Freshwater Science Editorial Policies & Procedures

Message from the Editor

Freshwater Science expects that its Editor, Associate Editors, referees, and authors will adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards. Freshwater Science is committed to publishing the best possible papers. Its Editor and Associate Editors value both the quality and importance of the science and the quality of the communication of that science. The peer-review and editorial processes will be conducted in as timely a manner possible, but quality of an article will not be sacrificed for expediency. All papers are subject to peer and editorial review, and no paper will be published in print or online until it has been fully edited, copy edited, and polished. Freshwater Science embraces the philosophy that consistent service to authors based on personal interaction, constructive dialog, education of developing authors, and attention to detail will best serve the journal, its authors, readers, and the end-users of the science published in the journal.

Purpose and scope of the journal

Freshwater Science publishes timely, high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific research that promotes a better understanding and environmental stewardship of biological communities living on the bottom of aquatic ecosystems, particularly streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. The scope of the journal is broad and encompasses basic and applied science in the many fields of aquatic science that are related to the biology, ecology, chemistry, geomorphology, and hydrology of this habitat and the organisms that live there.

Articles published in Freshwater Science should make a substantial contribution to the broad field of benthological science either by contributing new knowledge or insights, improving understanding of the mechanisms or processes underlying patterns or phenomena, synthesizing existing knowledge, or showing how existing knowledge/understanding can be applied to improve environmental stewardship. Original research and hypotheses examined should be well developed and complete. Preliminary, partial, or pilot studies usually are inappropriate for Freshwater Science.

Editorial philosophy

Scientific merit

Scientific merit is the primary criterion applied to selection of manuscripts for publication in Freshwater Science. The journal publishes basic and applied science; studies that are descriptive, experimental (field-, model-, and laboratory-based), or theoretical; and reviews, meta-analyses, and perspectives/comments. Because the scope of the journal is broad, every effort is made to apply discipline-appropriate criteria during the review process. Material in manuscripts should advance the knowledge in a field rather than merely repeat well-established findings or patterns. Reports of studies designed to test causal hypotheses, synthesize information to develop or test theory, or fill specific knowledge gaps are especially welcome.

Freshwater Science does not restrict the length of manuscripts a priori, so manuscripts should tell a complete story and should not be partitioned among multiple small articles. Because Freshwater Science is an international journal, manuscripts presenting studies that are very limited in scope usually are not acceptable unless the work is placed into a context of relevance to a broad audience. Manuscripts that present policy- or management-related studies should be based on science and not on advocacy. Such studies should be presented in a manner that makes clear the relevance of the issue to an international audience.

The role of editing

Freshwater Science Editors and Associate Editors adhere to the philosophy that organization, clarity of presentation, writing style, and consistency in format enhances reader understanding and, therefore, the usefulness of articles and the reputations of their authors. Unclear writing and poorly formatted tables and figures can lead to misinterpretation or mistrust of results at worst and can be distracting at best. Manuscripts that are very poorly prepared will be returned to authors without review. In cases where authors lack experience or for whom English is a second language, every effort will be made to provide editorial services and guidance to authors upon their request. All manuscripts will be thoroughly and carefully edited and copy edited to ensure that they are grammatically and factually correct and as concise as possible before they are published.

The peer-review/decision process

Manuscripts submitted to Freshwater Science are subject to peer review. Exceptions are invited book reviews and introductions to special series of articles that merely serve to introduce the theme of the series and the topics of individual papers in the series. Upon submission, articles will be screened to ensure that they are complete, meet the instructions for manuscript preparation, and are accompanied by a cover letter with all of the requested information. Once a submission passes this quality-control screening, manuscripts will be assigned to a subject-area Associate Editor, who will screen the article for appropriate scope and content and quality of preparation. Manuscripts that are inappropriate for Freshwater Science in terms of scope or topic or that are poorly prepared may be rejected without further review. Manuscripts that meet these initial tests will be sent for peer review, usually by two referees although more can be assigned at the discretion of the Associate Editor.

