Content
Authorship and responsibility
Preparing your submission
Technical guidelines
Printable version of these guidelines for download (PDF)
Content
MRD’s MountainPlatform section is reserved for institutional members of the International Mountain Society (IMS) who submit contributions describing the work or policies of their organizations on a rotating basis by invitation.
Authorship and responsibility
All contributors to MRD must assume full responsibility for the contents and opinions expressed in their writings. Tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as large language models (eg ChatGPT) and image creators, cannot be listed as authors. Instead, their use must be made transparent in the article itself (see “Use of generative artificial intelligence” below). Before submission of a manuscript, the corresponding author must ensure that all coauthors have seen the version of the paper that will be uploaded.
Contributors must also assume responsibility for checking the accuracy of all numerical material and references as well as non-English quotations and names. All submissions are routinely screened for potential plagiarism using Similarity Check; plagiarism will not be tolerated. Should the Editors find out that significant parts of a paper submitted to MRD have been published elsewhere prior to publication in MRD, even though the author confirmed that this is not the case, the paper will be rejected and the author will be charged for the costs of processing the paper through peer review.
Use of generative artificial intelligence
Tools based on generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as large language models (eg ChatGPT) and image creators, cannot be listed or cited as authors. Use of AI-based tools for research purposes (eg data collection, analysis, figure creation) must be documented in the manuscript along with any other tools and methodologies used. In addition, use of AI-based tools in preparing, writing, or editing the manuscript must be disclosed in a statement at the end of the manuscript (see example below). In both cases, authors must specify what AI-based tool (name, version, etc) they used and describe in detail how they used it. Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the content of their manuscript, including any parts produced with the help of AI-based tools. Before incorporating the output of those tools in their manuscript, authors must therefore carefully review, verify, and correct it as necessary to avoid inaccuracies, biases, and plagiarism.
Example of a disclosure statement at the end of the article: USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: When preparing this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL] in order to [PURPOSE]. After using this tool, the author(s) carefully reviewed and edited the content as needed. The author(s) take(s) full responsibility for the content of this article.
Note that these rules apply to tools based on generative AI, that is, tools that are capable of generating text, images, videos, or other data. The rules do not apply to conventional tools for checking spelling and grammar in existing text, managing references, or editing existing images in a basic way (eg removing red eyes or adjusting brightness and saturation in photos).
Preparing your submission
If you are submitting a fresh paper, you may submit it in one single Word file including the body text, figures, and tables. If you are submitting a revised version of a paper, you must submit figures and tables separately as described below. Submissions that do not conform with the following instructions and technical guidelines will be returned to authors. Please prepare the following files before you start the online submission process, and make sure that they conform with the technical guidelines given further below:
Body text
- Formatted text, no figures or tables (except if you are submitting a fresh paper)
- Line spacing = 1.5 (in Word, select entire text, go to Home tab, click line spacing icon, and select 1.5)
- Lines must be numbered (in Word, go to Layout tab, click “Line numbers,” and select “Continuous”)
- Length = approximately 1200 words
- Contains the body text of your paper; author information (please list full names the way you wish them to appear, as well as affiliations); the list of references (if applicable); a list of captions for figures and tables, with information about the authors of the figures (eg “Photo by Mickey Mouse” or “Map by Donald Duck”)
- No footnotes, no endnotes
- Any figures, tables, and boxes must be referred to in the text, in numerical order
- In-text referencing must follow the MRD guidelines for references (see technical guidelines)
- Author information should be listed below the body text of the article; for every author, including yourself, list the full name and the affiliation in the following order: First name, Last name, Department, Institution, Address, Postal Code, City, Country
