Scope: Scientific research reports, notes, review papers, bibliographies, and book reviews in agriculture, anthropology, biology, chemistry, geology, and related fields are accepted on the basis of their originality and their pertinence to Micronesia and the adjacent Pacific areas.  

General: Micronesica is a multidisciplinary journal with a broad readership. Authors are requested to write the Abstract and opening paragraphs of the Introduction to be intelligible to that broad public, even though the body of the work may be highly specialized. 

1. a manuscript submitted to Micronesica has not been and will not submitted elsewhere unless the author withdraws the manuscript from Micronesica;
2. the work reported in the manuscript has not been published (or accepted for publication) elsewhere;
3. all authors have contributed substantially to the conception, execution, &/or writing of the work described;
4. all authors have seen and approved the final manuscript before submission. All authors share responsibility for the contents of the manuscript.

More information on ethical guidelines can be found on several journal websites, for example the Endocrine Society journal page at http://edrv.endojournals.org/misc/endoethics.shtml.

Manuscripts must be written in English, but a summary in another language is acceptable. Each manuscript will be reviewed by at least two members of the Editorial Board or by specialists other than board members in whose field the paper lies.

Manuscripts, except for Insects of Micronesia series, should be emailed or sent via airmail to the Editor: Dr. Christopher S. Lobban, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam 96923, USA. The original and two clear copies of text and artwork are required; the original will be retained in the editorial office while the copies are sent out for review. Manuscripts for Insects of Micronesia should be sent to Dr. Neal Evenhuis, Department of Natural Sciences, Bernice P. Bishop, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817-0916. 

Authors must follow the guidelines below. Papers that deviate from the required format may be returned for revision before review.

For hardcopy, the manuscript must be typed on one side of 8 1/2 x 11 (quarto) or A4 paper, with generous margins all around. DOUBLE SPACE EVERYTHING, including abstract, references and tables. Clear print is essential--faint type or dot matrix printout is unacceptable. Number the pages. The layout of the text should follow a scientific format suitable to the material (peruse the full text pdfs of  recent issues of Micronesica). Tables and Figures should be collected at the end of the manuscript, with Figure captions on a separate page, not on the artwork.

You may submit your paper by email and the review process will be speeded if you do.  If you are able to print your files to PDF Writer (available from Adobe), this is the most widely readable format and prevents problems with font substitutions, unknown graphics file formats, etc.  If you cannot generate pdf files, you may send word processor and graphics files. Graphics files should be in widely readable format, such as tiff or jpg, with at least 300 pixels per inch and sized to fit the journal page. Do not send specialized formats such as those generated by SPSS  and SigmaPlot. If you are using such programs, save your file in a standard format.  We can read both Mac and PC files.

We urge authors to use computers to make up plates.  We are working on file specifications, but in general, work with a minimum of 300 pixels per inch. In the meantime, please contact the editor if you have any questions.

Title page: The first page should give only the title (capitals and lower case, please), authors' names and addresses, a list of index terms, and a suggested running head. Present addresses, if different, are to be given in a footnote on the first page. However, contribution numbers should be given in the Acknowledgements. 

Abstract: The second page of the manuscript should provide an informative abstract of not more than 300 words, summarizing the principal findings. Remember that Micronesica is accessible through electronic retrieval, and give a synopsis that is complete without reference to the text. Do not repeat information given in the title.

Text: Main headings are set in capitals and lower case, centered, subheadings are in small capitals, centered. Underline words to be set in italic (Latin names, foreign terms, emphasis), but do not underline for boldface. Avoid footnotes in the text. Indicate with a marginal note where tables and figures should appear.

Cite references by author and date, and follow the punctuation style carefully: "Smith (2000) found ..."; "as shown by various authors (Cheng et al. 1989, Cruz 1996, 1997, Jones & Jones 1998) . . ." ; "As shown by Jones & Jones (1998)..."   Please follow the use of ampersand (&) and lack of comma between author and date. Do not use italic or underline for et al. 

Well-known, standard acronyms such as DNA may be used without definition, but other acronyms and abbreviations should be defined when first used; use them sparingly.

Acknowledgements are placed at the end of the text, before the References.

