EDITORIAL POLICY
The Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics (IJAB) is an international journal published biannually by Office of the Vice-chancellor of Research Affairs of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. IJAB publishes original scientific research, not published before or under consideration elsewhere, in the broad areas of Animal Biosystematics and Biodiversity which relates to the southern Palearctic region, including Iran. Publications will be in one of these three formats: full papers, short communications, and reviews. Book reviews, scientific announcements, and news relating to topics of the Journal will also be published. The main topics of interest are: theoretical, comparative, methodological, and applied research relating to the following areas:
The Journal is devoted to the understanding of animal diversity and its sustainable use and addresses an international audience. For more details, please visit the web site: https://ijab.um.ac.ir.
AUTHOR’S GUIDELINES
The Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics (IJAB) will publish papers in the areas described in its aims and scopes containing the results of original work and review articles within the general field described by its title. Contributions should have different results and not be numbered serially.
EDITORIAL REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to the readership. All manuscripts are peer-reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers and the Editor. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editorial Board, who reserves the right to refuse any material for publication.
Manuscripts should be written so that they are intelligible to the professional reader who is not a specialist in the particular field. They should be written in a clear and direct style. Where contributions are judged as acceptable for publication on the basis of scientific content.
The Editor reserves the right to modify manuscripts to eliminate ambiguity and repetition and improve communication between author and reader. If extensive alterations are required, the manuscript will be returned to the author for revision.
SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS
All articles submitted to the Journal must comply with these instructions. Failure to do so will result in the return of the manuscript and possible delay in publication.
Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics (IJAB) uses the online submission management software Manuscript Central. Please log in to http://ijab.um.ac.ir to submit your manuscripts.
Please direct your queries to the Editorial Office of IJAB:
Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,
Mashhad, Iran,
Tel/fax: +985118762019
Email to: ijab@um.ac.ir
MANUSCRIPT PREPRATION
All manuscripts should be double-spaced and include line numbers, preferably within the page. All pages should be numbered consecutively in the top right-hand corner, beginning with the title page including the title, running title, authors and their affiliations, and the corresponding author email. The top, bottom, and side margins should be at least 30 mm.
TYPES OF PAPER
Research Articles
Reporting original and previously unpublished work.
Short Communications
These are concise, but complete descriptions of a limited investigation, which will not be included in a later paper. Short communications should not exceed 2400 words (six printed pages), excluding references and legends. Neither an abstract nor a list of key words should be included. The bulk of the text should be in a continuous form that does not require numbered sections such as Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion, except for Acknowledgements and references. These components are to be prepared in the same format as used for full-length research papers. In the case of describing new taxa authors may use sub-titles of their own choice to highlight sections of the text. The overall number of tables and figures should be limited to a maximum of three (i.e. two figures and one table).
Review Articles
Critical evaluation of existing data, defined topics or emerging fields of investigation, critical issues of public concern, sometimes including the historical development of topics. Those wishing to prepare a review should first consult the Editors or Associate Editors concerning the acceptability of topic and length.
Think Notes
Short, one-page notes describing new developments, new ideas, comments on a controversial subject, or comments on recent conferences will also be considered for publication.
Letter to the Editor
A written discussion of papers published in the journal. Letters are accepted on the basis of new insights on the particular topic, relevance to the published paper, and timeliness. Contact details for submission Authors may send queries concerning the submission process, manuscript status, or journal procedures to the Editorial in Chief: mirshams@um.ac.ir.
COVERING LETTER
Papers are accepted for publication in the Journal on the understanding that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere except as a brief abstract in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or symposium. This must be stated in the cover letter.
The covering letter must also contain an acknowledgment that all authors have contributed significantly and that all authors are in agreement with the content of the manuscript.
If tables or figures have been reproduced from another source, a letter from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher), stating authorization to reproduce the material, must be attached to the covering letter.
PARTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT
The length of an article (including references and tables) should not exceed 15000 words.
Manuscripts should be presented in the following order:
(i) title page,
(ii) abstract and keywords,
(iii) main text,
(iv) acknowledgments,
(v) references,
(vi) figure legends,
(vii) tables (each table complete with title and footnotes) and
(viii) figures.
TITLE PAGE
The title page should contain:
(i) the title of the paper,
(ii) the full names of the authors and
(iii) the addresses of the institutions at which the work was carried out together with
(iv) the full postal and email address (preferably academic email), plus facsimile and telephone numbers, of the author to whom correspondence about the manuscript should be sent.
