Instructions for Authors
Ecology, Ecological Applications,
and Ecological Monographs
Consult recent issues for examples of journal style. For purposes of review, submitted manuscripts need not adhere to journal style in every detail; however, preparation of final revisions of manuscripts accepted for publication will be easier if ESA style is followed from the outset. But be sure to abide by the following minimum formatting requirements for submitted manuscripts:
* The entire manuscript must be double-spaced (text, quotations, figure legends, literature cited) at three lines per inch (12 lines/10 cm) with a 12-point font. Choose the "double-spacing" option for line spacing. Leave a 1 inch (2.4-cm) margin on all sides of each page. Do not justify the right margin.
* Assemble the parts of the manuscript in this order: title page, abstract, key words, text, acknowledgments, literature cited, tables, figure legends, figures. Appendices for Ecological Archives should be in a separate file.
* Number all pages (including tables, and figures), starting with the title page.
* All pages of text should have line numbers as well.
Specify the manuscript type. Check the length limits for each type by clicking on the links in the table below. Note particularly that length limits for Ecology have become more stringent. Length limits include the entire manuscript meant for ink (including Literature Cited, tables and figures).
| Ecology | Ecological Applications | Ecological Monographs |
|---|---|---|
| Article | Article | Article |
| Report | Communication | |
| Note | ||
| Concepts | Concepts | |
| Review | ||
| Comment/Reply | Letter to the Editor | |
| Data Paper | ||
| Perspective | Perspective |
Provide information describing the extent to which data or text in the manuscript have been used in other works that are published, in press, submitted, or soon to be submitted elsewhere. [additional information].
Authors must adhere to the ESA Code of Ethics. [More info]
Authors are responsible for modifying their profile to keep the editors and staff informed of changes in their contact information. The corresponding author will be notified of receipt of the manuscript. Do not add the email address of a co-author as a secondary email address.
Authors should strive to make their manuscripts as concise as possible with the judicious use of Ecological Archives. [Other tips to make your manuscript more concise.]
Designate material for digital appendices or supplements in Ecological Archives. Upload the appendices and supplements in Word or HTML in a file or files separate from the manuscript. Not until the manuscript is accepted do we require HTML formatting of appendices from you. Please see Ecological Archives for additional information and to view examples of digital appendices.
Authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to enlist the aid of a native English-speaking colleague to go over the manuscript for correct usage and clarity prior to submission. You may also search the ESA Author Help Directory to find a volunteer. No guarantees are associated with the use of this volunteer database.
To submit your manuscript, gather the following information:
- Title (you may copy and paste this from your manuscript)
- Abstract (you may copy and paste this from your manuscript)
- Key words
- Manuscript files in Word (.doc), WordPerfect (.wpd), Rich-text format (.rtf) or LaTeX (.TEX) format
- Tables in doc, xls, tds, or csv format (or Tables may be included in the manuscript file)
- Figures/Images in doc, jpeg, tif, gif, eps, ps, or ppt format (or Figures may be included in the manuscript file)
- Appendices for Ecological Archives in doc or html format. Video appendices in mpeg format.
Parsed citation file: Please note that once you upload an article file, EcoTrack will convert the article to pdf and make a parsed citation file. You do not need to view or approve this file. It may be used by the editors and reviewers during the peer review process. If your paper is selected for publication, you may be asked to resolve any issues with citations that are formatted incorrectly.
What is in a parsed citation file: Many correctly formatted citations will contain external links to those papers on Cross Ref and Pub Med. A link to search Google Scholar will also appear for each citation. Citations which are incorrectly formatted will appear in red.
Once your manuscript is ready
Log-in to EcoTrack to submit your manuscript (if you are not already).
If you don't know your password, see if you are already in our database by clicking on "Unknown/Forgotten password" to enter your name. Verify that we have your correct e-mail address, and your login name and password will be e-mailed to you within minutes. If the e-mail address shown is not current, please notify esa_pubs@cornell.edu and you will be provided with login information. If you are not in the database, please click on "New Authors should register". Please do not register as a new author if you are already in the database. Do not share your login information with others (such as co-authors) as this could violate your confidentiality.
rev 6/12/09
