Zoo Research Guidelines Getting Zoo Research Published
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Zoo Research Guidelines Getting Zoo Research Published © British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. PANKHURST, S. J, PLUMB, A. C. & WALTER O. (Eds.) (2008): Zoo Research Guidelines: Getting Zoo Research Published. London: BIAZA. First published 2008 Published and printed by: BIAZA Regent’s Park London NW1 4RY United Kingdom ISSN 1479-5647 2 Zoo Research Guidelines: Getting Zoo Research Published Edited by Dr Sheila Pankhurst1, Anna Plumb2 and Olivia Walter2 1Environmental Science Research Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK 2 BIAZA, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK Contributing authors (in alphabetical order): Linda DaVolls, BSc (Hons) Head of Scientific Publications and Meetings, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK Fiona Fisken, BSc (Hons) Editor, ZSL Scientific Books (including the International Zoo Yearbook) Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK Dr Sonya Hill Research Officer, North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, Caughall Road, Upton, Chester CH2 1LH, UK Dr Nicola Marples Lecturer, Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland Heidi Mitchell, BSc (Hons) Research Programme Manager, Marwell Zoological Park, Colden Common, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1JH, UK Dr Sheila Pankhurst (Editor) Environmental Science, Department of Life Science, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT Dr Amy Plowman Head of Field Conservation & Research, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Totnes Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7EU, UK Dr Stephanie Sanderson Veterinary Manager, North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, Caughall Road, Upton, Chester CH2 1LH, UK Dr Miranda Stevenson Director, BIAZA, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK Dr Angela Turner Managing Editor, Animal Behaviour, School of Biology, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK 3 Acknowledgements These guidelines are a result of a workshop organized by the BIAZA Research Group and hosted at Colchester Zoo in July 2006. All of the contributing authors were participants at the workshop. We were very fortunate to have three experienced journal editors at the workshop; Dr Angela Turner (Managing Editor, Animal Behaviour), Dr Martin Fisher (Editor, Oryx) and Fiona Fisken (Editor, ZSL Scientific Books, including the International Zoo Yearbook). Their comments and advice have improved these guidelines considerably and we are most grateful for their input. Others who participated in the workshop are listed below and we acknowledge their valuable contributions to these guidelines. Particular thanks also go to Fay Clark and Colchester Zoo, for allowing us to hold the workshop in their conference centre and for making all the practical arrangements, and Linda DaVolls, Head of Scientific Publications and Meetings, The Zoological Society of London, who did not attend the meeting, provided information about relationships with editors and reviewers for Section 7. Workshop participants (in addition to the contributing authors) (in alphabetical order) Dr Sue Dow Capital Projects and Science Coordinator, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HA, UK Dr Andrea Fidgett Nutritionist, North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, Caughall Road, Upton, Chester CH2 1LH, UK Dr Martin Fisher Editor, Oryx, Fauna and Flora International, Jupiter House, 4th Floor, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JD, UK Dr Geoff Hosey Honorary Professor, School of Health and Social Studies, University of Bolton, Bolton BL3 5AB. Dr Vicky Melfi Senior Zoo Research Officer, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Totnes Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7EU, UK Dr Charlotte Nevison Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Environmental Sciences Research Centre, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK Rob Thomas, MSc BSc (Hons) Conservation and Research Manager, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh EH12 6TS, UK Olivia Walter, MSc BSc (Hons) (Editor) Zoo Programmes Coordinator, BIAZA, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 4 Contents 1. Introduction (A. Plowman and S. Pankhurst) 1.1 What are these guidelines for? 1.2 Why are these guidelines needed? 2. Why Publish Zoo Research? (N. Marples) 2.1 Disseminating useful information 2.2 Enhancing the reputation of your zoo, and of zoos in general 2.3 Attracting funding 2.4 Summary – “Why publish?” 3. The Scope of Zoo Research (M. Stevenson) 4. Quality of research (A. Plowman) 5. Where to publish (S. Pankhurst, S. Sanderson, S. Hill and H. Mitchell) 5.1 Which journals publish zoo research? 