Newinstructions for Contributors to Mammalian
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NEW INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO MAMMALIAN SPECIES • PURPOSE. Thank you for adding your time and energy to Mammalian Species! Our objective for this peer-reviewed collection of monographs is to provide accurate and concise summaries of the present state of biological knowledge of species of mammals in a standard format that allows easy reference to specific information. Accounts should present specific information or useful summaries, rather than merely citing sources of information or presenting lengthy lists of information without synthesis. Original skull measurements may be published in Mammalian Species, even to supplement published information, but other original observations cannot be presented because the format of accounts does not allow for adequate documentation of methodology or explanation of new ideas. You need not cite every single paper dealing with a species; if not discussed, do not include that paper in the citations. For species with extensive published material, cite recent articles that refer to older articles on the same topic. • GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. Manuscripts generally should be no longer than 50 double-spaced pages [Times Roman 12 point] including Literature Cited. Along with the 3 basic images (1 of the mammal, the skull/mandible plate [Appendix 1], and a distribution map), 2–3 additional images depicting, for example, behavior and habitat, and short audio and video clips will be considered in the peer review process. Consult with Editor before submitting longer manuscripts. Mammalian Species accounts NEVER include tables. GENERAL FORMAT • Except for contact information for the corresponding author on the 1st page, the entire copy must be double-spaced (no triple spacing) throughout, including LITERATURE CITED. • Text must be in Word; use Times Roman 12-point type size. • Leave 3-cm (1.2 inch) margins on all sides; do not justify the right margin, do not hyphenate words at the right margin, and do not use single-sentence paragraphs. STYLE • Examine recent accounts for specific examples of content and format, which changed in 2008. • Keep the mammal, not the authors of research papers, as the subject of sentences when possible. • Use American spelling conventions, but use exact spelling of titles and journal names in the Literature Cited. • Italicize only scientific names, statistical parameters (n, SD, SE), and foreign words; do not use bold or underlining. • Abbreviate the genus name except on 1st usage within a section and at the start of a paragraph. • Use spaces around operators for statistics e.g., n = 62. • Use the metric system throughout, except in type localities and elevation in synonymies in which English units were used in the original. When converting to metric units, round the converted figures to an appropriate degree of precision (i.e., a nest diameter of 10–12 inches converts to 25–30 cm, not 25.4–30.48 cm, but 3 1/32 inch would equal 7.7 mm). • Use hanging indents for the synonymy and LITERATURE CITED, and a single tab (0.5 inches) for paragraph indentation. • Use an en-dash (found in Symbol section of Word) to separate ranges e.g., 4–6, October–December. Otherwise write as from 4 to 6, from October to December. • Consult Information for Contributors available at the ASM website for formatting questions not addressed in this document. For abbreviations not presented in the ASM Guidelines, follow the International System of Units (SI; National Bureau of Standards Special Publication, United States Department of Commerce). 1 • References in text are to be in alphabetical order with semicolons separating citations. Do not put a comma between the author and year (except in the synonymy or when indicating taxonomic authority elsewhere) and do not italicize “a” or “b” for citations with the same authors and year (e.g., Hamilton 1987, 1988; Hamilton and Van Den Bussche 1998; Hamilton et al. 1994; McBee 1996a, 1996b). Do not place 2 parenthetical comments next to each other. Instead combine them and separate the material with an em-dash (e.g., parenthetical information—Author 2002). • SECTION FORMAT Please follow the specific format in published accounts published beginning 2008. Format the 1st page of the manuscript as indicated in Appendix 2. Title.—Always “Genus species (Order: Family)” Name and byline.—Follow example in Appendix 2. Note the convention for providing present addresses. Abstract.—The abstract can be no longer than 125 words and is a concise 4–5 sentence summary of the account. The 1st sentence should always begin “[Genus-species name Authority, Date] is a [caprid] commonly called the [black goat].” Subsequent sentences must contain and be ordered as follows: general physical, and perhaps unique, characteristics and “is 1 of how many species in the genus [Name]”; statement on general distribution; statement on general habitat preferences; and statement on current conservation status. An example follows: Abstract.