Letters to the Editor (Ecological Applications)
Policies and procedures
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“Letters to the Editor” (Ecological Applications) point out errors of fact or interpretation in articles that previously appeared in Ecological Applications or in important articles or books that are the basis of numerous articles being published in ESA journals. If the “basis” article appeared in a journal that publishes Letters, we ask authors to try that journal before submitting to Ecological Applications.
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Letters should be brief; our absolute limit is 16 typescript pages, including everything (cover page, text and references). Tables and figures should be avoided. Letters do not have abstracts.
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Letters may be assigned to a Subject-matter Editor for evaluation. As with regular articles, typically two reviews will be sought. Every effort will be made to expedite the review process.
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At the time a Letter is assigned to a Subject-matter Editor, a copy will be sent by the Publications Office to the corresponding author of the original paper. The authors of the paper being commented upon will be offered the opportunity to submit a signed review to the Subject-matter Editor, who will view such a review as supplemental to and not a replacement for the regular reviews. The signed supplemental review will be forwarded to the author(s) of the Letter, together with the two regular reviews and the Subject-matter Editor’s decision letter.
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When the Letter is first sent to the authors of the manuscript being commented upon, they will be informed by receipt of this policy document that at such time as the Letter is accepted for publication, they will be sent a copy of the final version and will be invited by the Subject-matter Editor to prepare a response. The response must be completed within four weeks if simultaneous publication is to be guaranteed. Authors should submit the response online and it will be sent to the same Subject-matter Editor who handled the Comment or Letter. The response will typically be reviewed by one reviewer, but the Subject-matter Editor may choose to accept the response without review in cases where the response is short and simple.
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We will attempt to publish all letters on a particular paper plus any response together. We generally neither invite nor publish responses to responses.
rev 4/3/06