5.2 How to choose the right journal 5.3 Impact factors 6. Publication Ethics and Copyright (A. Turner) 7. Relationships with editors and reviewers (L. DaVolls) 7.1 Submission 7.2 Peer review 7.3 Publication 8. Presentation of your paper (F. Fisken) 8.1 Know your audience 8.2 Use the “Instructions for Authors” provided by the publisher 8.3 Authors and acknowledgements 8.4 Consistency 8.5 Photographs, figures and tables 8.6 Accuracy 8.7 References 8.7.1 Style – general notes 8.7.2 Order of reference list 8.7.3 Styles of reference 8.8 General points 8.9 Useful books 5 1. Introduction Amy Plowman and Sheila Pankhurst 1.1 What are these guidelines for? This volume aims to give zoo researchers, including students and keepers, clear guidelines to enable them to get their research published and into the public arena. The gold standard for scientific research is publication of your findings in a peer-reviewed journal – preferably one with a high “impact factor”. Peer-reviewed journals (and impact factors) are discussed in more detail in subsequent sections of these guidelines, but for now, a quick definition of a peer-reviewed or refereed journal is, “a scholarly or research publication in which the articles submitted for publication are evaluated by a group of individuals who are expert in the subject area” (Keenan & Johnston, 2002). These guidelines will help you to identify the steps you need to take to get your zoo research paper published. N.B. ‘zoo’ refers to any animal collection that is open to the public. This therefore includes aquariums. 1.2 Why are these guidelines needed? Zoo research is under-represented in the published literature. There is a lot of good research being carried out in zoos and aquariums that is not getting published. This may be for one of two reasons; either papers are being rejected by editors, or papers are not being submitted to journals in the first place (possibly owing to the perception that they will not be published). It seems that there is a common perception that much research carried out in zoos is not a scientifically worthwhile activity. The most common reasons given for this are that animals in zoo environments are not “natural” and that robust statistical analyses are not possible. However, with recent developments in husbandry methods and naturalistic housing and social groupings, most modern zoos now provide an extremely useful research setting; bridging the gap between highly controlled, but often extremely unnatural, laboratory conditions and the totally natural but very difficult working conditions of the field. Small sample size is often a problem of zoo research which presents statistical challenges, but valid and robust statistical tests are possible for typical zoo datasets (see research guidelines on statistics). These guidelines provide the much needed information on how and where to publish. 6 2. Why publish zoo research? Nicola Marples There are three main reasons why zoo researchers should publish their work, and why they should aim for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. 2.1 Disseminating useful information It is a waste of time to do research that no-one ever hears about. Any research, whether it is conducted in a zoo, in the wild or elsewhere, may teach the researcher something interesting about the animal or animals studied, or the best methodology to use to answer questions about those animals. It may be that the research reveals just how NOT to design such a study. However, something can be learned from almost every study and that knowledge is only useful to the researcher unless (and until) other people are told about it. Zoo research that is not published will not benefit anyone else and probably will not benefit the animals studied. Even if the researcher is in a position to put into practice what has been learned, other people may have to repeat the experiment or observations in order to learn the same information before they can develop or advance such studies. Making the knowledge obtained available to other people is a necessary part of any scientific research activity – not just zoo research – and publication is as important as any other part of a study. Findings can be disseminated on a number of levels. You can simply tell colleagues at your own zoo what you have found. Or write an article outlining the findings for newsletters or websites, such as Shape of Enrichment, Ratel or LifeLines (the BIAZA magazine). Or go to a conference for zoo staff and researchers and present a paper or poster. Any of these methods of broadcasting results are extremely important for passing on the information to others who are in a position to benefit from it, and should be undertaken for the main results of every zoo-based study. An added advantage is that you may also benefit from talking to other researchers about their experiences. However, these avenues for disseminating work only pass on the information to a zoo- based audience in a fairly restricted geographical range. If findings are likely to be useful to a wider group, then data should be made available on a worldwide level.