Guidelines for Authors

The Journal of Ethnobiology invites manuscripts based on original research in any area of ethnobiology, the interdisciplinary study of the relationships of living things with human cultures worldwide. Topics include but are not limited to paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology, ethnobotany, ethnozoology, ethnoecology, linguistic ethnobiology, and other related areas in anthropology and biology.

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The Review Process

The Journal of Ethnobiology is peer-reviewed. Upon receipt of a manuscript, the editor will send it out for review. When the reviews are received, the editor will decide the status of the manuscript: acceptable (acceptance contingent on any necessary minor revisions and corrections, proper formatting, publication quality illustrations, and completeness); review and resubmit (reconsideration contingent on more substantial additions, re-writing, or re-organization); reject; not suitable for this journal. After the editor’s decision and reviews are transmitted to the authors, the most positively reviewed manuscripts will continue through several rounds of revision . Final decisions concerning publication are made by the editor.

Submitting the Manuscript to the Journal

Manuscripts should be emailed as a .pdf or made available for download on the web, and sent to (editor@ethnobiology.org). A manuscript should include title page, three abstracts (English; Spanish or Portuguese; French); the text itself; references cited; any tables (numbered in the order they are called for in the text); and figures. For purposes of submission and reviewing, you may embed figures into Word documents or .pdf files. However, please maintain a high quality digital copy of each image (in .tif or .pdf format with a minimum 300 dpi and of appropriate size) for later should the manuscript be accepted for publication. The text pages should be numbered and double-spaced throughout (including abstracts, text, notes, references cited, and figure captions).

Content, Style, and Format

Consult the editor and the Chicago Manual of Style for matters not addressed in these guidelines.

Title Page

The title page is primarily for the convenience of the editorial staff. It should include (in order): title, date submitted, the word count of the body of text, the word count of the “references cited” section, the number of tables and the number of figures. Towards the bottom of the page put the authors’ names, mailing/e-mail addresses, phone number for at least one author, as well as any temporary address (e.g., summer address, field address, applicable dates). The title and name, affiliation, and address of each author are to be repeated on the first page of the actual manuscript as you would like them to appear in the journal.

The Beginning

Center, double-spaced and in example style as follows:

TITLE

AUTHOR 1a and AUTHOR 2b

Addressa
(email optional)

Addressb
(email optional)

If authors are at the same institution, there is no need to repeat the mailing address.

Abstract

With rare exceptions, each manuscript must include an informative one-paragraph abstract that briefly (fewer than 200 words) summarizes the article. The English abstract begins after the flush-left heading “ABSTRACT.—” and is followed by five keywords that characterize the content of the manuscript for indexing purposes. Abstracts in Spanish (RESUMEN.—) or Portuguese (RESUMO—.), and French (RÉSUMÉ—.) follow.

Headings

For first-order headings, skip two lines. First-order headings are centered and uppercase. For text following a first-order heading, skip a line and indent. For second-order headings, skip one line; they are flush-left, in italics, with initial letters of keywords capitalized, and followed by a period and em-dash, as in this paragraph. Third-order headings are used only when necessary. Indent as a new paragraph, use Roman letters, capitalize only the first letter (and proper nouns), and end with a period.

Scientific Names and Voucher Specimens

Scientific names (Latin binomials) should be cited in the style of the relevant biological discipline. If you are unfamiliar with the style, consult an appropriate authority. Genus and species must be italicized; authorities of plants should be cited the first time mentioned in the text or in tabular form (example: Zea mays L.). The locations where voucher specimens have been deposited for curation should be put in an endnote. The rationale for these requirements has been discussed by Bye (1986), Hunn (1992), Kuhnlein (1986), and Rea (1986).

Vernacular and Indigenous Language Terminology

For languages that are not written with the Latin alphabet, vernacular or indigenous terminology used as data should be transliterated with a consistent phonemic orthography or practical alphabet. A brief characterization of the orthographic conventions used should be given in an endnote at the first occurrence in the text. To increase readability, indigenous terms should be indicated by bold face italics to contrast with normal use of italics for foreign terms and Latin binomials. Terms that are in a language that is commonly written according to well-established orthographic conventions (e.g., Spanish, French) should be italicized as foreign words.

