Instructions to Authors

Table of Contents

• How We Publish
• Peer Review Process
• Publication and Research Ethics
• Publishing Agreements and Charges
• After Publication
• Manuscript Submission Guide
  • Peer-reviewed article types
    • Feature and Perspective
    • Essay
    • Point-Counterpoint
    • Comment and Response to Comment
  • Editorial Board-reviewed article types
    • Columns (Cool Fish, Landscapes, Fish Tails, Student Angle, Guest Column)
    • Interview
    • News and Member Happenings
    • Photo Diary
    • In Memoriam
    • Backpage
    • Book Review
    • Calendar
  • Manuscript elements and preparation
• Contact Us

How We Publish

Fisheries is a peer-reviewed magazine publishing 12 issues per year online and in print.

After copyediting and review of the final proof, papers are published on the Advance Articles page. This is the Version of Record of the paper. The Version of Record requires a correction notice for any changes after it is published, even if it is not yet placed in an issue. See the definitions of the Version of Record and other versions of the paper for more details. The Version of Record will be removed from the Advance Articles page after it is paginated and published into an issue.

Scope of the Magazine

Fisheries is the monthly peer-reviewed membership publication of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), the oldest and largest professional society representing fisheries scientists. Fisheries features peer-reviewed technical articles on all aspects of aquatic resource-related subjects, as well as professional issues, new ideas and approaches, education, economics, administration, and law. Issues contain features, essays, AFS news, current events, book reviews, editorials, letters, job notices, chapter activities, and a calendar of events. Its goal is to provide timely, useful, and accurate information on fisheries science, management, and the fisheries profession for AFS members. Some types of articles which are suitable for Fisheries include fishery case histories, review or synthesis articles covering a specific issue, policy articles, perspective or opinion pieces, essays, teaching case studies, and current events or news features. We strive to be a voice for AFS members who have ideas and stories to share that will advance fisheries science or AFS as a professional society.

Submitting to the Magazine

Your submission will be thoughtfully reviewed by experts with extensive knowledge of the field, who represent one of the oldest and most trusted scientific societies with a reputation for publishing high quality science. We appreciate your interest in submitting your manuscript to Fisheries and look forward to working together. Learn more about the benefits of publishing in the Magazine here.

Fisheries is an official publication of the American Fisheries Society (AFS). To publish the Magazine, the AFS partners with Oxford University Press (OUP), a not-for-profit publisher and a department of the University of Oxford. Learn more about how publishing with OUP reinvests in the scholarly community on the OUP Authoring page.

Fisheries is one of the mostly widely read fisheries science publication in the world. Accordingly, content submitted for consideration should appeal broadly to fisheries professionals and speak to the interests of the AFS membership. We particularly encourage the submission of short-form (under 5 typeset pages) “mini-review” articles. We will waive page charges for even shorter articles (under 2 typeset pages) on such articles as current events in fisheries science, interviews with fisheries scientists, history pieces, informative how-to articles, etc. We also encourage articles that will expose our members to new or different fields, and that recognize the varied interests of our readers. Research articles may be considered if the work has broad implications or applications, and the subject matter can be readily understood by professionals of a variety of backgrounds.

Pre-submission consultations are welcomed and encouraged to evaluate content or determine how manuscripts can be structured to be consistent with Fisheries editorial goals. Please contact Steven Cooke ([email protected]) for pre-submission reviews.

Lengthy, highly technical, or narrowly focused research articles are better suited to the AFS technical publications, and we encourage authors to consider the other AFS journals as venues for these works. Papers concerning fisheries science per se should be submitted to Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; those dealing with management should be submitted to the North American Journal of Fisheries Management; those dealing with the health of fish and other aquatic organisms should be submitted to the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health; those dealing with aquaculture should be submitted to the North American Journal of Aquaculture; and those with a focus on marine and estuarine species and habitats should be submitted to Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science.

After preparing your manuscript according to the guidance in the Manuscript elements and preparation section, you can submit your work through the Magazine’s online submission site. If you have not used our submission site before, you will need to create an account. Additional help and instructions are available on the submissions site as you go through the submission process. More information is available on the ScholarOne Manuscripts FAQ and help page.  Please contact us with any questions about submitting your manuscript.

Peer Review Process

Fisheries offers authors the choice of single-anonymized or double-anonymized peer review. Authors who prefer a double-anonymized peer review should (1) check the appropriate block on the submission page, (2) put the title page in a separate file, and (3) remove from their manuscript any other information that may reveal their identities. All manuscripts must include a title page, listing all authors’ names and affiliations. Including the title page in the main manuscript file will share the authors’ identities with the reviewers. Please do not provide your title page as a separate file unless you are requesting anonymity.

In single-anonymized peer review, the identity of the authors is known to the editors and to the reviewers, but the reviewers’ identities are known only to the editors and are hidden from the authors.

In double-anonymized peer review, the identity of the authors is hidden from reviewers, and the reviewers’ identities are hidden from the authors. The editors know the identity of both the reviewers and the authors.

Once a submitted manuscript passes a quality check from the AFS editorial office and initial assessment by the Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief (EIC), it will then be passed to a chief science editor, who will oversee peer review and make the final decision. A science editor will select reviewers and make a recommendation to the chief science editor. Prior to assignment to the editor, a paper may be rejected by the EIC or editorial office if it is determined to be inappropriate or out of scope for the Magazine, or if it needs to be substantially improved before undergoing peer review.

Editors and reviewers must not handle manuscripts if they have a conflict of interest with an author or the content. Editors make every effort to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the assignment of other editors and peer reviewers. For more information, please see the section on Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. During the peer review phase, a manuscript is typically sent to two reviewers.

Authors may suggest up to 2 potential reviewers at submission. However, there is no guarantee the suggested reviewers will be selected by the Magazine. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their field and able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript without financial or interpersonal conflicts of interest with any authors. We encourage authors to consider reviewers from a diverse range of backgrounds, including those from under-represented communities.

Authors may also request that specific individuals not be used as reviewers of a manuscript. However, there is no guarantee these individuals will be excluded by the Magazine.

For both preferred and opposed (or excluded) reviewers, please provide their details in the designated area in the ScholarOne submission form.

Statistical methods should be rigorous, and reporting of statistical findings should be accurate and complete. Editors may request an expert statistical review of any submission containing statistical analysis.

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the reviewer comments will not be published alongside the paper.

For full details about the peer review process, see Fair editing and peer review, OUP author information, or contact the AFS editorial office.

