PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Text

Manuscripts must be printed using a high-quality printer on 8.5 x 11 inch or A4 (ca. 28 x 21 cm) bond paper or computer paper, leaving a margin of at least 2.5 cm on all sides. Text should be double-spaced throughout. Page number and author's name should be placed in the upper right-hand corner on each page. The original manuscript (single-sided) and three review copies must be submitted; the review copies must include copies of the illustrations. In order to conserve paper and postage, review copies should be double-sided wherever possible. The final manuscript after the review process should also be submitted on computer diskette. Indicate on the disk label which word processing software has been used and whether it is IBM- or Macintosh-compatible.

The instructions below should be followed carefully when typing the text:

1. Write primary headings in capital letters.

2. Leave four spaces between sections of the typescript and between treatments of genera and species.

3. Indent all paragraphs except for the formal presentation of the accepted taxa which should start flush with the left-hand margin.

4. Leave one space after periods, commas, colons, and other punctuation marks: J. Bot. 3: 554. 1844 (not J.Bot.3:554.1844); A. J. Brown (not A.J.Brown); A, COL, NY, U (not A,COL,NY,U). Also, leave one space between a numeral and units of measure: 7 mm (not 7mm). In short standard abbreviations, space after the period is omitted: e.g., l.c., n.v., etc. (see Appendix II).

5. Write out numbers from one to ten, unless they are in a series of numbers, keys, descriptions, or in quotations. For example: two leaves, three bracts; 2-5 cm long, 4-8 ovules. Numbers of two or more digits should be written in arabic numerals: 2000, but 10,000, 43,278. In non-English language treatments, use commas in numbers to indicate the decimal: e.g., 2,40.

6. Measurements are to be metric (except in quotation).

7. Include dashes (-) in parenthetical extremes of measurement leaving no space on either side of the parentheses. Extremes in measurement should be given as follows:

8. Abbreviations should be punctuated with periods except metric units, compass directions, months of the year, and phenology data in the citation of specimens: cm, m, N, SW, Feb, Aug, fl, fr, etc. Consult Appendix II for the precise form of abbreviations and contractions to be used in text.

9. Never begin sentences with an abbreviation or numeral. Always spell out generic names that are the first word of a sentence.

10. Use commas before "and" and "or" when separating parts of a series: "trees, shrubs, or herbs"; "Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela."

11. Write out a generic name the first time it occurs in each paragraph, and where two or more generic names with the same initial occur in the paragraph.

12. Do not capitalize words in titles of articles, unless they are proper names or German nouns. In journal titles, capitalize each word except prepositions and articles, and abbreviate according to B-P-H. The first word and proper nouns in titles of books should be capitalized. In the text, titles of books and journals should be underlined. Titles of journal articles should be in quotation marks.

13. Do not underline foreign words or common abbreviations such as: i.e., e.g., syn. nov., stat. nov., comb. nov., nom. nov., s.l., et al., etc.

14. Authors should employ all diacritical marks proper to the language used.

15. Footnotes are not permitted.

Tables

Tables should have an appropriate heading and should bear consecutive roman numerals in the order of appearance in the text. They should be cited "Table I" (not table 1) etc.

Illustrations (See Example 3, Example 4, and Example 5)

General Instructions

1. Illustrations (line drawings, photographs, distribution maps, diagrams, graphs) should be designed to fit either a full page (12.5 x 20.5 cm) or a single column (6 x 20.5 cm) after reduction. Allow enough room for the caption. Submit halftones (photographs) at the size for final reproduction.

2. All illustrations are to be numbered consecutively using arabic numerals, and in the order cited in the text. Parts of illustrations are to be designated by capital letters (A, B, C, . . .) as in Fig. 1 of 8. Figure Captions. For designation of structures or parts of morphological structures use lowercase letters (a, b, c, . . .) as in Fig 2. of 8. Figure Captions. Maps and illustrations should not be numbered separately; all should be numbered sequentially and in the order in which they are first cited in the text.

3. Always include the scale on the illustration itself. However, if the scale must be included in the caption make sure you take into consideration the final size of the illustration after reduction. Never use magnifications.

4. Oversized illustrations are unacceptable. Where there is wide variation in the sizes of illustrations, authors must provide photostats of a uniform size (max. 30 x 25 cm). As artwork will be printed from such photostats, they should be of the highest quality. All illustrations, including maps, should be mounted on stiff white cardboard of uniform size, have a minimum 2.5 cm margin on all sides, and have a protective sheet of paper over them.

5. Label the back of each illustration with the following information: author(s) name, abbreviated monograph title, figure number, and indicate which side should be the top of the illustration.

6. Ship illustrations flat (do not roll them), with sufficient protective material so that edges do not fray or become torn.

7. References to illustrations in the text should be indicated consistently as "Fig. 1" not "fig. 1" or "Figs. 1-4" not "figs. 1-4."

8. Figure captions should be grouped at the end of the monograph in separate paragraphs for each figure but not on separate pages. Citation of voucher specimens for an illustration should be included in the legend. Examples of legends:

Fig. 1. Secondary xylem and pollen of Chrysobalanaceae. A. Licania heteromorpha x.s. (PRFw 7128). B. Hirtella triandra t.s. (Cooper & Slater 279).

Fig. 2. Phyllogoea tremelloidea (Rick s.n. in 1929, type, FH). Two metabasidia (a) showing septal variation, basidiospore (b), and germ tube (c).

Photographs (See Example 5)

9. Mount photographs with no space between them (see Example 5) and include all letters and/or numbers on the photograph.

10. Do not mount photographs (half-tones) and line illustrations (line drawings, maps, graphs, diagrams) on the same plate, as they are reproduced by different methods.

Distribution Maps (See Example 4)

11. Maps should have borders and some indication of latitude and longitude. The use of the FLORA NEOTROPICA BASE MAP # 1, with grid, is strongly recommended. These can be purchased through the office of the Executive Director, Dr. Wm. Wayt Thomas (wthomas@nybg.org). Records (e.g., dots) should be put in the middle of degree grid squares. Do not use shaded maps - they do not reproduce well. Maps should be prepared at approximately the final size at which they will be printed. This permits authors to discern in advance whether any location symbols will merge when the map is reduced to page or column width.

12. Two or more taxa can be included in one map as long as clearly distinct symbols are used. The names of taxa and symbols should preferably be included on the map itself.

13. Several maps may often be placed together in one plate. If a taxon's area of distribution is limited, the map should be trimmed so as not to waste space and printing costs. Restore borders, and latitude/longitude numbers as necessary after trimming.