Themes & topics
All manuscripts relevant to the objectives of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management (AEHM) or Ecovision World Monograph Series will be considered for publication in these respective works. The major objective of the AEHMS and its publications is the promotion and adoption of ecosystem health concepts. It advocates an understanding of the structure, function and performance of aquatic ecosystems (freshwater, marine, estuarine) from an integrated, multi-disciplinary and sustainable perspective. The Society encourages the application of ecosystem-based science to management practices that will protect, maintain or restore the health of aquatic ecosystems. The Society welcomes papers that cover disciplines relevant to aquatic sciences such as ecology, microbial ecology, invasion biology, limnology, oceanography, eutrophication physiology, toxicology/contamination, food web dynamics, fish-fisheries, climate change, habitat, emerging tools/techniques, socio-economics, education, policy and environmental outreach.
Manuscript submission
Only manuscripts which meet the following requirements will be considered for publication by the AEHM:
- Manuscripts must be original. They must not be published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. It is required that the lead author complete and sign the AEHM-Author Publication Agreement (for copyright transfer) and include it with the manuscript upon submission.
- The authors should agree to pay page charges by completing the AEHMS Authors’ Agreement form, as outlined in the Page Charges section (see below), and include it with the manuscript upon submission.
- Authors must also comply with deadlines, follow the Authors’ Instructions, and not withdraw their manuscript without legitimate scientific reasons.
- Before submission, every co-author must approve the manuscript.
- It is highly recommended that the author check the length of the manuscript when it is formatted according to the section below on manuscript preparation. General submissions longer than 8 pages may be returned to the author to be condensed.
- Manuscript format should follow the style guidelines given in the Instructions to Authors, including the method for citing references.
- The clarity of writing in English must meet international publication standards. Authors whose native language is not English should consult someone with English as a first language before submitting their manuscript. Clear meaning will improve the speed and effectiveness of review and ensure that the content of the paper is assessed fairly. The AEHMS offers a manuscript preparation and technical service (Page by Page Editing). Potential contributors needing this editing service should contact the AEHMS editorial office for details.
- Only black and white / greyscale printing is available in the journal. Please ensure no figures are in colour. If essential, colour figures are available as an online appendix but this is not recommended.
Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management receives all manuscript submissions electronically only via MSU Press’ OJS site located at https://ojs.msupress.org/index.php/AEHM/about/submissions. OJS allows for rapid submission of original and revised manuscripts, and facilitates the review process and internal communication between authors, editors, and reviewers via a web-base platform. If you have any other requests, please contact Jennifer Lorimer, Assistant to the Editor, at jennifer.lorimer@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
All manuscripts will be subject to rigorous peer review by at least two qualified and experienced referees. Authors have the option to suggest potential referees for their work, but they should not be in contact with these potential referees regarding their reviews.
Processing of the manuscript
All papers submitted for publication are processed as quickly as possible by the editorial office. It is necessary that the deadlines given to authors to revise their manuscripts be respected. Following the initial peer review of the manuscript, a systematic response and/or rebuttal to all of the comments made by the referees is essential. Manuscripts will not be considered further unless a systematic response is received. If the revisions to the manuscript are returned after the given deadline, the manuscript may be subject to additional delays since it will lose its priority in the publication queue.
Page Charges
The AEHMS maintains a high international standard of technical and linguistic editing by contracting these services to qualified and professional editorial personnel. To offset these costs, a fee is charged per published page for accepted manuscripts, as outlined below:
|
Pages |
Charges per printed page (USD) |
|
1-5 |
$75 |
|
6-9 |
$90 |
|
10+ |
$100 |
As indicated above, all authors must complete an agreement form regarding the payment of page charges. The form can be found above in the Manuscript submission section. Payment will be invoiced after the manuscript is accepted for publication.
Developing countries policy
The AEHMS works toward publishing papers of merit on a global basis including both industrialized and developing countries. A limited portion of the page budget of the journal has been reserved to support publication of manuscripts from developing countries. In this regard, the AEHMS developed a modified list of approved countries based on UN guidelines.
- Authors must indicate at the time of submission that they wish to apply for a discount towards the page charges, supported by documentation confirming lack or shortage of official funding from their department or institute.
