Austral Ecology

Author Guidelines

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• Exclusive Licence Form (new Copyright Assignment Form)

• Guidelines for electronic figures

Manuscript Submission

Austral Ecology is now using Manuscript Central for online submission and peer review. All new manuscripts must be submitted using Manuscript Central. Manuscripts submitted before this date are currently being considered and will follow the previous process.

To submit a manuscript, please follow the instructions below.

Getting Started
1. Launch your web browser (Internet Explorer 5 or higher, Netscape 7 or higher, Firefox 1.0.4 or Safari 1.2.4) and go to the Austral Ecology Manuscript Central homepage (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aec).
2. Log-in or click the “Create Account” option if you are a first-time user of Manuscript Central.
3. If you are creating a new account.
• After clicking on “Create Account”, enter your name and e-mail information and click “Next”. Your e-mail information is very important.
• Enter your institution and address information as appropriate, and then click “Next.”
• Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID). Click “Finish”.
4. If you have an account but have forgotten your log in details, go to “Password Help” on the Austral Ecology Manuscript Central homepage and enter your email address. The system will send you a temporary password. Use this to log into the system and set a permanent password.
5. Log-in and select “Author Center.”

Submitting Your Manuscript
6. After you have logged in, click the “Submit a Manuscript” link in the menu bar.
7. Enter data and answer questions as appropriate.
8. Click the “Next” button on each screen to save your work and advance to the next screen.
9. You are required to upload your files.*
• Click on the “Browse” button and locate the file on your computer.
• Select the designation of each file in the drop down next to the Browse button.
• When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the “Upload Files” button.
10. Review your submission (in PDF format) before sending to the Journal. Click the “Submit” button when you are finished reviewing.

You may suspend a submission at any phase before clicking the “Submit” button and save it to submit later. After submission, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You can also access Manuscript Central any time to check the status of your manuscript. The Journal will inform you by e-mail once a decision has been made.

Getting Help With Your Submission
Each page of the Manuscript Central website has a ‘Get Help Now’ icon connecting directly to the online support system at http://mcv3support.custhelp.com. Queries can also be e-mailed to support@scholarone.com and telephone support is available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week through the US ScholarOne support office on: +1 434 817 2040, ext 167. If you do not have Internet access or cannot submit online, the Editorial Office will help with online submissions. Please contact the Editor - Email: michael.bull@flinders.edu.au; tel: +61 8 8201 2263; fax: +61 8 8201 3015

Authors are encouraged to visit the Blackwell Publishing website for authors which details further information on the preparation and submission of articles and figures and gives access to the Blackwell house style guide.

Acceptance
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are peer reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers and the Editor. The Editorial Board reserves the right to refuse any material for publication and advises that authors should retain copies of submitted manuscripts and correspondence as material cannot be returned. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editorial Board.

Word Limits

There is a word limit of 300 words for the abstract and of 7,500 words for the rest of the text including the reference list and citations.  

Criteria used for accepting a manuscript
1. The paper can describe studies in terrestrial, aquatic or marine habitats. They can be at a local, regional or global scale but should be set in a broad ecological context, and contribute new information towards some general question. Specifically, we do not publish papers that simply describe an ecosystem or a local ecological pattern. Nor do we publish papers that ask ecological questions that are only relevant to some local region (e.g. how does fire affect plant communities in the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia), although local studies that can make new contributions to broader generalizations can be accepted.
2. A review paper should not just list all of the relevant publications but should provide insights, by some novel synthesis or analysis, of trends that can be revealed from previously published research.
3. The paper should ask questions relating to the patterns observed in ecosystems, at the level of the individual organism, the population,
the ecological community or the landscape. The study might be motivated by either basic or applied research questions. Sometimes those questions and the derived explanations will have relevance to ecosystem management issues, but the papers in Austral Ecology should focus on the science in the study. The results of the study might form the basis for management or policy recommendations, which should be submitted to alternative publishing outlets.
4. Normally the paper should relate to ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere, although general theoretical papers are acceptable, as are those with a Northern Hemisphere basis, but that have implications for Southern Hemisphere ecosystems.
5. Papers can cover a broad range of ecological topics from landscape ecology and ecosystem dynamics to individual population dynamics and behavioural ecology.
6. The paper needs a logical structure with a specific question that is addressed by the methods and analysis.
7. Conclusions need to be supported by the results presented.
8. Studies need to be well supported by appropriate statistical analyses that are reported in sufficient detail to allow readers to assess the rigour of the conclusions. Where replication is impractical, the implications for interpretation should be acknowledged.

 

Submission of Manuscripts
All articles submitted to the journal must comply with these instructions. Failure to do so will result in return of the manuscript and possible delay in publication.

