GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION


Modified from the journal Evolution for EEB 245W

General Format

  • Type size must be 12 points (3 mm) or larger.
  • Double-space the entire manuscript, including the title page, abstract, key words, text, literature cited, tables, table legends, table footnotes, and figure captions. Some computer programs mislead the users into believing that copy is double spaced when it is only single spaced. Copy MUST be double spaced to permit editing.
  • Include line numbers on each page to allow reviewers to refer to the text.
  • Allow 1 inch for the left, right, top, and bottom margins.
  • Do not justify the right margin. Do not hyphenate words to break a line.
  • Number pages in the upper right-hand corner. Collate the manuscript in the following order:
    - Title Page
    - Abstract
    - Text
    - Literature Cited
    - Appendix
    - Figure Legends
    - Figure Legends for Appendix Figures
    - Tables
    - Appendix Tables
    - Figures
  • Except for mathematical equations, do not use boldface or different fonts in the manuscript.
  • Use italics for scientific names.
  • Do not italicize or underline foreign words, phrases, "et al.," journal names, volume numbers, or book titles.
  • Do not use footnotes; incorporate them into the text.

Manuscript Presentation

Title page should be a separate page including the following elements.

  • Title in all capitals
  • Author's name
  • Date

    Text should consist of the following elements:

    In-Text Literature Citations

    • A one-to-one correspondence must exist between works cited in the text and those in the Literature Cited section. Books or manuscripts in press must be included; unpublished data and manuscripts in review or otherwise unpublished are not.
    • Avoid citing unpublished theses or dissertations.
    • Literature is cited in the text by the last name of the author or authors and the date of publication. For works with three or more authors, the last name of the senior author is followed by "et al."
    • Use semicolons to separate multiple citations by different authors; use commas to separate multiple citations by the same author (e.g., Jones 1991, 1992; Brown 1993). Note that in-text references are placed in chronological order.
    • Do not use commas to separate the author names and dates in in-text citations.
    • Specific pages, tables, or figures within a reference should follow a comma after the reference year. A date should be provided for all personal communications: (D. Johnson, pers. comm. 1989).

    In-Text References to Figures and Tables

    • Figures and tables should be flagged in the LEFT margin at their first appearance in the text to indicate their placement.
    • When referring to figures in parentheses, use the abbreviation and capitalize as follows: (see Fig. 2), (see Figs. 3, 4).
    • When referring to figures and tables in regular text, use initial capitalization and do not abbreviate (e.g., in Figure 2, see Table 1).

    Headings

    • Do not use the heading INTRODUCTION.
    • Within the text, there are four types of headings only. Do not use boldface.
    #1, Capitals, small capitals, centered:
    RESULTS
    #2, Initial capitals, italic, centered:
    Floral Height and Pollination
    #3, Sentence case, italic, flush left:
    Measurement of natural selection
    #4, Paragraph indent, sentence case, italic, period, em dash:
         Measurement of natural selection.—

    Acknowledgments

    • Do not use honorifics such as Dr., Prof., Mrs., etc.
    • Use initials for given names of individuals.
    • Spell out names of funding agencies (e.g., National Science Foundation).

    Literature Cited

    • Entries in the Literature Cited section (including Mac and Mc) are listed in strict alphabetical order, except in cases of three or more authors.
    • The names of authors are in capital and lowercase letters. Use three em dashes to denote exact duplicate of authors in the preceding citation.
    • Abbreviate the names of publications (journals, series) according to Serial Sources for the BIOSIS Previews Database.
    • Abbreviate the names of publishers. Blackwell Scientific is an abbreviated form; Blackwell is the abbreviated form for Basil Blackwell. Use Springer, not Springer-Verlag.
    • Journal articles, books, and articles in books should be cited as follows:
    Journal article:
    Storm, E. C. 1974. Omnology at the crossroads. J. Omnol. 22:1–44.
    Book:
    Calm, I. M. 1974. Omnology has passed its peak. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
    Article in a book:
    Storm, E. C. 1974. Whither goest omnology? Pp. 33–44 in I. M. Calm, ed. The future of omnology. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
    • For citations with the same senior author:
      - group all the single-author citations in chronological order
      - group all the two-author citations alphabetically first and then chronologically
      - group all the citations with three or more authors in chronological order only
    • For works published in the same year by the same author(s):
      - the works are listed in alphabetical order
      OR
      - in date order if this is obvious (e.g., consecutive articles in a journal or articles numbered I and II)
      - to differentiate articles published in the same year by the same author(s), a lowercase letter follows the date

      Smith, J. L. 1989a.
      Smith, J. L. 1989b.
      Smith, J. L. 1990.
      Smith, J. L., and J. P. Jones. 1979.
      Smith, J. L., and T. Smith. 1978.
      Smith, J. L., T. Freeman, and J. P. Jones. 1977.
      Smith, J. L., J. P. Jones, M. R. Johnson, and T. Freeman. 1978.
      Smith, J. L., J. P. Jones, M. R. Johnson, and T. Freeman. 1979.
      Smith, J. L., J. P. Jones, and T. Freeman. 1980.

    Tables

    • Each table begins on a new page.
    • Table captions are placed directly above the table and on the same page.
    • Do not use parentheses around reference dates in tables (e.g., Jones 1968, not Jones (1968)).

    Figures

    • Authors should assume that published figures will look exactly like the artwork submitted. Reducing or enlarging figures often maximizes rather than minimizes flaws in the original art. Extremes in enlargement or reduction should be avoided; for best results, figures should be reproduced at 75%–85% of their original size. A figure that is one column wide will not be more than 88 mm wide and 230 mm long. A two-column figure will not be greater than 180 mm in width and 230 mm in length.
    • Do not use boldface lettering. The final size (after reduction or enlargement) of lettering on figures should be no less than 1.5 mm. Use capital letters to label figure parts.

    Mathematical Equations, Statistics, and Numerals

    • Leave ample space around equations for editing marks. Include a space on each side of all mathematical operations (e.g., +, >, =, etc.).
    • Superscripts and subscripts must be easily distinguished from the base line of the text. All superscripts and subscripts will be stacked unless the author indicates otherwise.
    • Identify ambiguous characters (e.g., lowercase "el," numeral one, lowercase "oh," lowercase Greek chi, lowercase "ex," and multiplication symbols).
    • Use fractional exponents instead of root signs; use a solidus (/) for fractions where possible.
    • Italicize variables, both in the text and in the equations. Use boldface symbols for matrices and eigenvalues.
    • Use Arabic numerals for numbers 10 and above and for nonintegers. Spell out numbers less than 10 unless used with units of measurement.