Submissions and authorship

Abstract

The Journal of Fish Biology welcomes original submissions, which promote and provide interest in the science of fish biology. To avoid delay and possible rejection of a paper, Instructions for Authors MUST be followed. It will be advantageous for authors to study recent issues of the Journal. If English is not the authors' first language they are encouraged to ask an English speaker to check the text. Submissions must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal. During submission, the corresponding author must list all the authors of the paper. Details required are first and last name, institution, country and email address. Verification that all authors have contributed to the manuscript will be sought by email. In 2011, a new form of submission, Letters, was introduced. It is therefore timely to highlight the types of manuscripts the Journal of Fish Biology will consider for publication (all submissions are peer reviewed). Regular Papers (original research). These should be presented as: Title page (with running head), Abstract with Key Words, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements (no heading), References, Electronic References, Tables, Figure Captions, Figures and Appendices. Note that a combined Results and Discussion is not acceptable. The length of the paper must be within reason and the writing must be concise and focused. Review Papers. These must be concise, critical and creative, and stimulate topical debate and new research initiatives. Review papers must be agreed with or invited by an Associate Editor. The Editor-in-Chief can be consulted on the most appropriate Associate Editor to be approached. In the first instance the author should submit a synopsis (two pages maximum) to the Associate Editor. Reviews should be presented as: Title page (with running head), Abstract with Key Words, Main Text with appropriate headings, Acknowledgements (no heading), References, Electronic References, Tables, Figure Captions, Figures and Appendices. Brief Communications. These may be concerned with any subject within the scope of the Journal but should be confined to a single point or issue of progress and have relevance beyond a species or locality. The papers must be short (five printed pages maximum, c. 2500 words). These should be presented as: Title page (with running head), Abstract (maximum of three sentences) with Key Words, Main Text (no subheadings or subdivisions should be included), Acknowledgements (no heading), References, Electronic References, Tables, Figure Captions and Figures (tables and figures should be kept to a minimum). Letters. These should deal with a significant finding or point for discussion that needs rapid publication. They must be very short (one and a half printed pages, c. 750 words). These should be presented as: Title page (with running head), Key Words (note no Abstract), Main Text (no subheadings or subdivisions should be included), Acknowledgements (no heading), References and Electronic References (maximum of four combined for both types of references). No tables or figures should be included. Comment and Reply. Comments concerning a recently published paper in the Journal may be considered by the Editor-in-Chief. These should be presented as: Title page (with running head), Abstract with Key Words, Main Text (no subheadings or subdivisions should be included), Acknowledgements (no heading), References, Electronic References and Tables, Figure Captions and Figures (if included). After satisfactory peer review they will be sent to the original author or authors for a reply (also peer reviewed). Publication of the Comment and Reply will end the debate. Both the Comment and Reply should be short and to the point (no more than three pages, c. 1500 words). Symposium Papers. These are papers submitted for the annual FSBI Symposium and may contain any of the above types of manuscript apart from Letters, and Comment and Reply. Special Issue Papers. These may contain any of the above types of manuscript apart from Letters, and Comment and Reply. Supporting Information. It has recently been made possible to add this for online access only. Two types are accepted: files containing videos and animations, and long datasets. It should be noted that the manuscript must be complete without the Supporting information which should not be an integral part of the manuscript. It is not an alternative to an Appendix. Full details concerning submissions can be found in the Journal's Instructions for Authors, which are published in all printed versions and can be accessed on the Journal's home page at: http://jfb.edmgr.com/ The Journal follows a number of rules concerning authorship. All authors must have made a considerable contribution to the study and in the preparation of the manuscript. All authors have to agree through Editorial Manager to be associated with and have contributed to the paper. All authors must agree to the order of authors. There can be only one corresponding author (‘Author to whom correspondence should be addressed’; note that this should be included as a footnote on the title page with telephone number and email address; only include postal address if this has changed). No footnotes or acknowledgements will be made for authors making equal contributions to the manuscript, i.e. only the list of authors will be given in the title page. J. F. Craig, Editor-in-Chief