Publish in the Journal
Please review the following guidelines before submitting. Please have your submission in MS Word format for submission.
The Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science (JKAS) accepts manuscripts throughout the year.
Articles are published digitally using an Issue-in-Progress model.
The Journal accepts submission of
- Research Articles
- Review Articles
- Opinions
- Book Reviews
- Notes
- Proposals for Theme Issues
Editors of the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science can be reached at
journal@kyscience.org
Editor in Chief Frank Ettensohn
Editor, Natural/Physical Science Walter S. Borowski
Editor, Social Science Shauna Reilly
GENERAL GUIDELINES
1. SUBMISSION TYPES
2. FORMAT OF RESEARCH ARTICLES
3. STYLE GUIDELINES
4. IN-TEXT CITATION OF LITERATURE
5. LITERATURE CITED
6. ILLUSTRATIONS
7. ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS AS RESEARCH SUBJECTS
8. PROOFS
9. REPRINTS
10. PAGE CHARGES
11. COPYRIGHT
GENERAL GUIDELINES
The JKAS (Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science ) publishes original research papers and other materials, on all areas encompassed by the Academy. Announcements, news, and other Academy information (as listed in the bylaws) will be included as received.
As of February 2021, reviews will be double-blind peer reviewed. Author information should be redacted for submissions. Authors do not have to be members of the Academy.
Acceptance of papers for publication in JKAS depends on merit as evaluated by each of two or more external reviewers. All decisions by the Editor(s) are final.
Manuscripts may be submitted at any time to the Editors via the submission portal as MS Word documents.
Format/style of research papers must conform to the guidelines below and also to practices in recent issues of the JKAS that are, in effect, a style manual.
Research article
These articles report the scholarly background of an investigated theme, methods, results, and ramifications and significance through original study performed by the authors.
These manuscripts are the most common submission type to the JKAS and may be submitted directly through the journal website for initial appraisal by the Editor and peer review.
Review articles
These articles are comprehensive descriptions and evaluations of studies of a particular field or a subfield of academic research, and do not report original research of the authors. They also suggest or define promising approaches for on-going research.
These are exceptional submissions and must be cleared by the Editor in advance so that authors do not waste their time in creating an unsuitable manuscript. Submissions will also undergo peer review.
Opinion
Opinion articles present a different perspective on an existing issue, discuss new and trending issues, or emphasize topics that are important, but have been neglected, in the scholarly literature. These should be balanced and provide both sides of the perspective as background.
These are rare submissions and should be cleared by the Editors in advance of submission. The Editors may seek contrary opinion pieces to provide balanced coverage of issues.
Book review
Book reviews are limited to 300-500 words long and should clearly and succinctly convey the contents and value of the book in the context of current research. These submissions are typically invited by the Editors. Book authors/editors may contact the Editors to elicit potential reviews.
Theme Issues
The JKAS welcomes theme issues proposed, organized, and vetted by guest editors. Theme issues must be approved by the Editors in advance. We recommend that guest editors provide strong justification for their issue, eventually providing a list of committed contributors and their manuscripts, which should be research articles, for final approval. We will also consider manuscripts from symposia and special workshops as contents for a theme issue.
Note
A brief research finding, including updates in nomenclature.
Other
From time to time the editors will consider additional academic work for submission to the JKAS . While there is flexibility with these contributions, authors must consult the appropriate Editor before submission.
2. FORMAT OF RESEARCH ARTICLES
Papers should be in 12-point type with margins at least 1 inch all around. Double-space throughout the paper (i.e., one full line of space between each two lines of text, LITERATURE CITED, or tabular data). Do not justify right margins. Indent the first line of each paragraph (but not the first line of entries in the LITERATURE CITED – these should be hanging at 0.5 inch).
Except for scientific names of genera, and of infrageneric taxa, which should be typed in italics, the same type (Roman) should be used throughout (i.e. one type size only; bold only for paper title). Indicate the describer name the first time a species name is mentioned.
Sequence of sections in papers should, where appropriate, be as follows: Title of Paper, name/address of author(s) [ AUTHOR INFORMATION SHOULD BE REDACTED in SUBMISSION], Abstract, 5-6 key words (may repeat words in the title), body of paper, LITERATURE CITED, tables with captions above, figure captions, and figures (all on consecutively numbered pages).
Upon publishing, The first page should include the running head at the top right of the page (see 5 below), the paper’s title. These should be followed immediately by the abstract, key words, and footnote. The footnote should read "Corresponding author e-mail: author@yyyyy.aaa.xxxxx" AUTHOR INFORMATION SHOULD BE REDACTED in SUBMISSION for blind reviews.
The running head (top right of first page) should give a short version of paper title. Please limit to a total of 60 characters and spaces.
The abstract should not exceed 250 words and should be concise, descriptive, and complete in itself without reference to the paper (literature is not cited in the abstract).
Footnotes are not allowed except for the email address of the corresponding author and changes of address. AUTHOR INFORMATION SHOULD BE REDACTED for blind reviews. In the published version, both types of footnotes will be at the bottom of the first page.
The body of the paper should include, where appropriate, the following sections: INTRODUCTION, MATERIALS AND METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, SUMMARY (optional), ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, and LITERATURE CITED. Each section heading should be in capital letters and centered.
