Instructions for Contributors

Paleobiology: Instructions for Contributors

Click here to download a printable Acrobat PDF version of this document.

Instructions for Contributors

Please note that failure to follow these instructions will result in your manuscript being returned.

A. Submitting Your Manuscript

New submission

All manuscripts are now submitted, reviewed, and managed via the AllenTrack on-line submission portal located at: http://paleobiology.AllenTrack.net

With few exceptions, all manuscripts submitted to Paleobiology are full-length research articles. These typically address a hypothesis or question of broad significance to the Paleobiology readership. Single-taxon focused or other studies of narrow scope are not typically published in Paleobiology. Papers in this latter category are frequently not sent out for review at the discretion of the editors. If you are unsure if your manuscript is suitable for consideration in Paleobiology, you are welcome to submit a pre-submission inquiry, which optimally would consist of a title page and abstract of your paper.

Manuscripts are typically no longer than 50 double-spaced manuscript pages (12-point font with one-inch margins), including text references, tables, and figures; most manuscripts are shorter than this limit. Longer manuscripts will normally require editors’ approval before submission. This limit should keep you under 20 printed pages; longer articles will be charged a mandatory page charge (see below).

Long tables, particularly those with raw data, should be formatted for the Supplementary Materials (also see below), which will not be published with the printed version, but will be made available on-line via DRYAD (see below).

During your initial submission, you will be required to input some information in addition to your manuscript. It would be helpful if you assemble the following prior to working through the AllenTrack portal submission process:

1. Your manuscript and all of its components. Use one file for the text, references, and figure captions. Do not embed figures and tables within the manuscript (AllenTrack will integrate these for you to make a review copy.) Use another file(s) for tables (or you may separate them), and a separate file for Supplemental Documents that will go on-line but not be published in your article.

2. The addresses and contact information for each co-author.

3. A suggested running head (<50 characters and spaces) and 5 key words that describe your article.

4. An abstract of 250–300 words (different from the technical one in your article) written for the general public. This will be used to help provide information to the media, if requested.

5. The names, institutions, and email of 5 suggested reviewers (required). You also have the option to list up to 3 persons whom you would not like to have as reviewers.

Revised manuscript submission after review

After your manuscript has been reviewed, in most cases you will need to make revisions based on the input from the reviewers and editors. This is done through the AllenTrack portal.

Final submission for production

Your final submission will have all corrected and final files that will be used for production of your article. In addition to these, before your article will be placed into the production queue, you will need to:

1. Complete the copyright release form;

2. Complete the page charges form; and

3. If you have Supplemental Documents, provide proof that you have uploaded these to DRYAD, located at: http://datadryad.org/

B. Page Charges

Authors are requested to pay page charges at the rate of $100.00 per page. Authors with access to grant, institutional, or private funds are expected to pay these charges, which partially cover the expense of publishing their papers. However, papers are accepted for publication without such payments, and no author should be dissuaded from submitting a manuscript for lack of funds. Authors whose manuscripts exceed 20 printed pages will normally be expected to pay mandatory page charges for each page over and above 20. Authors submitting color figures must pay $750 per figure.

C. Formatting your Manuscript

For general questions about style and formatting of Paleobiology follow The Chicago Manual of Style, also available on-line at: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.

General Notes

Manuscripts must be in Word or Rich Text Format
Double-space the entire manuscript except tables in 12-point type; this includes text, abstract, Literature Cited, figure captions, and printed appendices except those in table format.

Number all pages of the text beginning with the title page. In Microsoft Word, options for line numbering can be found by going to Page Layout; Line Numbers and Continuous. The name of the senior author should precede the page number in the top right-hand corner of each page.

Number all lines on the version submitted for review. In Microsoft Word, options for line numbering can be found by going to Document (under the Format menu) and choosing Layout.
Leave at least a one-inch margin on all sides of the pages. Use 8.5 by 11 inch (21.5 by 28 cm) paper. Variations in page size are acceptable for submissions from overseas.
Leave the right margin ragged (no right or full justification).
Do not break or hyphenate words at the right margin.

Organize the manuscript in the following order: title page, abstract, text, Literature Cited, appendix, figure captions, tables, and supplemental material (figures and tables).

There should be no underlining in the text. Names of genera and species must be italicized. Latin phrases are not italicized: a priori; gen. et sp. nov.; incertae sedis; in vivo; in vitro; M. supracoracoideus anterior; nomen dubium; per se; sensu; sensu lato; sensu stricto. Pay particular attention to: binomials probability (p) and other mathematical variables, statistical test names (t-test; F-test), etc.
Use double quotes for all actual quotations as well as for terms or connotations: “true fossil record” versus “sampled fossil record”. Always provide the page number for quotations: …as noted by Wilson (1977: p. 23).
Do not use an apostrophe with numbers or acronyms: 1920s not 1920’s; NALMAs not NALMA’s.
Commas and periods are placed inside quotation marks. Semicolons are placed outside.
“e.g.” and “i.e.” are followed by a comma.
In a numbered series in running text, place numbers within parentheses; e.g., Explanations for this pattern include (1) high rainfall, (2) low temperature, and (3) increased predation.