- Any references should be listed at the end of the paper without numbering, alphabetically by author, giving the complete unabbreviated source citation; format, style, and manner of referencing must follow the MRD guidelines for references (see technical guidelines)
- If applicable, at the end of this file list captions of figures in numerical order, followed by captions of tables in numerical order
- Upload as “Manuscript” type file; ignore the instructions on PeerTrack™ saying that this file should not contain any author information
Figures
- IMPORTANT: You are required to submit a current logo of your organization
- Other illustrations may be included if space permits; the Editors reserve the right to decide whether to publish any figure material submitted
- Submit each figure in a separate file and include the figure number in the file name according to the list of figures provided in the body text (eg Figure_1.jpg)
- Possible file formats: .JPG, .EPS, .PSD, .TIF, .PDF, .XLS, .PPT
- The preferred format for any figure that includes text is a vectorized file, with text as font; note that once your paper is accepted for publication, you will be asked to provide high resolution versions of photos and bitmaps, and vectorized versions of all other types of files (see technical guidelines for details and an explanation of “vectorized,” “bitmapped,” and “text as font”)
- Do not include caption or any information about the author of the figure in the figure file
- Figures will be published in grayscale in MountainPlatform articles
- You cannot upload files larger than 10 MB; if one or several of your figures are over 10 MB in size, please contact the journal office (peertrackeditorial.mrd@kwglobal.com)
- Upload as “Figure” type file
Tables and Boxes
- Tables or boxes may be included if space permits; the Editors reserve the right to decide whether to publish any table or box material submitted
- Submit each table and box in a separate file and include the table or box number in the file name according to the list of captions provided in the body text (eg Table_1.doc or Box_2.doc)
- Formatted text, no figures
- In tables, do not include caption
- In boxes, include caption in a title bar (topmost line across entire box)
- Tables and boxes must conform with the technical guidelines
- Upload as “Table/Box” type file
Technical guidelines
Please note that manuscripts which do not conform to these technical guidelines will be returned to authors.
Language
Authors are expected to submit articles in clear and concise English.
Structuring your body text
Please use headings to structure your body text. You may use three levels of headings. You may want to number them to make sure the structure is clear. The numbers will not be included if your paper is published, but they will make it clear for the typesetters which level of headings to use. Example:
<<#1>> The research project: a multipurpose monitoring system
<<#2>> Framework for sustainable tourism development
<<#3>> Frame of reference: Within the context of this paper, …
Spelling and other style details
- Use American English spelling
- Use italics for foreign words; example: … traditional mountain irrigation system (bisse); bisses were used for…
- Use English version of cities and other place names if they exist (eg Lucerne, not Luzern); where the form officially used in the country under discussion differs from the commonly known name or the English-language name, the other name should be added in parentheses
- As a rule, spell out all abbreviations when they first occur in your manuscript; example: This geographic information system (GIS) is highly complex…
- All numerical units should conform as closely as possible to the International System of Units (SI)
- Use the metric system for all measurements
- The monetary unit should be US$; if you refer to other currencies, please indicate the US$ equivalent between brackets or provide the conversion rate
- Use italics in the following way for Latin names of species: Genus species, then G. species; Chattonella antique (Hada) Ono; Chattonella species or Chattonella sp or Chattonella spp
Using reference management software
If you use reference management software such as Zotero or EndNote, use the “Council of Science Editors (author-date)” or “CSE Style Manual N-Y” style to format your references. Otherwise follow the detailed instructions below.
In-text references
Use author–year style in chronological, then alphabetical, order. Use “et al” with three or more authors. Use colon and number to indicate page reference. Examples:
- Bhasin (2011, 2012)
- Grau and Foguet (2021)
- R Core Development Team (n.d.)
- (Wester et al 2019)
- (Rosell 2011; Fashing et al 2014; Groth et al 2020)
- (see figures 4 and 5 in Keen et al 1971)
- Barr and Lemieux (2021: 33); (Pörtner et al 2022: 24)
List of references
All literature cited in any part of your paper should be listed at the end of the body text file in a section entitled “REFERENCES,” without numbering, alphabetically by author and then chronologically, giving the complete unabbreviated source citation.