The title should be short, informative, and contain the major keywords. Do not use abbreviations in the title. A short running title (less than 30 characters) should also be provided.
ABSTRACT AND KEYWORDS
All articles must have a brief abstract that states in at least 150 words, the purpose, basic methodology, main findings, and principal conclusions of the study. The abstract should not contain abbreviations or references.
Three to five keywords (for the purposes of indexing) should be supplied below the abstract in alphabetical order.
TEXT
Authors should use the following subheadings to divide the sections of their manuscript:
i) Introduction
ii) Materials and Methods
iv) Results
v) Discussion
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The source of financial grants and other funding must be acknowledged, including a frank declaration of the authors’ industrial links and affiliations. The contribution of colleagues or institutions should also be acknowledged.
REFERENCES
The Elsevier Harvard (author, date) system of referencing is used (examples are given below). In the text give the author’s name followed by the year in parentheses: (Smith, 2000). If there are two authors use ‘and’: Smith and Jones (2001); but if cited within parentheses use ‘&’: (Smith & Jones, 2001). When reference is made to a work by three or more authors, the first name followed by et al. should be used: MacDonald et al. (2002). In the reference list, references should be listed in alphabetical order, then chronologically.
In the reference list, cite the names of all authors when there are six or fewer; when seven or more, list the first three followed by et al. Do not use ibid. or op cit. Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should not appear in the list but should be cited in the text only (e.g. A Smith, 2000, unpubl. data). All citations mentioned in the text, tables or figures must be listed in the reference list.
The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references.
Journals
Currie, P.J., Chen, P.J., 2001. Anatomy of Sinosauropteryx prima from Liaoning, northeastern China. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 38, 1705–27.
Books
Ringsven, M.K., Bond, D., 1996. Gerontology and Leadership Skills for Nurses, 2nd ed. Delmar Publishers, Albany, NY.
Chapter in a book
Hull, D.L. 1988. Interactors versus vehicles. In: Plotkin HC, ed. The Role of Behavior in Evolution. MIT Press, Boston, pp. 19–50.
Conference proceedings
Kimura, J., Shibasaki, H., eds. 1996. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 15–19 Oct 1995, Kyoto, Japan. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Web page
Diabetes Australia. Prevalence of Diabetes in the Australian Population. [Cited 5 Jun 1996.] Available from URL: http://www.diabetes.org.au
Tables
Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, the information contained in the text. Number tables consecutively in the text in Arabic numerals. Type tables on a separate page with the legend above. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the table, legend, and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations must be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for P-values. Statistical measures such as SD or SEM should be identified in the headings.
Figures
Small illustrations should be grouped into plates. When preparing illustrations, authors should bear in mind that the journal has a matter size of 25 cm by 17 cm and is printed on A4 paper. For species illustration, line drawings are preferred, although good quality B&W or color photographs are also acceptable.
*Figures must be supplied as high resolution (at least 300 d.p.i.) files, saved as .eps or .tif.
*Do not embed figures in the Word document – they must be supplied in separate files. Line figures should be supplied as sharp, black and white graphs or diagrams, drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package. Lettering must be included and should be sized to be no larger than the journal text.
*Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration.
*All figures must be supplied in a camera-ready format.
*Colour figure files should be set up as CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and not as RGB (red, green, blue) so that colors, as they appear on the screen, will be a closer representation of how they will print in the Journal.
Figure legends
Legends of illustrations should be listed after the list of references. Type figure legends on a separate page. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.
PROOFS
It is essential that corresponding authors supply an email address to which correspondence can be emailed while their article is in production.
SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
1) A cover letter explaining why you consider the manuscript suitable for publication in the Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics.
2) A title page including all authors and their affiliations and email addresses.
3) Check the title and keywords of your study.
4) An abstract of maximum 300 words or less that effectively summarizes your study and engages other researchers.
5) Check that the manuscript follows the Author Guidelines for IJAB and that the sections are in the correct order.
6) Check you have indicated the ethics approval system under which your study was conducted in the manuscript.
7) Cross-checked all referencing and checked the formatting of these both in the text and references section.
8) Ensure your manuscript is in DOC (Microsoft Word) format.
9) All tables and figures are presented at the end of the text.
10) Check that only SI values have been used throughout the manuscript.
11) At least one colleague has read through your manuscript.