1. Manuscript categories and suitable topics
Vertebrata PalAsiatica publishes original contributions in two categories: Articles, including research or review papers, and Short Papers, including notes, book reviews, papers describing new methods, and news. All submissions should deal with some aspect of vertebrate paleontology, and submission to Vertebrata PalAsiatica is a representation that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. Suitable contributions include descriptions of new fossil material, especially from Asia; discussions of vertebrate systematics, evolution, functional morphology, anatomy, and taxonomy; vertebrate-focused studies of biostratigraphy, chronology, paleoecology, paleoclimatology, paleobiogeography, paleoenvironmental conditions, and taphonomy; descriptions of techniques for collecting and studying fossil vertebrates; and reviews of recent literature in vertebrate paleontology.
Manuscripts for Articles should preferably not exceed 40 pages of double-spaced typescript in a 12-point font, including tables and figures, on A4 paper with 2.5 cm (1 in) margins on all sides. For Short Papers, the limit is 8 pages.
2. Manuscript format
Manuscripts should be in English with a Chinese abstract or in Chinese with an English abstract. The text should be arranged in the following order: title, author name(s), author address(es), abstract (for Articles), 3?8 key words, body of text, acknowledgements, and references. Tables, figures (including photos) and captions are inserted in the text below the paragraph in which they are first mentioned. Generic and specific names should be in italics and underlined. Avoid capitalizing whole words, including generic and specific names, except in the title. Pages must be numbered. Authors are encouraged to consult a recent issue of the journal as a general guide to formatting.
3. Abstract
Abstracts are required only for Articles, not for Short Papers. The abstract should preferably be no longer than 300 words and should clearly summarize the key facts, ideas and conclusions presented in the paper.
Authors who submit a paper in English are encouraged to provide their own Chinese translation of the abstract. If non-Chinese authors have difficulty providing a Chinese abstract, the editorial office can arrange to have the English abstract translated into Chinese.
4. Systematic descriptions
Systematic descriptions should normally include the following information. For a genus: synonymy list if appropriate, type species, referred or included species, etymology (when describing a new taxon), age and distribution, diagnosis (for new taxon) or emended diagnosis if necessary, and discussion or remarks. For a species: synonymy list if appropriate, holotype specimen, other type specimens, referred specimens, etymology (when describing a new taxon), locality and horizon, diagnosis (for new taxon) or emended diagnosis if necessary, description, and discussion or remarks. Each scientific name used in the manuscript should be written out in full when it first appears, but the generic name may be abbreviated thereafter.
5. Tables
Tables must be referred to by number in the text and inserted below the paragraph in which they are first mentioned, with a numbered title in bold lowercase letters above each table. If any table is too large to be properly inserted, its preferred position in the text should be clearly indicated.
6. Figures (including line illustrations and photos)
Figures must be referred to by number in the text. The preferred position in the text for each figure should be clearly indicated below the paragraph in which it is first mentioned, with a numbered caption in lowercase letters. The abbreviations used in the figures must be explained in the captions. Figure legends should be complete, but should not repeat information given in the main text. Lettering that identifies parts of a figure should be in uppercase 12 point text, and other labels should be in 9 point text. The font should be Times New Roman.
Figures should be prepared at the size at which they are to be printed, and no larger than 14 cm wide and 19 cm high. Scale bars should be used in the figure where necessary. Photographs should be high-quality, with adequate contrast. The figure resolution should be at least 300 dpi. Black and white figures are preferred, but color figures are acceptable if necessary. Figures that appear in black-and-white in the print edition of the journal will appear in colour freely in the online edition, assuming colour originals are supplied. Each figure must be saved as a separate file in tif or jpg format (filename: [AUTHOR]_Figure [NUMBER], e.g., Yang_Figure01).
7. Measurements
The metric system should be used for all measurements. Metric abbreviations should be expressed in lower case, without periods (e.g., 25 mm).
8. References
All literature cited in the text must be included in the References. References in the text should be cited by name and year in parentheses. Where there are three or more authors, only the first author’s name should be given in the text, followed by et al. Examples of the correct format are: Wilson (1988), (Anderson, 1977), (Anderson and Dean, 1988; Thomas, 1985), (Smith et al., 1988). References should be alphabetically ordered by author. Style and punctuation of the reference list should conform to recent issues of the journal, illustrated by the following examples.
Journal articles:
Tedford R H, Flynn L L, Qiu Z X et al., 1991. Yushe Basin, China: paleomagnetically calibrated mammalian biostratigraphic standard for the Late Neogene of Eastern Asia. J Vert Paleont, 11(4): 519?526
Books:
McKenna M C, Bell S K, 1997. Classification of mammals above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press. 1?631
Contributions to a book:
Li C K, Ting S Y, 1985. Possible phylogenetic relationships of eurymylids and rodents, with comments on mimotonids. In: Luckett W P, Hartenberger J-L eds. Evolutionary relationships among rodents – a multidisciplinary analysis. New York: Plenum Press. 35?58
Standard abbreviations should be used for journal titles. Unpublished manuscripts may be cited in the text with a footnote, but should not be listed in the “References” section. Manuscripts accepted for publication may be cited as “in press” in the text, and should be listed as such in the “References” section. The full article title and the standard abbreviation of the journal name should be included.
Vertebrata PalAsiatica Reference Style
9. Manuscript submission
Authors are required to submit their manuscript (including illustrations and tables) electronically to the Vertebrata PalAsiatica Editorial Office by email (vertpala@ivpp.ac.cn). The preferred format is a Microsoft Word document. For the sake of convenience, authors can either embed low-resolution (e.g., 200 ppi, resulting in a reasonable file size) versions of the figures in their Word document or combine the figures into a separate pdf file for their initial submission. However, full-resolution versions of the figures must be sent to the Editorial Office after the paper is accepted, either by e-mail or by mailing a CD. The mailing address is:
Vertebrata PalAsiatica Editorial Office
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
P.O. Box 643
142 Xizhimenwai Street
Beijing 100044
People’s Republic of China
Tel.: ++8610 88369180
Fax: ++8610 68337001
E-mail: vertpala@ivpp.ac.cn