General rules:
- If there are several works by the same author(s), they should be arranged chronologically by year of publication with oldest reference first; if several works by the same author were published in the same year, arrange them alphabetically and add a letter to the year of publication, eg 1999a, 1999b, etc
- If a publication has more than 10 authors, list the first 10 authors, then use “et al”
- Always provide city and country of publication, eg “Bern, Switzerland”; for places of publication in the USA, provide the 2-letter postal code for the state, but not “USA,” eg Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- Provide a DOI (digital object identifier) for all types of sources whenever available; DOIs begin with https://doi.org/…
- Use the English version of cities and other place names if they exist: Vienna, not Wien; Rome, not Roma
- For online references, indicate a DOI- or Handle-based URL whenever available (Handle-based URLs begin with https://hdl.handle.net/…); if no such URL is available, give preference to persistent URLs, permalinks, or stable URLs
- When referring to an e-book, add information about its format, as well as the application and device used to read it, as the last part of the reference (eg “Kindle” or “Adobe Digital Editions EPUB”)
- All items listed under REFERENCES must be publicly available, ie in a library or on the Internet; no “submitted,” “accepted,” or “forthcoming” material, personal communications, or unpublished data can be included; exception: unpublished articles can be listed if you provide an address at which a copy can be requested; ideally, this will be your own address; example: “available from corresponding author of this article”
- “In press” items should include volume and year of publication
- Do not cite publications in so-called predatory journals, which do not conduct proper peer review; if in doubt, go through the useful checklist here and check the lists of potential predatory publishers and journals available here
- For publications in languages that use alphabets other than the Latin one, translate the title into English and indicate the original language in square brackets following the title (see Chinese and Hindi examples below)
The format of references is different depending on the type of literature (eg journal article, book chapter, conference proceedings, etc); please see the following examples.
Journal article (with page range):
Grau HR, Foguet J. 2021. El legado de la urbanización europea en el cono sur sudamericano: Una aproximación a la historia de las teleconexiones sobre la ecología del territorio. Ecologia Austral 31(1):114–128. https://doi.org/10.25260/ea.21.31.1.0.1230.
Pascual U, Balvanera P, Díaz S, Pataki G, Roth E, Stenseke M, Watson RT, Başak Dessane E, Islar M, Kelemen E, et al. 2017. Valuing nature’s contributions to people: The IPBES approach. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 26–27:7–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.12.006.
Rumpf SB, Gravey M, Brönnimann O, Luoto M, Cianfrani C, Mariethoz G, Guisan A. 2022. From white to green: Snow cover loss and increased vegetation productivity in the European Alps. Science 376(6597):1119–1122. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6697.
Tysiachniouk MS, Horowitz LS, Korkina VV, Petrov AN. 2021. Indigenous-led grassroots engagements with oil pipelines in the U.S. and Russia: The NoDAPL and Komi movements. Environmental Politics 30(6):895–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2020.1851534.
Wei J, Shi BL, Li JL. 2016. Response of soil shear strength to soil water content in purple soil slope cropland bunds [in Chinese with English abstract]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering 32(20):153–160. https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2016.20.020.
Journal article (with article number—if journal does not use continuous pagination):
Capinha C, Essl F, Porto M, Seebens H. 2023. The worldwide networks of spread of recorded alien species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(1):e2201911120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2201911120.
Hewitt K, Mehta M. 2012. Rethinking risk and disasters in mountain areas. Journal of Alpine Research 100(1):1653. https://doi.org/10.4000/rga.1653.
Mbaabu PR, Ng W-T, Schaffner U, Gichaba M, Olago D, Choge S, Oriaso S, Eckert S. 2019. Spatial evolution of Prosopis invasion and its effects on LULC and livelihoods in Baringo, Kenya. Remote Sensing 11(10):1217. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/10/1217#.
Journal article published online but not (yet) included in specific issue:
Dang VH, Shively G. 2007. Coffee boom, coffee bust, and smallholder response in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Review of Development Economics, OnlineEarly, 4 September 2007. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9361.2007.00391.x.
Murti R, Mathez-Stiefel S-L, Rist S. 2019. A methodological orientation for social learning based adaptation planning: Lessons from pilot interventions in rural communities of Burkina Faso, Chile and Senegal. Systemic Practice and Action Research, Online First, 4 June 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-019-09495-8.
Owen LA, Kamp U, Khattak G, Harp E, Keefer DK, Bauer M. 2007. Landslides triggered by the October 8, 2005, Kashmir Earthquake. Geomorphology, Articles in Press, 10 May 2007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.04.007.
Journal article (no DOI available):
Backhaus N, Reichler C, Stremlow M. 2007. Ein Landschaftsmodell für den Alpenraum: Erkenntnisse aus einem schweizerischen Forschungsprogramm. Histoire des Alpes—Storia delle Alpi—Geschichte der Alpen 12:307–321.
Semwal JK, Gaur RD, Purohit AN. 1981. Floristic pattern of an alpine zone, Tungnath, in Garhwal Himalaya. Acta Botanica Indica 9:110–114.
Book:
Bätzing W. 2005. Bildatlas Alpen—Eine Kulturlandschaft im Porträt. Darmstadt, Germany: Primus-Verlag.
Negash L. 2010. A Selection of Ethiopia’s Indigenous Trees: Biology, Uses, and Propagation Techniques. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Addis Ababa University Press.
Hair JF. 2010. Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. 7th edition (1st edition 1979). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall.
Wester P, Mishra A, Mukherji A, Shrestha AB. 2019. The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment: Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Open. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92288-1.
Edited book:
Cuesta F, Sevink J, Llambi L, De Bievre B, Posner J, editors. 2014. Avances en investigación de los páramos andinos. Quito, Ecuador: CONDESAN [Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina].
Malik A, Grohmann E, Akhtar R, editors. 2014. Environmental Deterioration and Human Health. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7890-0.
Chapter in edited book:
Adler C, Wester P, Bhatt I, Huggel C, Insarov G, Morecroft M, Muccione V, Prakash A. 2022. Cross-chapter paper 5: Mountains. In: Pörtner HO, Roberts DC, Tignor M, Poloczanska ES, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Craig M, Langsdorf S, Löschke S, Möller V, et al, editors. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, pp 2273–2318. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844.022.
Fornara F, Scopelliti M, Carrus G, Bonnes M, Bonaiuto M. 2021. Place attachment and environment-related behavior. In: Manzo LC, Devine-Wright P, editors. Place Attachment: Advances in Theory, Methods and Applications. 2nd edition (1st edition 2014). London, United Kingdom: Routledge, pp 193–207. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429274442-12.
Youngs Y. 2018. Constructing place attachment in Grand Teton National Park. In: Smith JS, editor. Explorations in Place Attachment. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, pp 117–132. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315189611-8.
Thesis or dissertation:
Walz A. 2006. Land Use Modeling for an Integrated Approach to Regional Development in the Swiss Alps [PhD dissertation]. Zurich, Switzerland: University of Zurich.
Reprint:
Arriaga J de. 1968. Extirpacion de la idolatria del Piru [1st edition 1621]. In: Esteve Barba F, editor. Crónicas Peruanas de Interés indigena. Biblioteca de Autores Españoles 209. Madrid, Spain: Atlas, pp 191–277.
Freely available electronic edition of book (prefer scanned pages to reflowable text):
Humboldt A von. 18XX. Tagebücher der Amerikanischen Reise IX. Berlin, Germany: Berlin State Library. http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0001527C00000000; accessed on 15 November 2021.
Humboldt A von. 1808. Ansichten der Natur mit wissenschaftlichen Erläuterungen. Vol 1. Tübingen, Germany: J.G. Cottasche Buchhandlung. https://books.google.ch/books?id=sJg5AAAAcAAJ; accessed on 11 January 2022.
Lockhart W, Woodthorpe R. 1889. The Gilgit Mission 1885–86. London, United Kingdom: Eyre and Spottiswoode. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/vh974wyv; accessed on 27 May 2024.
Unpublished material available from corresponding author of MRD article, ie you:
Chundawat R, Qureshi Q. 1999. Planning Wildlife Conservation in Leh and Kargil Districts of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir. Unpublished report submitted to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Available from corresponding author of this article.
Zhao Q, Tang Z. 2002. Improving extension with participatory project management models in the Gannan Grassland and Animal Husbandry Department, Gansu. Unpublished paper presented at the ICIMOD Regional Strategy Workshop on the Changing Face of Pastoralism in the Hindu–Kush Himalaya Tibetan Plateau Highlands: Forging a Sustainable Path for the Future. Lhasa, China, 12–19 May. Available from corresponding author of this article.
