136 Instructions for Authors
©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl
(2013) 63: 135–139
Title page
– this should contain:
A concise and informative title (as short as
possible). Do not include the authorities for
taxonomic names in the title.
A list of authors’ names (commencing with the
correspondence author), along with their contact
address details that should be valid for the
coming year. Use first names and subsequent
initials, not just initials, for authors. For instance,
Adrian D. Smith, not A. D. Smith. An E-mail
address should be included for the first or
corresponding author.
A running header of not more than 45
characters.
Abstract
– this should state the main purpose of
the paper and give the key results, conclusions and
recommendations. The Abstract should not
include references or speculation, and should not
exceed 340 words. Please note that all text should
be written in the “third person”;
i.e.
“A study
was carried out ...” and not “I carried out a study
of ...”.
Key words
– a list, in alphabetical order, of five
words or short phrases, excluding words used in
the title.
Introduction
– this should give the background to
the study, including the hypotheses being tested
and the reasons why the study is thought to be
worthwhile.
Methods
– a concise description of data collection,
analytical methods, and equipment used (where
appropriate), in sufficient detail for the work to
be repeated.
Results
– the results of the analyses, drawing
attention in the text to information provided
in the tables and figures. Where appropriate,
the Results should follow the order of
fieldwork/analysis presented in the Methods
section.
Discussion
– highlight the significance of the
results in relation to the objectives for the work,
summarise a particular subject area and/or to
stimulate debate and further research. They
should be presented in a style similar to that of
standard papers as far as possible, and should not
exceed 8,500 words.
Short communications
Short communications present new information
that is often obtained from preliminary research
or as a by-product of larger projects. A flexible
structure is opted for in the presentation of these
papers, with the author including as much
introductory, methodological and discussion
material as is necessary to show the context and
relevance of the communication. However, short
communications should follow the standard
format, be concise and limited to a maximum of
3,000 words.
Field surveys
Survey and expeditionary material that provides
new data on particular species or wetlands of
special interest for waterbirds is also acceptable.
Field survey reports should be of general interest
to the readers of
Wildfowl
, and are normally
limited to a maximum of five printed pages. They
should include reference to the location of more
detailed information on the work undertaken.
Survey and expedition reports must be written in
Wildfowl
style and follow the format of standard
papers.
Manuscript format
Manuscripts should be typed in double line
spacing with a generous margin (
c
. 3.25 cm) each
side. Pages should be numbered consecutively,
including those containing acknowledgements,
references, tables and figure legends. It is
preferable that authors prepare their main text in
Microsoft Word (Garamond or Arial font) and
graphs in Microsoft Excel. Manuscripts must be
in English and spelling should conform to the
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English
. The
passive voice is preferred; the active voice may be
used only occasionally, typically to emphasize a
personal opinion in the Introduction or
Discussion.
