Copy Editing

Spelling and Grammar

  • Use the computer spell checker. Be careful to NOT correct spelling that is for terms in other languages. These documents almost always involve multiple languages so be very watchful and read sentences if in doubt.
    • Set on American English if the document is in English to check for spelling errors. UK and other equivalents are not used in order to promote continuity of indexing and not for any other reason.
    • Scripts of Semetic languages are written from Right to Left, regardless of the main language of the article. Unlike East Asian languages which are written from left to right (modified from Top to Bottom, Right to Left writting) when inserted in texts of European and other languages without confusion due to the side to side character insertion, modifying Semetic scripts to this style results in misspelling and confusion.
  • Read through the document to check for errors related to grammar, word flow and organization. Do not focus on the science as this should have already been addressed by the editors and reviewers.

Literature Cited

  • References within the document. Most authors have observed the pattern of prior documents so this is simple, but some have not or have missed some citations.
    • Each reference is placed as (Author year). For example, (Demel & Abeje 2004, Getachew et al. 2005). There is no period or comma between the author name and the year. Two authors are listed with an '&' if the citation is within the parentheses and with the 'and' if it is within open text of a sentence. In all situations multiple authors (more than two) are listed as "et al.).
    • References are placed in alphabetical order NOT in year of publication order. This is intended to match the Literature cited section of the document and reduce the space used for multiple citations by the same author. Multiple citations by the same author should be listed as: (author 1922, 1954)
    • The citations are separated by a comma not a semi-colon (even when there are multiple authors and multiple citations from the same authors).
    • References indicated within sentences are listed as, Mourao et al. (2006) found that….
    • Check all the references in the document and match them with those listed in ‘Literature cited’. Make sure that every reference is cited with the same date, name etc. Check both ways (from the references and from the text).
  • In ‘Literature cited’
    • The authors cannot be listed as Author et al., all the authors need to be listed out. For example, Mourão, J. S., H.F.P. Araujo & F.S. Almeida. 2006. Ethnotaxonomy of mastofauna as practiced by hunters of the municipality of Paulista, state of Paraíba-Brazil. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2:19-21.
    • Author first names are usually abbreviated and are reversed (last name first) only with the first author listed: e.g., all subsequent authors are listed with the first name then last name.
    • Author's first and middle names listed as initials are not separated by spaces (Rowlings, H.K. 2006)
    • Multiple authors: use an '&' between the final and the penultimate author's names. Do not insert a comma after the penultimate authors name and before the '&'.
    • After the final authors name always insert a period.
    • Publication year of the document is listed after the author(s). After the publication year of the document always insert a period. Do not place the publication year in brackets.
    • Literature is placed in alphabetical order.
    • Citing Journals and other serial publications:
      • This journal is cited as: Ethnobotany Research & Applications.
      • Other journal names are written out completely without any abbreviations.
    • To check on an abbreviated Journal's full name:
    • Citing books:
      • The publisher and the city are placed at the end of the citation. Example, Martin, G.J. 1995. Ethnobotany. A methods manual. Chapman & Hall, London. (Well-known, distinctive cities do not require a country or state, but most other cities should be followed by a country or state).
      • Capitalize the first letter of key terms in the title of books until the first punctuation, then only capitalize the first letter of the first word after the punctuation (and other words that are normally capitalized in English.
      • If a particular page is cited within a book this should be noted within the text of the document and NOT in the literature cited unless an entire chapter is cited (see below) as a distinct part of a book. The function of the Literature cited is to point to the literature used, not the specific pages.
      • If a chapter within a book is cited then it should be cited as in the following example: Taylor, R.S.L., S. Shahi & R.P. Chaudhary. 2002. Ethnobotanical research in the proposed Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale Rhododendron conservation area, Nepal. Pp. 26-37 in Vegetation and Society: Their interaction in Himalayas. Edited by R.P. Chaudhary, B.P. Subedi, O.R. Vetaas & T.H. Aase. Tribhuvan University, Nepal and University of Bergen, Norway.
    • Citing websites:
      • If the article cited has an author then the citation should be author, title, website and date of access. For example, Mesfin T. 1997. Neglected Treasure: An Overview of Ethiopia’s Vegetation. Ethiopian Tree Fund Foundation. www.addis.etff.org/mesfin.pdf. (accessed April 2008).
      • Sometimes there may not be an author for the article. In that case just the title and the website with the access date are acceptable. This has to be appropriately referenced in the text.
      • The citation does not need to indicate that the "World Wide Web was accessed" although some older systems advise this. This is well understood now with "www."
      • Addresses leading with "http://www." should be reduced to "www."
      • Automatic hyphenation is fine in the web address, but this should be fixed in the hyperlink and the hyperlink destination (in InDesign these can be two different locations). In InDesign highlight the text to be linked, right click, select Interactive.

