Instructions to Authors
The Biological Bulletin accepts outstanding research reports of general interest to biologists throughout the world. The work is expected to be original and not under consideration elsewhere. The following types of articles are published. Regular articles are of intermediate length (10–40 manuscript pages). Rapid Communications are short (fewer than 10 manuscript pages, including tables, figures, and bibliography), but topical—they are not meant to be preliminary reports. Rapid Communications are reviewed for their novelty, immediacy, significance, and completeness. Position papers, which require pre-approval from one of the editors before submission, use a combination of original data and evidence from the literature to stake out a novel and provocative scientific position or to propose a novel course of research. In addition, a limited number of solicited review articles, as well as symposium or workshop proceedings, are also accepted after formal review. Papers are published online about a week before the printed journal is available.
Editor-in-Chief
The Biological Bulletin
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL Street
Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
USA
BBEditor@mbl.edu
The instructions presented below contain the following headings:
Submission
Manuscript Organization, Format, and Style
References
Tables
Figures
Digital Art
Rapid Communications
Position Papers
Reprints, Page Proofs, and Charges
Cover Illustrations
Video Supplements
National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy
Copyright
Permissions
Manuscripts should be submitted online by going to http://biolbull.edmgr.com. If it is not possible for you to submit your manuscript online, please contact us at biolbull@mbl.edu.
First-time users will be asked to register and will receive a password. Manuscripts can then be submitted by following the step-by-step instructions. After all text, figures, and attachments have been uploaded, the system will prepare a pdf for author approval. Users must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view the document files.
After authors have approved the pdf, the journal office will receive and document the submission, beginning the review process. Authors may, at any time, track the progress of their manuscripts.
Manuscript Organization, Format, and Style
Manuscripts must conform to the requirements set out below; nonconforming manuscripts will be returned to authors for correction before review. Editors reserve the right to edit the accepted manuscript and make final decisions about matters of style.
- Use a font size no smaller than 12 points.
- Double-space all parts of the manuscript (including title page, figure legends, tables, literature cited, etc.)
- Do not right-justify the text.
- Number pages consecutively.
- Set margins to at least one inch on all sides and set paper size to U.S. letter.
- Turn off "track changes" in your Word file and accept all changes in the document.
- Manuscripts should conform to the 6th edition (1997) of the style manual of THE COUNCIL OF BIOLOGY EDITORS (Scientific Style and Format, Cambridge University Press), with the exception of number format (see section on Text for specific guidelines).
- Divide manuscripts into the following components: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, Literature Cited, Tables, and Figure Legends.
Title Page
- Double space all elements of the title page.
- Include the following information, in the order listed:
- a condensed title or running head of no more than 35 letters and spaces;
- the manuscript title;
- the names of all authors;
- the addresses of all authors (affiliations should be the institutions at which the work was done);
- the e-mail address of the corresponding author;
- footnotes listing present addresses of authors, if different than those in the address line;
- a list defining any unusual abbreviations used in the text;
- a list of key words and phrases describing the contents of the manuscript.
Abstract
- Do not exceed about 200 words.
- Do not cite any references and avoid abbreviations.
- Include the major findings and conclusions.
Text
- Verb voice and person: The journal encourages authors to write in the active voice and, where appropriate, the first person.
- Subheadings: Do not use more than two levels of subhead under a main heading such as Results or Discussion.
- Spelling: Use American spelling.
- Units of measure: Use units belonging to the SI (Système International d’Unités, or International System of Units) or approved for use with the SI. Note that the SI symbol for seconds is s (not sec), and for hour is h (not hr).
- Numbers: Follow the traditional scientific guidelines for writing numbers (see, for example, editions of the CBE manual earlier than the 6th, or the style manual of THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY). In general, this means spelling out numbers under 10, except those used with units of measurement such as time, length, weight, volume, etc.
- Statistics: In most cases, use a lowercase italic letter n to represent sample size, and an uppercase italic letter P for probability. When giving values that include a measure of uncertainty (e.g., 27 ± 2) specify whether the value after the plus or minus symbol is the standard deviation or the standard error.
- Symbols: At first use, identify Greek letters and unusual symbols: either write the names of the symbol in the margin or, if the paper uses several different ones, type a separate list and include it with the manuscript.
- Footnotes: Refrain from using footnotes in the body of the text.
- Scientific names: For studies dealing with specific species, give the complete scientific name with taxonomic authority (author and date) either at the first mention in the text (not the abstract) or in the Materials and Methods. Note that when a species is referred to by its binomial (in full or abbreviated), it is singular in form (e.g., “H. americanus was . . .” not “H. americanus were . . .”).
- Gene names: Italicize the names of genes but NOT the protein product of a gene.
- Sequences: Provide numbers for nucleotide or amino acid sequences; they must have been deposited in a standard database such as GenBank before a paper can be published.
