Suggestions to Authors

Publishing in North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander (NABB) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly publication of the Eastern, Inland, and Western Bird Banding Associations.  This journal welcomes original papers on research on marked birds, molts, plumages, morphometrics and capture techniques.

Suggestions to Authors:
These instructions apply to major manuscripts only; other sections of the journal follow a less formal style (see recent issues).

Manuscripts: 

Submit two copies of your manuscript, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11-in (21.5 x 28-cm) paper with 1-in (2.5-cm) margins, to the Editor for the banding association covering your area. Electronic submission is acceptable with the prior approval of the Editor. All manuscripts should be organized into the following sections: Abstract (emphasize results; list species studied), Introduction (define problem; summarize appropriate literature), Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, and Literature Cited.

When submitting a manuscript, the Author should advise the Editor of the extent to which the data and/or text have been used, or are expected to be used, in any other publication or posted on the World Wide Web. Significant re-use of any previously published material is accepted at the sole discretion of the NABB Editor and requires written permission from the original publisher.

Use metric units for all measurements. Capitalize the English names of all birds (but not other animals or plants) and give scientific name in italics at the first mention of each organism. When two species’ names are used together (as Blue and Evening grosbeaks), do not capitalize the group name. Give time based on the 24-hour clock, as 0830, and use continental dating, e.g., 25 Nov 1988. Use Arabic numerals for numbers. When using statistics, provide a citation for the method. In describing mist-net capture rates, use “birds per 100 net-hours,” to be spelled out in the first use in any manuscript, and subsequently abbreviated to “b/100nh.” A net-hour is defined as one 12-meter net under favorable weather conditions during one daylight hour. Plumage nomenclature should follow Humphrey, P.S. and K.C. Parkes. 1959. An approach to the study of molts and plumages. Auk 76:1-31. Cite references in the text as: (Jones 1987) for one author, (Jones and Smith 1987) for two authors, and (Jones et al. 1987) for three or more authors.

In the Literature Cited section, arrange references in alphabetical order by last name with several papers by the same author(s) arranged chronologically. Complete each reference (no ditto marks or lines). Use the following format: Jones.A.B., C.D.Smith, and E.F. Johnson. 1987. Capturing California Condors. North American Bird Bander 11:21-25. Please do not abbreviate citations, spell out.

For other details of style, format, and abbreviations, see Scientific Style and Format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers, 6th edition, 1994. When using information on birds banded by others, consult “Policy on Release of Banding and/or Recovery Data” in the North American Bird Banding Manual, Vol.1.

For the final submission of the manuscript, provide a printed copy and include a computer-generated copy of the manuscript and any tables. Use Word or WordPerfect to prepare the final manuscript; use tabs and default settings only. Include Author’s full name, postal address and e-mail address immediately below the title of the paper.

Once the manuscript has been accepted for publication, the author must obtain approval from the NABB Production Manager prior to any subsequent publication (electronic or print) or posting to a World Wide Web site. Any such re-publication must advise readers of the original publication source (NABB) and state that the manuscript is reprinted with permission.

 

Tables, figures, and photographs:
Submit tables and figures on separate sheets, one per page. Submit photographs as black and white glossy prints or slides. Originals should accompany the final, revised manuscript. Photographs and slides will be returned upon request. All photos appear in black and white, unless color is specified. Color photographs and drawings are printed at the author’s expense. The Production Manager can provide an estimate of the cost after the manuscript has been accepted for publication in NABB.

Reprints: 
Authors of manuscripts published in NABB receive one free copy of the issue in which their manuscript appears. Authors wanting reprints of their own papers published in
NABB should contact the Production Manager. For a nominal fee, an electronic file (currently, PDF) can be provided to the author.

Questions and requests for assistance with manuscript preparation should be directed to the EBBA Editor:

Robert J. Pantle
35 Logan Hill Road
Candor, NY 13743
bpbird@frontiernet.net