Author Guidelines for Manuscripts
Submitted for Publication in the
Texas Journal of Science
(February - 2008)
Manuscripts intended for publication in the Journal should follow these guidelines and be submitted in TRIPLICATE to:
Dr. Frederick B. Stangl, Jr.
TJS Manuscript Editor
Department of Biology
Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
Scholarly manuscripts reporting original research results in any field of science or technology, including science education, will be considered for publication in The Texas Journal of Science. Prior to acceptance, each manuscript will be reviewed by both knowledgeable peers and the editorial staff. Authors are encouraged to suggest the names and addresses of two potential reviewers to the Manuscript Editor at the time of submission of their manuscript. No manuscript submitted to the Journal is to have been published or submitted elsewhere. Excess authorship is discouraged. Manuscripts listing more than four authors will be returned to the corresponding author.
Upon completion of the peer review process, the corresponding author is required to submit the final revised manuscript in electronic format as well as originals of all figures and B&W photographs.
FORMAT
Except for the corresponding author's address, manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout (including legends and literature cited) and submitted in TRIPLICATE (typed or photocopied) on 8.5 by 11 inch bond paper, with margins of approximately one inch and pages numbered. Scientific names of species should be placed in italics. Computer generated manuscripts must be reproduced as letter quality or laser prints. Do not justify the right margin. Do not break words at the right margin. The text can be subdivided into sections as deemed appropriate by the author(s). Possible examples are: Abstract; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Summary or Conclusions; Acknowledgments; Literature Cited. Major internal headings are centered and capitalized.
STYLE
Except for the section on Acknowledgments, authors should avoid the use of first person pronouns.
Instead of
We herein report the first record of ....
use
This report represents the first record of ....
Instead of
I made observations that support ....
use
Observations made during the course of this study support
PAGE ONE
Do not use a title page. Type (single space) the following information within the margins of the upper left of the first page:
PLEASE CORRESPOND WITH:
Name of Corresponding Author (or designated contact person)
Name of Department
Name of Institution
City, State, Zip-Code
E-mail address
Office phone number
FAX number - if available
The following information should follow (double space):
TITLE
The centered title of the article (usually 15 words or less) should be followed by the name(s) of the author(s) and institutional or business address(es), including zip-code (all centered).
Titles which include the scientific name(s) of species should contain sufficient information to alert the average reader (or abstracting service) as to what organism is discussed in the paper. The inclusion of only a scientific name is often insufficient. Instead, the author is encouraged to include a common name or the name of a higher taxonomic category (or combination of categories) in conjunction with the scientific name. The author should select names that will be recognizable by a majority of readers of the Journal. Examples are:
.... of the Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus ....
.... of the Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) ....
or
.... of Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia: Muridae) ....
____________________
.... of the Screech Owl Otus asio ....
.... of the Screech Owl (Otus asio) ....
or
.... of Otus asio (Aves: Strigidae) ....
____________________
.... of the Rain Lily Cooperia drummondii ....
.... of the Rain Lily (Cooperia drummondii) ....
or
.... of Cooperia drummondii (Amaryllidaceae) ....
____________________
.... of the Marsh Periwinkle Littorina irrorata ....
.... of the Marsh Periwinkle (Littorina irrorata) ....
or
.... of Littorina irrorata (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia)
The name of the author(s) of the species may occur in the title or with the first use of the species name in the abstract or introduction.
Once a scientific name has been fully written out in the manuscript, the generic name may be abbreviated to the single first upper case letter. Example: Homo sapiens with first use may be written as H. sapiens thereafter. Do not, however, start a sentence with the abbreviated initial of a scientific name - spell out the generic name if it is the first word of a sentence. When citing subspecies, do not abbreviate the specific epithet. Use H. sapiens sapiens instead of H. s. sapiens.
When the name and date of a reference other than the original author of the species follows the scientific name of a species, it should be preceded by the abbreviation cf. (citation from). Otherwise the reference will appear to be the author of the species.
Example:
.... were also analyzed from specimens of
Peromyscus maniculatus (cf. Jones 1971).
ABSTRACT
Each manuscript intended as a feature article must include an abstract. This should not exceed 250 words and should be a brief and concise statement of findings or results written as a double spaced single paragraph. It should not contain just a listing of subjects covered in the manuscript. Do not cite references in the abstract except under unusual circumstances. When appropriate, a Spanish abstract (or resumen) should follow the English abstract using the same format. Abstract is to be followed by a single straight line bar.
INTRODUCTION
Do not use the word “Introduction” as a heading. Introductory information is self evident and thus needs no heading. Instead, place a two-inch bar or line between the end of the abstract and the first sentence of the introductory comments.
REFERENCES
Cite all references in text by author and date in chronological (not alphabetical) order; Jones (1971); Jones (1971; 1975); (Jones 1971); (Jones 1971; 1975); (Jones 1971; Smith 1973; Davis 1975); Jones (1971); Smith (1973); Davis (1975); Smith & Davis (1985); (Smith & Davis 1985). If more than two authors, use Jones et al. (1976) or (Jones et al. 1976). Citations to publications by the same author(s) in the same year should be designated alphabetically (1979a; 1979b).