Title Page

The first page of the manuscript should include the title, names of all authors, and running heads.
The title appears in boldface. Capitalize only the first word and any proper names. Do not end the title with a period.

Full names of authors are placed below the title in capital and lowercase letters (e.g., James E. Smith, Toby Jones, and C. Alston Chase).

The running heads are below the authors' names. Running heads are not to exceed a total of 50 characters and spaces, and all letters are capitalized. The right running head (RRH) is the running title and the left running head (LRH) is the name or names of the authors. Use “et al.” for more than two authors.

RRH: ONSHORE-OFFSHORE FAUNAL CHANGE

LRH: JOHANN S. BACH

LRH: DANA A. JOHNSON AND MICHELLE R. JOHNSON

LRH: RONAELE M. NOVOTNY ET AL.

Abstract Page

An abstract must be provided, and should be no longer than 300 words.

The abstract should be on its own separate page(s).

“Abstract” is italicized and followed by a period and an em-dash (Ctrl + Alt + hyphen). All lines are flush left.

The abstract is followed by the names and addresses of the authors, with the first line left-justified and any subsequent lines indented (use Hanging Indent function rather than tabs). Italicize all names and addresses. Multiple authors from the same address should be listed with a single address. Do not use abbreviations (e.g., Dept., Ave., P.O.). Include e-mail addresses if desired. If an author has recently moved to a different address, please include the present address and mark with an asterisk. Edited manuscripts and proofs will be sent to the present address of the senior author unless the office is otherwise notified.

James P. McCalpin. Department of Geology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, U.S.A.

M. Lazee* and U. B. Forty. Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, U.S.A. E-mail: iml@ucd.edu. *Present address: Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, U.S.A.

Text Headings

There are three types of headings. If only two levels of headings are required, use primary and tertiary headings.

1. Primary headings are centered and in boldface. The first word and all other important words in the heading are capitalized. Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions are in lowercase.

2. Secondary headings are capitalized the same as primary headings and are flush with the left margin. The text begins on the next line, indented.

3. Tertiary headings are capitalized the same as primary headings, indented, italicized, and followed by a period and an em-dash. The text follows the dash without a space.

Primary Heading

Secondary Heading

Text begins here.

Tertiary Heading.—Text begins here.

In-Text Literature Citations

A one-to-one correspondence must exist between works cited in the text and listed in the Literature Cited section. Books or manuscripts in press may be included; if possible include the anticipated year of publication. Unpublished data and manuscripts in review or otherwise unpublished should not be cited. Avoid citing unpublished theses or dissertations.

The authors are responsible for the accuracy of all citations.

Literature is cited in the text, in chronological order, 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.”
Do not use a comma between the author and the date.
Use semicolons to separate multiple citations by different authors; use commas to separate multiple citations by the same author. Specific pages, tables, or figures within a reference should follow a colon after the reference year.
Provide a date (year) and initials plus surname for all personal communications.
Provide page numbers for quotations.

(Darwin 1859)
(McCalpin et al. 1987: Fig. 2)
(Darwin 1859; McCalpin et al. 1987, 1989: pp. 22–24)
(Novotny and Borders 1988: p. 123)
(Greenwell in press)

(J. Johnson personal communication 1989)
(J. Jones and T. Freeman unpublished data)

Where nested parentheses are necessary, use brackets inside parentheses and braces inside brackets ([{}]). Note that the order is the reverse for equations {[()]}.

(Jones [1968] indicated . . .)

In-Text References to Figures and tables

“Figure” is capitalized. It is spelled out in running text but abbreviated in parentheses. Figure parts are capitalized.

In Figure 15, we see….

(Fig. 2)

(Novotny 1968: Fig. 4)

(Fig. 3A).

“table” and “Appendix” have an initial capital and are not abbreviated. If there is only one Appendix, it is not numbered.

(Borders and Greenwell 1972: table 1)

(table 2, Fig. 3)

· Use Comment feature to add instructions for placement of figures and tables (e.g., "Fig. 1 here").

Numerals, Statistics, and Mathematical Equations

Avoid submitting mathematical equations and expressions as graphics. Instead use a program such as Equation Editor or MathType.

Spell out numbers one to ten unless used with units of measurement. Use Arabic numerals for numbers over 11 and for non-integers. Use 10^-4, 10^-5, etc. for numbers less than 0.001.

