SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT
Hard copies of manuscripts (including illustrations) in duplicate, typewritten in double space on one side of the paper and a copy of the MS on a floppy diskette or CD using MS Word, should be submitted to the Editor, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai 400 023. Submission of a manuscript to the Journal implies that it has not been submitted for publication elsewhere.
Please do not send manuscripts by e-mail unless requested to do so. We do not download unsolicited material.
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT
Main Papers and New Descriptions
Manuscripts of papers for the Main section and New Descriptions should be as concise as possible. Pages should be numbered consecutively, and the matter on Page 1 should be arranged in the following order: Title of the paper; Name(s) of Author(s), Department(s) and Institution(s); Footnote containing address of Author for correspondence with e-mail id, followed by the List of Abbreviations used in text. A short running title derived from the original title may also be given for main papers. Page 2 should contain the Abstract. The text may be arranged in the following order: Introduction; Material and Methods or Methodology; Results; Discussion; Acknowledgements; References. Abstract, Key Words, Tables and Captions for Figures should be typed separately.
Title: The title should be such as to be useful for indexing and information retrieval.
Abstract: The abstract, not exceeding 200 words, should indicate the scope and significant content of the paper, highlighting the principal findings and conclusions.
Introduction: The introductory part should bear no heading, should be brief and state precisely the objective of the study in relation to the present status of knowledge in the field. Review of literature should be restricted to the essential references.
Material and Methods or Methodology: The nomenclature, sources of materials and the procedures should be clearly stated. New methods should be described in detail, but if the methods are well known, a mere reference to them will do; any modifications made in the methods should be stated.
Results: Only data relevant to the objectives of the study and main conclusions emerging from the study should be included. The data should be arranged in a unified and coherent sequence for clarity and readability. The same data should not be presented in both tables and figures, and such data as can be easily and briefly stated in the text should not be depicted diagrammatically. Only such tables and figures as are necessary should be given.
Tests of statistical significance should be identified and references used should be cited. Statements about the statistical significance of the results must be borne out by the level of significance, preferably provided in the tables and legends. The use of the word “significant” should be restricted to “statistically significant”.
Discussion: The discussion should provide an interpretation of the results of the study, without repeating information already presented under Results. It should relate the new findings to the known and include logical deductions. Where necessary, the Results and Discussion can be combined.
Illustrations: The number of illustrations should be kept to the minimum and numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Simple linear plots or linear double reciprocal plots that can be easily described in the text should be avoided. Extension of graphs beyond the last experimental point is permissible only while extrapolating data.
Line drawings should be either laser prints of computer generated illustrations or manually prepared in Indian ink on tracing paper, drawn to approximately twice the printed size. The drawings are usually reduced to the page width or column size, and care should be taken that the size of letters, numerals, dots and symbols is relatively uniform and sufficiently large to permit this reduction.
Photographs: Photographs for reproduction must be clear, with good contrast. Prints should be at least 9x12 cm and on glossy, glazed paper.
Tables: Each table should have an explanatory title and should be numbered in Arabic numerals. Units (metric) of measurement should be abbreviated and placed below the headings. Negative results should be indicated as Nil (0) and absence of a datum by a dash.
Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements should be brief and relevant.
References: Responsibility for the accuracy of references rests with the author(s). Abstracts of papers presented at scientific meetings may be cited. References to literature should be alphabetically arranged under author’s name, with the abridged titles of journals or periodicals in italics and titles of books or papers in Roman type, thus:
Aluri, Raju J.S. & C. Subha Reddi (1995): Ecology of the pollination in two cat-mint species. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 91(1): 63-66.
Prater, S.H. (1971): The Book of Indian Animals. 3rd Edn. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. pp. 35-48.
Species names should carry the Author’s name and subspecies (trinomials) should only be used where identification has been authentically established by comparison of specimens actually collected.
For the standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian subcontinent refer to Buceros Vol. 6, No. 1 (2001).
Miscellaneous Notes: The section accommodates incidental observations on flora and fauna of the Asian region, and need not follow strictly the above section headings. No abstract is required, but key words may be included and references must be cited as in the rest of the Journal.
Reprints: 25 reprints will be supplied free of charge to the authors of Main Papers and New Descriptions. Authors of Miscellaneous Notes will be sent one free copy each of the Journal.
The Editors reserve the right, other things being equal, to publish a member’s contribution before that of a non-member. The Editors also reserve the right to publish invited papers on priority.
