ICHNOS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES

Aims and Scope

The foremost aim of Ichnos is to promote excellence in ichnologic research. Primary emphases center upon (1) the ethologic and ecologic significance of tracemaking organisms, (2) organism-substrate interrelationships, and (3) the role of biogenic structures and biogenic processes in environmental reconstruction, sediment dynamics, sequence or event stratigraphy, biogeochemistry, and sedimentary diagenesis. Each contribution rests upon a firm taxonomic foundation, although papers dealing solely with systematics and nomenclature may have less priority than those dealing with conceptual and interpretive aspects of ichnology. Contributions from biologists and geologists are equally welcome. The format of Ichnos is designed to accommodate several types of manuscripts, including Research Articles (comprehensive articles dealing with original, fundamental research in ichnology) and Short Communications (short, succinct papers treating certain aspects of the history of ichnology, book reviews, news and notes, or invited comments dealing with current or contentious issues). The large page size and two-column format lend flexibility to the design of tables and illustrations. Thorough but timely reviews and rapid publication of manuscripts are integral parts of the process.

Submission of Manuscripts

Format and Presentation

All parts of the manuscript should be typewritten, double-spaced, with margins of at least one inch on all sides. Number manuscript pages consecutively throughout the paper. Except for Short Communications, manuscripts should ordinarily include an Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods or Approaches, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgments, References, appendices (if applicable), figure captions, and tables. Title page. The first page of each paper should indicate the title; author names and affiliations; keywords (three to ten English words); an abbreviated title for the running head (fewer than 35 characters); the exact postal address with postal code and telephone and fax numbers for the corresponding author. The line-centered title should begin about 7 cm below the top of the sheet of paper, and the space above it should be left blank for editorial purposes. Abstract. A single paragraph summary of less than 200 words is required. The abstract should outline the major objectives and conclusions of the study and be suitable for separate publication by an abstracting service. The abstract should consist of active, informative sentences; passive, uninformative sentences, such as “Temporal trends are discussed” must be avoided (see Landes, 1966, Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 50:1992). Text headings. Authors may use three orders of topic headings for normal text: FIRST LEVEL HEADING
Secondary Heading
Tertiary Heading in italics with text running directly after the heading. For contributions dealing with taxonomy, the primary heading should be SYSTEMATIC ICHNOLOGY; the general style and format otherwise follow standard paleontological conventions, including indented, italicized quaternary headings for diagnoses, descriptions, discussions, and so on.

Illustrations

Illustrations submitted (line drawings, halftones, photos, photomicrographs, etc.) should be clean originals or digital files. Digital files are recommended for highest quality reproduction. They should follow these guidelines:

• 300 dpi or higher
• sized to fit on journal page
• EPS, TIFF, or PSD format only
• submitted as separate files, not embedded in text files

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should not be embedded in the text, but should be included as separate sheets or files. A short descriptive title should appear above each table with a clear legend and any footnotes suitably identified below. All units must be included. Figures should be completely labeled, taking into account necessary size reduction. Captions should be typed, double-spaced, on a separate sheet. All original figures should be clearly marked in pencil on the reverse side with the number, author's name, and top edge indicated.

References

References are cited in the text by the authors' names and year of publication (et al. should be used in the text for papers with more than two authors). All references should be listed alphabetically at the end of the paper. The author must ensure that each reference cited in the text is entered in the bibliography, that each entry in the bibliography is cited in the text, and that each bibliographic entry is correct in every respect, including umlauts, tildes, circumflexes, and other diacritical marks. For some journals, it is necessary to include issue numbers as well as volume numbers. Publications cited in taxonomic headings or synonymies must also be entered in the bibliography when both author and year of publication are given; the same is true of authors of ichnotaxa listed in the text. Where two or more papers are cited in sequence, they should be listed in chronologic order, oldest first (e.g. Smith et al., 1971; Jackson, 1983; French and Patton, 1988). For bibliographic entries, upper/lower case lettering is used throughout. Journal titles are given in full, unabbreviated form:

Demathieu, G., Ramos, A., and Sopena, A. 1978. Fauna ichnological del Tracao del extremo noroccidental de la Cordillera Iberica (Prov. de Guadalajara). Estudios Geologicos, 34: 175-186.

Goldring, R. and Seilacher, A. 1971. Limulid undertracks and their sedimentological implications. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie, Abhandlungen, 137: 422-442.

Hantzschel, W. 1975. Trace fossils and problematica. In Teichert, C (ed.). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleonotology, Pat. W. Miscellanea, Supplement I. Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press, W269 p.

Ksiazkiewicz, M. 1970. Observations on the ichnofauna of the Polish Carpathians. In Crimes, T.P. , and Harper, J.C. (eds.), Trace Fossils, Geological Journal, Special Issue 3 283: 322.

Proofs and Complimentary Policy

One set of proofs is sent to the corresponding author. Proofs should be carefully checked and returned promptly. Alterations made in proof should be minimal. Each corresponding author of an article will receive 25 free reprints upon registration with Rightslink, our authorized reprint provider. Authors will need to create a unique account and register for this free service. Complimentary prints are not available post publication.