The Veliger publishes in English only. Authors whose first language is not English should seek the assistance of a colleague who is fluent in English before submitting a manuscript. In most cases, the parts of a manuscript should be as follows: title page, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, literature cited, figure legends, footnotes, tables, and figures. The title page should be a separate sheet and should include the title, authors' names, and addresses. The abstract should be less than 200 words long and should describe concisely the scope, main results, and conclusions of the paper. It should not include references.
References in the text should be given by the name of the author(s) followed by the date of publication: for one author (Phillips, 1981), for two authors (Phillips & Smith, 1982), and for more than two (Phillips et al., 1983). The reference need not be cited when author and date are given only as authority for a taxonomic name.
The "literature cited" section should include all (and only) references cited in the text, listed in alphabetical order by author. Each citation must be complete, with all journal titles unabbreviated, and in the following forms:
a) Periodicals:
Hickman, C. S. 1992. Reproduction and development of trochacean gastropods. The Veliger 35:245-272.
b) Books:
Bequaert, J. C. & W. B. Miller. 1973. The Mollusks of the Arid Southwest. University of Arizona Press: Tucson. xvi + 271 pp.
c) Composite works:
Feder, H. M. 1980. Asteroidea: the sea stars. Pp. 117-135 in R. H. Morris, D. P. Abbott & E. C. Haderlie (eds.), Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press: Stanford, Calif.
Tables must be numbered and each typed on a separate sheet. Each table should be headed by a brief legend. Avoid vertical rules.
Figures must be carefully prepared and submitted ready for publication. Each should have a short legend, listed on a sheet following the literature cited. Text figures should be in black ink and completely lettered. Keep in mind page format and column size when designing figures. Photographs for halftone reproduction must be of good quality, trimmed squarely, grouped as appropriate, and mounted on suitably heavy board. Where appropriate, a scale bar may be used in the photograph; otherwise, the specimen size should be given in the figure legend. Photographs should be submitted in the desired final size.
Clear xerographic copies of figures are suitable for reviewers' copies of submitted manuscripts. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that lettering will be legible after any necessary reduction and that lettering size is appropriate to the figure.
Use one consecutive set of Arabic numbers for all illustrations (that is, do not separate "plates" from "text figures").
Each manuscript is critically evaluated by at least two reviewers. Based on these evaluations the editor makes a preliminary decision of acceptance or rejection. The editor's decision and the reviewers' comments are sent to the author for consideration and further action. Unless requested, only one copy of the final, revised manuscript needs to be returned to the editor. The author is informed of the final decision and acceptable manuscripts are forwarded to the printer. The author will receive proofs from the printer. One set of corrected proofs should be mailed promptly to the editor after review. Changes other than the correction of printing errors will be charged to the author at cost.
An order form for the purchase of reprints will accompany proofs. Reprints are ordered directly from the printer.
The high costs of publication require that we ask authors for a contribution to defray a portion of the cost of publishing their papers. However, we wish to avoid a handicap to younger contributors and others of limited means and without institutional support. Therefore, we have adopted the policy of asking for the following: $30 per printed page for authors with grant or other institutional support and $10 per page for authors who must pay from their personal funds (2.5 double-spaced manuscript pages normally equal one printed page). This request is made only after the publication of a paper; these contributions are unrelated to the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript, which is entirely on the basis of merit. In addition to this requested contribution, authors of papers with an unusually large number of tables or figures will be asked for an additional contribution. Because these contributions by individual authors are voluntary, they may be considered by authors as tax-deductible donations to the California Malacozoological Society, Inc.
It should be noted that even at the rate of $30 per page, the CMS is paying well over half the publication costs of a paper. Authors for whom even the $10 per page contribution would present a financial hardship should explain this in a letter accompanying their manuscript. The editorial board will consider this an application for a grant to cover the publication costs. Authors whose manuscripts include very large tables of numbers or extensive lists of (e.g.) locality data should contact the editor regarding possible electronic archiving of this part of their paper rather than hard-copy publication.