LITERATURE CITED
Journal abbreviations in the Literature Cited section should follow those listed in BIOSIS Previews 7 Database (ISSN:1044-4297). This volume is present in all libraries receiving Biological Abstracts. Ask your interlibrary loan officer or head librarian. If not available, then use standard recognized abbreviations in the field of study. Be certain that all citations in the text are included in the Literature Cited section and vice versa.
Consecutively-paged journal volumes and other serials should be cited by volume, number and pagination. Serials with more than one number and that are not consecutively paged should be cited by number as well (Smithson. Misc. Coll., 37(3):1-30). The following are examples of a variety of citations:
JOURNALS & SERIALS.-
Jones, T. L. 1971. Vegetational patterns in the Guadalupe Mountains, Texas. Am. J. Bot., 76(3):266-278.
Smith, J. D. 1973. Geographic variation in the Seminole bat, Lasiurus seminolus. J. Mammal., 54(1):25-38.
Smith, J. D. & G. L. Davis. 1985. Bats of the Yucatan Peninsula. Occas. Pap. Mus., Texas Tech Univ., 97:1-36.
BOOKS.-
Jones, T. L. 1975. An introduction to the study of plants. John Wiley & Sons, New York, xx+386 pp.
Jones, T. L., A. L. Bain & E. C. Burns. 1976. Grasses of Texas. Pp. 205-265, in Native grasses of North America (R. R. Dunn, ed.), Univ. Texas Studies, 205:xx+1-630.
UNPUBLISHED.-
Davis, G. L. 1975. The mammals of the Mexican state of Yucatan. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, 396 pp.
In the text of the manuscript, the above unpublished reference should be cited as Davis (1975) or (Davis 1975). Do not make citations to unpublished material that cannot be obtained nor reviewed by other investigators (such as unpub. or unpub. field notes).
The citation "in press" must be accompanied by the title of the journal, as well as a volume number and year of expected publication; otherwise the reference will be deleted from the manuscript. The citation "in prep." is unacceptable and will be deleted from the manuscript. "Unpublished results" or material should be referenced to the source of the individual as (Jones pers. comm.). The name of the individual and their professional institution should then be given the "Acknowledgments" section of the manuscript.
VOUCHER SPECIMENS
When appropriate, such as new records, noteworthy range extensions, or faunal or floral listings for an area, the author(s) should provide proper information (to include accession numbers) relative to the deposition of voucher specimens. Specimens should be placed with the holdings of a recognized regional or national museum or herbarium. The name(s) and designated initials used by the museum should be given as part of the introduction or methods section. Do not site the deposition of voucher specimens in personal collections.
The Editorial Staff is very aware that many members of the Academy work with organisms that are protected by state or federal regulations. As such, it may not be possible to collect nor deposit these specimens as vouchers. In the interest of maintaining credibility, authors are expected to provide some alternate means of verification such as black and white photographs, list of weights or measurements, etc. The Editorial Staff retains the option to determine the validity of a record or report in the absence of documentation with a voucher specimen.
GENERAL NOTES
A section for noteworthy but short contributions may appear at the end of each issue of the Journal. Manuscripts published as “General Notes” normally will not exceed four or five typed pages in final print. The format is the same as for feature articles except no abstract is included and the only subheading in the text is a centered “Literature Cited” unless additional subheadings are deemed necessary. While the decision as to whether a manuscript is best suited for a feature article or a note will be made by the editorial staff, authors are encouraged to indicate their preference at the time the manuscript is submitted to the Manuscript Editor.
GRAPHICS, FIGURES & TABLES
All tables must be included as a computer generated addendum or appendix of the manuscript. Computer generated figures and graphics must be laser quality and camera ready, reduced to 5.5 in. (14 cm) in width and not exceed 8.5 in. (20.5 cm) in height. Shading is unacceptable. Instead, use different and contrasting styles of crosshatching, grids, line tints, dot size, or other suitable matrix to denote differences in graphics or figures. Figures, maps and graphs should be reduced to the above graphic measurements by a photographic method. A high contrast black and white process known as a PMT or Camera Copy Print is recommended. Authors unable to provide reduced PMT's should submit their originals. Figures and graphs which are too wide to be reduced to the above measurements may be positioned sideways. They should then be reduced to 9 in. (23 cm) wide and 5 in. (12.5 cm) in height. Black and white photographs of specimens, study sites, etc. should not exceed 8 in. in width and be mounted on 8.5 by 11 in. paper or backing. Color photographs cannot be processed at this time. Each figure should be marked on the back with the name of the author(s) and figure number. If confusion might result as to arrangement of a figure, label "top". All legends for figures and tables must be typed (double-spaced) on a sheet(s) of paper separate from the text. All figures must be referred to in text as "Figure 3" or "(Fig.3)"; all tables as "Table 3" or "(Table 3)".