Acknowledgments
A short section of acknowledgments may follow the Discussion. Credit all funding sources and list contribution numbers, if any.
References
All references cited in the text must be in the list of references, and all works included in the list of references must be cited in the text. Be sure to verify this when submitting a revised manuscript as well as in the original submission.
In text
- In the text, cite literature by the name and date system (e.g., Smith and Jones, 2000), with papers by more than two authors cited as Jones et al.
- Cite material in preparation or submitted to a journal only in the text; do not include it in the Literature Cited unless the material has been formally accepted and a volume number can be supplied.
- For personal communications, include the first initial, last name, and institutional affiliation of the source.
Literature cited
Give the list of references following the text the title Literature Cited, begin it on a new page, and use double spacing.
- Journal abbreviations: Follow BIOSIS Serial Sources (BIOSIS, Philadelphia, PA), except that a few well-known international journals should appear in their preferred forms rather than as listed in BIOSIS (e.g., Nature, Science, and Biol. Bull., not Nature (Lond.), Science (Wash. DC), and Biol. Bull. (Woods Hole.).
- Italicize journal abbreviations and book titles.
- Follow abbreviated components by a period; do not put a period after whole-word components (e.g., J. Cancer Res.).
- Space between all components (e.g., J. Cell. Comp. Physiol., not J.Cell.Comp.Physiol.).
- Spell out unusual words in journal titles in full, rather than inventing new abbreviations. For example, use Rit Visindafjelags Islendinga without abbreviation.
- Spell single-word journal titles out in full, without a period (e.g., Ecology, Brain).
- Reference format: For punctuation and style, consult the examples below. For further examples, see a recent copy of the journal (a sample copy can be freely accessed at the journal’s homepage). Provide complete titles and inclusive pagination. If using EndNote, a style is available for The Biological Bulletin.
- Journal article with one author
Byrne, M. 1996. Viviparity and intragonadal cannibalism in the diminutive asterinid sea stars Patiriella vivipara and P. parvivipara. Mar. Biol. 125: 551-567.
- Journal article with two authors
Marsh, A. G., and D. T. Manahan. 1999. A method for accurate measurements of the respiration rates of marine invertebrate embryos and larvae. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 184: 1–10.
- Journal article with three authors
Johnsen, S., E. J. Balser, and E. A. Widder. 1999. Light-emitting suckers in an octopus. Nature 398: 113–114.
- Book
Hanlon, R. T., and J. B. Messenger. 1996. Cephalopod Behaviour. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Part of book
Emlet, R. B., L. R. McEdward, and R. R. Strathmann. 1987. Echinoderm larval ecology viewed from the egg. Pp. 55–136 in Echinoderm Studies, M. J. Jangoux and J. M. Lawrence, eds. Balkema, Rotterdam.
- Dissertation
Carwile, A. H. 1989. Settlement of larvae, colony growth and longevity in three species of ascidians and the effect on the species composition of a marine fouling community. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Abstract
Gainey, L. F., Jr., J. Walton, and M. J. Greenberg. 2001. Neuromuscular anatomy of clam gills. Am. Zool. 41: 448 (Abstract).
Tables
- Create tables using the table feature of your word processing software rather than with tabs or spaces. Do not submit tables in Microsoft Excel.
- Type each table, with its title and footnotes, double spaced, on a separate page placed after the Literature Cited.
- Number the tables with consecutive arabic numerals and give each one a short, succinct title—a phrase or single sentence.
- Type explanatory material in a general note to the table as a whole, or in specific footnotes attached to the appropriate column head or subhead. Explain any empty cells in a footnote.
Figures
- Design figures to fit into either one column (3.3 in, or 8.4 cm) or the width of the page (6.7 in, or 16.9 cm). The maximum height of a figure is 9 in (22.9 cm); but in a full-width figure, the editors will try to reduce this to allow space for the figure legend below. Ensure that all lines and labels are large enough to be legible at final publication size. Editors reserve the right to make final decisions about the reproduction size of figures.
- Submit figures as camera-ready, not requiring additional combination of parts, labeling, etc.
- If size is relevant, use scale bars on the figure, not a statement of magnification in the legend.
- In graphs, label all axes; if more than one vertical axis is labeled, orient all labels to be read in the same direction.
- In bar graphs, avoid use of wide bars and three-dimensional effects; make sure that shading or patterns can be distinguished from one another.
- Number figures consecutively, in the order in which they are cited in the text (all figures must be cited).
- Compose figure legends with enough information to make the figure intelligible without reference to the text. If the figure has more than one part, begin the legend with a concise, overall description of the content.
- Type all the legends together, double spaced, with consecutive arabic numbers, on a page at the end of the paper.
- When a paper has been accepted, one set of good-quality hard copies of the figures, on glossy paper, must be submitted to the editorial office.
Digital Art
Authors who create digital images are wholly responsible for the quality of their material, including color and halftone accuracy.
Digital art must conform to the guidelines that follow:
- Format: Recommended graphic formats are TIFF and EPS. Color submissions must be saved in CMYK mode.
- Resolution: The minimum requirements for resolution are 1200 DPI for line art, 300 for halftones, and 600 for halftones that incorporate text labels.
- Software: Preferred software is Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Specific instructions for artwork created with various software programs are available on the Web at the Digital Art Information Site maintained by Cadmus Professional Communications at http://cpc.cadmus.com/da/index.asp.
- Multipanel figures: Assemble a figure consisting of individual parts (e.g., panels A, B, C) into its final format and submit it as a single file.
Color
The Biological Bulletin publishes color figures and plates, but must bill authors for the actual additional cost of printing in color. Consult the editorial office for current costs.
To increase the legibility of your color images for those who are color-blind, you may wish to consult this site: http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckImage.php
These brief manuscripts are reviewed for their novelty, immediacy, significance, and completeness; they are not meant to be preliminary reports.
- Restrict the length of the text to 10 typed pages (including tables, figures, and list of references) and the number of references to no more than 30.
- Begin with a summary paragraph of 150 to 200 words comprising an introduction, the news, and conclusions.
- Continue the rest of the text without subheadings.
- In the text, cite references by number (in parentheses, not as superscripts); in the Literature Cited section, list them in order of their appearance in the text. In other respects, follow the instructions for references in regular papers, as described above.
- To the extent possible, incorporate the experimental methods into the appropriate figure legends. For an example of this style, see the article by Lee (Volume 205: 99–101) in the October 2003 issue. This issue is available for viewing on the journal’s website (http://www.biolbull.org) at no charge.
Position papers use a combination of original data and evidence from the relevant literature to (1) stake out a novel and provocative scientific position that would have significant implications for a field within the focus of the Journal, or (2) lay out a proposed novel course of research that might serve as a coherent theme for a consortium of research groups and laboratories.
Topics require pre-approval before submitting a manuscript. Send a short proposal containing an outline of the work to any Associate Editor of the Bulletin.
Each section of the paper should form an integral part of a coherent scientific "brief" bolstered by a combination of original scientific evidence and literature results. A crucial criterion for publication is the extent to which the hypotheses put forward are testable.
Follow the instructions for general manuscript preparation, including reference format, with the following exceptions:
- Restrict the length to about 20 typewritten, double-spaced pages (about 5000 to 6000 words), not including references.
- Begin with a summary paragraph.
- Divide the text into the following components: Title page, Summary, Background and Significance, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Rationale.
Reprints, Page Proofs, and Charges
Authors may purchase reprints in lots of 100. Forms for placing reprint orders are sent with page proofs. Reprints normally will be delivered 2 to 3 months after the issue date. Authors will receive page proofs shortly before publication. They will be charged the current cost of printers’ time for corrections to these (other than corrections of printers’ or editors’ errors). Other than these charges for authors’ alterations and charges for color figures, The Biological Bulletin does not have page charges.
Authors may submit an illustration to be considered for the cover of the issue in which their paper will be published. Authors will be contacted if their submission is selected.
National Insitutes of Health Public Access Policy
The Marine Biological Laboratory grants NIH-funded authors permission to post the final revised version of their manuscript in PMC no sooner than 12 months after the manuscript has been published in The Biological Bulletin. This is in accord with our policy that all Biological Bulletin electronic content is freely available after 12 months.
When posting manuscripts in PMC, authors must give full acknowledgment to The Biological Bulletin as the official source of the article and provide a link to the article in Biological Bulletin Online. We suggest that the following acknowledgment be used:
This is an author-produced electronic version of an article published in The Biological Bulletin [year of publication, volume, page numbers]. © The Marine Biological Laboratory. The official version is available at [full article-level URL].
When a manuscript is accepted, the author will be sent a copyright assignment form for signature. In consideration of publication of the article, the authors grant and assign to the publisher all rights to the work in all media, including all elements contained therein (e.g., tables, figures, supplementary data, cover art). These rights include those protected by the copyright laws of the United States or other countries.
Reuse of copyrighted material from another source
The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce or modify figures and tables from previous publications. The signed permissions must be filed with the editorial office before the manuscript can published by The Biological Bulletin. Sending such written permission at the time of submission avoids publication delay after a paper is accepted.
Reuse of an author’s own material published in The Biological Bulletin
Authors may reuse—with proper acknowledgments—minor portions of, and excerpts from, their own work published in The Biological Bulletin (e.g., a figure or table) without obtaining further permission from the publisher. If the author wishes to reproduce the entire work as part of a thesis or similar project, he or she must obtain written permission from the publisher. Such permission will be granted readily and free of charge, on condition of proper acknowledgments. Requests may be addressed to the Editors: by mail, at The Biological Bulletin, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015; by fax, to 508-289-7922; or by e-mail to biolbull@mbl.edu.
