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Editorial Policies
Focus and Scope
Section Policies
Peer Review Process
Publication Frequency
Open Access Policy
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Focus and Scope
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Ecology and Society is an electronic, peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research. Manuscript submission, peer review, and publication are all handled on the Internet. Software developed for the journal automates all clerical steps during peer review, facilitates a double-blind peer review process, and allows authors and editors to follow the progress of peer review on the Internet. As articles are accepted, they are published in an "Issue in Progress." At six month intervals the Issue-in-Progress is declared a New Issue, and subscribers receive the Table of Contents of the issue via email. Our turn-around time (submission to publication) averages around 250 days.
We encourage publication of special features. Special features are comprised of a set of manuscripts that address a single theme, and include an introductory and summary manuscript. The individual contributions are published in regular issues, and the special feature manuscripts are linked through a table of contents and announced on the journal's main page.
The journal seeks papers that are novel, integrative and written in a way that is accessible to a wide audience that includes an array of disciplines from the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities concerned with the relationship between society and the life-supporting ecosystems on which human wellbeing ultimately depends.
Content of the journal ranges from the applied to the theoretical. In general, papers should cover topics relating to the ecological, political, and social foundations for sustainable social-ecological systems. Specifically, the journal publishes articles that present research findings on the following issues: (a) the management, stewardship and sustainable use of ecological systems, resources and biological diversity at all levels, (b) the role natural systems play in social and political systems and conversely, the effect of social, economic and political institutions on ecological systems and services, and (c) the means by which we can develop and sustain desired ecological, social and political states.
In a recent editorial, Editors-in-Chief Carl Folke and Lance Gunderson summarize their vision for Ecology and Society:
We view humanity and nature as co-evolving systems that interact within the bounds of the biosphere at various temporal and spatial scales and across scales. We hope to create a rigorous scientific forum where we can discuss issues related to the linked and dynamic systems of humans and nature and generate an improved understanding of essential interactions that will enhance our capacity to actively adapt to change without eroding resilience or creating vulnerability. (Conservation Ecology Volume 6, issue 1, article 19)
We also encourage papers that make use of the unique opportunities of an e-journal: color illustrations, animated model output, down-loadable models and data sets, use of the "Response" option for interactive discussion, and other novel inventions to encourage reader interaction.
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Section Policies
- Manuscript Types
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| Research | | |  Open Submissions
Peer-Reviewed | | Indexed
Research Support Tool | | | Peer-reviewed papers that present the results of original research. The core article should not exceed 5000 words but may contain a reasonable number of appendices of any kind (e.g. traditional items such as tables, graphs, and written expansions on the main text, as well as less familiar items such as downloadable models or statistical software, computer animations of model output, and original data bases). Present the core of the research in a brief and readable form, and make details at an appropriate depth available in the appendices. We encourage authors to explore the novel uses of appendices that are possible only on the Internet. The fee for research articles under 5000 words is $750 US. Additional charges in the order of $100 US per 1000 words in excess of the word limit will be applied. | | | | Insight | | | Open Submissions
Peer-Reviewed | | Indexed
Research Support Tool | | | Peer-reviewed papers that present singular discoveries, specific examples, or assessments that suggest new directions, clarify old ones, or clarify ideas for a multidisciplinary audience - whether theory, concepts, methods, or practice. These must be written to be clear to those from different disciplines. Authors are encouraged not to exceed 5000 words and references are to be kept to a minimal set. These are meant to be succinct "nuggets" of insight. The degree of "completeness" required of Insight papers is less than that required of Research papers. An Insight article might offer, for example, a review for a multi-disciplinary audience but have references limited to only a very few seminal papers in the literature. Insight articles might have incompletely developed statistical evaluations because of the exploratory stage of the idea, and data and analyses might be provided only in summary. The fee for insight articles under 5000 words is $750 US. Additional charges in the order of $100 US per 1000 words in excess of the word limit will be applied. | | | | Synthesis | | | Open Submissions
Peer-Reviewed | | Indexed
| | | Peer-reviewed articles that integrate elements that historically have been considered separately, in order to suggest new opportunities for theory, policy, and/or practice. The papers may be 7000 words, but the more succinct the better. The fee for articles under 5000 words is $750 US. Additional charges in the order of $100 US per 1000 words in excess of 5000 words will be applied. | | | | Response | | | Open Submissions
Peer-Reviewed | | Indexed
Research Support Tool | | | A reply or comment on an article published in Ecology and Society. Responses should summarize data or experiences, or review other papers or books that amplify the subject. Comments will be accepted only if they are factual, thoughtful, and substantive. If opinions are included, they must move the discussion forward. The Editors-in-Chief reserve the right to limit ongoing debates on the same topic to one response and one counter-response. Responses may include additional material such as tables, graphs, etc. Longer responses will be subject to more rigorous screening. Published responses will be hyperlinked to the article being commented upon. Length: 2000 words. There is no article charge for responses.
| | | | Invited Manuscripts | | | Open Submissions
Peer-Reviewed | | Indexed
| | | Only authors who have been specifically invited to submit one of the following manuscript types should use this category*. The submissions will be re-categorized by the editors of the journal and will appear under specific sections if published. It is essential that the author(s) include a detailed cover letter when using this category, naming the editor who made the invitation and describing the nature of the submission.
Invited Manuscript Types:
Perspective
Opinion editorials invited by the Editor-in-Chief to highlight important topics of science, policy, and/or practice. At times the Perspective essay will stand alone. At other times, the Perspective will launch a series of commentaries and an on-line conversation. Length: 4000 words. There is no article charge for perspectives.