Article in print newspaper or periodical:
AP [Associated Press]. 2005. Deforestation and floods: Not the root cause. Economist. 15 October 2005, pp 86–88.
Map or statistics available only in print:
CSA [Central Statistical Authority]. 1995. Report on Population Size and Characteristics for Amhara Region. Vol 1, Part 1. Addis Abeba, Ethiopia: CSA.
EMA [Ethiopian Mapping Authority]. 1993. Map [map]. ETH 4 series, sheet 139 D3. 1st edition. Addis Abeba, Ethiopia: EMA.
Material available on the Internet as a file for download or streaming:
Ceaușu S, Woods D, Utazi CE, Abel GJ, Vollenweider X, Tatem AJ, Sorichetta A. 2019. Mapping Gender-Disaggregated Migration Movements at Subnational Scales in and Between Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Southampton, United Kingdom: WorldPop. https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00673.
GO/AT. 2018. Coire Ruadh. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: GO/AT. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/coireruadh/127179564; accessed on 8 April 2020.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. 2014. 19th Livestock Census 2012: All India Report. New Delhi, India: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. https://dahd.nic.in/sites/default/filess/Livestock%20%205_0.pdf; accessed on 15 March 2024.
United Nations General Assembly. 2019. United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). A/RES/73/284. New York, NY: United Nations. https://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?OpenAgent&DS=A/RES/73/284&Lang=E; accessed on 12 November 2023.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2020. Natural Resource Program Center, National Wildlife Refuge System: Human Dimensions Branch 2020 Annual Report. Washington, DC: United States Fish and Wildlife Service. https://prod-is-cms-assets.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hd/prod/9fde1320-e4ef-11eb-80ce-2914a559fff9-2021-07-14_FY20_Annual_Report.pdf; accessed on 10 January 2023.
Website (indicate place and publisher whenever available—check in footer, contact information, or terms of use):
Fix the Fells. n.d. Fix the Fells. Grasmere, United Kingdom: National Trust. https://www.fixthefells.co.uk/; accessed on 8 April 2020.
Mountain Research and Development Editorial Office. n.d. Mountain Research and Development. Bern, Switzerland: Mountain Research and Development Editorial Office, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern. https://www.mrd-journal.org; accessed on 24 May 2024.
R Core Development Team. n.d. The R Project for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: The R Foundation. https://www.R-project.org/; accessed on 24 May 2024.
Web page (indicate place and publisher whenever available—check in footer, contact information, or terms of use):
Brun P, Zimmermann NE, Hari C, Pellissier L, Karger D. 2022. CHELSA-BIOCLIM+ A novel set of global climate-related predictors at kilometre-resolution. EnviDat. Birmensdorf, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL. https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.332.
FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]. 2014. Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL). FAO Map Catalog. Rome, Italy: FAO. https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/9c35ba10-5649-41c8-bdfc-eb78e9e65654; accessed on 30 January 2023.
Michonneau F, Collins M. 2017. ridigbio: Interface to the iDigBio Data API. R package version 0.3.5. The Comprehensive R Archive Network. Vienna, Austria: Institute for Statistics and Mathematics, Vienna University of Economics and Business. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ridigbio; accessed on 17 February 2023.
swisstopo [Federal Office of Topography]. 2024. swissALTI3D. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. Wabern, Switzerland: swisstopo. https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/height-model-swissalti3d; accessed on 10 July 2024.
The World Bank. n.d. Low & Middle Income. World Bank Open Data. Washington, DC: The World Bank. https://data.worldbank.org/income-level/low-and-middle-income?most_recent_value_desc=false; accessed on 25 February 2023.
Y2Y [Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative]. n.d. Vision and mission. Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Canmore, Canada: Y2Y. https://y2y.net/about/vision-mission/; accessed on 22 February 2023.
Blog post or article in online news portal:
Anchan M. 2022. Hikers keep getting lost when relying on trail apps. Alberta Parks says better planning is the solution. CBC News. 16 October 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-parks-hiking-app-1.6612698; accessed on 5 June 2024.
