Author Guidelines

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check that their manuscript complies with the following requirements. Submissions may be returned to authors if they do not meet these requirements.

• The submission represents original, unpublished material and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part.
• The submission file is provided in a readable document format such as ODT, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, or PDF. Compressed file formats such as ZIP or RAR should not be used. Figures should preferably be uploaded as PNG files where appropriate. Individual uploaded files should be within the permitted file-size limit.
• The submission complies with the requirements outlined in the journal's Author Guidelines.
• A cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief or handling editor should accompany the manuscript and should briefly describe the purpose and significance of the submission.
• The manuscript should include a title page, abstract and keywords, main text, and appropriate declarations. The declarations should include, where applicable, acknowledgments, funding information, author contributions, conflict of interest, data availability, ethical approval, and consent for publication.
• Supplementary materials should be submitted separately when applicable.
• All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
• All tables and figures have been numbered and appropriately labelled.
• Appropriate permission has been obtained for the publication of photographs, datasets, copyrighted material, or other third-party content where required.
• Authors must disclose any financial relationship or other potential conflict of interest associated with the research. Where no conflict exists, authors should state: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
• Upon acceptance of the manuscript, the author(s) agree to pay the applicable publication fee in accordance with the journal's current Article Processing Charge (APC) policy.

Manuscript Submission

Submissions should consist of:

• A cover letter addressed to the editors.
• The manuscript in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

The manuscript should be prepared with a title page, abstract, keywords, running title, complete article text, references, and accompanying tables and figures with their respective captions. The manuscript should be clearly formatted and double-spaced. Revised manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format.

Style Notes

General

Authors are requested to submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word documents. The manuscript should be double-spaced throughout, including author affiliations, references, tables, figures, and figure legends where applicable.

The manuscript should normally be organized as follows. The first page should be a title page containing the title of the manuscript, authors' names, complete affiliations, and corresponding author details.

The second page should contain an abstract of no more than 500 words. The abstract should provide a clear and informative summary of the study, emphasizing the principal findings and conclusions rather than simply describing the subject.

The main text should begin on the following page and should normally include an introduction describing the background and purpose of the study, a materials and methods section, results, and discussion. Additional sections may be included where appropriate to the nature of the manuscript.

References

References should be complete, accurate, and presented consistently throughout the manuscript.

For journal articles, include the names of the first three authors followed by et al. where there are more than three authors, the publication year, article title, journal title, volume number, and inclusive page numbers. Include the DOI where available.

Example: Smith J. 2008. Distribution of haplogroups in North American populations. Journal of Population Biology. 12:115–122.

For chapters in edited books, include the chapter authors, publication year, chapter title, book title, editors, publisher, place of publication, and page range.

Example: Jones M. 2008. Overview. In: Smith J, Brown N, editors. Population Biology in North America. Academic Publisher; New York, USA; 122–135.

When referencing an entire book, include the author or editor names, publication year, book title, publisher, and place of publication.

Example: Smith J, Brown N, editors. 2008. Population Biology in North America. Academic Publisher; New York, USA.

Tables

Tables should be placed after the references section. Each table should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which it is cited in the text.

Authors are encouraged to use the table function in Microsoft Word whenever possible. Each table should have a clear title or heading, and all units of measurement should be identified where applicable.

Tables should be concise and should contain only information necessary to support the manuscript. Avoid unnecessary vertical lines and maintain consistent formatting throughout.

Figures and Figure Captions

Figure captions should be provided separately from the illustrations and numbered consecutively according to the order in which the figures are cited in the manuscript.

All figures should be clearly labelled and appropriately cited in the main text.

Photographs and other raster images should be provided at an appropriate resolution for publication. High-resolution TIFF or JPG files are recommended for photographs and other raster-based illustrations. PNG files may also be used where appropriate.

Vector formats may be used for charts, graphs, diagrams, and other vector-based artwork where available. Figures should remain clear and readable at their intended publication size.

Authors should ensure that legends, axis labels, symbols, and other text within figures are sufficiently clear and readable.

Ethical and Publication Requirements

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts comply with applicable ethical requirements, including appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, data integrity, authorship, funding disclosure, and conflict-of-interest disclosure where applicable.

Authors should ensure that all required declarations and supporting information are included with the manuscript at the time of submission.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office throughout the submission, review, revision, and publication process.

The corresponding author's full name, institutional affiliation, postal address, and official email address should be provided accurately in the manuscript.