Manuscript transfer

Fisheries magazine accepts original submissions as well as transfers to and from all other AFS publications, i.e., Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; the North American Journal of Fisheries Management; the North American Journal of Aquaculture; the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health; and Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science.

Receiving transfers

Reviewer reports may be included in the transfer with reviewer consent. Transferred manuscripts may be sent out for additional peer review, and a decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all consenting reviewers and the judgment of the editorial team of Fisheries.

Sending transfers

In some cases, the editorial team of the Magazine may offer authors the option of transferring their manuscript to another AFS title. If the offer is accepted, the manuscript files and any reviewer reports from consenting reviewers will be sent to the receiving title. The editorial team of that title may choose to seek additional peer review. A decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all reviewers and the judgment of the receiving title’s editorial team.

Screening for misconduct

Manuscripts will be screened at submission using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication.

Reviewer recognition

To promote recognition of the essential work done by reviewers, the Magazine offers reviewers the option to have their reviews verified and automatically listed on their Web of Science Researcher Profile and/or their ORCID iD profile.

Reviewer locator

The Magazine uses the Web of Science Reviewer Locator to assist the editors in finding appropriate reviewers.

Appeals and complaints

Authors may request reconsideration of rejected papers when they believe that the review process was flawed in some way (e.g., suspicion of bias or inadequate understanding of the paper on the part of the reviewers and/or the associate editor). Such requests should be directed to the EIC or AFS editorial office and should include a detailed statement as to why the paper should be reconsidered along with supporting material as necessary. They should also indicate the author’s preferred remedy, which may range from a simple re-examination of the reviews and recommendation by the original editor to a completely fresh review by a new chief science editor, science editor, and reviewers. Decisions about requests for reconsideration will be made by the managing editor in consultation with the original editor and/or the EIC and publications director. Every effort will be made to give authors a fair hearing. Please do not resubmit the manuscript in the interim.

To register a complaint regarding non-editorial decisions, the Magazine’s policies and procedures, editors, or staff, please contact us. Complaints will be taken seriously and will be carried forward following Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and processes and/or sanctions will be enacted if deemed appropriate.

Publication and Research Ethics

Authorship

Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. The Magazine will contact all listed authors at the point of submission to confirm their role. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see the Ethical Guidelines for Publication of Fisheries Research.

The Magazine does not allow ghost authorship, where an unnamed author prepares the article with no credit, or guest/gift authorship, where an author who made little or no contribution is listed as an author. The Magazine follows COPE guidance on investigating and resolving these cases. For more information, please see the OUP Publication Ethics page.

Natural language processing tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) do not qualify as authors, and the Magazine will screen for them in author lists. The use of AI (for example, to help generate content, write code, or process data) should be disclosed during submission and in the Methods or Acknowledgments section of manuscripts. Please see the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI for more details.

After manuscript submission, no authorship changes (including the authorship list, author order, and who is designated as the corresponding author) should be made without clearly noting any such changes in the point-by-point response to the decision letter. All co-authors must agree on the change(s), and neither the Magazine nor the publisher mediates such disputes. If individuals cannot agree on the authorship of a submitted manuscript, contact the editorial office. The dispute must be resolved among the individuals and their institution(s) before the manuscript can be accepted for publication. If an authorship dispute or change arises after a paper is accepted, contact OUP’s Author Support team. COPE provides guidance for authors on resolving authorship disputes.

If authors intend to use Read and Publish funding to publish a manuscript under an open access license, note that changing the corresponding author to access those funds is not permissible. For more information on Read and Publish funding, see the open access charges section.

ORCID iD

Authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iDs (Open Researcher and Contributor IDs) at submission and take advantage of the benefits of participating in ORCID. If authors do not already have an ORCID iD, they can register for free via the ORCID website.

As ORCID identifiers are collected, they are included in papers and displayed online, both in the HTML and PDF versions of the publication. ORCID functionality online allows users to link to the ORCID website to view an author’s profile and list of publications. ORCID iDs are displayed on web pages and are sent downstream to third parties in data feeds, where supported.

Group Authorship

Groups (also known as corporate, organization, or collective names) who meet authorship criteria should be included in the main author list. Every individual in the group should fully meet the criteria for authorship. At least one individual must be designated on behalf of the group as the primary point of contact during the peer-review and production processes, as well as for correspondence following publication. You may list this individual separately in the main author list if desired. A complete list of the individual members of the group must be included in the manuscript under the Acknowledgments heading.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

Authors

The Magazine requires all authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Magazine. Conflicts of interest should be included in the ScholarOne submission form as well as in a separate section with the heading “Conflicts of Interest.” If there are no interests to disclose, this section should state “none declared”. See Manuscript elements and preparation section below.

A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial, could influence or be seen to influence the opinions or activities of the individual. For more information, refer to OUP’s definition of conflicts of interest. The Magazine follows the COPE guidance for any undisclosed conflicts of interest that emerges during peer review, production, or after publication.

Peer reviewers

Individuals that have a conflict of interest relating to a submitted manuscript should recuse themselves and will not be assigned to oversee, handle, or peer review the manuscript.

If during peer review an editor, reviewer, or author becomes aware of a conflict of interest that was not previously known or disclosed they must inform the EIC immediately.

Editors and editorial board members

At initial submission, the corresponding author must declare if the EIC, an editor, or an editorial board member of the Magazine is an author of or contributor to the manuscript. Another editor without a conflict of interest will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. If accepted, a statement will be published in the paper describing how the manuscript was handled. The statement will read “[Author name] holds the position of [role] for [Magazine] and has not peer reviewed or made any editorial decisions for this paper." If the authors opt for a double-anonymized review they may also note that here.

Previously published material

Authors should only submit a manuscript(s) to the Magazine if:

• It is original work by the author and their co-author(s).
• It is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any other publication.
• It has not been published in any other publication.
• It contains nothing abusive, defamatory, derogatory, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.

The editorial office may request the submitting author provide copies of all related or similar preprints, dissertations, manuscripts, published papers, and reports by the same authors (i.e., those containing substantially similar content or using the same, similar, or a subset of data) that have been previously published or posted electronically or are under consideration elsewhere at the time of manuscript submission. Authors may be required to provide a concise explanation of how the submitted manuscript differs from these related manuscripts and papers. All related previously published papers should be cited as references and described in the submitted manuscript.

For previously published materials including tables and figures, please see the Reusing copyrighted materials section.

Preprints

Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the Magazine. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding a published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating a preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy.