Authors’ Responsibilities to Others

With regard to studies that involve human subjects, all research reported in your manuscript must be in accord with the ethnical and legal obligations of your institution and the country in which the research took place at the time of the study. Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions to reproduce images and other copyrighted material. Credit or source information for images should be provided in the figure captions.

Miscellaneous Items

You may indicate words with italics in your manuscript, but be consistent. Use metric units for all measurements (e.g., cm, ha, kg). English units may be added in parentheses, spelled out. Exception: the original research cited used English measurements. References to figures and tables in the text should appear as: (Figure x, Table y). Figure captions follow the style:
FIGURE 1.—Your caption.
TABLE 1.—Your heading.

Citations

The Journal discourages the use of endnotes except for source references to unpublished information (e.g., personal communication, voucher specimen information and location). In-text citations should be in social science style. If an item has three or more authors, cite only the first author individually: Hole et al. (1969) or (Hole et al. 1969). If more than one paper is cited, place in alphabetical order, not date of publication: (BalŽe (1986); Posey 1984, 1986). If chronology is important, consider using the following format: “as Posey (1984) and BalŽe (1986) have pointed out…”

Unpublished sources

We discourage the use of unpublished sources. It is difficult, often impossible, for the reader to verify or check the interpretation of material cited in this way. If it is absolutely necessary to use an unpublished source, provide additional information as a note: the name and affiliation of the person or institution that is the source of the information. Do not put this information in the REFERENCES CITED section.

Notes

Footnotes at the bottom of the page are not permitted. Endnotes should be avoided. If they are necessary (especially for unpublished sources), they should appear at the end of the text, marked by a first-order heading (NOTES) before the REFERENCES CITED section.

Acknowledgements

If you would like to include an ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section, place them after any NOTES and before the REFERENCES CITED section.

Appendices

Appendices should be used sparingly; if the information is important enough to include in your article, you should be able to incorporate it in your text or tables. Place appendices before the REFERENCES CITED. Appendices should be numbered in the following style: APPENDIX 1.—Title.

References Cited

Works referred to in your text should be listed in a separate section under the first-order (centered, uppercase) heading, REFERENCES CITED. In general, the names of authors of cited works should be given as they were in the original publication. With the exception of journal titles, only capitalize the first word, words following punctuation, and proper nouns. Book and journal titles should be italicized. Do not use abbreviations for journal titles. Do not list works that are not cited in the text. Use a 3-em dash for repeated names.

EXAMPLES OF BIBLIOGRAPHY FORMAT

Journal articles:

Adams, K.R. 1984. Evidence of wood-dwelling termites in archaeological sites in the southwestern United States. Journal of Ethnobiology 4:29-43. Harlan, J.R. and J.M.J. DeWet. 1965. Some thoughts about weeds. Economic Botany 19:16-24. Lans, C., G. Brown, G. Borde, and V.N. Offiah. 2003. Knowledge of traditional medicines and veterinary practices used for reproductive health problems. Journal of Ethnobiology 23:187-208.

Books:

Ellen, R. 1993. The cultural relations of classification: An analysis of Nuaulu animal categories from Central Seram. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Berlin, B., D.E. Breedlove, and P.H. Raven. 1974. Principles of Tzeltal plant classification. Academic Press, New York. Hastorf, C.A. and V.S. Popper, eds. 1989. Current paleoethnobotany: Analytical methods and cultural interpretation of archaeological remains. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Sections of books:

Shepard, G.H. 2002. Nature’s Madison Avenue: Sensory cues as mnemonic devices in the transmission of medicinal plant knowledge among the Matsigenka and Yora of Perœ. In Ethnobiology and biocultural diversity, eds. J.R. Stepp, F.S. Wyndham, and R.K. Zarger, pp. 326–335. University of Georgia Press, Athens.

Thesis/Dissertation:

Silva, A.L. 2004. No rastro da roa: Ecologia, extrativismo e manejo de arum‹ (Ischnosiphon spp., Marantaceae) em capoeiras dos ’ndios Baniwa do Iana, Alto Rio Negro. M.Sc. Dissertation (Ecology), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amaz™nia/Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus. L—pez Zent, E. 1999. Hoti ethnobotany: Exploring the interaction between plants and people in the Venezuelan Amazon. Ph.D. Dissertation (Anthropology). University of Georgia, Athens.

Conference presentations:

Nakazono, E.M., C.F. dos Santos, and M.J. Barbosa. 2002. Arum‹ fiber: Use and management of Ischnosiphon polyphyllus (Marantaceae) by artisians in Novo Air‹o, Rio Negro, Central Amazon, Brazil. Paper presented at the Ninth Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Web sources:

Gleick, P.H. 2000. Water: The potential consequences of climate variability and change for the water resources of the United States. Available at: http://www.gcrio.org/NationalAssessment/water/water.pdf (verified 13 November 2001). For all other sources, consult the Chicago Manual of Style or contact the editor. List of Tables and Figure Captions.—On a separate page at the end of the manuscript, include a list of tables and figure captions. Credit or source information may appear as a note to the table. Credit or source information for images should be provided in the figure captions.

Preparing a Manuscript for Publication

After your manuscript has been accepted and requires no more than minor copyediting, you may be asked for a final electronic submission. The text should be double-spaced throughout (including abstracts, text, references cites, legends, and notes), with a jagged right margin. Do not use the automatic formatting capability of your computer; please send manuscripts in “normal” format only. Note that should set tabs rather than use the space bar for aligning text. The total page count of tables and figures should be no more than half the number of text pages (i.e., fewer than one page of tables or figures for two pages of text).

Figures

Figures are printed in black and white and should be submitted as such. Illustrations and graphics must be in .tif or .pdf and have a minimum of 300 dpi. Scan photographs at 300 dpi. The author(s) will bear the cost of any required editing if they cannot do it themselves. You may also be asked to mail hard copies of the figures. If you are unsure of the quality of the images, print them out to verify that they meet your standards and are suitable to be sent to the press. All figures should be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text. Figures should be submitted at a size that can be a published on a page of the journal without further reduction (maximum size of image plus caption: 5 x 7.75 inches). Photographs should be black and white images of good contrast and sharpness. Electronic images should be sent in separate files, clearly labeled. Figure captions, listed after the table headings at the end of the manuscript, should include source or credit. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain any necessary permissions.

Tables

Tables should be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text. Tables should complement the text. Tabular material should be relevant to the appropriate section of the text, but not repeat it. Tables should be prepared with regular text spaced with tabs, the table function of your word-processing program, or a spreadsheet program such as Excel. Tables must have brief, self-explanatory titles. Rows and columns of information must be clearly marked and labeled. Use portrait or landscape orientation as needed. Adjust the column widths to conserve space without loss of clarity. Each table should be submitted in a separate electronic file and clearly named. Table heading and information on any one page of a table should be legible on the printed page (maximum size of table plus heading: 5 x 7.75 inches). No microprint please, as it is very hard to read. If you cannot comfortably fit the information on the table, perhaps you should consider other options. Upon completion of the copyediting process, you will be sent a .pdf of your manuscript prior to it being sent to the press. At this time you will be asked to carefully read over the paper and make any final changes in style, content, and format; any corrections following this step can only be typos and errors in the layout.

REFERENCES CITED

Bye, R.A., Jr. 1986. Voucher specimens in ethnobiological studies and publications. Journal of Ethnobiology 6:1-8. Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. 2003. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Hunn, E.S. 1992. The use of sound recordings as voucher specimens and stimulus materials in ethnozoological research. Journal of Ethnobiology 12:187-198. Kuhnlein, H.V. 1986. Food sample collection for nutrient analysis in ethnobiological studies. Journal of Ethnobiology 6:19-25. Rea, A.M. 1986. Verification and reverification. Problems in archaeofaunal studies. Journal of Ethnobiology 6:9-18.