Hindustan Team. 2017. Demonstration in Almora about municipal expansion [in Hindi]. Hindustan. 11 September 2017. https://www.livehindustan.com/uttarakhand/almora/story-performance-in-almora-about-municipal-expansion-1492897.html; accessed on 6 September 2021.
Holson LM. 2018. Is geotagging on Instagram ruining natural wonders? Some say yes. The New York Times. 29 November 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/travel/instagram-geotagging-environment.html; accessed on 22 February 2023.
Peterson C. 2019. Americans’ love of hiking has driven elk to the brink, scientists say. The Guardian. 25 August 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/25/hiking-elk-driven-to-brink-colorado-vail; accessed on 26 June 2024.
Tyson A, Kennedy B. 2020. Two-thirds of Americans think government should do more on climate. Pew Research Center. 23 June 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/06/23/two-thirds-of-americans-think-government-should-do-more-on-climate/; accessed on 24 June 2024.
Social media content:
BlueHero. 2017. Laugavegur – Definitely the MOST beautiful trekking trail I have ever been to. TripAdvisor. 31 August 2017. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g676801-d2039570-r520092125-Laugavegur-Landmannalaugar_South_Region.html; accessed on 30 August 2021.
Mountain Partnership (@UNmountains). 2023. Restoring mountain ecosystems is the theme for International Mountain Day 2023 and was selected to include #mountains in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Twitter [now X]. 14 March 2023. https://twitter.com/UNmountains/status/1635632091919523841; accessed on 10 July 2024.
Format requirements for figures
Size of figures:
- Width: from 56 mm to 175 mm
- Height: maximum 213 mm
Standard font in figures:
- Please use Arial, Arial Narrow, or another sans serif font, eg Helvetica, Univers, etc. Use of ESRI and other fonts for special characters is allowed.
- Minimum font size for text in figures: 7 pt (5 pt is allowed, but only for text that contains information which is not vital, e.g. latitudes and longitudes in maps.)
File types:
- The PeerTrack™ submission system accepts the following figure file types: .JPG, .EPS, .PSD, .TIF, .PDF, .XLS or .PPT.
- For diagrams, maps, graphs, line drawings, and any figure that contains text, we recommend that you submit vectorized versions, with text as font, as this is what will be required at proof stage.
- Photos and other bitmaps should be in high resolution (300 dpi, minimum size 10 x 15 cm).
“Text as font” means that everything you type can still be accessed as text and we can make last minute changes if we see that this is necessary (font size, font type, spelling mistakes, etc). If text is “bitmapped,” this is no longer possible. Moreover, bitmapped text means that we cannot enlarge the figure to the size we might need, since this usually leads to a loss of resolution and therefore results in a fuzzy or “pixelated” appearance of the text in the figure. Typically, when working from ArcView or another mapping software, you can keep text as font if you export to Adobe Illustrator (.AI), CorelDraw (.CDR) or .EMF (enhanced metafile) format (NOTE: these file formats can only be delivered once your paper has been accepted for publication; use one of the above-listed formats for your original submission). If you need to add text on a photo or other bitmapped original, use Adobe Photoshop (.PSD), as this software keeps text accessible in a separate layer.
Format requirements for tables
Please note that there is a maximum width and height of tables. The Editors reserve the right to publish large tables separately, as supplemental material. Such tables will not go through copy editing and layout. They will be published with a separate DOI.
Size of Tables:
- Width: from 56 mm to maximum 175 mm
- Height: maximum 213 mm
Format:
- Text in tables must always be horizontal.
- Column widths in the published table will be proportionally the same as the original column widths in the formatted text file you submit.
- Show cell borders for all cells.
- If cells are to be merged across columns or rows, they should be merged in the file you submit.
- If you use abbreviations in the table, please spell them out in the caption.
- Tables can contain footnotes, using superscript lowercase letters followed by a bracket: a)
Format requirements for boxes
Boxes have one column only. They have no captions: the title of the box in the title bar functions as a caption and is therefore preceded by “BOX 1:”, “BOX 2:”, etc; example:
- BOX 1: Useful online resources on women, gender, and disaster management
Online submission
Once you have prepared your submission according to the instructions and technical guidelines above, you can begin the online submission process.