Reusing copyrighted material

Authors must obtain permission for any material used within a manuscript for which they are not the rightsholder, including quotations, tables, figures, images, data, or software. In seeking permissions for published materials, first contact the publisher rather than the author. For unpublished materials, start by contacting the creator. Copies of each grant of permission should be provided to the editorial office of the Magazine. The permissions agreement must include the following:

• Nonexclusive rights to reproduce the material in the paper in Fisheries
• Rights for use in print and electronic format at a minimum, and preferably for use in any form or medium
• Lifetime rights to use the material
• Worldwide English-language rights

If authors have chosen to publish under an open access license but have not obtained open access re-use permissions for third-party material contained within the manuscript, this must be stated clearly by supplying a credit line alongside the material with the following information:

• Title of content
• Author, original publication, year of original publication, by permission of [rightsholder]
• This image/content is not covered by the terms of the Creative Commons license of this publication. For permission to reuse, please contact the rights holder.

Our publisher, Oxford University Press, provides detailed Copyright and Permissions Guidelines, and a summary of the fundamental information.

Misconduct

Authors should observe high standards with respect to research integrity and publication ethics as set out by the COPE. Falsification or fabrication of data including inappropriate image manipulation, plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the author's own work without proper citation, and misappropriation of work are all unacceptable practices.  Allegations of ethical misconduct, both directly and through social media, are treated seriously and will be investigated in accordance with the relevant COPE guidance.

If misconduct has been established beyond reasonable doubt, this may result in one or more of the following outcomes, among others:

• If a submitted manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
• If a paper has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction, either a correction notice will be published and linked to the paper, or retraction of the paper will occur, following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
• The relevant party’s institution(s) and/or other publications may be informed.

COPE defines plagiarism as “when somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were their own and without proper acknowledgment.”

COPE defines redundant/overlapping publication as “when a published work (or substantial sections from a published work) is/are published more than once (in the same or another language) without adequate acknowledgment of the source/cross-referencing/justification, or when the same (or substantially overlapping) data is presented in more than one publication without adequate cross-referencing/justification, particularly when this is done in such a way that reviewers/readers are unlikely to realize that most or all the findings have been published before.”

COPE defines citation manipulation as “behaviors intended to inflate citation counts for personal gain, such as: excessive self-citation of an authors’ own work, excessive citation to the journal publishing the citing article, and excessive citation between journals in a coordinated manner.”

Data fabrication is defined as intentionally creating fake data or misrepresenting research results. An example includes making up data sets.

Data falsification is defined as manipulating research data with the purpose of intentionally giving a false representation. This can apply to images, research materials, equipment, or processes. Examples include cropping of gels/images to change context and omission of selected data.

If notified of a potential breach of research misconduct or publication ethics, the Magazine editor and editorial office staff may inform OUP and/or the author’s institutional affiliation(s).

Ethical research

The Magazine follows COPE guidelines on ethical oversight. We take research integrity seriously, and all research published in the Magazine must have been conducted in a fair and ethical manner. Wherever appropriate, the Magazine requires that all research be done according to international and local guidelines.

Animal subjects

Studies involving animals require approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee or institutional animal use and care committee, and the research must be conducted in accordance with applicable national and international guidelines. For investigators in the United States, AFS has developed Guidelines for the Use of Fishes in Research, which addresses both field and laboratory research with fish. Following the Acknowledgments, all peer reviewed manuscripts must include a separate “Ethics Statement” section providing details of the name of the committee(s) that approved the study, as well as the permit or animal license numbers where available. Where a study has been granted an exemption, this must be stated along with the name of the authorizing body. Please be prepared to provide further information to the editorial office upon request.

ARRIVE guidelines

Authors are encouraged to consult the ARRIVE guidelines recommended by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3R).

Euthanasia or anaesthesia methods

Where applicable, any euthanasia or anesthesia methods must be carried out in accordance with applicable veterinary guidelines. These methods must be described in detail in the manuscript.

C4DISC partnership

The Magazine, the AFS, and OUP aim to create a community that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion. As part of our commitment to these principles, OUP is a proud partner of the Coalition for Diversity & Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC). C4DISC works with organizations and individuals within the scholarly communications landscape to foster equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility across the publishing industry and its published outputs.

The Magazine is proud to adopt the Joint Statement of Principles of C4DISC.

Inclusive language and images

As defined by the Linguistic Society of America, “Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities.” We encourage authors to consider using inclusive language and images when preparing a manuscript. For guidelines, please see the bias-free language guidelines from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Accessibility

Written, visual, and audio content in the submission should be accessible to all. Please see the C4DISC guidelines for making text, images, charts, tables, and audio and video accessible.

Availability of data and materials

Where ethically feasible, the Magazine strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. Data sharing is not required, but authors are required to include a Data availability statement in peer reviewed papers indicating the presence or absence of shared data. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list. For details of the minimum information to be included in data and software citations see the OUP guidance on citing research data and software.

Whenever possible, data should be presented in the main manuscript or additional supplemental files or deposited in a public repository. Visit OUP’s Research data page for information on general repositories for all data types, and resources for selecting repositories by subject area.

Data availability statement

The inclusion of a data availability statement is a requirement for peer reviewed papers published in the Magazine. Data availability statements provide a standardized format for readers to understand the absence or availability of original and third-party data underlying the research results described in the paper. The statement should describe and provide means of access, where possible, by linking to the data or providing the required unique identifier. More information and example data availability statements.

Choosing where to archive your data

Authors are highly encouraged to select a repository that issues DOIs as this helps to facilitate persistent linking to the dataset from the research article. You may refer to online resources such as FAIRsharing.org and re3data.org for lists of data repositories, including information on certification status and services offered.

We suggest you consider these options when choosing your repository:

• Code Ocean (for data and code)
• Dryad Digital Repository
• GitHub
• Figshare
• Harvard Dataverse
• Open Science Framework
• Zenodo

Digital preservation

Peer reviewed content published in the Magazine will automatically be deposited into digital preservation services, including CLOCKSS, the Global LOCKSS Network, and Portico. This ensures the long-term preservation of the work. Through CLOCKSS, participating institutions can sustain access to content if the Magazine were to otherwise be unavailable, even for a short period of time. Should the Magazine ever cease to publish, or content would otherwise become permanently unavailable, long-term access to the archives of CLOCKSS and Portico would be triggered. Until such a trigger event were to occur, this content is not available to the public through CLOCKSS and Portico.

Self-archiving policy

Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of the work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, authors may self-archive versions of the work on their own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the Magazine's policy, and to learn which version(s) of the paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-archiving policy.

Publishing Agreements and Charges

Authors, please read each section on the publishing agreement (also called a license) and charges carefully.

