Questions that involve the journal Ethnobotany Research and Application's manuscript review and acceptance policies are not listed below but will best be answered by examining the Editorial Board Policies.
Questions that involve formatting of articles are not listed below but will best be answered by examining the Copy Editing Guidelines.
Can I retrieve or change my password?
Yes. See Reset Password
May I submit a manuscript for consideration? What do I need to do to submit a manuscript?
Manuscripts may only be submitted through the ERA (www.ethnobotanyjournal.org) website and are not accepted via e-mail, fax, or mail. Manuscripts received in other ways will be ignored.
In order to be able to submit a manuscript, a potential author must first register on-line in the ERA web site as an author. Registration includes providing a contact e-mail address that will be used for future communications. This must be a functional address. A username and password will also need to be provided by the author. Once registered, it is important that the potential author make sure that their computer is set to "receive cookies" BEFORE attempting to log into the ERA system or the system will block attempts to log in. This is a security feature that is used to prevent spy-, spam- and other-users from propagating within this system.
Once logged into the system, select the "author" option and then "start a new submission". By following the prompts and uploading the requested information it will be possible to complete the process of uploading a document for consideration.
It is important to realize that ALL documents must be reviewed through a peer review process and that successfully uploading them into the computer does not constitute acceptance for publication. Authors may follow the process of consideration by logging into the system at any time and checking on the status of a manuscript that is currently under review.
How can I volunteer to help with this journal?
ERA volunteers participate in many ways and more help is always appreciated.
Click here to see a list of volunteer opportunities. Additional opportunities exist to help at periodic meetings and to do special development tasks. Please contact the senior editors for more information.
I cannot upload my manuscript to the journal web site. What is the problem? Can I send the manuscript as an e-mail attachment to one of the editors?
The ERA website requires that all potential authors do three things in order to successfully submit manuscripts. First, an author must register with the journal as an author. When registering there are several settings and it is possible to register with journal and not be registered as an author. Be sure to check the box marked "author" in order to be able to submit manuscripts. Second, when logging into the journal it is critical that you have your computer set to accept "cookies". The journal does not want to become a processor of spam or a data dumping ground for spammers so has this cookie requirement to screen out bad-guys. Accepting the cookie is an indication that you are a legitimate computer willing to work with us. Third, after successfully logging in you must upload a document and go through all four of the steps in the process of submitting a manuscript until the system indicates that you are finished with the process. You will then receive an automated e-mail response that the manuscript has been received. If you do not receive the automated response, then the process was not completed.
The editors rotate through the process of receipt of manuscripts. Since each editor is also an active researcher conducting field research, sometimes in remote locations, sending e-mail is a precarious approach to submission of manuscripts. This process could take months for the editor to receive and acknowledge the message whereas the on-line system should elicit a response within hours or days.
What is happening with my manuscript that is being reviewed?
Ethnobotany Research and Applications uses at on-line tracking system that allows authors to follow the publication process. However, during the review period, no changes are shown in the system until a result is reached. While most manuscripts are reviewed in 30-60 days, some take longer. In almost every case, the reason for lengthy reviews is difficulty in getting responses from reviewers. There are several things that authors can do to help prevent this problem: 1) Submit suggestions for a diverse set of peer reviewers who have appropriate expertise to review the particular document. A case for inclusion of a reviewer may be made in a cover letter. 2) Provide very clean and clear manuscript, figures and other materials on interesting subjects so that reviewers are excited to review and respond. and 3) Submit shorter manuscripts that are easier to review as longer manuscripts are much more difficult to convince reviewers to donate their time to consider.
If a manuscript has been in review for more than four months, contact the editor and ask if there is something that can be done to assist in the process.
Why was my manuscript not accepted and what can I do to improve it in a resubmission?
Specific comments are usually provided by reviewers and sometimes by editors. However, a compilation of several years of comments was prepared and published in order to address this very frequently asked question. See Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2006. 4:1-9.
Does this journal consider (______) articles for publication?
The answer to this question is not simply a matter of filling in the blank. While the journal generally focuses on "ethnobiology" content, this means different things to different people around the world.
Generally, work that is focused in the following areas and did not involve a major component of work with people will not be accepted: Agronomy, Biogeography, Botany, Horticulture, Microbiology, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, and Zoology.
Generally, work that is focused in the following areas even if it did not involve a major component of work with people will be accepted if approved by reviewers: Archaeology, GIS, Linguistics, and Theoretical Analyses of Human Interactions with the Environment.
The journal does not consider, nor accept, Review Articles.