reviewed international journal for the publication of high-quality multidisciplinary studies in the fields of palaeobiodiversity, palaeoenvironments and palaeobiogeography. Key criteria for the acceptance of manuscripts are a global scope or implications of problems on a global scale significant not only for a single discipline, a focus on the diversity of fossil organisms and the causes and processes of change in Earth’s history. The topics covered include: Systematic studies of all fossil animal / plant groups with a special focus on palaeoenvironmental investigations, palaeoecosystems and climate changes in Earth’s history, environment-organism interaction, comparison of modern and ancient sedimentary environments, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography.

Pedobiologia publishes peer reviewed articles describing original work in the field of soil ecology, which includes the study of soil organisms and their interactions with factors in their biotic and abiotic environments.Analysis of biological structures, interactions, functions, and processes in soil is fundamental for understanding the dynamical nature of terrestrial ecosystems, a prerequisite for appropriate soil management. The scope of this journal consists of fundamental and applied aspects of soil ecology; key focal points include interactions among organisms in soil, organismal controls on soil processes, causes and consequences of soil biodiversity, and aboveground-belowground interactions.We publish:original research that tests clearly defined hypotheses addressing topics of current interest in soil ecology (including studies demonstrating nonsignificant effects);descriptions of novel methodological approaches, or evaluations of current approaches, that address a clear need in soil ecology research;innovative syntheses of the soil ecology literature, including metaanalyses, topical in depth reviews and short opinion/perspective pieces, and descriptions of original conceptual frameworks; andshort notes reporting novel observations of ecological significance.

Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (PPEES) publishes outstanding and thought-provoking articles of general interest to an international readership in the fields of plant ecology, evolution and systematics. Of particular interest are longer, in-depth articles that provide a broad understanding of key topics in the field. There are six issues per year.The following types of article will be considered:Full length reviewsEssay reviewsLonger research articlesMeta-analysesFoundational methodological or empirical papers from large consortia or long-term ecological research sites (LTER)To maintain high scientific standards, manuscripts are submitted to two or more reviewers for evaluation of their scientific soundness and significance. Authors will be generally notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision of their manuscripts within three months.Biological flora series (monographs of model species)PPEES is particularly interested in contributions to the knowledge of species that are flagship species for conservation, invasive species of particular concern, or species that are frequently used as models in ecological research. Prospective authors should contact the editorial office of PPEES before starting to write a contribution and enquire whether their planned manuscript would be of interest to PPEES.For more information on the aims and scope of PPEES please read the recent editorial published in Volume 14, Issue 1, 2012. http://www.elsevier-data.de/journals/PPEES_editorial_2012.pdfPerspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics is included in the Research4Life program. Research4Life (http://www.research4life.org/) is a partnership of United Nations agencies, universities, and publishers that makes journal articles available for free or at very low cost to institutions in developing countries. For more details go to: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/intro.cws_home/research4life