Submitting Manuscripts

The submission of a manuscript is taken to imply that the material is original, and that no similar paper has been or will be submitted for publication elsewhere. Submission of a manuscript will also be taken to imply that all the named authors have seen and agreed to the submitted version of the paper, that all who are listed as providers of personal communications have agreed to their inclusion, and that all requisite permissions for the use of material (from previously published sources or made available electronically) are supplied with the final submission.

Manuscripts submitted to Contemporary Herpetology (CH) must be divided into a number of files to facilitate processing by our editors and reviewers as well as to expedite their conversion to web documents. The body text should be in a single file (.doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .pdf), all tables should be clearly formatted and sent as text, MS Excel (.xls) or PDF files, and all images/ figures should be sent as individual files and not imbedded in the text.

Authors should submit all manuscript files as attachments to an e-mail cover letter. Arrangements can be made with the Editor regarding an excessively large submission. Unless other arrangements have been made with an Associate Editor, all manuscripts should be sent to a the Editor. Necessary file conversions will be made prior to forwarding the submission to an Associate Editor.

Once a manuscript is accepted, authors are required to print out and submit copies of a signed consent to publish form (PDF). At this time, the manuscript will be formatted for publishing as PDF and the author(s) will then have the opportunity to proof the manuscript. Upon approval by the author(s), the manuscript will be published on CH and its mirror sites.

Works that include nomenclatural acts

Please note that works that include nomenclatural acts, which fall under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) (e.g., description of new taxa, establishment of replacement type specimens, etc.) will not be deemed 'published' under the rules of the current version of the Code (4th. edition, 1999; see article 8ff). However, article 8.6 (ICZN, 1999) permits electronic publishing under certain circumstances.
If authors wish to take care for the deposit of multiple copies (e.g., CD-ROM's or other appropriate media) in accordance with article 8.6 (ICZN, 4th ed., 1999), please contact the managing editor by e-mail providing the name of minimum five libraries or institutions the media are to be deposited in. The managing editor will add these names into the ready-to-publish pre-release PDF.

Conventions for Submitted Material

Style and Text formatting

Do not embed any non-text resources (including equations) within your text. All papers must be in English. Write with precision, clarity, and economy; use the active voice and first person. A style sheet is in preparation, until ready, it is suggested that authors follow the most recently accepted manuscripts. Although many text attributes are set by individual browsers when viewing web documents, submissions to CH should follow the following conventions in order to facilitate the review process.

Underlining/Italicization

Italicize scientific names and the symbols for all variables and constants except Greek letters in the text. Symbols should be italicized in the illustrations to match the text. Do not underline text.

Tables

Tables must be submitted in a format that preserves their layout, whether they are tab- or space-delimited. The Rich Text Format (RTF) is a useful general-purpose file format in which to submit tables.

In-Text References

Single author	Bernardo (2007)	(Bernardo 2007)
Two authors	Smith & Ballinger (2001)	(Smith & Ballinger 2001)
Three or more author (use "et al.")	Werman et al. (1999)	(Werman et al. 1999)

Multiple references should be in chronological order:

Other references:

Literature Cited

Citing Original Descriptions

If an authority is provided for a scientific name (e.g. Sonora semiannulata Baird & Girard 1953) the entire reference must be provided in the Literature Cited section of the manuscript (Baird, S. F. and C. Girard. 1953. Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part I - Serpents. Smithsonian Micellaneous Collections. 49. xvi + 172 pp.)

Units

Use the International System of Units (SI) for measurements. Consult Standard Practice for Use of the International System of Units (ASTM Standard E-380-93) for guidance on unit conversions, style, and usage. When preparing text and graphics, note in particular that SI requires (1) the use of the terms mass or force rather than weight, (2) when one unit appears in a denominator, use the solidus (/), but for two or more units in a denominator, use negative exponents, and (3) use a capital L as the symbol for liter.

Internet Formatting

Given the ephemeral nature of the Internet outside the directories of Contemporary Herpetology, the stability of external links cannot be guaranteed. Thus, authors may not include links to other Internet resources outside the auspices of CH in their articles.

Technical inquiries about manuscript submission and formatting should be directed to the Editor.