Publishing agreements

After a peer reviewed manuscript is accepted, authors will be asked to sign either a copyright transfer agreement or an open access (Creative Commons) license through our licensing and payment portal, SciPris. There is a charge to publish under an open access license, which allows the paper to be freely accessible to all readers immediately upon online publication. Please see the open access  and publication charges sections below for more details. Editorial decisions occur prior to this step and are not influenced by payment or ability to pay. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If authors are unsure whether they are required to publish open access, they should check with their funder or institution before selecting the license.

Papers can be published under the following license types:

• Copyright Transfer Agreement
• Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY)
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license (CC BY-NC)
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license (CC BY-NC-ND)
• United States Government License
• Crown Copyright License

Please see the OUP guidance on Licenses, copyright, and re-use rights for more information regarding these publishing agreement options.

Open Government license

The Open Government License is an open licensing model for content produced by employees of UK Crown bodies allowing users to copy, publish, distribute adapt and transmit the Information for commercial and non-commercial purposes. For additional information see here.

Complying with funder mandates

Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If authors are unsure whether they are required to publish open access, they should clarify any such requirements with their funder or institution before selecting a license. Further information on funder mandates and direct links to a range of funder policies.

Charges

Open access charges

Please see the details of open access licenses and charges. If authors select an open access license, then authors must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through our licensing and payment portal, SciPris.

• Non-member open access charges: $3,500
• AFS member open access charges: $2,800

Read and Publish

OUP has a growing number of open access agreements with institutions and consortia, which provide funding for open access publishing (also known as Read and Publish agreements). This means corresponding authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out which institutions have an open access agreement.

To be eligible for one of OUP’s Read and Publish agreements, the corresponding author must provide their qualifying institution as their primary affiliation when they submit their manuscript. After submission, changing the corresponding author in order to access Read and Publish funding is not permissible.

Color charges

The Magazine does not charge for color.

Publication charges

The Magazine does levy a flat publication fee for Features and Perspectives. These fees support AFS publications as well as AFS’s broader mission and programs to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals.

• Publication fee: $1,500
• Comment publication fee: $750
• There are no publication fees for essays, point–counterpoints, responses to comments, book reviews, corrections, in memoriam pieces, or the editorial board-reviewed manuscript types, e.g., columns.

Member discounts

AFS members who confirm funding is not available may request a full or partial waiver of the $1,500 publication fee. Requests should be made following acceptance. A limited number of waivers are available and will be granted on an as-needed basis.

AFS members will receive an automatic 20% discount off the open access fee (see above).

After Publication

Changes to published papers

The Magazine will only make changes to published papers if the publication record is seriously affected by the academic accuracy of the published information. Changes to a published paper will be accompanied by a formal correction notice linking to and from the original paper. As needed, we follow the COPE guidelines on retractions.

For more information and details of how to request changes, including for authors who wish to update their name and/or pronouns, please see OUP’s policy on changes to published papers.

Promoting your work

As the author, you are the best advocate for your work, and we encourage you to be involved in promoting your publication. Sharing your ideas and news about your publication with your colleagues and friends could take as little as 15 minutes and will make a real difference in raising the profile of your research.

You can promote your work by:

• Sharing your paper with colleagues and friends. If your paper is published open access, it will always be freely available to all readers, and you can share it without any limitations. Otherwise, use the toll-free link that is emailed to you after publication. It provides permanent, free access to your paper, even if your paper is updated.
• Signing up for an ORCID iD author identifier to distinguish yourself from any other researchers with the same name, create an online profile showcasing all your publications, and increase the visibility of your work.
• Using social media to promote your work. To learn more about self-promotion on social media, see our social media guide for authors.
• Providing highlights in your ScholarOne submission form. AFS will use these to promote your manuscript on our social media pages and through other channels.

Find out how else AFS and Oxford University Press promotes your content.

Press releases

If you would like to arrange an embargo date so that a press release can be issued simultaneously with the publication of your paper, please contact us as soon as possible. Once published, the paper cannot be temporarily withdrawn. If your paper has already been accepted, contact [email protected] to arrange an embargo date. If your manuscript is still under review, please contact the editorial office.

Manuscript Submission Guide

Peer-reviewed article types

This magazine publishes several different article types. Individual manuscript elements are described in greater detail below.

Fisheries manuscripts are typically less than 4,500 words (excluding references, photos, figures, tables, pull quotes, titles, translations, etc.); however, that limit is flexible. Longer papers are also considered, provided they are of broad relevance to our community.

One full page of article text with absolutely no figures, tables, pull quotes, titles, headers, translations, or photos is approximately 880 words or 6,100 characters including spaces. Please adhere to this standard, taking figures and other non-text content into consideration, when preparing manuscripts for submission to Fisheries. Please consult the Managing Editor prior to submission for a length or reference limit exemption for review articles or articles of Society-wide significance.

Feature and Perspective—recommended maximum word count: 4,500

Features are research articles reporting on original research on topics of broad interest to our readership that address contemporary issues and problems in all aspects of fisheries science, management, and policy. Articles on fisheries ecology and aquatic resource management; biology of fishes, including physiology, culture, genetics, disease, and others; economics and social issues; educational/administrative concepts, controversies, techniques, philosophies, and developments; and other general interest, fisheries-oriented subjects will be considered.

Perspectives are similar manuscripts to Features but offer new proposals for critical evaluations of contemporary concepts, paradigms, and ideas. They must include required elements such as an abstract, etc., but need not otherwise follow a traditional manuscript structure.

Each piece must include:

• Title page
• Abstract
• Acknowledgments
• Conflicts of Interest
• Data Availability
• Ethics Statement
• Funding
• References—maximum of 40

Features must contain the following sections and must use these terms as the first level section headers:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion

Authors may also include:

• Table(s) 
• Figure(s)
• Lay summary—maximum of 280 characters
• Graphical abstract
• Featured image
• Appendix/appendices 
• Supplementary materials
• Native language author names
• Native language abstract
• Author videos
• Video abstract

Essay—recommended maximum word count: 2,000

Essays are thought-provoking or opinion articles based upon sound science. Essays may cover a wide range of topics, including professional, conservation, research, AFS, political, management, and other issues. Essays may be submitted in conjunction with a full feature article on the same topic. They may include photographs or illustrations and should not cite more than eight references. However, essays should provide scientific documentation, unlike unreviewed opinion pieces (below). Essays are peer-reviewed based on the following criteria: contribution to the ongoing debate, logical opinion based on good science, persuasiveness, and clarity of writing. Reviewer agreement with the opinion of the views expressed is not a criterion.

