AUTHOR GUIDELINES

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Centre for International Cooperation in the Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatlands (UPT CIMTROP), a research institute at the University of Palangka Raya, is pleased to announce the renewed publication of Journal of Tropical Peatlands. We are delighted to receive original articles on a wide range of topics pertaining to tropical peatland management, to bring the latest scientific research and understanding to a wide audience.

Origins and Justification

The CIMTROP publication “Tropical Peatlands” was first published in 2001, with the purpose of sharing and disseminating information and discussion on the critical topic of tropical peatland management. Today, this is more important than ever as national and international governments recognise the important role of tropical peatlands in carbon storage, greenhouse gas mitigation, and climate and water regulation, as well as for local livelihoods, cultures and biodiversity conservation The Journal of Tropical Peatlands will be aimed at scientists, universities and peatland management agencies in government, the private sector and NGOs, in Indonesia and beyond.

Aims, Scope and Article Types

The Journal of Tropical Peatlands aims to promote the publication of scientific research in the fields of tropical peatland ecology, physical geography, chemistry, climatology, botany, zoology, socio-economics, policy, restoration, management and related areas, and in so doing to support their responsible management and conservation.

Articles are accepted from researchers working in tropical peatlands anywhere in the world. We particularly encourage submission of articles by researchers and students from countries with tropical peatlands. Articles from both the natural and social sciences, plus inter-disciplinary studies are encouraged. We employ a loose definition of “peatland”, to include any tropical ecosystem containing peat, irrespective of peat depth or type.

Articles must demonstrate scientific rigour, provide sufficient details to permit study repetition, adhere to appropriate ethical standards and make reasonable justified conclusions based on the evidence available. All articles satisfying these basic standards will be subjected to peer review, but otherwise we allow readers to judge the scientific merits and relevance of individual articles.

To further these aims, the Journal of Tropical Peatlands will be an online-only journal that is truly free for all (no charges to authors or readers). Articles will be reviewed by the Editors, with assistance from external peer reviewers as necessary. Articles will be in English language, to promote uptake by international audiences and increase potential impact. Articles may also include a second abstract in the language of the country where the research was conducted.

Initially, one issue of the journal will be published each calendar year, with papers published within that year’s issue as soon as they are accepted, transfer of copyright has been completed and articles have been processed into the standard journal pdf format.

Suggestions for special “themed” issues are welcome and may be published at the discretion of the Editors. This may include publishing abstracts or papers presented at local conferences and other meetings.

The following types of articles are accepted, though additional types may also be proposed by authors and may be accepted at the discretion of the Editors:

  • Research articles – the results of original research, including both full-length studies and “short communications”.
  • Review articles – reviews of any topic relevant to the journal scope.
  • Opinion articles – reasoned and justified opinion pieces, drawing on evidence from cited sources where available. This may include opinions on current issues or initiatives, and opinions relating to future research or management directions relevant to the journal scope.
  • Response articles – responses by readers to articles published in earlier issues of the journal, and responses by authors of earlier articles to these.
  • Book reviews – reviews of recently published books related to the journal scope.

Detailed Instructions to Authors are provided below.

Topics

 All articles pertaining to the management of tropical peatlands, the ecology of tropical peatlands, the role of peatlands for people, or the impact of development on tropical peatlands, will be considered. Example article topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • The extent of tropical peatlands, including peatland area, depth, age, carbon content, biomass, rates of conversion, land status, etc.;
  • The role of tropical peatlands in the carbon cycle, including carbon sequestration and loss, impacts of drainage and burning, etc.;
  • The ecology of tropical peatlands, including vegetation, biodiversity, hydrology, chemistry, microclimate and relationships between these elements;
  • Peatlands for people, including social and economic importance, traditional and commercial uses, exploitation, sustainable management models, mitigation of peatland loss, etc.; and
  • Tropical peatland management, including both protection and restoration at a local, national and international scale. This ranges from description of management techniques and evaluation of their effectiveness, to reviews of national and international laws and policies regarding peatland management.

N.B. submitted articles focusing on the commercial development of peatlands must also consider the ecological, climatological and social impacts of such development, and discuss potential mitigation strategies to offset any negative impacts identified.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

All manuscripts will be considered that fall within the journal’s Scope and Topics, and fulfil the basic quality standards described in the Call for Papers. Articles will be screened for suitability by the Editors and, if deemed potentially suitable, will be subjected to peer-review. Final decisions regarding article publication will be made by the Editors. We aim to reach an initial decision on submitted manuscripts within 60 days of receipt. If accepted, the author(s) will be required to transfer the copyright ownership of the manuscript to UPT CIMTROP-UPR.

All queries and article submissions should be directed to the Editors at submissions@journaloftropicalpeatlands.net. Submitted articles should be submitted in a format compatible with Microsoft Word and should follow the specifications listed below.

