ISSN 0034-7744 print version	Instructions to Authors
	How to prepare manuscripts

How to prepare manuscripts
 

How to prepare manuscripts The Revista de Biología Tropical offers authors and readers: Stringent peer reviewing: The acceptance rate, close to 50 %, allows a careful selection of papers by importance and subject. The two organs of evaluation and support, the Editorial Board and the International Scientific Board (see inside cover) have world class experts of renown. Compared-approach studies of general interest are given priority over more technical, single-subject oriented papers. True international circulation: The printed version of the journal is found in libraries of 64 countries where there is a significant scientific activity. The Revista is also available for millions of Internet users through World Wide Web, both through companies such as UnCover and University Microfilms International, as through the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) network sites in North Carolina and Costa Rica. High impact: If you consult from specialized papers to serious books on the Neotropics, you will frequently find the Revista cited as a source of information, and it is covered in key references such as Biological Abstracts, Zoological Record, Current Contents, Bulletin Signaletique and Internet’s WorldWideWeb.  1. The Revista de Biología Tropical is part of the “scientific mainstream” according to the Institute for Scientific Information and mantains a high level of quality by judging manuscripts solely on scientific merit. We encourage authors to suggest possible reviewers and to include copies of the opinion letters of colleagues who read the draft previous to submission. 2. The journal discourages submission of unnecessarily subdivided reports of a single study. Similarly, the number of authors is expected to correlate with the amount of work required by the contribution. A covering letter signed by all authors must accompany new manuscripts.  3.  We will acknowledge reception as soon as your paper arrives. Every manuscript is reviewed by the Editorial Board and at least two internationally recognized specialists. If you do not receive the review after two months, inform the editor. 4. Senior authors of main articles will receive 75 free reprints (additional reprints can be ordered with proofs). Excess pages will be charged a fee. Submission of long monographs and supplements requires previous consultation with the Editor. Announcements must be received eight months before planned publication. Files are discarded three months after publication, we cannot accept responsability afterwards. How to prevent delays Many manuscripts take longer to process because they have incorrect formats. The easiest way to conform to our style is by studying the type of letter case, order of citations, format of references, tables and figure captions, etc. in a recent issue.If your manuscript looks like a published paper in its format (except for the use of two columns per page which you must NOT use), it is probably correct. Never underline words: use italics. Submitted manuscripts must be accompanied by copy of this form properly completed.  Check each after following the instruction. The enclosed manuscript has the following characteristics: It presents original biological information on tropical organisms and fits the following format (“pages” are doublespaced maximum, with 12 point font and 2 cm margins, and include pages with tables and figures). Feature article: field study, usually done for more than a year, or detailed laboratory study, about several related topics; 26 pages. Article: 7-12 month field study, about a single general topic; 20 pages. Brief article: Less than 7 month field study, or simple laboratory study, 12 pages. Communication: Brief field or laboratory observation, six pages. Note: important preliminary observation, four pages. Range extension: record that extends significantly the geographic or ecological range of some taxon; less than a 100 words. General instructions Follow the standard structure of a scientific paper (do not merge results with discussion) and include a note for the Editor to prepare a Spanish Abstract (Resumen) if you cannot provide one. Submit manuscript in numbered standard-sized white paper printed on one side, with 2 cm top, bottom and side margins. Use Times 12 font and double space for all pages and all copies. Apply an automatic spell checker, and state total number of words at the foot of first page. Send professional quality illustrations reduced to 6.0 com of total breadth and with Times 8 font captions (the Editor will accept 12.0 cm wide ilustrations in justified cases, consult before submission. Maximum beight always is 17.5 cm). Communications and Notes do not have subtitles, but must include an Abstract. For electronic submission read instructions in our web page (tropiweb: www.ots.ac.cr). Introductory section The title is not capitalized throughout (only the appropriate letters), is short and includes Order and Family (botanical papers: only Family). Taxonomic authority (Author, year) for each taxon appears only once (in the main text, the first time the taxon is mentioned). Genera of binomials are written in full only the