Essays do not have abstracts and there is no publication fee.

Each piece must include:

• Title page
• Acknowledgments
• Conflicts of Interest
• Data Availability
• Ethics Statement
• Funding
• References—maximum of 8

Authors may also include:

• Table(s)
• Figure(s)
• Lay summary—maximum of 280 characters
• Featured image
• Appendix/appendices
• Supplementary materials
• Native language author names
• Author videos

Point-Counterpoint—recommended maximum word count: 4,400

Coming soon!

Comment and Response to Comment—maximum word count: 400

Comments are critiques of peer reviewed papers published by this Magazine; the original authors will be invited to provide a Response to Comment. The Magazine welcomes Comments from readers offering relevant comments and providing objective and scholarly criticism of recently published articles in the Magazine. Contributions should be constructive, professional, and polite.

For a detailed outline of the process, please contact us to request the AFS Comment Procedures.

Comments and Reponses to Comments should not include an abstract.

Each piece must include:

• Title page
• Acknowledgments
• Conflicts of Interest
• Data Availability
• Ethics Statement
• Funding
• References—maximum of 40

Authors may also include:

• Table(s)
• Figure(s)
• Lay summary—maximum of 280 characters
• Featured image
• Appendix/appendices
• Supplementary materials
• Native language author names
• Author videos

Editorial Board-reviewed article types

These types of submissions are shorter than peer-reviewed articles and do not go through the full peer-review process, but are instead reviewed by the EIC, chief science editors, and/or the managing editor.

Please do not use the online submission system to submit the following magazine items—the text and digital photos for all items (except where otherwise stated) should be emailed to the Managing Editor Peter Turcik at [email protected].

Columns—recommended maximum word count: 800-1,600

The Magazine publishes a variety of columns. Authors are encouraged pitch ideas for columns on the following topics and subject areas. 

• Cool Fish examines unusual or interesting fish.
• Landscapes explore unusual or interesting fish habitats.
• Fish Tails are short, entertaining anecdotes from unusual circumstances or experiences in the fisheries profession. These columns should have a lesson that AFS members and other readers can learn from the story and apply in their own work and/or personal lives. These lessons should be clearly introduced early on and reiterated at the end. Columns may include a colorful illustration, image, or photo.
• Student Angle student perspectives on a variety of topics. For information about submitting a column, please contact the Student and Early Career Subsection President at [email protected].
• Guest Columns are opinion pieces about fisheries science or management as essays for editorial review. Occasionally, editorials about professional or policy issues may be inherently unsuitable for a scientific review and will be published as guest columns. Sometimes these pieces are submitted by a committee, agency, or organization. Guest columns may be edited for length or content and referred for outside review or rebuttal if necessary. A disclaimer may accompany these pieces stating that the opinion is that of the author and not the American Fisheries Society.

Each column must include:

• Title page

Authors may also include:

• References —maximum of 20
• Table(s)
• Figure(s)
• Supplementary materials
• Lay summary —maximum of 280 characters
• Featured image
• Native language author names
• Author videos

Interview—recommended maximum word count: 1,000

AFS members may conduct and submit Interviews with people whose life, work, or hobby is adjacent to fisheries science. Suitable interviewees can be artists, craftspeople, filmmakers, people from Indigenous tribes, etc. The submitting author should include an image of the interviewee, as well as images of their work, if applicable. Questions and answers should be clearly defined and language should be edited to maintain coherence of thought and conversation.

News and Member Happenings—recommended maximum word count: 800

AFS members are encouraged to submit items for the Unit News and Member Happenings departments. Dated material (calls for papers, meeting announcements, and nominations for awards) should be submitted as early as possible, but at least 8 weeks before the requested month of publication. AFS Unit News should be kept under 400 words and may be edited for length or content.

Possible submissions include:

• Section News
• AFS News
• Unit News

Photo Diary—recommended maximum word count: 3,000

Photo Diary columns telling fisheries stories through the use of exceptional photography. Eight to ten photos can be included for this article type.

In Memoriam—recommended maximum word count: 750

Friends, colleagues, and relatives can celebrate the lives of recently deceased AFS members with an In Memoriam submission. These short tributes should include one or two images of the person, usually a portrait and then one of them doing something they loved or working in their field. Authors need to include the person’s date of birth and date of passing.

Backpage—recommended maximum word count: 400

Backpage columns telling fisheries stories through the use of exceptional photography. One photo can be included for this article type.

Book Review—no word count limit

Book Reviews are handled by Book Review Editor Francis Juanes. Please email [email protected] if you want to be added to the list of potential book reviewers or would like to provide a book to be reviewed.

New books (preferably two copies) submitted for review should be sent to: Francis Juanes, Liber Ero Professor of Fisheries Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3020, Station CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5, Canada.

Each review must include:

• The title of the book
• Name(s) of author(s) or editor(s), the publisher, location of publisher. Year of publication. Number of pages.
• As applicable: price (hardcover), price (paperback), price (ebook), price (AFS member price).
• Reviewer’s name
• Reviewer’s affiliation
• Reviewer’s email

Each review may include:

• References—no limit

Calendar

Calendar items should include the date, event title, location, and contact information (including a website, if there is one). These should be submitted online to https://fisheries.org/events-page/add-your-event/ or else emailed to [email protected].

Manuscript elements and preparation

Specific instructions for preparing a manuscript for publication in Fisheries can be found below.

Title page

For authors opting for a single-anonymized peer review, include the title page as part of the main manuscript text, not as a separate document.

For double-anonymized reviews, attach the title page as a separate document. It will not be included in the compiled PDF that is shared with reviewers.

The title page should include: 

• The title of the paper; abbreviations should be avoided. The title should be short (preferably no more than 12 words) and to the point.
• All full author names and affiliations  
  • Affiliations should include: Division/Department, Institution/Organization, City, and Country
  • Dual lead and/or senior authorship should be indicated here 
• A corresponding author(s) 
  • Full corresponding author contact information should include: full author name and email address

Abstracts

Abstracts must be written in English and should be included within the main manuscript file. Because abstracts tend to be more widely read than complete papers, authors should take care to make them comprehensive, clear, and interesting. Citations and footnotes are not allowed in abstracts, and abbreviations should be used sparingly. A translation of the abstract in a language other than English may also be provided.

Abstracts are only required for Features and Perspectives.

Acknowledgments

Authors of all article types are required to submit an “Acknowledgments” section at the end of the manuscript in which authors may thank those who contributed directly to the project or the preparation of the manuscript.

