Author Guidelines
Instructions To Authors
Papers for submission to the West African Journal of Applied Ecology should be written in English and should not exceed 8,000 words in total length.
Papers should not have been submitted or be considered for submission for publication elsewhere. Ideas expressed in papers that are published in the Journal are entirely those of the authors and not those of the Editors.
Papers submitted will be subjected to peer review before possible publication. Authors are encouraged to suggest names of two potential referees. They should, however, not be from the same Institute, nor should they have been at any time closely associated professionally with the author(s) of the paper being submitted. The Editorial Board regards these names as suggestions only, and is not obliged to use any or both of the proposed names.
Reprints
Authors will receive one copy of the Journal in which their papers are published. Author(s) may order reprints at their own cost. Proof comes to the authors with reprints order forms
Copyright
Authors publish in the Journal with the understanding that they assign their copyright to the West Africa Journal of Applied Ecology.
Organization of Manuscripts
Authors should please submit three copies of their manuscript, typed with double spacing, including figure legends, table footnotes and references, on one side of A4 (30 cm x 21 cm) size high quality paper, with 2.5 cm margins on all four sides. Papers must be numbered sequentially, including the abstract, figure legends and tables.
The paper should be organized into the following sections:
Title page: indicating title, short running title, name of each author, and, for each author, position held and full address. Please indicate which address should be used for correspondence and reprint requests where there is more than one author
Abstract: not exceeding 300 words. Should provide a brief summary of the basic content of the paper, including major methods used, results and deductions or conclusions. Avoid abbreviations and do not include tables and diagrams, and, unless absolutely necessary, references should be excluded
Introduction: to supply background information and references of earlier published reports related to the study and provide the rationale for undertaking the study. Should avoid excessive references, particularly those not closely related to the study
Materials and methods: to provide sufficient technical information on approaches, materials and equipment, etc., used to obtain the results reported, such that the work could be duplicated by someone else
Results: reporting only the results of the experiments, illustrated by Tables and Figures
Discussion: an interpretation of the results, and its relation to other previously published work on the subject, and must not be a recapitulation of results
Acknowledgements: indicating the source of any financial support or personal assistance received in carrying out the study
References: listing all quoted published material, arranged in alphabetical order, typed double-space. Abbreviate journal names according to BIOSIS Serial Sources (Bio-Sciences Information Service, Philadelphia, Pa., 1997) Follow the styles shown in the examples below:
Bhuvaneswari, T. V. and Selheim, B. (1985). Root hair deformation in the white clover/Rhizobium trifolii, symbiosis. Physiol. Plant. 63: 25-34 Deutscher, M.P. (1960). Guide to Protein Purification. Acad Press Inc., San Diego, USA.
Dreyfs, B., Garcia, J. L. and Gillis, M. (1988). Characterization of Azorhizobium caulinodans gen Nov., sp. Nov., a stem – nodulating nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from Sesbania rostrata. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 38: 89-98.
Van Rhee, J. E. (1963). Earthworm activities and the breakdown of organic matter. In Soil Organisms. Eds. J. Doeksen and J. van der Drift. Pp. 55-59. North Holland, Amsterdam Sambrook, J.,
Fritsch, E. F. and Maniatis, T. (1989). Molecular Cloning: a laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Habor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
References in the text should be quoted by the author’s name and date in parenthesis and presented in date order. Where there are more than two authors, the first author only should be quoted, followed by et al. and date in parenthesis.
Illustrations and Tables Should be of high quality, and line drawing. Should be in a Form suitable for reproduction without modification. Figures, Photographs and Tables should be added separately, i.e. not inserted in the typed text, with each figure or table presented on a separate page, and designed for linear reduction in the ratio of 2:1 or 3:2, for printing within a column width of 6.5 cm or a double- column width of 13.6 cm. Lettering on axes and within figures should be clear and big enough to be legible even upon 50-75% reduction in size. The figure legends should be typed, correspondingly, on a separate page, headed Legends at the end of the article. The author’s name, the figure number and indication of its proper orientation should be written lightly on the back of each figure. Photographs should be supplied as black-and-white high, contrast glassy prints. Colour plates may be inserted only if author agrees to pay for the expenses involved. Units All measures should be indicated in SI units. Where necessary they may be followed by the equivalent in traditional units in parenthesis.
Change of Address
Authors should promptly notify the Editor of any change of address.
Reviews of Books
Books and monographs will be reviewed by invited reviewers. They may be sent to the Editor.
Other Notes to authors
Copyright material. Authors have the responsibility of ensuring that co-authors are in agreement with the form and submission of the manuscript and for obtaining permission to quote material from copyright sources
Returning of manuscripts to authors
Manuscripts submitted will not be returned to authors unless specifically requested at the time of submission Proofs will be sent to authors for final correction. However, authors are not expected to make extensive modifications of manuscripts at this stage, otherwise they would be surcharged. Proofs sent to authors for correction should be returned within a week of receipt, together with any order for reprints
Acceptance of manuscripts for publication
Acceptance of a manuscript for publication will be indicated explicitly in a letter to the authors and whether any corrections or modifications are required to be made on the paper or not. Similarly authors whose papers are rejected for publication will be notified.
Papers for publication should be submitted to:
The Editor West African Journal of Applied Ecology Ecological Laboratory Unit University of Ghana P.O. Box LG59, Legon Accra, Ghana