first time each is used, in abstract, main text and keys. The address is short but complete; for several addresses numbers are used. Include fax and e-mail. Abstracts (350-450 words) must describe the problem being addressed, how the study was perfomed, the salient results (often with means and sample sizes) and what the authors conclude. They are a single paragraph. The same applies to the briefer (200 words) Spanish Resumen, which can be added by the journal upon request. Brief articles, communications and notes also require an Abstract in proportion to their length. Key words (five to seven) are separated by commas and will allow retrieval of the paper in the international databases featuring the journal. The Material and Methods section presents only the information required to repeat the study. Previously published methods are referenced and briefly described. Do not include a map of the study area, provide geographic coordinates to the second, instead. Voucher specimens have been deposited in at least one museum and details and catalogue numbers are given under Material and Methods. Normally, voucher-less studies are not accepted. Central part Quantitative data were evaluated with appropriate statistical tests, which are cited only after each result and in parentheses.Example: Height and speed were correlated (Spearman, p< 0.05). Acronyms are spelled in full the first time. Units appear as follows: litres l, grams g, kilograms kg, seconds s, minutes min, hours hr, milimeters mm, centimeters cm, meters m, kilometers km; units are not capitalized and have no period of their own. Decimals are indicated by period, thousands and millions by a space. e.g. 12 523 235.15 When not followed by units, integers from zero to ten are written in full (one, two etc., not 1, 2 etc.). Citations in the text are ordered chronologically and estrictly follow the format of this example: (Smith 1978, Richards 1982, 1985, Walker and Barnes 1992, Robbins et al. 2000). Note use of commas. For more than two authors, et al. is used. Only cited publications appear under References and viceversa. Unpublished papers do not appear under References: they are mentioned in the text as in this example: (J. Smith, unpublished). Figures and tables Isolated figures have been avoided by grouping related photographs or drawings. All symbols and the scales do not appear in the caption but are integral part of the figure. Any label is at least 5 mm away from the photograph border. Send good quality copies until asked for original illustrations. Each figure must be labeled at the foot with first author’s family name, title of manuscript, and figure number (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.). Any computer figures were printed in top quality (with a laser printer if possible). Color photographs can be published if the author provides color separations, or pays for them. Very long or very short tables have been avoided (one page is a good size) and no vertical or horizontal lines have been used. Symbols and abbreviations are not used or appear only as footnotes. (Fig. 2) Final part Only persons who gave very significant assistance are mentioned by name under Acknowledgments. Dr., Prof., etc. are not used. References are ordered alphabetically and strictly follow this format (including details such as spacing, commas, underlining, capitals, etc.): Article (Author. Year. Title. Journal volume: pages.) Bückle R., L.F., F. Díaz H. & S. Espina.  1996. Thermoregulatory behavior applied to the culture of Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae). Rev. Biol. Trop. 44: 123-126. Book, report or proceedings (Author. Year. Title. Organization or publisher, City, State or Province pages.) Vásquez-Yeomans, L. & A. González. 1991. Advances in the ichthyoplankton study of two bays in the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 15 th. Annual Larval Fish Conference, Los Angeles, California. 15 p. Chapter in multiauthored book (Author. Year. Chapter title, pages of chapter. In Editor (ed.). Book title. Publisher, City, State or Province.) Donnelly, T. W. 1992. Geological setting and tectonic history of Mesoamerica, p. 1-24.  In  D. Quinteno & A. Aiello (eds.). Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica: Selected studies. Oxford University, Oxford. Thesis (Author. Year. Title. Thesis type, University, City). Hedström, I. 1991. The guava fruit fly, Anastrepha striata Schiner (Tephritidae) in seasonal and no-seasonal Neotropical forest environments. Ph. D. Thesis, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. 43 p. Note: mention country when city is not widely known, shorten printer’s name (e.g. write Wiley instead of Wiley and Sons Publications, Inc., do not write “Press”, “Verlag” and equivalent words and cite institutional authors as Anonymous.) Do not state edition number. See journal name abbreviations at end of this section. oI am enclosing this form, plus five manuscript copies, double-spaced thoughout, to: Editor, Revista de Biología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica,2060 San José, Costa Rica. Do not send diskette until the editor sends you instructions to prepare it. The above instructions have been followed: Manuscript title: Signature of senior author: