PUBLICATIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA BIOLOGICAL SURVEY

Instructions for Authors

The Publications of the Oklahoma Biological Survey (POBS) series publishes high quality, externally refereed papers published at irregular intervals throughout the year. The publication series provides an outlet for biogeographic, ecological, and systematic research that focuses on the biota of Oklahoma and adjoining regions.

Manuscripts should be submitted unstapled and in triplicate to the Editor or to an Associate Editor. Please include a cover letter indicating the title, number of figures and tables, and any relevant items that pertain to the manuscript. Authors may suggest potential referees, who may or may not be contacted. Authors are encouraged to submit high quality images of figures for review purposes; high resolution (300 dpi) black and white tiff files are required if the manuscript is accepted.

Provisionally accepted manuscripts are returned to the author(s), who is (are) given four months to revise the manuscript and return it formatted as a PC-compatible Word or WordPerfect file. Manuscripts sent after the deadline will be treated as new submissions.

Manuscripts must be submitted in the following format to be considered for review.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must be in English and printed in letter quality with double-line spacing on one side of high quality white paper, approximately 8 ½" X 11". Pages should be numbered sequentially immediately following the unnumbered title page. Manuscripts should include the following sections in the following order: Title Page, Abstract, Text, Acknowledgments, Literature Cited, Tables, Figure Legends, Figures, and Appendices. Margins should be 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides of each page.

Title page. The title should be concise and informative. If the manuscript deals with particular organisms, then it may be appropriate to include the correct scientific name in the title. Include the name(s) of the author(s) and the institution(s) where the work was done. A footnote is used to indicate the present address(es) if it is different. Provide a running head of 40 or fewer characters, including spaces.

Abstract. The Abstract should be a concise summary of the work in one paragraph not exceeding 250 words that includes the paper's content, methods, and significance. No abbreviations or citations should appear in the Abstract.

Text. The text typically includes an Introduction (heading not typed out), Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Some manuscripts may be presented using other major headings, which is up to the discretion of the author(s). Do not right justify the text.

Main text HEADINGS are all caps and centered on one line. Second-level headings should be in Boldface italic, with the first letter of the first word capitalized. Third-level headings should have an initial capital letter, be printed in Italics, and be followed by a period. In the Materials and Methods, include location of manufacturers or suppliers with brand names.

General Instructions:

1. Spellings should use American spellings and be consistent throughout the manuscript.

2. Measurements should be in Standard International Units (SIU), i.e., metric units or their metric equivalents.

3. Abbreviations should be spelled out the first time used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.

4. The CBE Style Manual (5th edition) should be consulted for matters related to style.

5. Always spell out a genus or any abbreviation used as the lead word in a paragraph.

6. Use 12-point font throughout the manuscript. Double-space all materials, including text, literature cited, tables, and figure legends.

7. Footnotes are not acceptable in the text, but may be used in tables.

8. Multiple references should be cited in chronological order.

9. Italics should be used only for scientific names, subheadings, and foreign words not naturalized in English.

10. Always use a comma after the item before the conjunction in a series of items.

11. Do not use scientific names as adjectives.

12. Numbers from one to nine should be written out except when they precede a unit of measurement. Higher numbers should be written as Arabic numerals except when used at the beginning of a sentence. Only numbers with five or more digits should be separated with a comma. The 24-hour time system should be used (e.g., 1830 h).

Literature cited. Citations should be listed alphabetically and exdented. Multiple citations by a single author should be cited chronologically. Works with the same first author, but different second or other authors should be listed alphabetically according to the last name of the second author or other author. If two or more papers are by the same author(s) in the same year, use italicized lower case letters (e.g., 1988a, b). Do not use lines in place of author names. Citation guidelines should follow those used by the journal BioScience. The following are examples of correctly cited works for journal articles, books, book chapters, technical reports, meeting papers, and online material, respectively.

Broughton RE, Stewart LB, Gold JR. 2002. Microsatellite loci reveal substantial gene flow among Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean populations of king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla). Fisheries Research 54: 305-316.

Johnson FL, Milby TH. 1989. Oklahoma Botanical Literature. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Lomolino MV, Channell R, Perault DR, Smith GA. 2001. Downsizing nature: Anthropogenic dwarfing of species and ecosystems. Pages 223-243 in Lockwood JL, McKinney ML, eds. Biotic Homogenization. New York: Kluwer / Plenum Press.

Vaughn CC, Obermeyer BK. 2002. Freshwater invertebrates of Fort Sill Military Reservation. Final report to Natural Resources and Enforcement Division, Fort Sill Military Reservation, Oklahoma.

Elisens W, Hoagland B, Sohmer S. 2003. Introduction to symposium: Botany and Ecology of the Red River Basin. Paper presented at the 50th anniversary meeting of the Southwestern Association of Naturalists; 17-19 April 2003; Norman, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Biological Survey. 2003. Atlas of the Flora of Oklahoma website. (1 December 2003; http://geo.ou.edu/botanical)

Tables. Each table should be double-spaced on a separate sheet of paper. The table legend should be located at the top of the sheet and numbered with Arabic numerals (e.g., Table 1). Within the table heading, capitalize only the first word. Column headings should have an initial capital letter. Footnotes may be used in a table when necessary.

Figures. High quality line drawings and photographic images are acceptable as illustrations for review purposes; they should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals. All hard copy figures should be identified on the back with the author's name and figure number. After provisional acceptance, original figures must be submitted in high resolution (300 dpi) digital format as tiff files.

Illustrations should be prepared for inclusion in one column (8 cm) or two columns (16.5 cm) without reduction. If images must be reduced, then labels and other type on the figure should be scaled so that they are clear after reduction. Magnified images should have a bar scale. All figures should use the same font. The style of the figures should be consistent with the text.

Separate illustrations in a composite plate should be lettered consecutively. Composite figures should be referred to in the text as Figure 1A, Figure 1B, etc. Figure may be abbreviated to "Fig." if the figure is referred to parenthetically (e.g., Fig. 1A).

Figure legends. Legends should be concise and placed together on a separate sheet. They should be double spaced and in paragraph form.

Appendices. Information necessary but not essential to the text may be included as an Appendix. The author(s) should justify in the letter to the Editor why appendices are necessary.

Proofs. Once the manuscript has been accepted, the author(s) must provide an electronic copy of the manuscript, including tables and figures. Only PC versions of the commonly-used word processing software Word and Word Perfect are acceptable. Accepted manuscripts are forwarded to the Production Editor, who will then correspond with the author(s) during preparation of the manuscript for publication. The corresponding author will be sent proofs and have one week to review the proofs and make necessary changes.

Reprints. A reprint order form will be sent to the author(s) with the proofs. Reprint costs are determined by the number of pages and size of the reprint order. Authors should return the order along with payment to the Production Editor.

Review policy and procedure. Manuscripts will be reviewed by scholars with expertise in the research area. Manuscripts receiving two favorable reviews will be tentatively accepted. Copies of the reviewer's comments will be returned to the author(s). Manuscripts receiving 'split reviews' will be sent out for review to a third reviewer. The POBS Editorial Board have full discretion concerning the final acceptance of a manuscript.

Submission process. Manuscripts may be submitted to the Editor or any Associate Editor of the Publications of the Oklahoma Biological Survey. Authors may suggest reviewers, but the Editor in charge of the manuscript determines reviewer selection. In the event of a conflict of interest, the person with the conflict will not be involved in the review process.