- The chief editor makes all decisions about the waiving of page charges. The decision is largely based on the manuscript’s suitability for publication in the journal, its scientific merit, and the availability of funding. Please contact the chief editor regarding the availability of such funding.
- A two-year membership of the primary author in the Society is a prerequisite to qualify for receiving financial assistance for page charges.
- If the waiver is granted, a waiver code will be supplied for use on the Author’s Agreement Form.
Any queries regarding page changes should be directed to Dr. Munawar, President of the AEHMS and Chief Editor of AEHM, before the submission of the manuscript.
Manuscript size guidelines
The AEHM prefers to publish short, concise papers. Manuscripts of fewer than 8 printed pages including tables and figures will be given priority in publication. Papers longer than 8 pages may take longer processing in the queue depending on the accumulation of submissions. Very long papers will be returned to the authors. Invited and Keynote papers may also have special requirements. Longer appendices, as well as supplemental figures and tables could be included in online supplementary material or addenda.
Online supplementary material
The AEHM allows supplementary files (appendices), which are posted online and cited in the text as follows (Appendix 1: available at http://webaddress/). Due to size restrictions, appendices are not printed in the journal.
Although appendices do not count towards the printed size of the paper, they should be as concise as possible. An appendix should not contain info that is not strictly necessary, even though it may be interesting. Appendices are meant for supplementary figures, tables, lists and similar material. They are not to include text from the manuscript such as sections from the introduction, methods or results.
Appendix supplementary files should not be over 10 MB, at the largest. Please also keep in mind that the larger these files are, the longer they will take for users to download, especially readers without strong internet access. File sizes should always be kept small if possible. Authors may also supply supplementary data of any file type, but the more obscure the file type, the fewer the number of people who will be able to use them.
Ecovision Books
Ecovision manuscripts should be formatted similar to AEHM manuscripts, with a few differences due to the size of the printed book. The size of the manuscript should not exceed 20-25 printed pages, including the tables and figures. On a standard letter sized page (8.5×11”, or 21.6×27.9 cm) the margins should be as follows:
Top and Bottom: 1.84” or 4.66 cm
Left and Right: 2.09” or 5.3 cm
For further details on the preparation of a manuscript, follow the section below under “Manuscript preparation”. Ecovision book manuscripts should be submitted directly to the Series Editor, Dr. M. Munawar in a Microsoft Word “.doc” file.
Manuscript preparation
General
Manuscripts should be submitted in clear and concise English. The authority for spelling is the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Authors may use either English or American spelling, but must be consistent throughout the paper.
Manuscript font should be Times New Roman, 11 pt font size, single line spaced, 2.54 cm (1”) margins, letter size paper (21.6×28 cm or 8.5×11”). Section titles/headings should always be placed on a separate line without accompanying text. Every page should be numbered; however, there should be no reference in the text to page numbers. The editors reserve the right to adjust the style to conform to the in-house style. Authors should keep a copy of their article since the journal cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss of papers in transit.
Authorship assignment
In a multi-authored paper, each author must have contributed significantly to the paper’s conception, data procurement, or analysis in order to be eligible for authorship. The primary author is responsible for the conception and development of the paper. Co-authors should have assisted the primary author in various aspects of manuscript development such data procurement, analysis, interpretation and development of the draft.
The corresponding author must be identified with an asterisk. The e-mail address of the corresponding author must be included, as well as a current address if the address has recently changed. Only the corresponding author will be contacted regarding the status of the manuscript.
Abstract
A concise abstract of 250–300 words should synthesize the objectives, methods, major results, and conclusions. Acronyms and citations should not be included in the abstract. Two to six keywords, not already included in the title, should be supplied at the bottom of the abstract. Manuscripts for Ecovision books have a summary, just before the references, instead of an abstract.
Text
The following order is used: title, authors, addresses (affiliations), abstract, keywords, introduction, methodology, results, discussion (or a combined results and discussion), conclusions, acknowledgements, funding, references, figures, and tables. If footnotes are included in the text, they should be kept to a minimum and be identified with superscript numbers. Footnotes are not encouraged except those accompanying tables. Double quotation marks are used for quotations within the text. Use “and” instead of the ampersand “&”.
Style
Write in past tense unless you are describing present or future situations. Keep sentences concise and short, not more than 30 words long. Do not use all caps for the title. Do not use italic text for Latin or other foreign phrases. For example, use “et al.” not “et al.”
Units and symbols
Use the SI system (Système international d’unités) of unit symbols throughout the manuscript. Note that symbols are to be written in full when used as an adjective, e.g., 1-litre bottle. Use positive exponents for quantities (m3) and negative exponents for concentrations (mg l‑1) and rates (g m‑3 h‑1). Periods are not used in these expressions. Use a decimal point to indicate the fractional part of a number, not a comma (e.g., 2.05). A space should be used to separate groups of 3 digits within a number (e.g., 4 600).
Abbreviations
Where long names of chemicals, processes, and institutions are repeated throughout the text, shortened versions or initials should be included in parentheses after the full name first appears. Thereafter, only the shortened version is to be used. Binomial/Latin names should always appear in italics and should be written in full for the first occurrence only. In succeeding occurrences, the genus name should be abbreviated to the first letter (e.g., Escherichia coli should appear as E. coli in following occurrences). However, where there are two or more genera having the same initial letter, these must be written in full throughout the text so that the reference is clear. The author of the binomial name may be indicated the first time the name is given, but should not be repeated throughout the text or in the title of the paper.
Common/vernacular names of species
Common names of species should be followed by the binomial/Latin name in the first occurrence in the text. They should be capitalized when referring to a specific species (e.g., Largemouth Bass, Mallard, Canadian Waterweed, Carolina Wren). The name should not be capitalized when referring to several species of similar type or if the species is undetermined (e.g., the lake was full of bass). For example, “Arctic Foxes” indicates members of the species Vulpes lagopus, whereas “Arctic foxes” indicates several foxes, of any species, from the Arctic.
Funding
Information about the funding received to carry out the research and/or publication may be included in the paper. A section entitled “Funding” should be included after the acknowledgements, before references.
References
All publications cited in the text must be included in the list of references following the text of the manuscript. References that are not cited in the text are not to be included. Citations in the text should be in the following formats: single author, (Smith, 1979); two authors, (Smith and Jones, 1979); three or more authors, (Smith et al., 1979); two citations, (Smith, 1979; Dawson, 1986); one author and two or more publications, (Smith, 1979, 1986); same author(s) with two publications in one year, (Smith, 1979a, 1979b); different authors with the same last name, (Smith, P., 1979; Smith, T., 1986). Names of institutions should be given in full with acronym in parentheses in the first instance and as the acronym in subsequent citations. For example, (United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), 1998) and later instances (US EPA, 1998).
The list of references should be arranged alphabetically by the authors surnames and if appropriate, by year.
The manuscript should be checked carefully to ensure that the spelling of authors’ names and dates are the same in the text as in the reference list. All authors must be listed, the use of et al. within a reference is not allowed. References should be given in the following formats:
Journal article
Vollenweider, R.A., Munawar, M., Stadelmann, P., 1974. A comparative review of phytoplankton and primary production in the Laurentian Great Lakes. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 31(5), 739–762.
Journal article with optional DOI
Marshall, B.E., 2021. What affects fisheries in African lakes: Climate change or fishing effort? A case study. Aquatic Ecosyst. Health Mgmt. 24 (1), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.14321/aehm.024.01.03.
Book
Cairns, J., Jr., Niederlehner, B.R., Orvos, D.R. (Eds.), 1992. Predicting Ecosystem Risk. Princeton Scientific Publication Co., Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA.
Chapter or section in a book
Dave, G., 1996. Harmonization of methods for determination of sediment and water quality in the Scandinavian countries. In: Munawar, M., Dave, G. (Eds.), Development and Progress in Sediment Quality Assessment: Rationale, Challenges, Techniques and Strategies, pp. 213–226. SPB Academic Publishing, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Report
Vollenweider, R.A., 1971. Scientific fundamentals of the eutrophication of lakes and flowing waters, with particular reference to nitrogen and phosphorus as factors in eutrophication. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France.
