Guide for Authors

Acta Ecologica Sinica - International Journal is a monthly journal authorized by China Association for Science and Technology, undertaken by Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, CAS and sponsored by Ecological Society of China.

In 2006, Elsevier started publishing the Acta Ecologica Sinica on ScienceDirect, the online full text and bibliographic information resource. In 2009, Acta Ecologica Sinica evolved into Acta Ecologica Sinica - International Journal.

Aims and Position of the journal

Acta Ecologica Sinica - International Journal publishes recent theories and novel experimental results in ecology, and facilitates academic exchange and discussions both domestically and abroad. It is expected that the journal will promote the development of and foster research talents for ecological studies in China, so as to contribute to the knowledge innovation, sustainable development and the revitalization of the nation through science and education.

Acta Ecologica Sinica - International Journal is the only comprehensive journal in China devoted to ecology and its sub-disciplines. It replies on and unites ecological scientists in China with the aim of publishing papers on innovative experimental work. Published papers should bear the characteristics of combined ecological research frontiers and clear national benefits, unveiling mechanisms of the interactions between life and environment, and promoting the development of ecological science in China. The journal represents the standards of ecological research in China and is one of the highest impact journals.

Journal Coverage

This journal publishes papers on animal ecology, plant ecology, microbial ecology, agroecology, forestry ecology, grassland ecology, soil ecology, ocean and aquatic ecology, landscape ecology, chemical ecology, contaminant ecology, urban and human ecology. We particularly welcome reviews on recent developments in ecology, novel experimental studies and short communications on innovative research, new theories, methodologies, new techniques, book reviews, and research news and laboratory introductions.

Submission

Papers should be written in English. Submission to this journal proceeds totally online in EES via http://ees.elsevier.com/chnaes/ . Use the following guidelines to prepare your article. Via the homepage of this journal (http://www.elsevier.com/journals you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. The system automatically converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further processing after acceptance. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail and via the author's homepage, removing the need for a hard-copy paper trail.

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all Authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Each paper submitted to the journal is charged a 150 Yuan registration fee. An official invoice will be provided to the author. Once the paper is accepted the author will be provided with remuneration, two current periodicals and 30 off-prints.

Preparation of manuscripts

All manuscripts should include: a title, list of authors with full postal addresses, e-mail addresses and affiliation, resumé of corresponding author, Chinese and English abstract, all sections of the body of the manuscript, and references.

The title (no more than 20 words) should clearly and accurately indicate the contents of the article or communication and should be expressed in adequate scientific terms. No abbreviations should be used in the title.

The full addresses and affilitations of authors should be placed below the title. Please note that foreign surnames are followed by initials.

Resumé of the first author should be given in English and Chinese as follows: name, year and place of birth, sex, nationality, academic degree, professional title and main research work the author specializes in. Contact information for the first author such as his or her phone number, E-mail address and fax should be added on the bottom of the first page.

Once the paper is accepted this information will be removed.

An English abstract is required for your paper (irrespective of the language (Chinese or English) your paper is written in). The abstract should be concise and factual. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separate from the article, so it must be able to stand alone.

The body of the manuscript is generally subdivided into the following sequence of the sections: Introduction (no listing of titles and generally no more than 300 words), Research Methods, Results, Discussions or Findings, and References. The translated version of academic terms in foreign languages should be in common use. If the new terms are yet to be defined and translated by the author himself, their original source should be noted during their first appearance in the paper.

Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and should be self explanatory. Tables must have a brief descriptive title and include footnotes if necessary. "Figure" should be spelled out instead of being written "Fig." Tables and figures should be included within the text, and should have figure captions in English and Chinese. The contents of figures, tables, and word descriptions should not be duplicated.

All the Chinese legends in figures and tables (including title for figures ant tables; headings for figures and tables; table notes and all the Chinese characters in figures and tables) should be supplemented with corresponding English version. Font size should be no less than size 5.

Nomenclature and units. Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI. For measurement units and unit symbols Legal Measures of PRC (issued in February 1984) should be consulted.

References

Responsibility for the accuracy of bibliographic citations lies entirely with the Authors.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Only articles that have been published or are in press should be included in the references. Unpublished results and personal communications should not be cited, but can be referred to in a footnote.

Article Titles, names for books, journals, collected papers etc. must be given an English name; even if there is no English name, do please translate them into an English version.

Format of references:

For journals: names of all the authors (surnames followed by initials), article title, name of periodical (abbreviation is allowed for foreign titles), year, volume number, issue number (in brackets), and range of pages.

For books: names of authors (surnames followed by initials), title, In: ××× ed., book name, edition (the first edition should be omitted), place of publication, publisher, year and range of pages.

Examples:

[1] Wei X H, Zhou X F. A study on the stemflow of three types of natural secondary forest.

Acta Ecologica Sinica,1989,9(4):325.329.

[2] Fairley R I and Alexander I J. Methods of calculating fine root production in forests. In:

Fitter A. H. ed. Ecological Interactions in Soil. Oxford: The British Ecological Society. 1985

[3] Ma K P.Measurement of biodiversity.In:Qian Y Q ed. Principle and methods of

biodiversity studies. Beijing: Chinese Scientific Technological Press.1994.141.165.

[4] Blum A, Johnson J W, Ramser E L. The effect of a drying top soil and a possible nonhydraulic

root singal on wheat growth and yield. J. Exp. Bot., 1991, 42(243):1225.1231.

Preparation of illustrations

Captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption (both English and Chinese). Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Line drawings

The lettering and symbols, as well as other details, should have proportionate dimensions, so as not to become illegible or unclear after possible reduction; in general, the figures should be designed for a reduction factor of two to three. The degree of reduction will be determined by the Publisher. Illustrations will not be enlarged. Consider the page format of the journal when designing the illustrations.

Do not use any type of shading on computer-generated illustrations.

Photographs

Photographs should be of sufficiently high quality with respect to detail and contrast.

Indicate the magnification by a bar on the photograph.

Maps

Permission for reproduction of a map must be provided.

Specific Remarks

Research Projects

For research projects with financial support, please show the financial title and project series number; for research without financial support, please also give source of the outlay. All should be added with an English version.

Postscript

Please recommend in your postscript several experts related to your research project

together with their educational background, professional title, institution, postal address,

and e-mail address. This information will be used to enrich and enlarge the reviewers

database for Acta Ecologica Sinica.

Correspondence

Editorial Office

Acta Ecologica Sinica

Mrs. Kong Hongmei

18 Shuangqing Road

Haidian District

Beijing 100085

China

Tel: 86 10 6294 1099

E-mail: shengtaixuebao@rcees.ac.cn or shengtaixuebao@sina.com

Website: http://www.ecologica.cn

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