—Boselaphus tragocamelus (Pallas, 1766) is a bovid commonly called the nilgai or blue bull and is Asia’s largest antelope. A sexually dimorphic ungulate of large stature and unique coloration, it is the only species in the genus Boselaphus. It is endemic to peninsular India and small parts of Pakistan and Nepal, has been extirpated from Bangladesh, and has been introduced in the United States (Texas), Mexico, and South Africa. It prefers open grassland and savannas and locally is a significant agricultural pest in India. It is not of special conservation concern and is well-represented in zoos and private collections throughout the world. Key words.—Provide up to 8 key words that are not in the title and be sure to include the common name from Wilson and Reeder’s Mammal Species of the World (2005, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore) and others in common use, if available. SYNONYMIES Synonymies trace the nomenclatural history of a species name from its original designation through any subsequent name changes and combinations, whether by design or error. Authors have 2 choices when preparing a synonymy. In either case, include references for all taxonomic authorities (= classifiers) that are part of the full scientific name; e.g., Boselaphus tragocamelus de Blainville, 1816. PLEASE NOTE: When including type localities within the synonymy, you must present, in quotes, the exact locality given in the original description. Do not use quotation marks around a translation, transliteration, or any other modification of the type locality. Also do not use quotation marks around any words that were not part of the original statement unless you enclose these words in brackets. Please refer to A Guide to Constructing and Understanding Synonymies for Mammalian Species (Gardner and Hayssen, Mammalian Species 739:1–17, 2004) for examples of type localities. 1. Prepare a complete species synonymy, as has been the custom in earlier Mammalian Species accounts, following Gardner and Hayssen (2004, Mammalian Species 739:1–17). This approach provides a complete record of a species’ nomenclatural placement through time and is particularly useful for those species whose scientific names have undergone frequent and recent changes. Complete species synonymies can be challenging to construct, and some authors may wish to involve a colleague with nomenclatorial expertise and access to old, and often rare, literature through museum-based comprehensive libraries; such involvement 2 may merit authorship, which should be discussed candidly early in the process. All entries must be in chronological order and must include authority, date, page reference, appropriate descriptor, and complete citation in the Literature Cited Section. Add “Synonymy (or Synonymies) completed Day Month Year” at the appropriate place after abstract. NOTE: A generic synonymy for the species account under preparation will be requested by the Editor if a synonymy of the genus has not been published already in a Mammalian Species account. Literature Cited section should contain all references cited in the text and the references for all taxonomic authorities (= classifiers) that are part of the full scientific name; e.g., Boselaphus tragocamelus de Blainville, 1816 2. Prepare a simplified species synonymy, following the standard format, punctuation, and content outlined in Gardner and Hayssen (2004, Mammalian Species 739:1–17) and using Wilson and Reeder’s Mammal Species of the World (2005, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore) as a minimum starting point. For this approach, authors must include: 1) original usage of the primary (= currently used name) species-level name, 2) every unique species-level synonym attributable to the primary species-level name, and 3) name combinations (generic changes, demotion to subspecies, etc.) through which only the primary species name (not every synonym) has traveled. All entries must be in chronological order and must include authority, date, page reference, appropriate descriptor, and complete citation in the Literature Cited Section. NOTE: A generic synonymy for the species account under preparation will be requested by the Editor if a synonymy of the genus has not been published already in a Mammalian Species account. CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Immediately after the synonymy(ies), provide the order, suborder, family, subfamily, and tribe. Please follow taxonomy as presented in Wilson and Reeder—Mammal Species of the World, 3rd ed. Note whether or not the genus and species are monotypic; if not, explain. See recently published accounts for examples. NOMENCLATURAL NOTES.