Ph.D. dissertation
Doe, J., 2009. Population dynamics of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) the upper Great Lakes region. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Article in a foreign language
Hildebrand, H.H., Chávez, H., Compton, H., 1964. Aportación al conocimiento de los peces del arrecife Alacranes, Yucatán (México). (Contribution to the knowledge of Alacran reef fishes, Yucatan (Mexico). In Spanish). Ciencia 33(3), 106–135.
Conference presentation / Abstract from conference program book
Mandrak, N.E., Munawar, M., 2006. The Rise of Introduced Fishes and Fall of Fish Species at Risk in Lake Ontario: A Review. Presented at: 49th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, Great Lakes in a Changing Environment, 22–26 May 2006, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. International Association for Great Lake Research, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Conference proceedings
Malley, D. (Ed.), 1986. Proceedings of conference, 3–5 Nov 1985. Publisher, City, Country.
Article in a conference proceedings
Leach, J.H., 1999. Title of presentation. In: Adams, C. (Ed.), Title of Proceedings, pp. 216–225. Publisher, City, Country.
Papers published in regularly published conference proceedings are given as articles in a journal. References for Ph.D. and Masters theses should include name of the university, city, province and country.
References to websites should include the date the page was accessed. Ensure the website consulted is credible. Content from publicly modifiable “wiki” sites (e.g. Wikipedia) is not acceptable for citation. Citation of website content is discouraged due to the lack of stability of websites in general.
Citations in the text for personal communications or unpublished data are not included in the list of references. Instead, the full affiliation must be given within the text for the person(s) whose work is cited; for example, (D. Malley, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, pers. comm.).
Figures and illustrations
A list of numbered figure captions should be included in the manuscript following the references. Figures should be submitted as individual image files (e.g., jpg, tif, png). The file size should be no larger than 500 KB for each figure. The image must be of good quality, as well as clear and easy to read. Figures should not be submitted in colour since they are printed in black & white (grayscale) only.
Figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are referred to in the text. Figures not cited in the text should be removed.
All lettering, graph lines and points on graphs should be sufficiently large, bold and clear to permit reproduction when the diagram has been reduced to a size suitable for inclusion in the journal. Hand drawing or lettering is not acceptable. Please see the copyright section given below for issues regarding use of copyrighted material such as Google Maps.
Tables
Tables should be numbered consecutively by their citation in the text. All tables must be referred to and cited in the text. Each table must be inserted on a separate sheet and given a suitable caption above. Footnotes should be given below the table and should be referred to by superscript letters. No vertical rules should be used. Tables should not duplicate results presented elsewhere in the manuscript.
Proofs
Proofs will be sent to the corresponding author and should be returned to the publisher within 48 hours of receipt. Corrections should be restricted to typesetting errors. Any other alterations may be charged to the author. New material cannot be inserted. Any queries should be answered in full. Authors are urged to check proofs carefully before returning them since the inclusion of late corrections cannot be guaranteed.
Copyright
Authors must sign the “AEHM-Author Publishing Agreement” before the article can be published. This transfer agreement enables the AEHMS and MSU Press to protect the copyrighted material for the authors, but does not relinquish the author’s proprietary rights. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, PDFs, photographic reproductions, microfilm, or any other reproductions of similar nature and translations. Copyright transfer also includes the right to adapt the article for use in conjunction with computer systems and programs, including reproduction or publication in machine-readable form and incorporation in retrieval systems.
Authors who wish to include previously published figures in their papers are required to obtain permission from the rightsholder to reprint the third-party tables or figures. A copy of the permission must be given to the AEHM. This should be done in a timely fashion to avoid publication delays. The paper should state the permission for re-use and rightsholder information. If the rightsholder has supplied text for this purpose, please use their text; otherwise, please use the following format: © [Rightsholder]. Reproduced by permission of xxx.
The use of images from Wikipedia and Google maps is not acceptable.
Policy concerning the status of the manuscript for publication
Decisions of the chief editor about the status of the manuscript are final. Each decision is based on the review process, payment of page charges, submission of accompanying forms and the cooperative conduct of the author(s) during the processing of their manuscript for publications. Please contact chief editor for any questions or information.