Manuscripts should be written so that they are intelligible to the professional reader who is not a specialist in the particular field. Where contributions are judged as acceptable for publication on the basis of scientific content, the Editor or the Publisher reserves the right to modify typescripts to eliminate ambiguity and repetition and improve communication between author and reader. If extensive alterations are required, the manuscript will be returned to the author for revision.

Covering letter
Papers are accepted for publication in the journal on the understanding that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. This must be stated in the covering letter.

Papers describing experiments that involve procedures that could cause pain, discomfort or reduced health to vertebrate animals must be demonstrated to be ethically acceptable and, where relevant, conform to the national guidelines for animal usage in research.

 

Pre-submission English-language editing
Authors for whom English is a second language may choose to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve the English. A list of independent suppliers of editing services can be found at www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor/english_language.asp. All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication.

 

Author material archive policy
Authors who require the return of any submitted material that is accepted for publication should inform the Editorial Office after acceptance. If no indication is given that author material should be returned, Wiley-Blackwell will dispose of all hardcopy and electronic material two months after publication.

 

Copyright
Papers accepted for publication become copyright of the Ecological Society of Australia and authors will be asked to sign an Exclusive Licence Form. In signing the Exclusive Licence Form it is assumed that authors have obtained permission to use any copyrighted or previously published material. All authors must read and agree to the conditions outlined in the Exclusive Licence Form, and must sign the form or agree that the corresponding author can sign on their behalf. Articles cannot be published until a signed Exclusive Licence Form has been received.

 

Preparation of the Manuscript
Submissions should be printed, doubled-spaced, on one side only of A4 paper. The top, bottom and side margins should be 30 mm. Laser or near-letter quality print is essential. All pages should be numbered consecutively in the top right hand corner, beginning with the title page. Authors are required to include sequential line numbering in their manuscripts except for tables and figures. New paragraphs should be indented. The hyphenation option should be turned off, including only those hyphens that are essential to the meaning.

 

Style
The journal uses UK spelling and authors should therefore follow the latest edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary. All measurements must be given in SI units as outlined in the latest edition of Units, Symbols and Abbreviations: A Guide for Medical and Scientific Editors and Authors (Royal Society of Medicine Press, London).

Abbreviations should be used sparingly and only where they ease the reader’s task by reducing repetition of long, technical terms. Initially use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation. At the first mention of a chemical substance, give the generic name only. Trade names should not be used.

 

Review Articles
Review articles that are brief, synthetic and/or provocative are occasionally commissioned by the Editors. These submissions are reviewed under the journal’s usual standards. It is normal for there to be some negotiation between the invited author and the commissioning Editor about the content and timing of any invited submission. Please contact the Editors if you would like to write such a review. Unsolicited review manuscripts may also be considered.

 

Short Notes and Comments
The journal welcomes commentaries on the substance of previously published papers. Such contributions must be short and to the point, with adequate support for the issues being raised. Authors of papers being criticized or commented upon are usually given a right of brief reply.

 

Parts of the manuscript
Manuscripts should be presented in the following order: (i) title page, (ii) abstract and keywords, (iii) text,  (iv) acknowledgements, (v) references, (vi) tables (each table complete with title and footnotes) and (vii) figures with figure legends.

Footnotes to the text are not allowed and any such material should be incorporated into the text as parenthetical matter.

 

Title page
The title page should contain: (i) the title of the paper; (ii) the full names of the authors; (iii) the addresses of the institutions at which the work was carried out, as well as the present address of any author if different from that where the work was carried out; and (iv) the full postal and email address, plus facsimile and telephone numbers, of the author to whom correspondence about the manuscript, proofs and requests for offprints should be sent.

The title should be short, informative and contain the major key words. A short running title (less than 40 characters, including spaces) should also be provided.

 

Abstract and key words
Articles must have an abstract that states in 300 words or less the purpose, basic procedures, main findings and principal conclusions of the study. The abstract should not contain abbreviations or references. The names of organisms used should be given.

Five key words should be supplied below the abstract for the purposes of indexing.

 

Text
Authors should use the following subheadings to divide the sections of their manuscript: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References.

Introduction: This section should include sufficient background information to set the work in context. The aims of the manuscript should be clearly stated. The introduction should not contain either findings or conclusions.

Methods: This should be concise but provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be repeated by others.

Results: Results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, tables and figures; repetitive presentation of the same data in different forms should be avoided. The results should not contain material appropriate to the Discussion.

Discussion: This should consider the results in relation to any hypotheses advanced in the Introduction and place the study in the context of other work. Only in exceptional cases should the Results and Discussion sections be combined.