No more than three levels of headings should be used: level 1, in capitals, centered; level 2, in capitals/lowercase, flush left; level 3, in italics, a paragraph indent with initial capital only (except proper nouns and adjectives), and followed by a period, the text then starting after one blank space.
Personal communications (avoid if possible) should be indicated in the text as follows: (name, affiliation, pers. comm., date) e.g., (O.T. Mark, Wainwright College, pers. comm., 5 Jun 2013).
3. STYLE GUIDELINES
In text, spell out one-digit numbers unless they are used with units of measure (four oranges, 4 cm), and use numerals for larger numbers; do not begin any sentence with a numeral.
Measurements should be in metric and Celsius units (24 C). Define lesser-known symbols and give the meaning of acronyms at first use. Express time of day in the 24-hour system. Dates should be written day, month (abbreviated to three letters), year without internal punctuation. Units with multiple components should have individual components separated by a virgule (e.g., g/m/yr).2
Names of authors of binomials may be included but only at the first mention of the binomial. Cultivar names are not italicized but are enclosed in single quotes.
Useful guides for contributors to the JKAS are the following: Scientific style and format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers, 6th ed., Cambridge University Press, 1994; The Chicago manual of style, 15th ed., University of Chicago Press, 2003; The ACS style guide, 1997; and AIP style manual, 4th ed, American Institute of Physics, New York 1997.
4. IN-TEXT CITATION OF LITERATURE
Cite publications in the text by author(s) and date - e.g., (Readley 1985). For in-text references to works with one or two authors use names of both authors – e.g., (Jones and Williams 1991); for works with three or more authors use name of the first author followed by et al. – e.g., (Lee et al 1994); multiple citations should be in chronological order and separated by semi-colons – e.g., (Foster 1976; Ashley et al. 1987; Brown 1994); multiple citations of works by one author(s) should be in chronological order – e.g., (Jones 1978, 1983); publications by one author(s) in the same year should be distinguished by a, b, c, etc. – e.g., (Smith 1994a, 1994b).
Do not include any reference unless it has been published or accepted for publication (in press; see below).
5. LITERATURE CITED
List all authors of each entry.
Do not abbreviate journal titles.
The first line of each reference should be typed flush left; the remaining lines should be indented five spaces.
Examples of common types of references are given below.
JOURNAL ARTICLE:
Lacki, M. J. 1994. Metal concentrations in guano from a gray bat summer roost. Transactions Kentucky Academy Science 55:124-126.
BOOK:
Ware, M., and R. W. Tare. 1991. Plains life and love. Pioneer Press, Crete, WY.
PART OF A BOOK:
Kohn, J .R. 1993. Pinaceae, Pages 32-50 in J. F. Nadel (ed). Flora of the Black Mountains. University of Northwestern South Dakota Press, Utopia.
WORK IN PRESS:
Groves, S. J., I. V. Woodland, and G. H. Tobosa. In press, Deserts of Trans-Pecos Texas.
INTERNET:
Listing of web sites in the Literature Cited is not encouraged, but if it is needed, please follow the guide below.
Smith, A.W. 1999. Title of web site. Web site address. Date accessed (06/12/2005)
6. ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures:
Images embedded in Word documents are acceptable only at the time of submission; illustrations will be submitted as separate files at time of acceptance for publication.
All images should be in the form of .tif files with a resolution of at least 600 dpi. Use RGB color.
Figures should be sized correctly at the time of submission with publication in mind, so that figures and its lettering are legible. Figures can be one column width (~6.6 cm), partial page width, or across an entire page ~ (13.8 cm). Maximum figure height is 20.4 cm.
Use lowercase letters for sections of a figure.
Figure captions should be self-explanatory without reference to the text, and should be entered together at the end of the document on a page separate from the text. Number figures in Arabic numerals. Statistics presented in figures should be explained in the caption (e.g., means are presented +/- standard error, n = 7).
Tables:
Each table should be numbered with an Arabic numeral and set on its own page at the end of the text. Each table should have a caption beginning with a title relating the table to the paper of which it is a part; it should be informative of the table’s contents and should be self-explanatory without reference to the text. Statistics presented in the table should be explained in the captions (e.g., means are presented +/-standard error , n = 7)
Tables should be formatted using the MS Word table function. Data should be in separate table cells, not separated or aligned with tabs, spaces, or line breaks. The caption and any footnotes should be outside the table proper.
7. ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS AS RESEARCH SUBJECTS
If vertebrate or invertebrate animals are involved in a research project, the author(s) should follow those guidelines for ethical treatment of animals appropriate for the subjects, e.g., for mammals or for amphibians and reptiles. Papers submitted to the JKAS will be rejected if their content violates either the letter or the spirit of the guidelines.
8. PROOFS
Authors are responsible for correcting proofs. Proofs must be returned to the editor within 3 days after the author receives them; delay in return may result in delay of publication. The author also is responsible for checking all literature cited to make certain that each article or book is cited correctly.
9. REPRINTS
Authors will be given a high-quality pdf file of their paper. All published articles will be indexed and available on BioOne.
10. PAGE CHARGES
Page charges have been dropped as of 2019 with the transition to an all-digital publishing model.
11. COPYRIGHT
The first author (or corresponding author) must sign a copyright agreement prior to an article appearing in the JKAS . The copyright agreement normally is completed and signed and returned to the Editor when a revised manuscript is returned to the Editor.
Copyright agreement 2017