· Use commas for numbers greater than 9999.

Use italics where necessary. Indicate any italicized parts that may not be obvious with a highlight and comment.

Mathematical variables are generally italicized.

Greek characters are normal font, not italics.

For probability, use lowercase italic p. For example, p < 0.001 or p = 5 ×10^-10.

· Use metric units. If non-metric units are required, provide the metric equivalents also. m, meter; mm, millimeter; km, kilometer; μm, micron (not μ), micron or micrometer if spelled out; l, liter; ml, milliliter; g, gram (not gm); kg, kilogram; mg, milligram. Separate the unit from the numerical quantity by a space (e.g., 3.2 m, 0.5 g).

· If it is necessary to use mathematical symbols (e.g., +, <, =), separate with spaces before and after (e.g., CI = 0.63).

· Do not use “naked” decimals (e.g., p < 0.05, not p < .05)

“Equation” is spelled out and lowercase except when a capital would ordinarily be required. It is abbreviated when used in a parenthetical reference to an equation. Equation numbers are in parentheses, unless they appear in a parenthetical phrase.

Equation (6) shows the results . . .

(Raup 1978: p. 23, eq. 2)

We refer to equation (2) in the next section . . .

Mathematical expressions and equations set out from the text should be written so that they can be set on one line, if possible.

Numbered equations should be centered on the line. Equation numbers should be on the right margin of text, with the numbers enclosed in parentheses.
Identify ambiguous characters; e.g., lower-case letter l versus numeral one, capital letter O versus numeral zero, lowercase Greek chi versus lowercase letter x versus the multiplication symbol.

Use fractional exponents instead of root signs and the solidus (/) for fractions where possible.

Use ”ca.” with approximate dates. For other approximations with numerals, use the tilde (~30%) or spell out with words (approximately ten years).

Geologic Time

· Be sure to differentiate between geologic dates and duration of time. Use the abbreviations Ga, Ma, and Ka to indicate dates (billions, millions, and thousands of years before the present, respectively). Use Gyr, Myr, and Kyr to indicate duration of time.

“Upper” and “lower” refer to rock or time-stratigraphic units; “late” and “early” refer to time. Use lower case when the age constraints are not known, generalizations are made, or when no formal subdivision exists. Capitalize the names of formal time units or time-stratigraphic units. “Early/Lower Cretaceous” (for periods/systems), but “late/upper Miocene,” “early Paleozoic,” “early/lower Albian” (for informal subdivision of stage/age/epoch/series). Unless there are special circumstances, use Gradstein et al. 2005 (A geological time scale 2004. Cambridge University Press) or the ICS stratotypes. (http://www.stratigraphy.org/gssp.htm) as guides.

Use a slash (/) to denote boundaries, and an en-dash (–) to denote time ranges.

(K/T boundary)
(Eocene–Oligocene mammals)

Acknowledgments

Spell out all agency and university names.
Do not use honorifics such as Dr., Prof., Mrs., etc. Use initials with spaces for given names of individuals.

Literature Cited

EndNote has created an output style for Paleobiology to assist in formatting your references, which is available for download from the Endnote website, http://www.endnote.com/support/enstyles.asp. Please do not use Cite-While-You-Write in the final submitted files.

All works cited in the text, tables, figure captions, and appendices must be included in the
Literature Cited section.

Entries in the Literature Cited section (including Mac and Mc) are listed in strict alphabetical order, except in cases of three or more authors. 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; and 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.
Do not use tabs to indent subsequent lines. Use the Hanging Indent function
Use a long dash (three em-dashes) if all authors in the previous citation are repeated.
The names of authors are in capital and lowercase letters. Authors' initials are separated by a space. Except for the first author, author initials come before surname. For articles in an edited volume, editors' initials precede surnames. Italicize “In” or “in” for citations in a book. (See examples below.)

Smith, J. L. 1989a.
———. 1989b.
———. 1990.
Smith, J. L., and J. P. Jones. 1983.
Smith, J. L., and T. Thompson. 1978.
Smith, J. L., T. Freeman, and J. P. Jones. 1977.
Smith, J. L., J. P. Barton, and T. Freeman. 1978.
———. 1979. [Note: all three authors are the same]
Smith, J. L., C. A. Allen, and T. Freeman, eds. 1980.

Do not abbreviate the names of publications (journals, series)
Do not underline or italicize titles or volume numbers for periodicals and series.

· Subtitles of articles or books are not capitalized after the colon

Publishers' names:

a. Abbreviate the names of publishers. Blackwell Scientific is an abbreviated form; Blackwell is the abbreviated form for Blackwell Publishing. Use Springer, not Springer-Verlag.

b. Usually delete “Press” except for University presses. But Academic Press, not Academic.

c. If necessary, retain initials to distinguish among publishers:

W. H. Freeman

J. Murray (Darwin's publisher)

State names are omitted if the city is large and well known or if the state name is part of the publisher's name. Traditional abbreviations of state names are used, not postal codes.