Acknowledgments may include a list of participants, investigators, or study groups within a group study; mention of previous presentations of the material; preprint information; additional contributions or thanks; contributions to the paper that do not qualify for authorship (see Authorship section for additional detail); deceased author details; and/or miscellaneous acknowledgments. Dedications and acknowledgment of emotional support from family and friends are not appropriate. If all authors are employees of the U.S. Government, this section should state that the mention of specific products does not constitute endorsement by their agency.  

Conflicts of Interest 

Authors of all article types are required to submit a “Conflicts of Interest” section at the end of the manuscript which should describe any conflicts of interest. For more information, please refer to OUP’s definition of conflict of interest and the Authors’ section of the potential conflicts of interest section. 

If no conflicts exist, the authors should still include the section and state “None declared.”

Data Availability

Authors of all article types are required to submit a “Data Availability” section at the end of the manuscript, which should identify the presence or absence of shared data. When data have been shared, indicate how it may be accessed. If sharing data compromises ethical standards or legal requirements, then authors are not expected to share it.

Ethics Statement

Authors of all article types are required to submit an “Ethics Statement” section at the end of the manuscript confirming that the research meets the ethical guidelines and legal requirements of the country in which it was performed, and indicate the guidelines followed.

Funding

Authors of all article types are required to submit a “Funding” section at the end of the manuscript fully declaring all funding information relevant to the study, including specific grant numbers.

If the funder is listed in the Crossref Open Funder Registry, the funder name should be included exactly as it appears within that database. Where grants were received by specific members of the author group, the authors should be identified using closed initials with dots (C.J.D.). If no funding was received for the study, the authors should still include the section and state “None declared.”

Manuscript structure

Note: the majority of magazine content does not require this structure.

Introduction

The introduction should provide a context for the work to be reported, particularly its purpose and importance. In doing so, it should present at least a summary review of previous literature on the subject.

Methods

Descriptions of the methods employed in the study should be detailed enough to enable readers to repeat it. Previously published descriptions may be cited in lieu of presenting complete new ones provided that the sources are readily available (in general, avoid citations to theses, dissertations, agency reports, and similar sources in this instance). If more than one method was used or a particular method entails a series of major steps, present each method or step in a separate subsection. Appropriate tables and figures can reduce the need for detailed verbal descriptions of methods. Papers focusing entirely on techniques or models do not require a separate section on methods.

Results

As a rule, it is preferable to present detailed results in tables and/or figures and to devote the text to summary statements and analyses. Display data in tables if numerical precision is important, in figures if trends are paramount. Although the presentation of a large amount of raw data is generally not meaningful, data should not be refined to the point that the reader cannot verify the analyses or use the information for other purposes. See the Data availability statement section for more information.

In presenting the results of statistical tests, report the type of test, the test statistic, the degrees of freedom, and the significance level (p-value). Although the value 0.05 is commonly used as the threshold in hypothesis testing, we have no specific requirements in this area; in the interest of providing useful information, authors should report all p-values. It is very important that statistical designs and models be appropriate for the studies in which they are used; we encourage authors to have a statistician review their work before submitting a paper for publication. Lastly, statistical results should be presented in biologically meaningful terms rather than in purely statistical jargon.

Discussion

The merits of a paper can be greatly enhanced by a good discussion. In it, authors should indicate the significance of their research, how it relates to current knowledge, and any avenues that it suggests for further research. Informed speculation is acceptable as long as it is clearly identified as such. Authors should avoid merely restating their results and/or (re)summarizing the literature.

References

References should be selected with a view to relevance and availability, with preference given to peer-reviewed publications that are widely available.

Authors should format their references in APA style. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of reference information and may be queried to provide any missing reference elements during proofing. Style files for the APA reference manager are available here.

Tables

Tables should be designed to present related information as simply and directly as possible. Authors must number all tables (e.g., table 1, table 2, table 3) and reference them within the text in chronological order. Tables should be supplied in an editable format (such as Microsoft Word or Excel), and not embedded as an image file. The use of color and shading is not allowed, as it cannot be replicated in the online full-text version. Ensure that any formatting or symbols such as asterisks are explained in the table footnote. Provide units in column or row headers, rather than in the table body.

• Captions should provide enough information that readers can easily perceive the tables’ purpose and structure (if there is more than one table with the same general structure, the captions to the latter ones can be shortened by referring the reader to the first such table for details). Captions should not merely list the contents of tables in a mechanical way.
• There should be only one set of column headings. If the information to be presented seems to require more than that, the table should be redesigned (e.g., by switching the rows and columns) or split into two or more tables.
• Bold, centered headings may be used within the body of the table to distinguish different types of data as long as they do not conflict with the column headings. Such labels should be used in place of “A,” B,” etc. designations.
• Significant differences should be indicated by lowercase letters, beginning with the letter “z” (“z” may mark either the highest or the lowest value[s], but subsequent letters have to follow suit); in most cases, there should be no omissions in the sequence of the letters. The letters should be set on the same lines as the values to which they pertain (not as superscripts) and be separated from those values by single spaces.
• Values less than 1.00 should be preceded by zeroes (e.g., 0.78).
• Values need not be reported to all significant digits if a lesser number of digits conveys the information in a meaningful way.
• Footnotes should be indicated by superscripted lowercase letters, beginning with the letter “a”; the letters may appear in the row and column headings as well as the body of the table but not in the caption. The footnotes per se should be listed on separate lines at the bottom of the table.

Figures

Figures include visual materials such as graphs, maps, diagrams, and photographs. At the most fundamental level, figure design should follow certain commonsense principles: figures should be as simple and straightforward as possible; have a high enough resolution to be easily readable; and be consistent in the use of lettering, line widths, and other graphic elements. To ensure the highest quality, figures should be submitted as separate files rather than being imbedded in text files.

Authors must include figure titles, legends, and captions within the manuscript file; they should not be included with the uploaded image files. To the extent possible, panel descriptions, (full) variable names, units of measure, legends, and so forth should be included in the figure itself rather than in the caption; they should not be given in both places. Different panels may be designated “A,” “B,” and so forth, but it is preferable to give them substantive labels (e.g., “Treatment” and “Control”).

Figure files should be named simply to match their citation (e.g., fig1.tiff or figure2.eps). Authors should aim to submit each figure as an individual file. If possible, submit all panels of a multi-panel figure as one single figure file. Each panel should be labelled with a single capital letter (e.g., A, B, C, D—no brackets or periods) in the upper-left corner of each panel.

Figures should be submitted in one of the following file formats: .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tiff, .pdf, or .eps. Images prepared as .bmp, .gif, or .doc/.docx files will not be accepted.

