Introductions

As of 2023 Introductions to symposia are optional. If you do not choose to write an intro, your symposia title will come before your papers along with organizer's names only. 

If you choose to write an intro, since they're not reviewed, they are due by April 10th of the year of your symposia, and here are some helpful tips below:

Tips for Writing a Symposium Introduction 

(1) Is a separate Introduction paper required? 

All ICB symposium bundles require an Introduction (policy of publisher Oxford University Press). Typically, the symposium organizers co-author this Introduction. 

(2) Purpose and format. 

The purpose of the Introduction is to: 

• • introduce the reader to the topic of the symposium (brief primer for newcomers, summary that points out the cutting edge for expert readers) 

• • be forward looking (where we are and where we are headed?) 

• • build a cohesive framework that shows how these symposium papers are more than the sum of their parts 

Length and format 

Introductions are typically 6 to 7 journal pages long (not manuscript pages), so a little more than half the length of a full symposium paper. 

Introductions are typically formatted as a perspective or review paper. 

Introductions are typically generated in three ways: 

(2.1) build on existing materials you generated while organizing the symposium 

Re-use your symposium proposal plus your Introduction talk at the start of the symposium. 

Ideally, the Introduction addresses the following questions: 

• • • introduction of topic: what is this symposium about? o See your talk introducing the symposium. 

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  • • relevance: why is this an important topic? o See your symposium proposal ('rationale'). 

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  • • timeliness: why is it important to talk about this topic now? o See your symposium proposal ('timeliness'). 

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  • • framework: how do all these symposium papers come together to form more than the sum of their parts? Create a narrative or framework that encompasses the symposium papers to help the readers understand how the symposium papers form a cohesive vision that moves the symposium topic forward. o See your symposium proposal ('outline of program'). 

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All examples below are of this type (2.1). 

(2.2) use the bookend chapters of a recent PhD thesis (General Intro and General Discussion) 

ICB encourages recently graduated PhDs to consider publishing their thesis’ General Introduction and General Discussion in ICB by turning them into a review/perspective type paper to be submitted as a review paper within a symposium or as the Introduction to a symposium. 

(2.3) collaborate with symposium speakers on a perspective paper. 

Rarely, (some or all) symposium organizers and speakers get together to co-write a Perspective paper that then serves as the Introduction to the symposium. 

(3) Review process 

Introductions are typically only reviewed by the editorial board and not sent out for peer review. 

(4) Deadline 

The Intro submission deadline is March 31, which is a month after the symposium-paper deadline. This way, you have time to look at the papers from your symposium to help you write your Introduction. You might want to ask the authors to send you their (final) drafts. 

(5) Examples 

1. solid all-rounder: Becker, D. J., Downs, C. J., & Martin, L. B. (2019). Multi-scale drivers of immunological variation and consequences for infectious disease dynamics. ICB, 59(5), 1129-1137. Link to paper 

2. brief and hitting the important points: Muñoz, M. M., & Price, S. A. (2019). The future is bright for evolutionary morphology and biomechanics in the era of big data. ICB, 59(3), 599-603. Link to paper 

3. ambitious and thorough: Russell, A. P., Stark, A. Y., & Higham, T. E. (2019). The integrative biology of gecko adhesion: historical review, current understanding, and grand challenges. ICB, 59(1), 101-116. Link to paper 

4. sharing your vision: Williams, C.M., Ragland, G.J., Betini, G., Buckley, L.B., Cheviron, Z.A., Donohue, K., Hereford, J., Humphries, M.M., Lisovski, S., Marshall, K.E. and Schmidt, P.S. (2017). Understanding evolutionary impacts of seasonality: An introduction to the symposium. ICB, 57(5), pp.921-933. Link to paper 

5. shifting disciplinary boundaries: ElShafie S.J., Sumida S.S. (2018). Science through narrative: engaging broad audiences—an introduction to the symposium. ICB, 58(6):1204-12. Link to paper 

A straight-forward way to write an Introduction is to follow the format described in (2.1) and do the ‘provide a framework’ part by creating a narrative that strings together brief summaries of each paper in your symposium. 

6. straight-forward: Hayssen, V., & Orr, T. J. (2020). "Introduction to “Reproduction: The Female Perspective from an Integrative and Comparative Framework”