INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a refereed scientific journal that welcomes submissions of articles, notes, commentaries, book reviews, and announcements on all aspects of avian biology within the Caribbean region. Each research manuscript will be reviewed by at least two referees who will judge its suitability for publication.

Language
Contributions may be in English, Spanish, or French. An abstract in at least one of the other two languages is required for publication but is unnecessary for submission (the editorial board will assist with translation).

Form of Submission
All manuscripts and materials must be submitted electronically, preferably as a Word, WordPerfect, jpg or gif file attachment, to one of the Editors in Chief.

All authors except those from Cuba should submit manuscripts to Floyd E. Hayes.

All Cuban authors should submit manuscripts to Martín Acosta.

Format
Because the journal is produced with desktop publishing software by volunteer editors and editorial assistants who do not have the time to make significant alterations to the format of a manuscript, please conform as closely as possible to the style of the most recent issue (sample English paper - PDF; sample Spanish paper - PDF), but note the new format below for literature citations. Submissions which do not conform closely to this format may be returned to the author for correction.

Font: Times New Roman, 10 point.

Spacing: Single space throughout, with one an extra space at the end of each section. Use only one space after each period.

Title: All caps and centered, no longer than 20 words. If a vernacular bird name is used the scientific name must be included in parentheses.

Authors: Small caps and centered. Use superscripted numbers for multiple addresses.

Addresses: Italicized and centered. If multiple authors, indicate each by a superscript. Separate each address by a semicolon. Include an e-mail address for each author.

Abstract: All research papers, including short notes, must have an abstract <5% of the manuscript’s length. Heading indented and italicized, followed by a period and an em dash. Submission of an abstract in a second language is encouraged but can be done by the editorial staff.

Key words: Up to 10 in alphabetic order, italicized, and separated by commas. Heading indented and italicized, followed by a period and an em dash. Submission of key words in a second language is encouraged but can be done by the editorial staff.

Header: Please supply a short header (abbreviated title) of 50 characters or less for the top of the page.

Section headings: Small caps and centered.

Subsection headings: Indented and italicized, followed by a period and an em dash.

Bird names: For English papers, use official English name for each species used by the American Ornithologists' Union (North America and Caribbean; South America) followed by the scientific name in parenthesis, with only the English name used thereafter. For Spanish and French papers, the use of a vernacular name is optional.

Citations within text: Use author(s) and year (e.g., Smith 1990, Smith and Jones 1991); if more than two authors, use first followed by et al. (e.g., Smith et al. 1992). List multiple citations chronologically, not alphabetically (e.g., Smith 1990, Adams 1995). If the source is not publicly available, cite the source within the text but not within the Literature Cited section (e.g., Smith pers. comm., Smith pers. obs., Smith unpubl. data, Smith in prep., Smith unpubl. ms). Avoid using footnotes.

Measurements: Use metric units (e.g., km, m, ha, g, l) with a space between value and unit (e.g., 10 m, not 10m).

Dates and times: Use continental dating (e.g., 5 March 2005) and 24-hour clock (e.g., 08:35 hr).

Acknowledgments: Precedes Literature Cited section.

Literature Cited section: Cite only publicly available sources; please avoid citing unpublished manuscripts and cite websites only if necessary.

Tables: Insert each table on a separate page after the Literature Cited section. Each table must be numbered (e.g., Table 1) with a short heading at the top. Footnotes must be alphabetic rather than numeric.

Figures: Each figure must be electronic and preferably embedded within the manuscript. Insert each on a separate page after the Literature Cited section. Each figure must be numbered (e.g., Fig. 1). A short heading for each figure must be given, with all figure headings listed on a separate page. Photographs should include the photographer's name. Only black and white figures will be published in the print version unless the extra costs of printing in color are paid by the author; however, color will be available in pdf files.

Appendices: Insert each appendix on a separate page after the Literature Cited section. Each appendix must be numbered (e.g., Appendix 1) with a short heading at the top. Footnotes must be alphabetic rather than numeric.

Page Charges
Because the costs of the journal are paid by the society's membership dues, page charges are voluntary rather than mandatory. However, because the number of pages published are limited by the availability of funds, authors who can afford to do so are encouraged to pay for the publication of their manuscripts. Priority in the scheduling of publication will be given to authors who can pay for the costs of publishing.

Reprints
Each corresponding author will be provided with a pdf file of the published manuscript. Reprints are available if requested and paid for by the authors in advance.