Ecology of the
Shortgrass Steppe: Perspectives
from Long-Term Research
Style
Guidelines for Authors
Please use WordPerfect or Microsoft Word for text, and indicate the version used
Generally follow The Chicago Manual of Style:
U.S. spelling
One space after all commas and periods
Avoid italics and boldface
Gender-neutral language (“he/she,” or “they”)
Avoid “which” in favor of “that”
Times New Roman font (12 point)
1-inch margin all-around
Double-space everything
Type all headings flush with the left margin
Headline-style capitalization on all levels of headings
No underlining or bold face
For headings, indicate level of indentation
Example:
<1>The
Role of Animals
<2>Small Mammals
<3>Rabbits
Scientific names should be italicized and authorities should be bold
No running heads
Page numbers should be in the upper right-hand corner
Do not justify right margins (left justify only)
Use tab rather than space bar for indentation
Separate tables, maps, figures, photos, and captions from the rest of the
manuscript (do not imbed!)
When referring to figures or tables in the text, use X.1 for figure/table 1, and
the X will be replaced with chapter number when final document is assembled
Photos are figures, not plates
Tables should be designed with tabs rather than spaces or using the “table”
function in your word processing software (in the body of the table, use at
least 10 pt font, 8 pt for table footnotes)
Literature Cited:
Use same style as Ecological Society of America journals
(example attached)
Use full names of journals (no abbreviations)
Works must at least be “in review” to be included in list (no “in prep”)
No hanging indents, type all lines of an entry flush with the left margin
Do not insert blank lines between entries
General Stylistic Comments:
First person active voice
SI units
There is no need to have a section called “Introduction”, but each chapter
must have a “Summary” section.
Each chapter should include an “Acknowledgements” section. (grant
#s here also)
This is the place to give credit to those who assisted, but did not
“earn” authorship, or to acknowledge people who have contributed to LTER in
the past, but may not still be involved.
Let’s agree on authorities
Flora
of the Great Plains
Mammals
of Colorado
Etc.
Scientific names only for
plants Mammals? Insects? Birds?
Should we include an appendix of scientific and common names?
Figures, Maps, and
Photos:
Please use PowerPoint or Freelance for your figures if possible
Final figures must be submitted to Oxford as EPS or TIF format
If you are unable to
submit PowerPoint or Freelance, please submit EPS or TIF
Photographs need to be black and white glossy prints
If the photograph should be cropped, please photocopy the original and draw a
box to indicate your desired outline
Oxford heavily favors figures and photos that may appear in the “portrait”
orientation
Final printed width of figure/photo is 4.5 inches
Do not use smaller than 10pt font
Avoid color unless absolutely necessary to get your point across
Legend should appear in upper right hand corner of figure if at all possible
Need standard template of “Shortgrass steppe” for maps
Template for figures
