Submissions

Author Guidelines

For initial submission and evaluation, authors should consult the Article Types page and follow a minimal set of guidelines, listed below.

1.  Manuscripts should be accompanied by a brief cover letter summarizing the main points of the article and stating if the manuscript has been made available on a preprint service. 

2.  Manuscripts should be double-spaced, with 12 point font and line numbers that are continuous from the first page to the last. Do not use numbered or bulleted lists, italics, bold, or underlining for emphasis.

3.  The first page of the manuscript file is a title page that includes the following information:

   •  the title of the article, authors and affiliations;

   •  contact information (including email address) for the corresponding author;

   •  indication of article type (Report, Note, or Letter);

4.  The overall length of the manuscript as well as the sections and items included will depend on the manuscript type (see Article Types), but in general will be ordered as follows: title page, abstract, main text, statement on data accessibility, acknowledgements, literature cited, tables, figure legends, and figures.

5.  Accepted manuscripts will have abstracts in both English and a language relevant to the geography of the species being discussed. For the first submission, an abstract in English is sufficient but we encourage authors to visit our Accessibility page for more details on translation.

6.  For initial submission, references can be formatted in any style as long as in-text citations are written out (not numbered), and final submission for accepted manuscripts will follow style guidelines and examples provided below.

Use of Scientific Names

• Scientific names should follow standard taxonomic conventions and be used consistently throughout the manuscript.
• Binomial and trinomial names must be italicized (e.g., Euphydryas editha, Lycaeides melissa melissa).
• Genus name should be spelled out in full at first mention in the title, abstract, and main text.
• After first use, the genus may be abbreviated (e.g., E. editha) if unambiguous.
• Include the taxonomic authority (with year when appropriate) at the first mention of each species in the main text (e.g., Euphydryas editha Boisduval, 1852). Authorities are not required in the title or abstract. Do not italicize the authority name or commas.
• If citing a taxonomic revision, follow the authority recommended by the most recent or widely accepted taxonomic source.
• Common names may be used after the first mention of the scientific name but should be lowercase unless a proper noun (e.g., "sand dune blue butterfly" vs. “Melissa blue butterfly”).
• Higher taxonomic ranks (family, order, class) are capitalized but not italicized (e.g., Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae).
• For extinct, lost, or rediscovered species, include any relevant taxonomic notes, synonyms, or historical names where needed for clarity.

Citation style, overview

• Use an author–date citation style.
• In-text citations follow the format (Author Year) or Author (Year).
• The reference list includes only works cited in the text.
• Arrange references alphabetically by first author and chronologically within author.
• Use full journal names, not abbreviations.
• Use sentence case for article titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns) and title case for books (every major word capitalized).
• Provide full author lists unless there are >10 authors (see rule below).
• Name particles (e.g., von, van, van der, de, di, du, del, la, al-) are treated as part of the surname for alphabetization and appear in full in the reference list.  For example: (e.g., von Elden 2019; de Silva and Aponso 2018).

In-Text Citations

• Single author: (Wilson 2016).
• Two authors: (Smith and Jones 2020).
• More than two authors: (Carroll et al. 2021).
• Multiple citations: Separate with semicolons; order alphabetically: (Carroll et al. 2021; Smith and Jones 2020; Wilson 2016).
• Citing multiple works by the same author and year: Distinguish using letters: (Jones 2019a, 2019b).
• Citing specific pages or sections: (Wilson 2016, p. 45), (Smith and Jones 2020, pp. 112–115).

Reference List Formatting, general formatting rules

• Authors: Last name, initials (no periods between initials except the final one).
• Use “and”, not “&”.
• Year followed by a period.
• Journal titles not italicized, volume numbers not in bold.
• Provide full page range (e.g., 112–120).
• For >10 authors: List first 10, then “et al.” (not italicized here).

Examples

Journal article

Smith JA, PR Jones. 2020. Rediscovery of the yellow-laced fritillary in coastal dunes. Journal of Insect Conservation 24:112–120.

Journal article with many authors

Carroll SP, MJ Fox, L Nguyen, R Patel, H Gomez, A Singh, K Howard, T Imai, D Chen, M Ruiz, et al. 2021. Evolutionary responses to rapid environmental change in isolated populations. Evolution 75:311–326.

Book

Wilson EO. 2016. Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. W. W. Norton & Company, New York.

Edited volume

Fox CW, SP Carroll, eds. 2008. Conservation Biology: Evolution in Action. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Chapter in an edited volume

Carroll SP. 2008. Evolution in novel environments. Pages 95–112 in SP Carroll, CW Fox, eds. Conservation Biology: Evolution in Action. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Online source with DOI

Jones PR, JA Smith. 2023. Molecular signatures of rediscovered species. Molecular Ecology 32:455–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16940.

Online source without DOI (rare; avoid when possible)

Johnson A. 2018. Report on the last known sighting of Euphydryas editha. https://example.org/editha-report (accessed 12 November 2025).