Commentary
An invited response to a Perspective article. Length: 2000 words. There is no article charge for commentaries.
Book Review
Ecology and Society generally does not accept unsolicited book review submissions. However, if you are aware of a particular book for which a review would be of interest to our readers, we welcome your suggestions. Please direct all communications regarding book reviews to: Garry Peterson, Book Review Editor (garry.peterson@mcgill.ca). Length: 1000 words. There is no article charge for book reviews.
*Authors submitting to special features: please use the manuscript types: research, insight or synthesis. |
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Peer Review Process
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The Editor-in-Chief makes an initial appraisal of each manuscript. If the topic and treatment seem potentially appropriate for the journal, the manuscript is assigned to an associate (or subject-matter) editor who oversees the review process. Once the review process has been completed, the associate editor recommends acceptance, revision, or rejection of your manuscript. The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief.
Ecology and Society has a "double blind" review process: authors are not told who reviewed their paper and reviewers are not told who wrote the paper. Peer reviewers are informed of the identity of the authors after the manuscript is either accepted or rejected. After a decision is reached, a reviewer is free to contact the authors privately about the manuscript.
A decision on the manuscript generally may be expected within 2 months of submission; delays in obtaining reviews may prolong this process. Manuscripts are sent out for review electronically, and all correspondence takes place via e-mail. Although the peer review process is accelerated by the use of electronic communication, traditional high-quality, peer-review standards are applied to all manuscripts submitted to Ecology and Society.
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Publication Frequency
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Regular issues are published twice annually, with issues available as 'in progress' as soon as articles are published. Special feature issues are published separately throughout the year.
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Open Access Policy
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This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Such access is associated with increased readership and increased citation of an author's work.
For more information about this open source publishing system, please contact the Managing Editor or read about the Public Knowledge Project's Open Journal System, upon which this publishing system is built.
To learn more about Resilience Alliance Peer Review and Publishing Services, see the recent RA Publishing announcement in the December 2005 issue of Ecology and Society.
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Special Features - Description and Guidelines for Proposals
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Special features are a set of manuscripts subject to peer review that cover a similar topic, and that are solicited, collected and edited by a Special Feature Editor. Unless otherwise agreed upon, special feature articles are published as they are ready across multiple issues and then compiled and presented on a special page dedicated to that feature. The Editors-in-Chief may add additional manuscripts that are relevant to the special feature at their discretion.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for a special feature, please e-mail the following information to the Managing Editor (managing_editor@ecologyandsociety.org):
- Define the focus and objectives of the special feature;
- Identify the Special Feature Editor(s);
- List the set of papers to be submitted as part of the special feature (minimum of 8 papers and 1 editorial); and
- Indicate the source of funding for the special feature.
Special Feature Editor Role and Responsibilities
A Special Feature Editor is a Subject Editor selected by the EIC(s) to oversee the review of a special feature issue. The responsibilities of a Special Feature Editor include:
- Finalizing the focus and objectives of the special feature, together with the Editors-in-Chief;
- Deciding upon a deadline for manuscript submissions to the special feature, with the help of the managing editor;
- Special Feature Editors must collect and submit a minimum of 8 high quality papers to trigger the review process; and
- Making financial arrangement with the Managing Editor to cover the cost of publishing a special feature – a minimum of $750 US per published manuscript plus any "extra word fees" (See Author Fee Policy, below, for details on article fees) – through either institutional funding or direct collection of fees from published authors, and must be delivered to Ecology and Society in a lump sum payment.
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Author Fee Policy
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Ecology and Society levies a charge for all regular issue research, insight and synthesis manuscripts accepted for publication. This fee helps the journal offset its operational costs and permits it to continue to offer full text articles free of charge.
NEW AUTHOR FEE:
Authors of accepted submissions that were submitted for the first time on or after January 4, 2008, will be invoiced a base charge of $750 US for the first 5000 words and $100 US for every 1000 words thereafter. Authors of manuscripts first submitted prior to January 4, 2008 will be charged a base charge of $500 US for the first 5000 words and $100 US for every 1000 words thereafter. There is no charge for manuscripts that are not accepted for publication. Word counts are based on number of words in the abstract and main body text only (not including the Literature Cited, tables, figures or appendices). Please contact the Managing Editor (managing_editor@ecologyandsociety.org) if you are unsure about the fee to be applied to your accepted submission.
Special Feature Editors are invoiced for the cost of publishing all of the articles in a special feature; special feature authors are not invoiced directly.
Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date and must be received before an article can be published. Please address any general questions regarding the fee policy to: managing_editor@ecologyandsociety.org.
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Abstracting and Indexing
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- Thompson Scienfic (ISI) Expanded Science Citation Index, Current Contents (Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences), and Alerting Services (http://scientific.thomson.com)
- Thompson Scientific BIOSIS, Biological Abstracts and Zoological Records, (http://www.biosis.org)
- Public Affairs Information Service International (PAIS, http://www.csa.com)
- Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Biological Sciences Database (CSA, http://www.csa.com)
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ, http://www.doaj.org)
- CAB Abstracts (CABI Publishing, http://www.cabi.org)
- EBSCO Publishing (http://www.epnet.com)
- Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE, http://www.oaresciences.org)
Ecology and Society has an ISI 2006 impact factor of 3.204
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Publishing fees and forms
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If your manuscript has been accepted for publication in our regular issue, we will send you an invoice for the article charge. If your manuscript has been accepted for publication in a special feature, the Editor of that feature will be sent the invoice. Prior to publication, all authors (special feature or otherwise) must mail a signed publication agreement form and copyright permission form (if appropriate) to our publication office.
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Ecology and Society. ISSN: 1708-3087 |
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