Boston

Springfield, Mass.

University of Wisconsin Press, Madison

Marshfield, Wisc.

Include country names, if needed, for location of publisher, e.g., Wiley, Chichester, U.K.

If three or more chapters of a book are cited, cite the book separately, and use an abbreviated citation of the book in the reference for the chapter.

Hampton, C. 1976. Pp. 17–40 in Olmstead et al. 1976.

Journal article:

Storm, E. C. 1974. Omnology at the crossroads. Journal of Omnology 22:1–44. (Note: there is no space after the colon before the page range.)

Article in a serial publication or a special publication with a volume citation (treat as if a journal):

Foote, M. 2001. Origination and extinction components of taxonomic diversity: general problems. In D. H. Erwin and S. L. Wing, eds. Deep time: Paleobiology's perspective. Paleobiology 26(Suppl. to No. 4):12–26.

Smithson, A. B. 1995. Gymnosperm envy. In C. D. Jones, ed. Advances in angiosperm psychology. Short Courses in Paleontology 6:23–45. Paleontological Society, Knoxville, Tenn.

Article in a serial publication without a volume citation (treat as if a book):

Smithson, A. B. 1995. Gymnosperm envy. Pp. 23–45 in C. D. Jones, ed. Advances in angiosperm psychology. Proceedings of the 24th international symposium on fossil plants. Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colo.

Book:

Calm, I. M. 1974. Omnology has passed its peak. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Article in a book:

Storm, E. C. 1974. Whither goest omnology? Pp. 33–44 in I. M. Calm and U. R. Nott, eds. (Note order of editors' initials and names.)

Special example on how to cite the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology:

Arkell, W. J., B. Kummel, and C. W. Wright. 1957. Mesozoic Ammonoidea. Pp. L80–L465 in W. J. Arkell et al. Mollusca 4, Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea. Part L of R. C. Moore, ed. Treatise on invertebrate paleontology. Geological Society of America, New York, and University of Kansas, Lawrence. [Note that later parts are published in Boulder, Colo.].

tables

· tables should be in Excel or Word; if the latter, use the “create table” option rather than tab-and-space. Do not submit tables as images; the copyeditor must be able to edit and format the table.

· table captions are placed directly above the table and on the same page.

· Do not use parentheses around reference dates in the body of a table.

· Do not use vertical headings or vertical borders

Figures

Follow instructions for digital art on the Allen Press website: http://allenpress.com/system/files/pdfs/library/apmk_digital_art.pdf.
Ensure that your figures meet the minimum acceptable resolution. Go to http://verifig.allenpress.com/login and log on with your email address and the password figcheck to upload your files and run them through the verification program.
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.
Do not embed the figures in the text file. AllenTrack will compile a review copy of your manuscript in the ordered sequence that they are uploaded.
Even if you provide properly sized figures, you must specify whether a figure should be one-column, two-column, or full-page. Specify if full-page figures should be set in landscape orientation. Please include these instructions in the captions.

Use capital letters without parentheses or periods to label figure parts. All parts of a single figure should be on one page as you want them to appear. If necessary, figures with many figure parts can be organized for printing on two facing pages.

Do not use boldface lettering. Use upper and lower case (rather than all upper case) and sans serif fonts. The final size (after reduction or enlargement) of lettering on figures should be no less than 1.5 mm.
Color figures (and photographs) may be published in Paleobiology at the mandatory cost to the author of $750 per figure. You may submit color figures to be used only in the online version, at a cost of $50 per figure. The captions for the two versions must be identical.
If you submit color figures you must indicate whether they are to be printed color or grayscale. Please include these instructions in the captions.
Indicate the top of the figure by an arrow or label, especially in the final submission, but place the arrow outside the figure itself so it can be removed by the press.
To ensure published figures will look the same as the submitted artwork the fonts must be embedded in the file. When saving or exporting figures into PDF or EPS format look for settings that will embed the fonts.

Footnotes

Footnotes are not allowed, except in tables.

Supplementary Materials

Additional material too long for publication in Paleobiology can be submitted as Supplementary Material to be available online at the Paleobiology web site. This material may include data (particularly long tables of raw data), tables, figures, appendices, or program code and will be reviewed along with the rest of the manuscript. These files are titled and referred to in the manuscript in sequence as Supplementary table 1, Supplementary table 2, etc. or Supplementary Figure 1, Supplementary Figure 2, etc. These files will be uploaded and made available via DRYAD at:

http://datadryad.org/.

Revised 15 August 2011

Click here to download a printable Acrobat PDF version of this document.