GALLEY PROOFS & REPRINTS
The corresponding author will receive galley proofs in PDF format prior to the final publishing of the manuscript. Corrections in electronic format are to be returned to the Managing Editor within five days; failure to promptly return corrections to the galley proofs may result in delay of publication. The Academy will provide a PDF and 100 reprints without charge for each feature article or note published in the Journal. Reprints will be mailed to the corresponding author or other such designated contact person following the publishing of each issue of the Journal. The distribution of reprints among co-authors is the responsibility of the corresponding author.
PAGE CHARGES
Page charges will be waived on manuscripts in which all authors (one to four) are members of the Texas Academy of Science in good standing at the time of the original submission to the Manuscript Editor. These manuscripts will be published with the customary PDF and 100 reprints provided to the corresponding author without charge. As in the past – those authors with institutional or grant support are requested to support these page charges in part or whole when possible.
For manuscripts authored by non-members or a combination of members and non-members - authors are required to pay $50 per printed page. Members of the Academy are, however, allowed four published pages per year free of charge on these publications - full payment is required for those pages in excess of four. Non-members of the Academy are required to pay full page charges for all pages. The Academy, upon written request, will subsidize a limited number of contributions per volume. These exceptions are, however, generally limited to students, post docs or foreign authors without financial support. Should a problem arise relative to page charges, please contact Dr. Ned E. Strenth (ned.strenth@angelo.edu) at Angelo State University.
ABBREVIATIONS
The following are a series of standard abbreviations which should be followed:
UNITS OF MEASURE
sec second
min minute
h or hr hour
d day
wk week
mo month
yr year
YBP years before present
m.y. million years
nm nanometer
μg microgram(s)
mg milligram(s)
g gram(s)
kg kilogram(s)
Hz hertz
kHz kilohertz
MHz megahertz
dL deciliter
μL microliter
μm micrometer (micron)
mm millimeter(s)
cm centimeter(s)
m meter(s)
K Kelvin
km kilometer(s)
in. inch (use period)
ft foot (feet)
mi mile(s)
ha hectare(s)
M molar
ppm parts per million
W watt
gal gallon(s)
μL microliter
mL illiliter and cubic centimeter should be spelled out when used alone or where confusion may exist; abbreviate as L only in a chemical listing or table of ingredients where it is self-evident.
LATIN AND OTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGE TERMS
ca. circa
e.g., exempli gratia, for example (note comma)
et al. et alia, and others
etc. et cetera, and so on
i.e., such as (note comma)
in vitro outside the living organism
in vivo in the living organism
in situ in its original or natural place or position
per se by itself, as such
sic thus (to signal exact transcription)
via by way of, by means of
vis-à-vis in relation to, as compared with vs. or versus against, in contrast to
STATISTICAL TERMS
A posteriori based upon actual observation or
upon experimental data
A priori valid independently of observation
ANOVA analysis of variance
CV coefficient of variation
df degrees of freedom
n sample size or number in sample
P probability
r or R correlation coefficient
SD standard deviation
SE standard error
SEM standard error of the mean
t f U Z X2 statistical tests
mean
$ equal to or greater than
> greater than
# equal to or less than
< less than
≈ or ~ approximately
MISCELLANEOUS
AC DC alternating current and direct current
Co. county (or spell out)
elev. elevation (use period)
Fig. or fig. figure (use period)
maximum no abbreviation
minimum no abbreviation
pers. comm. personal (oral or written) communication
sp. or spp. for one or more species of a genus
States spell out to avoid confusion
Table write out completely
UK United Kingdom (no spaces)
U.S.A. or USA United States of America
USNM National Museum of Natural History
DIRECTIONS AND COORDINATES
N E S W ENE SE SSW no periods
10E05'N, 24E06'W latitude and longitude
UTM coordinates are suitable, but the distance and direction from a known place- name should also be included.
SYMBOLS
Male (%) and female (&) symbols should not be used in the text, but may be used in tables and figures.
Write percent as one word in the text, but use the percent sign after numbers (1%, 99%). Use the percent sign (%) in all tables or figures.
Do not use X as a symbol for the word "by". Write, for example, "Containers used were 8.4 by 8.4 by 24.8 cm . . . ."
NUMBERS
For numbers one through nine, write out the number in the text of the manuscript except when used with units of measure (such as 4 mm or 9 km). For numbers 10 and above, use the number. Use only numbers in all tables and figures.
These guidelines have been prepared in an effort to both reduce the amount of editorial revision and to speed the process by which your manuscript is ultimately published. All questions relating to manuscripts cannot possibly be covered in this one set of guidelines. Should questions arise, then please review the most recent issues of the Journal or contact the Editorial Staff. Thank you for considering the Texas Journal of Science.
Dr. Ned E. Strenth
TJS Managing Editor
Department of Biology
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas 76909
ned.strenth@angelo.edu
Dr. Frederick B. Stangl, Jr.
TJS Manuscript Editor
Department of Biology
Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308
frederick.stangl@mwsu.edu