References: Ensure that references are complete and accurate. Please follow style and punctuation closely! Indent second and subsequent lines and do not insert blank paragraphs between references. List references in alphabetical order by first author. If citing several papers by one author, list single-authored papers in chronological order (Adams 1976, Adams 1990. . .), then co-authored papers in alphabetical order of co-authors (Adams & Brown 1998, Adams & Ng 1975), and finally multiple-author papers in chronological order (Adams et al. 1985, 1993 . . .). Write out all authors' names in each reference--do not use a dash instead--and note that second and subsequent authors' initials are placed before the name. Write out periodical titles in full. Do not italicize journal or book titles. Do not give issue number unless each issue is separately paginated. Put place of publication after name of publisher. The number of pages in a book is not required.

Examples of journal articles and books:

Underwood, J. A. 1989. Population history of Nauru: a  cautionary tale. Micronesica 22: 3-22.

Randall, J. E. 1958. A review of the labrid fish genus Labroides,  with descriptions of two new species and notes on the ecology. Pacific Science 12: 327-347.

Lobban, C. S. & M. Schefter. 1997. Tropical Pacific Island Environments. University of Guam Press, Mangilao, GU.

Example of article in book:

Tsuda, R. T. 1985. Gracilaria from Micronesica: key, list and distribution of the species. In I. A. Abbott & J. N. Norris (eds), Taxonomy of Economic Seaweeds, pp. 91-92. California Sea Grant Program, La Jolla, CA.

Tables: Tables must be double spaced and collected at the end of the text. Explain any abbreviations in the legend at the top of the table.  Use only horizontal rules in the table. Use the table feature of a word processor or spreadsheet to prepare your tables -- do not use tabs to align the columns.

Illustrations: Plan proportions of illustrations to fit the printed page size, 5.0 x 8.0 inches / 125 mm x 180 mm, preferably in "portrait" layout, allowing enough space for the legend. When a scale bar is appropriate, its length should be given in the legend, not on the illustration. Do not give magnifications. If an illustration has been published before (even if it is your own), due credit must be given, and written permission to reprint obtained from the copyright holder, the author, and the illustrator if necessary. It is the author's responsibility to obtain such permission. 

Photographs and line art figures should be numbered individually (even if grouped) in the sequence in which they are used in the text, and the legends grouped onto pages placed at the end of the manuscript, after any Tables. 

Photographs must be clear and have good contrast. Convert color photos to grayscale and correct the brightness and contrast, unless you intend to pay for color printing. Crop photographs to include only essential detail.  If several small photographs are used, they should be grouped to fit the page width or made into full page plates; in that case, each photograph should bear its number legibly in one of the lower corners. 

Color photographs can be printed if the author bears the cost of reproduction. Costs are reduced if we can gang several plates in one job; contact the editor if you are considering color.  Another option (free) is to post color pictures on the Micronesica web site, along with your abstract. 

We encourage authors to provide color jpg images of their organism(s) or study site to accompany your abstract on the web site. These should be submitted only after the paper is accepted for publication.

Line art may be incorporated into the manuscript document but when the paper is accepted must be also presented as jpg or tif image files, at least 300 dpi and at least the size for final printing.  Avoid large areas of stippling and small differences in shading as these may deteriorate on printing. You may also supply original India ink drawings or  Photomechanical Transfers (PMT's). Photocopies are unacceptable.  If you are generating graphs on your computer, please review layout considerations, including font size, shading styles, and white space in view of the anticipated reduction. Do not use false axes (e.g., 3-D effects in Excel). Be sure that lettering is large enough that when printed the smallest letters will be at least 8 pt. (1 mm high) and that any lines are thick enough and spaced widely enough that they will not fade or run together when reduced. Do not rely on the default settings of your software. The Council of Biology Editors book, Illustrating Science: Standards for Publication, while predating the widespread use of personal computers, gives guidelines that remain essential for publication today.

Voluntary page charges: After a manuscript is accepted for publication we will solicit the authors for page charges. These are entirely voluntary, but if you have grant or departmental funds available we urge you to assist us. We suggest $35 per printed page, but any contribution will be gladly accepted. The editorial explains more about why we have had to adopt this policy.

Proofs: Authors will be sent first-pass page proofs for correction. These will be transmitted by email as pdf files. If the files are large we will notify you in advance. 

Offprints: Offprints may be ordered at cost on a form sent out with the proof sheets. Micronesica is copyright and authors are not at liberty to photocopy the journal in lieu of purchasing offprints. A pdf of the published article will be supplied to authors and may be distributed in lieu of offprints.