How to publish your research and conservation reports with the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

Facilitated by Stefan Gleissberg, BirdsCaribbean; Joseph Wunderle, Editor-in-Chief JCO; Dr. Dave Ewert, formerly American Bird Conservancy & The Nature Conservancy; and Dr. Gregory Butcher, formerly Migratory Species Coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service International Programs. 

Emails: stefan.gleissberg@birdsCaribbean.org, jmwunderle@gmail.com, dnewert@gmail.com, gregbutcherwi@hotmail.com 

Purpose: The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region. JCO publishes Research Articles, Research Notes, Reviews, Conservation Reports, and Perspectives & Opinions. The purpose of this workshop is to encourage publication of relevant work in JCO and familiarize early-career authors with the publication process and to offer tips on effective manuscript design and writing.

Overview: We invite field researchers and conservationists in the Caribbean and beyond to learn about getting your work published with the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. The JCO has been the go-to peer-reviewed ornithological journal for the region for more than 36 years. JCO publishes research articles which may include first-time avian records, avian behavior, ecology, and natural history. In addition, JCO publishes conservation reports, which may include management plans, reports of on-the-ground conservation actions, advocacy, and public outreach in the Caribbean. JCO’s specialty is the mentoring of first-time and early-career authors and those who may not have access to the resources of an academic institution. We guide our authors through every step, from manuscript submission through peer review, revisions, all the way to the copyediting and production stages. Our team makes sure that your science and writing are in the best shape when published, for maximum impact. Having your work published in our open-access scientific journal makes it permanently accessible to the scientific and conservation communities, eliminating the all-too-common problem of valuable results collecting dust on a shelf or hard-drive. JCO offers advice even before you submit a manuscript to us: How do I best turn my master’s thesis, agency or project report into a published article? Who can look into my stats and graphs? How do I create an informative map? How do I navigate co-authorship, organize and structure my manuscript, translation needs (we publish in three languages)? In addition, we address writing conservation reports: What makes an effective conservation report? What were the lessons learned? Were conservation activities effective? Are there recommendations for others in the Caribbean?

Objectives:

• Address the question of what makes an effective research or conservation report

• Familiarize prospective authors with the publication process at a peer-reviewed scientific journal

• Give prospective authors a chance to meet the JCO editorial team and have their questions answered

• Host a one-on-one clinic with editors and BC mentors

Session Structure: JCO editors will go through the entire process from manuscript submission, peer review, revision, acceptance, copyediting, and production stages until your article is published. After a Q&A, our team is available to hear your manuscript ideas and answer your questions one-on-one. We will provide a sign-up sheet so we can follow up with you afterwards.