Taxonomic (Plant +) names

Plants & Fungi

  • Each plant cited will often have a scientific name, although there are noted exceptions where a local name is only used.
  • ALL plants discussed in the text as part of the research results are expected to be backed up by voucher specimens unless the work is theoretical. There are many reasons for this, but the most basic is that the voucher specimens are the physical evidence of a claim that is being made. Without evidence then there is no way for anyone to every check if what is being stated is true or not.
  • At the first mention of a scientific name (often a binomial - Genus and species):
    • The authority for that particular cited binomial needs to be indicated. (Although most authors know and do this, they do not always use the most current binomial for a species so this must be checked. It is ERA policy to use the most currently accepted Latin binomial for each plant being published.) The following databases are used for checking plant names. Authors and Editors with better on-line sources are encouraged to propose these to the Editorial Board:
    • After the authority is mentioned the first time it should not subsequently be listed. Exceptions are citing the authority FIRST within Figures, Tables and Appendixes where they may be mentioned again later in the text. Note that some authors will use a Table or Appendix citation early within a document as a mechanism for efficiently citing all authorities at once so that they then do not need to be cited at all within the text. This is an acceptable writing style.
    • Each Figure, Table or Appendix is considered to be an autonomous document and therefore authorities need to be cited within each even if previously cited within the Text or other Figures, etc.
  • Subsequent use of a binomial should have the genus name abbreviated (and should not mention the authority). An exception to this rule is when the Genus is the first word in a sentence or the genus is used alone (without the species) or in reference to multiple species (spp.) or unknown species (sp.) or within a figure, Table or Appendix.

Animals & Microbes

    • Animals and microbes need to have the year listed after the author of the species, as per the Zoological Code of Nomenclature.

Tables & Appendixes

  • Tables: Most articles have one or more tables of data.
    • The content of tables needs to be carefully examined for redundancy. Table content is often redundant with written content of "results" sections. Tables are preferred. Written results may need to be edited down to reduce redundancy.
    • Tables will get structured within the Copy Editing step, but it is important here to consider how the information will be arranged and if some of the information should be rearranged BEFORE the manuscript is sent to Copy Editing. It is generally easier to move data from column to column and row to row during this step than later.
    • Titles must clearly describe the content of the table and include sufficient detail that make the the table meaningful if it were read apart from the rest of the article. (Imagine that the table were found on a sidewalk without the rest of the article... would the title make sense without the rest of the article? If not, then more information needs to be added, even if it appears to be redundant within the article.)
    • Tables need to be cited within the article. If they are not cited then they should become an appendix.
  • Appendixes: Some articles have appendixes. Appendixes are often longer sets of results or preliminary data that would make reading a primary article difficult and therefore are moved to the end of the paper.
    • Appendixes are structured just like Tables so should be edited just like tables.
  • Supplementary Databases: Increasingly authors are expecting to publish their complete data set in support of their research work. This has beome the standard of practice with some of the most prominent of journals.
    • These supplementary documents can be formatted in any way that the author feels appropriate but should clearly indicate at the top of the first page the journal, publication name and rest of the complete citation.
    • Supplements may be linked and cited within an article.
    • Supplements may be linked within the journal web site as supplementary materials and thus permanently archived.

