Guide for Authors
Editorial Policy
Forest Science seeks manuscripts addressing subjects related to forestry, broadly defined, or fundamental to it. Manuscripts about forests or the impacts of activities on forests are welcome. Submissions are judged on their original contributions, the importance of their subject matter, and their clarity, accuracy, and conciseness. The editor's decision is final on all submissions. All published manuscripts are open to comment by the readers.
Manuscripts submitted to Forest Science must not have been previously published and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. At the time of submission, authors must provide information describing the extent to which data or text in the manuscript have been used in other papers or books that are published, in press, submitted, or soon to be submitted elsewhere. Authors who wish to use material such as figures or tables from previous publications are responsible for obtaining permission to do so from the previous publisher(s).
All manuscripts submitted to Forest Science undergo peer review. Manuscripts revised and returned to Forest Science more than 1 year after review will be treated as new manuscripts.
The Society of American Foresters holds copyright to Forest Science, and authors will be asked to assign their rights before their contributions are published. A form will be provided for this purpose. Authors whose work is not subject to copyright, e.g., federal government employees, should so state when they submit their manuscripts.
Editorial correspondence should be addressed to Edwin J. Green, Editor, Forest Science, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, 14 College Farm Road, Cook College-Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, Phone: (732) 932-9152, Fax: (732) 932-8746, green@crssa.rutgers.edu. Direct all correspondence pertaining to manuscript submission and status to Matthew Walls, Managing Editor, Forest Science, 5400 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-2198; (866) 897-8720, ext. 130; fax (301) 897-3690; wallsm@safnet.org.
Submission Guidelines
Manuscripts must be submitted in final form. Inadequately prepared manuscripts may be returned without review. The author is responsible for accuracy of data, names, quotations, citations, and statistical analyses. Strict economy of words, tables, formulas, and figures should be observed, and specialized jargon avoided. Recommended style manuals are: The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th or 15th ed. (University of Chicago Press) and Scientific Style and Formats: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Cambridge University Press). See the latter for abbreviations and symbols. Metric units are required. See "Style and Form" below for more detailed information on manuscript preparation.
Manuscripts submitted to Forest Science are not assessed page charges. There is, however, a publication charge for figures and other illustrative material that authors wish to be produced in color. The charge is based on actual printing costs and will be determined prior to publication. Contact the editor for permission to print in color prior to submitting your manuscript for review.
Full-Length Articles-Review articles and discussion papers provide syntheses of current knowledge in broad topical areas of current importance. They may refer to current literature, including relevant literature outside of forestry, as well as to gaps in the literature, controversial questions, and research priorities. They may advance hypotheses. Review articles and discussion papers may be of any length but are usually less than 17 printed pages (approximately 17,000 words). Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout (including tables, illustration captions, and literature citations) with ample margins. Line numbering and page numbering must be employed. Author names, affiliations, and acknowledgements should not appear anywhere in the electronic version of the text; this information must be entered separately into the online submission form where requested to preserve author anonymity during the peer review. The title should be concise, specific, descriptive, and no longer than 15 words. Series titles are acceptable only when all preceding papers have been published in Forest Science; acceptance of a first paper in a series is not a commitment to accept the remainder. The abstract should be concise, 2-3% of the length of the text but not more than 200 words. Up to 5 keywords should be provided; these should be unique from those appearing in the title to allow for more robust indexing of the final published article. Footnotes should be gathered at the end of the article as endnotes; designate endnotes in the text by numbers within brackets (e.g., [1]). Authors should use an American dictionary as the standard for spelling; many word processing programs allow selection of American or US preferences in their spell checkers, which can automate selection of the appropriate spelling. Submit your manuscript online at http://www.rapidreview.com/SAF/author.html. Because the review process is double-blind, please ensure that authors are not identified anywhere in the manuscript (including running heads and feet).
Book Reviews-Book reviews may be solicited or submitted without invitation. Forest Science reviews recently published books and monographs that report results of forestry research or are otherwise of interest to scientists who investigate the biological, physical, or social attributes of the forest. Book reviews may be e-mailed to Shibu Jose, Book Review Editor, at sjose@ufl.edu, faxed to (301) 897-3690, attention Book Review Editor, or mailed to Book Review Editor, Forest Science, 5400 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-2198.
Style and Form
Nomenclature and Terminology-At first mention of a species in the text, give its common name, if any, immediately followed in parentheses by its italicized scientific name and authority. Some deviation from this rule may be desirable to avoid awkwardness when names are numerous. The authority for nomenclature of North American tree species is Checklist of United States Trees (Native and Naturalized) by E.L. Little Jr. (Agriculture Handbook 541, USDA 1979). Authorities of nomenclature of other plants and of animals are listed in Scientific Style and Formats: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Cambridge University Press). Where applicable, indicate how or by whom taxa were identified, and location of voucher specimens. Technical usage in forestry and allied fields follows The Dictionary of Forestry (SAF 1998).
Mathematical Material-See Scientific Style and Formats: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Cambridge University Press) for methods of presenting mathematical material in the simplest form to ensure accuracy and prompt publication of paper.