Images of maps, charts, graphs, shapes, and diagrams are best rendered digitally as geometric forms called vector graphics. Vector images use mathematical relationships between points and the lines connecting them to describe an image. Because these file types do not use pixels, resolution does not apply to vector images. Save vector images as .eps or .pdf files and embed the fonts.

Images of photographs, paintings, or scans can be provided as raster images. Raster images should be saved as uncompressed .tiff files to avoid quality loss; .jpg/.png file formats are acceptable for raster images but may result in a lower resolution. The resolution of raster files is measured by the number of dots or pixels in a given area, referred to as “dpi” or “ppi.”

• Minimum resolution required for color half-tones: 300 dpi
• Minimum resolution for grayscale half-tones: 600 dpi
• Minimum resolution for combination half-tones and line art: 600-900 dpi
• Minimum resolution for monochrome line art (complex or finely drawn): 1,200 dpi

Please also consider accessibility when designing each figure, so that all images can be easily understood by color-blind and visually-impaired readers. Guidelines for preparing different image-types, including recommendations for color palettes, color contrast, image layout, and text accessibility.

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.  

Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs. 

Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article. 

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text. 

Graphical abstracts

Authors of Features and Perspectives are encouraged to submit a graphical abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The graphical abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the article online and in the PDF. Any submitted graphical abstracts will automatically be used as the “featured image” for the piece, unless an alternate featured image has been indicated by the author.

The graphical abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the magazine’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g., graphical_abstract.tiff. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics.

Lay summary

When appropriate, authors are encouraged to submit a lay summary as part of the article. Provide a brief, nontechnical statement that clearly summarizes the focus and findings of the submission for non-expert readers. It should explain the importance of this work in general terms by relating it to people's lives or the environment. In essence, answering the question, “so what?” Avoid using scientific names and other jargon. Consider the audience, and present one or two key take-home messages that you'd like to communicate. Limit the statement to no more than 280 characters. The lay summary will be published as part of the article online and in the PDF. It should be submitted as part of the main manuscript file.

Featured images

When appropriate, authors are encouraged to submit a featured image, also known as a teaser image or TOC image, as part of the article. The featured image may be an interesting or dynamic figure selected from the article or can be an image not included in the article itself. It is presented under the article title in the online Table of Contents (or Advance Access listing) to entice the reader to click through to the article. The featured image can be submitted as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the Magazine’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g., featured_image.tiff. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics. The author should indicate in the submission system which image (if any) should be presented as the featured image for their article.

Appendices

Closely related material that will be of interest to a large number of readers may be included in an appendix. Appendix material should be regarded as an extension of the article and will be copyedited. Appendices should be used sparingly and may be disallowed due to space constraints in the Magazine. Authors are encouraged to convert appendices to supplementary material when possible.

Supplementary material

Supplementary material should enhance the written article without being necessary to understand it. Any Supplement must be cited in the text of the main manuscript. Supplements may be presented in any format that is suitable for their contents and will not be copyedited. Therefore, authors should ensure that any Supplements are ready to publish as-is if accepted. Authors must submit supplementary data or supplementary material with the manuscript.

• Style and formatting of supplementary material should be consistent with that of the manuscript.
• Supplementary material should be formatted to function on any internet browser.
• Supplementary items should be submitted as clearly-labeled files that are separate from the main article file(s).
• Supplementary material may be hosted on OUP’s website or at one of our preferred partner sites, such as Code Ocean, Dryad Digital Repository, GitHub, etc. If posting on a third-party site provide a link in the main text or in the Data Availability section. Material hosted elsewhere (e.g., the author’s personal or institutional website, Google Docs, YouTube) is not allowed as links may expire.

Native language author names

If the paper is published, the author name(s) will be displayed online in Latin-alphabet characters as provided to us on the manuscript. If authors wish for an alternative name also to be displayed (for instance, the non-Anglicized Chinese-character version of an author name, or an alternate name by which the author is commonly known) please include that name in parentheses, immediately after the Latin-character name in the manuscript. Note that alternatives names will be presented as supplied on our website and in the article PDF but may not be presented in other locations where the published article appears, such as Pubmed. 

Native language abstracts

For Features or Perspectives from other non-English speaking countries, a native-language abstract is encouraged and welcome. It is considered academic content and is presented as part of the article in the HTML and PDF, in addition to the traditional English language abstract. The translated abstract should be compiled by the author and placed after the English abstract in the initial submission within the main document; it will be published as part of the article both online and within the PDF. Please note that authors are solely responsible for assuring the accuracy of the translated text.

Author videos

Authors are encouraged to provide informative and educational digital videos that supplement the article submitted. If you have a video that you would like to include with your manuscript, please see the instructions below.

Submission

• Submit your video as a .mp4 file, at a good resolution for streaming playback. 
• A caption should be provided in the manuscript file as for a regular figure, alongside a representative still image for the PDF (named clearly e.g., Video_1_placeholder.jpg).  
• Background music in videos will not be accepted, unless you hold the copyright or have permission to reuse. See reusing copyrighted material for more information.  
• All videos must include either clear English-language narration (preferred) or subtitles (in English) as a guide to the viewer.  
• Please do not submit animated gif files, which may be published as single image. Instead, please convert the gif to an .mp4 file. 
• We cannot use videos hosted on third-party sites such as YouTube, as the link may expire. 
• Signed Participant Consent Forms must be included for any individuals featured in the video[s]. 
• See OUP’s Video and media guide for further guidance on preparing videos for submission.  
• Short titles can be added to different sections of the video, enabling the reader to ‘jump’ from section to section by clicking on titles. If authors would like to add this feature, they should follow the instructions given here and should upload resulting items as a ‘Cuepoint file’ when submitting the manuscript to the magazine.
• Videos should not reveal author names, affiliations, logos, or any other identifying information. 

Publication

• An embedded version of the video will appear in the final online version of the article. In the article PDF, it will be replaced by a representative still image, cited in the text as ‘Video 1’ etc.  
• Videos will not be edited for publication.

Video abstracts

Authors of Features and Perspectives are encouraged to submit a video abstract as a separate, clearly named .mp4 file (e.g., video_abstract.mp4) in addition to the text abstract. The video abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the paper online. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for videos.

Pre-submission and language editing

Published articles represent the culmination of research efforts, often lengthy and highly sophisticated ones. To do those efforts justice, however, the articles must be well written; poorly written articles not only place an unnecessary burden on readers, they also cast doubt on the quality of the research itself. We encourage authors to have other fisheries professionals critique their initial drafts with respect to presentation as well as substance.