Figures (Maps, Images, Other Graphics)

  • Maps: Often the first figure within an article is a map of the study site.
    • Should clearly show the area being discussed in the manuscript and not more unless a national or regional reference scale map is needed to locate the context of the study site.
    • Should include sites names in the manuscript, significant reference locations, and nothing else. (Wise authors will submit two copies of their maps, one with names and one without. This allows the copy-editors to place additional names or change the font if needed.)
    • Should have an appropriate key, scale and directions.
    • Should almost NEVER be used from other sources since they rarely include the information that is needed for the specific manuscript and often include unneeded information. (In addition, specific permission must be acquired to use a map from any other source since all maps are copy written unless otherwise stated.)
    • Fonts used within a map should not be less than 9 point (e.g., smaller than the font of the text) and must be the same font as the font used in the journal. (authors do not know the size that their map will be scaled to in order to fit the journal page so it is best advice for them to submit fonts that are significantly larger than 9 point.)
    • OFTEN need to be remade because authors submit poor quality, inappropriate scale or content.
    • Titles must clearly describe the content of the map and include sufficient detail that make the map and title meaningful if they were read apart from the rest of the article. (Note that the most inappropriate title is: "Map of the study area.")
    • Maps should be needed... Sometimes authors submit maps because they feel that maps are required parts of a publication. They are not. Each map needs to add something important to the paper. Any map that is redundant with information in the text or seems to have no purpose, should be removed.
  • Photographs: Are strongly encouraged but must clearly illustrate important points about the work and not be window dressing.
    • Images are usually received as .jpeg, .tif, or .gif files but other files may also be submitted and used. Image quality is of primary consideration. Images that have been submitted embedded in software such as a Microsoft Word document will have been altered and will loose quality. Authors should be asked to submit an original that was never embedded and not to merely extract the image from the document as this will result in loss of quality.
    • Fonts used on a photograph plate should not be less than 9 point (e.g., smaller than the font of the text) and must be the same font as the font used in the journal.
    • Photographs must be of sufficient quality and size to illustrate the information that they are intended to and to do so within the size of the journal. Photos that are too large will need to be resized into ~300 dpi and no larger than 4 inches wide by 8 inches high. Photos that are received that are less than 300 dpi may need to be rejected with a request for a better image.
    • Titles must clearly describe the content of the photography and include sufficient detail that make the the photograph and title meaningful if they were read apart from the rest of the article.
  • Data Figures: About half of the data figures submitted to the journal are simply not needed as they represent information that is just as easily presented within a sentence or two. If a figure is not needed then it should be removed as good editing policy. A common example is a simple pie chart that shows two or three divisions.
    • Should include sufficient detail to be self explanatory.
    • Should not be merely the automated output from Excel spread sheets or other software that generally produces awkward products that do not look very good and often do not represent the data appropriately.
    • Fonts (used within a data figure) should not be less than 9 point (e.g., smaller than the font of the text) and must be the same font as that used in the journal.
    • OFTEN need to be remade because authors submit poor quality, inappropriate scale or content. Figures can easily be remade within Power -Point or equivalent software packages, saving the files as Enhanced Windows Metafiles (.emf) for import into In-Design.
    • Titles must clearly describe the content of the figure and include sufficient detail that make the the figure completely meaningful if they were read apart from the rest of the article.

Audio & Video

  • Audio Files: May be reviewed and published as completely unique documents, as embedded files within .pdf documents, or as audio versions of written documents.
    • Need to be edited for sound quality with a variety of filters.
    • May need to be edited for content to remove "ahs," "ums," and other raw file information that authors may prefer deleted in order to appear more professional. Raw copies should be maintained and made available of the originals.
  • Video Files: May be reviewed and published as completely unique documents, as embedded links within .pdf documents, or as video versions of written documents.
    • May need to be edited for content to remove unneeded information that authors may prefer deleted in order to appear more professional and to reduce the file size. Raw copies should be maintained and made available of the originals.
    • May be published as peer-reviewed publications.