Papers must be written in English. Authors whose first language is not English must have their manuscript checked by a proficient third party before submitting it. This will save time by reducing the input needed by the Editorial Board to read the manuscript and make revisions to it, and may also reduce the likelihood of rejection.

All articles will also include an abstract in English and we also encourage others to include a second abstract in the language of the country in which the research was conducted, which the authors must provide and which will be published as an Appendix (note that the Editors take no responsibility for the accuracy of any second-language abstract provided).

Specific Requirements by Article Type

Research articles (full length and short communications):

  • These describe the results of original research, including both full-length studies and “short communications”.
  • There is no fixed word limit for full-length research articles, but as a rough guide manuscripts would normally be expected to be no more than 6,000 words (20 manuscript pages) and include no more than 5 figures.
  • Manuscripts should normally follow this sequence: Title; Authors(s); Author’s affiliations, including full address and contact details (with email) for corresponding author; Abstract/s (max. 250 words each); Keywords (up to 5); Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Acknowledgements; References; and where included, Table and Figure legends; Tables; Figures; and Appendices.
  • Short communications should be a maximum 1,500 words (excluding references) and include no more than 2 figures. These may include preliminary findings. Short communications should follow the sequence: Title; Authors(s); Author’s affiliations, including full address and contact details (with email) for corresponding author; Manuscript text (no sections); Acknowledgements; References; and where included, Table and Figure legends; Tables; Figures; and Appendices.

Review articles:

  • These are reviews of any topic within the journal’s scope.
  • There are no fixed word or figure limits, but as a rough guide review articles would normally be expected to be no more than 8,000 words (25 manuscript pages) and include no more than 5 figures.
  • Review articles should normally follow this sequence: Title; Authors(s); Author’s affiliations, including full address and contact details (with email) for corresponding author; Abstract/s (max. 250 words each); Keywords (up to 5); Manuscript text (with sections as appropriate); Acknowledgements; References; and where included, Table and Figure legends; Tables; Figures; and Appendices.

Opinion articles:

  • These are reasoned and justified opinion pieces, drawing on evidence from cited sources where available. This may include opinions on current issues or initiatives, and opinions relating to future research or management directions relevant to the journal scope.
  • There is no fixed word or figure limits, but as a rough guide opinion articles would normally be expected to be no more than 1,500 words (excluding references) and include no more than 2 figures.
  • Opinion articles should follow the sequence: Title; Authors(s); Author’s affiliations, including full address and contact details (with email) for corresponding author; Manuscript text (with sections as appropriate); Acknowledgements; References; and where included, Table and Figure legends; Tables; Figures; and Appendices.

Response articles:

  • These are responses by readers to articles published in earlier issues of this journal, and responses by authors of earlier articles to these.
  • Response articles should be concise, following the same guidelines as for Short Communications.

Book reviews:

  • These are reviews of recently published books related to the journal scope. Authors wishing to propose a book review should contact the Editors in advance, including the book title, authors and where possible hyperlink to the book in question.
  • Book reviews should be typically no more than 500-1,000 words and should not contain any figures or tables, but otherwise should follow the same guidelines as for Short Communications.

Additional article types may also be proposed by authors and may be accepted at the discretion of the Editors.

General Specifications and Technical Data

Initial article submissions should comprise a single Microsoft Word (or Word compatible) file containing all text, including figure and table legends. Tables and Figures should be submitted in separate Word compatible files.

Manuscripts should be double-spaced in 12 pt Times New Roman font, using A4 paper size (21 x 29.7 cm) and with generous margins (2.5 cm) to all sides. Pages should be numbered consecutively, including those containing Acknowledgements, References, Figures, Tables and Appendices. Line numbering should be used, but do not use auto-formatting or cross-referencing.

Please adhere to the following specifications:

  • The title page should contain the full addresses of the author(s), including the email address, postal address and telephone number (with international dialling code) of the corresponding author.
  • For those papers including Abstracts, these should be no more than 250 words, reporting concisely on the purpose, methods used and results of the paper.
  • Keywords should be listed alphabetically and should not replicate words already used in the article title.
  • Three heading types are to be used: PRINCIPAL HEADING (in upper case), First subheading (in bold) and Second subheading (in italics).
  • Units of measurement should follow SI unit international standards (e.g., cm, m, Ma, t, 0C, NW-SE, Pb, etc.).
  • Follow British English spelling (e.g., “colour” not “color”) and use the word-ending format “ise” rather than “ize” (e.g. “equalise” not “equalize”).
  • Words in languages other than English should be in italics, including Latin binomial species names.
  • Use “Table”, “Figure” and “Appendix” for reference to these in the text and legends; do not abbreviate to “Tab.”, “Fig.” and “App.”.

