Editorial Board

Purpose

The Editorial Board provides strategic scientific oversight, expert taxonomic evaluation, academic networking, and foundational guidance to the Laksambuhay, The UPLB Journal of Natural History. The board ensures that the journal, published by the UPLB Museum of Natural History, remains a significant publication for natural history, systematics, and biodiversity conservation in the Philippines.

Membership Eligibility & Tenure

The Editorial Board is composed of established scientists, systematists, taxonomists, and field biologists whose collective expertise spans the diverse organismal groups and ecological scopes of the journal. Board members must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to the advancement of open-science practices, rigorous taxonomic standards, and ethical publishing.

• Appointment and Chair: The Editor-in-Chief is chosen from among the curators of the UPLB Museum of Natural History. Members are invited and appointed by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief serves as the Chair of the Editorial Board.

• Term Limit: Members serve a three-year term, which may be renewed upon mutual agreement and evaluation of engagement.

• Compensation: Board positions are strictly honorary, voluntary, and non-remunerated.

Duties and Responsibilities

To safeguard and elevate Laksambuhay’s standing as a trusted, peer-reviewed source of taxonomic and ecological data, board members fulfill three primary roles:

A. Ambassadors for the Journal

• Actively promote Laksambuhay within international and local scientific societies, academic institutions, and field research networks.

• Encourage colleagues, research fellows, postgraduate, and even under- and graduate students specializing in taxonomy and natural history to submit high-quality original research papers, checklists, and even monographs. 

• Champion the journal's visibility at major symposia, biodiversity conferences, and institutional workshops.

• Lead by example by considering Laksambuhay as a venue for their own relevant research outputs, short communications, or taxonomic notes.

B. Curatorial & Journal Development

• Provide targeted insights regarding emerging methodologies in biological nomenclature, molecular phylogenetics, and conservation ecology to keep the journal scientifically cutting-edge.

• Attend scheduled Editorial Board meetings and actively engage in strategic discussions.

• Advise on the expansion of the journal’s scope, the enlistment of specialized taxonomic reviewers, and opportunities for special or thematic issues.

• Help identify historical or data-rich natural history collections that merit documentation and publication.

C. Participation in Peer Review & Quality Assurance

• Act as ad hoc peer reviewers for manuscripts within their specific taxonomic or ecological domain.

• Serve as Guest Editors for thematic series or handle manuscripts where handling editors face a conflict of interest.

• Maintain absolute confidentiality and scientific objectivity throughout the double-blind peer-review process.

• Provide clear, constructive, and timely publication recommendations regarding the validity of data, nomenclatural accuracy, and overall suitability for the journal.

IV. Conflict of Interest & Publication Ethics

Members must transparently disclose any potential personal, financial, or institutional conflicts of interest to the Editor-in-Chief immediately upon receiving a manuscript or advisory request. In cases when and where the Editor-in-Chief is unavoidably a submitting author, the final acceptance or rejection of a submitted manuscript shall be the sole responsibility of the Associate Editor or at least three senior members of the Editorial Board.

To maintain pristine academic integrity, all board members are required to uphold the international standards of publication ethics outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Taxonomic descriptions and nomenclatural acts must strictly adhere to the rules set by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Madrid Code), International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), and the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP).

V. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statement

Laksambuhay, in alignment with the values of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, is deeply dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic ecosystem.

We recognize that documenting the world’s natural heritage requires a plurality of voices. The Editorial Board aims to foster a collaborative culture free from biases based on nationality, gender, institutional prestige, or career stage. We actively encourage contributions from, and representation of, local conservationists, indigenous communities holding traditional ecological knowledge, and early-career taxonomists from biodiverse regions.

VI. Amendments and Review

These Terms of Reference are dynamic and subject to bi-annual review by the Editorial Team to adapt to evolving global standards in digital publishing and biological nomenclature.

Date of Adoption: 05 June 2026
Next Review Date: 05 June 2028