 

Species nomenclature
When the generic or specific name of the major study organism(s) is first used, the taxonomic family or affiliation should also be mentioned, both in the abstract and in the body of the text.

 

Acknowledgements
The source of financial grants and other funding should be acknowledged, including a frank declaration of the authors’ industrial links and affiliations. The contribution of colleagues or institutions should also be acknowledged.

Upon its first use in the title, abstract and text, the common name of a species should be followed by the scientific name (genus and species) in parentheses. However, for wellknown species, the scientific name may be omitted from the article title. If no common name exists in English, the scientific name should be used only.

 

References
The Harvard (author, date) system of referencing is used. Consult a recent issue of the journal for the referencing format.

Personal communications, unpublished data and publications from informal meetings are not to be listed in the reference list but should be listed in full in the text (e.g. A. Smith, unpublished data, 2000).

 

References in Articles
We recommend the use of a tool such as EndNote or Reference Manager for reference management and formatting.
EndNote reference styles can be searched for here:
http://www.endnote.com/support/enstyles.asp

Reference Manager reference styles can be searched for here:
http://www.refman.com/support/rmstyles.asp

 

Tables
Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text. Tables should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Each table should be presented on a separate sheet of A4 paper with a comprehensive but concise legend above the table. Tables should be double-spaced and vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, , should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for P values. The table and its legend/footnotes should be understandable without reference to the text.

 

Figures
All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be cited in consecutive order in the text. Figures should be sized to fit within the column (78 mm), intermediate (118 mm) or the full text width (165 mm). Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration.

Line figures should be supplied as sharp, black and white graphs or diagrams, drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package; lettering must d be included and should be sized to be no larger than the journal text.

 

Graphics should be supplied as high resolution (at least 300 d.p.i. at the final size) files, saved in .eps or .tif format. Digital images supplied only as low resolution print-outs cannot be used.

 

Colour figures
Colour photographs should be submitted as good quality, glossy colour prints. A charge of A$1100 for one to three colour figures and $550 for each extra colour figure thereafter will be charged to the author.

 

In the event that an author is not able to cover the costs of reproducing colour figures in colour in the printed version of the journal, Austral Ecology offers authors the opportunity to reproduce colour figures in colour for free in the online version of the article (but they will still appear in black and white in the print version). If an author wishes to take advantage of this free colour-on-the-web service, they should liaise with the Editorial Office to ensure that the appropriate documentation is completed for the Publisher. 

 

Figure legends
Legends should be self-explanatory and should incorporate definitions of any symbols used. All abbreviations and units of measurement should be explained so that the figure and its legend is understandable without reference to the text. (Provide a letter stating copyright authorization if figures have been reproduced from another source.)

 

Supporting Information

Supporting Information is not essential to the article but provides greater depth and background and may include tables, figures, videos, datasets, etc. This material can be submitted with your manuscript, and will appear online, without editing or typesetting. Please ensure that an abbreviated description of the legend is supplied with the supporting information as part of the journal style. Guidelines on how to prepare this material and which formats and file sizes are acceptable can be found at: http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/

Proofs, Offprints and Page Charges

Proofs
Notification of the URL from where to download a Portable Document Format (PDF) typeset page proof, associated forms and further instructions will be sent by email to the corresponding author. The purpose of the PDF proof is a final check of the layout, and of tables and figures. Alterations other than the essential correction of errors are unacceptable at PDF proof stage. The proof should be checked, and approval to publish the article should be emailed to the Publisher by the date indicated; otherwise, it may be signed off on by the Editor or held over to the next issue.

Acrobat Reader will be required in order to read the PDF. This software can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe web site: Click here. This will enable the file to be opened, read on screen, and printed out in order for any corrections to be added. Further instructions will be sent with the proof. Authors should therefore supply an email address to which proofs can be emailed. Proofs will be faxed if no e-mail address is available. If absent, authors should arrange for a colleague to access their email, retrieve the PDF proof and check and return them to the publisher on their behalf.

 

Offprints
A PDF file of the final version of the paper will be provided free of charge. The PDF file is for the authors’ personal or professional use, for the purposes of scholarly or scientific research or study. Extra printed offprints may be purchased if required.

 

Page charges
Page charges of A$11.00 per printed page will be levied on each article appearing in the journal (not including thesis abstracts and book reviews). These charges are payable to Wiley-Blackwell Asia Pty Ltd and will be invoiced when page proofs are sent to the authors. This procedure notwithstanding, no paper will be rejected or given any extraordinary treatment on the basis other than its scientific merit. Contributors not in receipt of institutional or grant-based support may apply to the Managing Editor for exemption from page charges.