Citations

  • References in the text to other articles should indicate the name of the author(s) without initials, in the format “Smith (1997)” or “(Smith, 1997)”, as appropriate.
  • Use “&” to separate author names in cases with two authors; e.g. “Smith & Jones (2016)”.
  • For articles with more than two authors, the expression “et al.” (italics) should be used after the first author; e.g. “Smith et al. (2001)”.
  • In instances where the same author is cited for multiple articles from the same year, the author name is not repeated and use a lower case letter to distinguish; e.g. “(Smith, 1997a, 1997b).
  • Where two or more citations are listed together, these should be separated by a semi-colon, and listed in alphabetical and then date order; e.g. “(Jenkins, 2018; Smith, 1997, 2016; Smith & Jones, 2016)”.
  • Citations of personal observations, personal communications unpublished data should only be used where essential and, when used, should be in the format “J. Smith (pers. obs)”, “(A. Jones, pers. comm.)” or “V. A. Singh (unpublished data)”.

List of References

  • The References should include all the citations quoted in the text and only those citations.
  • Citations should be listed alphabetically by authors (first, then second, etc.) and then chronologically when several references by same author(s) are given.
  • Quote journal names unabbreviated and include DOI numbers where available.
  • If references are made to different articles by the same author for a given year, these should be distinguished by lower case letters; e.g., “1997a”, “2001b”.
  • References should only be cited as “in press” if the paper has been accepted for publication, in which case the journal name, and (if known) DOI and volume number must be provided.
  • Citations of papers “in prep” or “submitted” should be avoided.
  • If using reference management software whilst drafting your manuscript, please ‘convert to plain text’ before submission.

Examples:

Harrison, M. E., H. C. Morrogh-Bernard and D. J. Chivers (2010). Orangutan energetics and the influence of fruit availability in the non-masting peat-swamp forest of Sabangau, Indonesian Borneo. International Journal of Primatology 31(4): 585-607. DOI: 10.1007/s10764-010-9415-5.

Rieley, J. O., A. A. Ahmad-Shah and M. A. Brady (1996). The extent and nature of tropical peat swamps. In: E. Maltby, C. P. Immirzi and R. J. Safford (Eds). Tropical Lowland Peatlands of Southeast Asia. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 17-53.

Kauffman, J., V. Arifanti, I. Basuki, S. Kurnianto, N. Novita, D. Murdiyarso, D. Donato and M. Warren (2016). Protocols for the Measurement, Monitoring, & Reporting of Structure, Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Tropical Peat Swamp Forests. CIFOR Working Paper 221. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia. 54 pp. DOI: 10.17528/cifor/006429.

Hoscilo, A. (2009). Fire Regime, Vegetation Dynamics and Land Cover Change in Tropical Peatland, Indonesia. PhD dissertation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.

Wibisono, I. T. C. and A. Dohong (2017). Panduan Teknis Revegetasi Lahan Gambut [Technical Guide to Peatleand Revegetation]. Badan Restorasi Gambut, Jakarta, Indonesia. 103 pp.

Figures and Tables

Figures and Tables should be supplied as separate Word compatible files, and referred to as in the text (Figure 1, Table 2, etc.). Legends of figures and tables should be complete and understandable in their own right. These should be provided at the end of the main manuscript text document, and copied above their respective tables/figures in the separate tables and figures files. Each table or figure should be given its own separate page. Figures may be in colour. Figures in initial submissions should be of a high enough resolution to display clearly on a standard computer screen. If you are submitting very large figure files, we recommend sending a separate email to the Editors informing that a large attachment has been sent. If your files cannot be sent by email, please contact the Editors, who can advise on alternative methods to send these files.

Appendices

Where important information cannot be included within the main manuscript text/tables/figures, we prefer use of Appendices (to be published at the end of manuscript files in the final pdf), rather than separate Supplementary Information files. Please provide Appendices in a separate Word compatible file, with separate Appendices sequentially numbered and given descriptive titles, with each appendix being given its own separate page, and where relevant following the specifications for tables and figures provided above. Any references cited in the Appendices should be listed at the end of the Appendices file following the same guidelines as for those in the main manuscript file.

For video files, it is preferable to provide a hyperlink to a stable website allowing free viewing of the video. Where this is not possible, please discuss available options with the Editors.

Resubmissions

When peer review is complete and if you are requested to resubmit a revised version of your manuscript, please follow all formatting requirements as stipulated above. In addition to this, please also provide all figures as separate image files (tif, png, etc.) with a resolution exceeding 300 dpi. Jpeg files are acceptable when that is the original file format (e.g. for many photos), but otherwise should be avoided, as converting to jpeg typically involves image compression and loss of image quality. If it is not possible to provide images in this way, please provide in a Word file, as described above for original submissions.