Instructions to Authors - Scientific Publications

Manuscripts must be submitted to The Editor. Authors will then liaise with a nominated Associate Editor until a work is accepted, rejected or withdrawn. All manuscripts are refereed externally.

Only those manuscripts that meet the following requirements will be considered for publication. Large monographic works are considered for publication only when the subject matter aligns closely with the Museum's strategic objectives.

Submit manuscripts electronically and as one printed copy; images should be high resolution TIFFs (see below). Attach one summary file or cover sheet giving: the title; the name, address and contact details of each author; the author responsible for checking proofs; a suggested running-head of less than 40 character-spaces; and the number of figures, tables and appendices. Manuscripts must be complete when submitted.

Text files, tables and charts should all be in Rich Text Format (RTF). Tables and figures should be numbered and referred to in numerical order in the text. Electronic copy is stripped and recon­struct­ed during production, so authors should avoid excessive layout or textual embellishments; avoid using uncommon fonts, a single font should be used throughout (Times or Times New Roman are preferred).

All copy is manipulated within a Windows (not Mac) environ-­ment using Adobe and Microsoft software. If hard copy is submitted then it should be printed from the electronic file that accompanies it.

Manuscripts should be prepared using recent issues as a guide. There should be a title (series titles should not be used), author(s) with their institutional and e-mail addresses, an abstract (should be intelligible by itself, informative not indicative), introduction (should open with a few lines for general, non-specialist readers), materials and methods, results (usually subdivided with primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary-level headings), discussion, acknowledgments and references. If appropriate, an appendix may be added after references. An index may be called for if a paper is very large (>55,000 words) and contains many indexible elements.

In the titles of zoological works the higher classification of the group dealt with should be indicated. Except for common abbreviations, definitions should be given in the materials and methods section. Sentences should not begin with abbreviations or numerals. Metric units must be used except when citing original specimen data. It is desirable to include geo-spatial coordinates; when reference is made to them, authors must ensure that their format precludes ambiguity, in particular, avoid formats that confuse arcminutes and arcseconds.

Label and specimen data should, as a minimum requirement, indicate where specimens are deposited. Original specimen data - especially that of type material - is preferred over interpreted data. If open to interpretation, cite original data between quotation marks or use "[sic]".

Rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature must be followed; authors must put a very strong case if a Recommendation is not followed. When new taxa are proposed in works having multiple authors, the identity of the author(s) responsible for the new name(s) and for satisfying the criteria of availability, should be made clear in accordance with Recommend­ations in Chapter XI of the Code. In the view of the Editorial Committee, a scientific name with more than two authors is unwieldy and should be avoided. Keys are desirable; they must be dichotomous and not serially indented. Synonymies should be of the short form: taxon author, year, pages and figures. A period and dash must separate taxon and author except in the case of reference to the original description. Proposed type material should be explicitly designated and, unless institutional procedure prohibits it, registered by number in an institutional collection.

Previously published illustrations will generally not be accepted. Extra costs resulting from colour production are charged to the author (AU$1000 for 1-8 pp, AU$2000 for 9-16 pp, etc.; these charges can be shared by authors of different papers that are printed consecutively). All images must (a) be rectangular or square and scalable to a width of 83 mm (one text column) or 172 mm (both text columns) and any depth up to 229 mm (the number of lines in a caption limits depth); (b) have lettering similar to 14 point, upper case, normal, Helvetica, in final print; (c) have no unnecessary white or black space; and (d) have vertical or horizontal scale bars, with the lengths given in the caption and with the thickness approximately equal to an upper case 14 point letter "I".

Digital images must be presented as TIFF, or as multilayered PSD files suitable for Adobe Photoshop version 5.0 or later. Halftone and colour images must be at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at final size (at this resolution 2040 pixels = page width) and all labelling must be sharp (with anti-aliased active). Black and white line images (bitmaps) must be at a minimum resolution of 1200 dpi at final size (at this resolution 8160 pixels = page width).

When reference is made to figures in the present work use Fig. or Figs, when in another work use fig. or figs; the same rule applies to the case of the word tables. Figures and tables should be numbered and referred to in numerical order in the text.

Authors should refer to recent issues of the Records of the Australian Museum to determine the correct format for listing references and to The Chicago Manual of Style to resolve other matters of style.

Certain anthropological manuscripts (both text and images) may deal with culturally sensitive material. Responsibility rests with authors to ensure that approvals from the appropriate person or persons have been obtained prior to submission of the manuscript.

Stratigraphic practice should follow the International Stratigraphic Guide (second edition) and Field Geologist's Guide to Lithostratigraphic Nomenclature in Australia.

The Editor and Publisher reserve the right to modify manuscripts to improve communication between author and reader. Essential corrections only may be made to final proofs. No corrections can be accepted less than five weeks prior to publication without cost to the author(s). All proofs should be returned as soon as possible. Fifty reprints may be ordered, the fee is AU$10.00 times the number of printed pages.

All authors, or the Corresponding Author on their behalf, must sign a Licence to Publish when a manuscript is submitted and certify that the research described has adhered to the Australian Museum's Guidelines for Research Practice - or those of their home institution providing they cover the same issues, especially with respect to authorship and acknowledgment. While under consideration, a manuscript may not be submitted elsewhere.

More information and examples are available at our website:

www.australianmuseum.net.au/publications/

The Editor
30 May 2007

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