Literature Cited-Literature citations are to provide the reader with enough information to find a document from the appropriate source. This information should be stated in a clear and concise manner. Theses and unpublished papers may be included sparingly. Only those appearing in the text should appear in the citation list at the end of the article. Personal communications should be cited in the text and should include the affiliation of the person and the date of the communication: (John Helms, pers. comm., University of California-Berkeley, August 10, 2006).
Examples of Literature Cited style:
Book
Houghton, J.T., G.J. Jenkins, and J.J. Ephraums. 1990. Climate change: The IPCC scientific assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 365 p.
Chapter in book
Brokaw, N.V.L. 1982. Treefalls: Frequency timing and consequences. P. 101-108 in The ecology of a tropical forest: Seasonal rhythms and long term changes, Leigh, E.G., Jr., A.S. Rand, and D.M. Windsor (eds.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
Article in journal
Jurgensen, M.F., J. Johnson, M.A. Wise, C.S. Williams, and R. Wilson. 1997. Impacts of timber harvesting on soil organic matter, nitrogen, productivity, and health of Inland Northwest forests. For. Sci. 43(2):234-251.
Proceedings
Blake, J.I., G.L. Somers, and G.A. Ruark. 1990. Perspectives on process modeling of forest growth responses to environmental stress. P. 9-20 in Proc. of conf. on Process modeling of forest growth responses to environmental stress, Dixon, R.K. (ed.). Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Technical report
Mason, R.R., and H.G. Paul. 1994. Monitoring larval populations of the Douglas-fir tussock moth and western spruce budworm on permanent plots: Sampling methods and statistical properties of data. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-333. 22 p.
Thesis/dissertation
Korol, R.L. 1985. The soil and water regime of uneven-age interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca). M.Sc. thesis, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. 164 p.
Web publications
USDA Forest Service. 2002. The process predicament: How statutory, regulatory, and administrative factors affect national forest management. Available online at www.fs.fed.us/publications.html; last accessed Apr. 15, 2005.
Tables and Figures
The critical test for a table or figure is that it is the best way to communicate the information that it contains. Captions and titles for tables and figures should have enough detail so the table or figure will stand alone. Tables should not duplicate data presented in figures. Details about preparing tables and figures can be found in Scientific Style and Formats: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Cambridge University Press) and in The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th or 15th ed. (University of Chicago Press). Suggestions for preparing clear tables and figures are presented in "What I Meant to Say Was..." Tips and Resources for Improving Your Professional Communication Skills (The Irland Group, RFD #2, Box 9200, Winthrop, Maine 04364).
All tables and figures must be cited in numerical order in the text. Place each table and figure on a separate page with its title at top. Place table titles and figure captions together at the end of the manuscript. Figures must be submitted as separate high-resolution EPS, TIFF, or JPG files. Do not embed figures within the manuscript file.
Tables-Tables should be double-spaced; however, exceedingly large tables may be single-spaced to reduce the number of pages they cover. Tables should be sized to fit on a single 8.5 by 11 page in portrait orientation NOT landscape. Total table width should be no more than 7 in.; total table height should be no more than 9.66 in. including the table title and table footnote(s). Table titles, column heads, and side heads should be in initial cap and lowercase, not all caps. Single-weight horizontal lines should go across the top of the table body, below the column headings, and below the table. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Units should appear under the column heading, but above the line separating the headings from the body of the table, except when two or more consecutive columns have the same units; then the unit is under the line separating the headings and the body, in parentheses, centered over the applicable column, and preceded and followed by ellipses extending over applicable columns. Table footnotes may be designated with numbers or letters or symbols; choose the one that is least confusing with other entries in the table (e.g., exponents, letters indicating significantly different means, and asterisks indicating significance) and be consistent among the tables. The sequence for symbols in table footnotes is asterisk, dagger, double dagger, section mark, parallel lines, number symbol. Use abbreviations consistent with SAF style. Common abbreviations are yr (year and years), dbh (not DBH), bd ft, mbf, ac, ha, ht, vol, m3, ft2, in. (inch and inches), cm, g, lb.
Figures-Figures may be maps, diagrams, or summaries of results, such as bar charts and line graphs. The line weight for rules should be at least 1 point (no hairline rules). Captions appear at the bottom of the figure in the journal, but are listed on a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Captions should not appear on the figure itself. Use abbreviations consistent with SAF style. Common abbreviations are yr (year and years), dbh (not DBH), bd ft, mbf, ac, ha, ht, vol, m3, ft2, in. (inch and inches), cm, g, lb. Labels for figures should be in initial cap and lowercase, not all caps. Avoid fake 3-D and other effects that add to the complexity of the figure, but not to its ability to communicate. Use fill patterns or shadings with sufficient contrast so that they are distinguishable when reproduced in black and white, but avoid the use of gray backgrounds in graphs and charts. Color figures can be printed if absolutely necessary to convey the information. Consult with the journal editor to determine the need for color. There is, however, a publication charge for figures and other illustrative material that authors wish to be produced in color. The charge is based on actual printing costs and will be determined prior to publication. Contact the editor for permission to print in color prior to submitting your manuscript for review.
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