Authors whose native language is not English should make a point of having English speakers review their manuscripts before submission.

Free assistance is available from the International Fisheries Section of AFS, or, our publisher, Oxford University Press, partners with Enago, a leading provider of author services. Prospective authors are entitled to a discount of 30% for editing services at Enago, through the OUP-Enago partner page. Enago is an independent service provider, who will handle all aspects of this service, including payment.

Authors are not required to use either service. Language editing is optional and does not guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will undergo the regular review process of the Magazine.

Cover letter

Initial submission

Although the submission site permits authors to include a cover letter, such letters are generally not necessary; they should be included only when they contain information that cannot easily be incorporated into the standard submission form.

Revised submission

Authors are required to provide a detailed point-by-point cover letter explaining how they have responded to the comments in the decision letter. Such cover letters will also be required if transferring a manuscript with reviews or resubmitting a manuscript as a new submission after the revision deadline expired.

Manuscript format

As an aid to reviewers and editors, authors should:

1. Use double spacing for all components of the paper.
2. Number all pages sequentially and provide continuous line numbering beginning with the title page.
3. Use a 12-point font throughout.
4. Clearly label all required manuscript elements, e.g., abstract, lay summary, introduction, etc.

Style, conventions, and abbreviations

The Magazine follows APA style with an author-date citation system. More information on the magazine’s style and reference examples are available here.

For other elements, especially those relating to fisheries science, the magazine will defer to the AFS style guide.

For initial submission, authors need not worry about strictly following all style guidelines. The vast majority will be applied during the copyediting process. However, for transparency we’ve outlined many of our rules and preferences below.

The standard resource for word usage and spelling is Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, as updated by the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Appendix A of the AFS style guide shows the proper way to spell many of the terms used in fisheries writing (some of which are not in the dictionary), including terms for which our preferred spelling differs from that in the dictionary.

The standard resource for the common and scientific names of North American fish species is the current edition of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico (American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland). For other aquatic species, authors should follow the companion publications World Fishes Important to North Americans and Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United States and Canada (the volumes Mollusks, Decapod Crustaceans, and Cnidaria and Ctenophora are currently available in the latter series).

In most cases, scientific names should be included only at first mention in the abstract and text; full common names (e.g., “Coho Salmon” rather than simply “Coho”) should be used elsewhere. The format for the first mention is “Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch,” in which all parts of the common name are capitalized and the scientific name follows the common name but is not given in parentheses or offset with a comma.

A note on fish plurals: in formal writing, some species use the zero plural while others use “s” or “es.” While the accepted plurals of fish names are given in Appendix C of the AFS style guide, we will follow the author’s preference (e.g., 12 Alligator Gar or 12 Alligator Gars) to form the plural of fish names provided the usage is consistent throughout the manuscript.

In papers about population dynamics, we prefer the notation used by W. E. Ricker in Computation and Interpretation of Biological Statistics of Fish Populations (Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin 191, 1975). However, all symbols should be defined anew in every paper. Our standard sources for chemical and enzyme names are the current editions of the Merck Index (Merck & Co., Rahway, New Jersey) and Enzyme Nomenclature (Academic Press, San Diego, California), respectively. The preferred treatment of allozymes is noted in the article “Gene Nomenclature for Protein-Coding Loci in Fish” by J. B. Shaklee et al. (Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 119:2–15, 1990).

It is not possible to provide a detailed presentation of all style convention within these guidelines. The following conventions, however, are so general as to apply to virtually every paper:

1. Only symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms approved for the International System of Units, appearing in Webster’s dictionaries, or provided in the AFS symbols and abbreviations list may be used without definition. All others should be defined at first use (e.g., index of biotic integrity [IBI]). Abbreviations should not be introduced unless they are used at least two more times.
2. All measurements should be given in metric units. The only exceptions are a few quantities that are typically expressed only one way (e.g., g [of medication]/lb [of feed]).
3. Single-digit numbers should be spelled out unless they are used with units of measure or in conjunction with larger values (e.g., 2 mg/L; 8 Walleyes and 16 Saugers). Numbers with four or more digits should contain commas; those less than 1.00 should be preceded by zeroes.
4. Ratios involving two values or units of measure should be indicated by forward slashes (e.g., 0.30 g/day); ratios involving three such terms should be indicated by negative exponents (e.g., 0.01 g · g^–1 · day^–1).
5. Ages of fish should be expressed by Arabic numerals and not contain plus signs (e.g., a fish is age 1 [not age 1+] from the January 1 after it hatches to the following December 31).
6. Dates should be expressed as month–day–year (e.g., January 11, 2011). Note that the term “Julian day” does not mean day of the year and should not be used in that context.
7. Time should be expressed in terms of the 24-hour clock followed by the word “hours” (e.g., 1435 hours rather than 2:35 p.m.).

Footnotes

Footnotes should be kept to a minimum. Typically, they are used to report changes of address for authors, identify additional sources of data, or explain technical nomenclature (e.g., ages of anadromous fish and structures of fatty acids). Bring all text footnotes together after the references.

Mathematical and statistical expressions

General points include:

1. Symbols representing variables and parameters should be italicized if they consist of single letters in the Latin alphabet (e.g., K and F). All other symbols except Greek letters may be italicized or not, provided that the treatment is consistent (e.g., CPUE or CPUE); Greek letters should never be italicized.
2. Natural logarithms may be expressed as log_e or ln; logarithms with other bases should identify the base (e.g., log₁₀).
3. Long equations should be “broken” at logical points, normally after an operator such as a plus or minus sign.
4. Definitions of variables and parameters may be run into the text if only a few such terms are involved. If there are a number of them or they are used in more than one equation, a list is preferable.
5. Avoid the expressions “the mean length was 45.2 ± 3.84 mm” and “the mean (±SD) length was 45.2 ± 3.84 mm” because they are at best awkward and at worst inaccurate. Use the expressions “the mean ± SD length was 45.2 ± 3.84 mm” or “the mean length was 45.2 mm (SD, 3.84)” instead.

LaTeX

Information on LaTeX files and formatting is available. For authors preparing their manuscripts using LaTeX, Overleaf RASTI LaTeX class files are available; these simulate the appearance of the magazine page. Authors are encouraged to use these, although papers prepared using other class files can also be accepted.

Contact Us

For questions regarding submission and review, including appeals, authors can reach the editorial office by email at [email protected].

After a paper has been sent to production, authors can contact [email protected] for questions regarding the production process or publication. Please see the Changes to Published Papers section if authors need to request a substantive correction to a published paper.