Associate Editors will solicit reviews from referees chosen on the basis of expertise, availability, and willingness to conduct a review. Authors are encouraged to suggest appropriate referees, but Associate Editors are not obligated to choose referees suggested by authors. Authors also may identify referees who should not be asked to review their manuscript. Referees will be asked to complete their reviews within four weeks when possible. After the desired number of reviews have been received, Associate Editors will make an initial decision regarding whether to reject a manuscript, reject a manuscript with an invitation for extensive revision and resubmission as a new manuscript, or recommend the manuscript for revision and consideration for acceptance. In most cases, Associate Editors will provide their own critique and analysis of the manuscript. As part of this process, they will provide guidance to authors regarding how to respond to referee comments and suggestions (e.g., rectifying conflicting requests or advice) during revision.

Manuscripts recommended for revision will be returned to the authors. The expected turn-around period for revisions is four months or less. Authors may request extensions if there are extenuating circumstances, but prolonged delays may result in rejection or another round of reviews in light of new developments in the field. Associate Editors will check all revisions carefully to ensure that all referee comments have been addressed. Authors are encouraged to submit a detailed matrix with their revision showing how each reviewer comment has been addressed. In some cases, Associate Editors might request a new round of reviews, e.g., if the revisions have substantially altered the content or revealed new problems. Associate Editors also might request further revisions before making a final recommendation to the Editor.

After a manuscript is recommended for publication

The final decision to accept a manuscript rests with the Editor. When the Associate Editor is satisfied that the scientific and technical details of a manuscript meet Freshwater Science standards, s/he will notify the author and forward the manuscript to the Editor. The Editor will ensure that the manuscript meets Freshwater Science style and format requirements and will edit the manuscript for grammatical correctness, clarity, readability, conciseness, and organization. The extent of the editing will vary with the quality of the presentation of the manuscript. The Editor also will check all factual details, rectify the text, tables, and figures for factual consistency, and check all bibliographic details. The edited manuscript will be returned to the author for final corrections. The author is expected to verify the changes, make any required corrections, and return the manuscript to the editor for final polishing. The polished manuscript will be sent to the Copy Editor, who will check the manuscript for typographical and spelling details, verify the Literature Cited, and check again for factual consistency. The final manuscript will then be sent for typesetting and publication. Authors are required to read and request necessary changes to proofs. The editor also will read and annotate the proofs, and verify that corrections have been made in the revised proofs. Any changes requested by the authors at this point may result in a fee and delay in publication.

Fully corrected proofs (final version) will be published immediately in the online version of the journal. The date of online publication is provided in the heading of the article as a reference in case of questions regarding precedence of publication. The printed journal is published quarterly (March, June, September, and December 1). All printed articles are identical to their electronic versions.

Open access

Open access publishing refers to electronic delivery of journal content to anyone with access to the internet. When an author publishes a manuscript in Freshwater Science and purchases open access, the article (abstract and full-text article) can be accessed at no cost by anyone in the world who can access the internet. The article file can be opened, read, or downloaded through search engines, the SFS/Allen Press websites, BioOne, or JSTOR. The biggest advantage of open access is that it increases availability of articles, and therefore, increases the likelihood that an article will be read and cited. Open access articles have higher citation rates, greater impact, and are more likely to be used and built-upon by others than articles that are published in print only or that are locked behind subscription walls. Because much research is done and published by authors using public funds, many governmental agencies now require that authors find ways to make their articles open access (e.g., by purchasing open access at the time of publication or by submitting their article to PubMed Central or other public repositories).

Open access articles carry no cost to readers, but these articles are not free because all of the usual publishing costs except those for printing, binding, and mailing still exist. These costs include those associated with administration of the peer-review system, editorial services, typesetting/formatting, electronic tagging, and maintenance on the internet. Therefore, publishers charge authors a fee for open access. The fee for open access articles published in Freshwater Science is $400 USD.

Ethical and other considerations

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is intellectual property theft and will not be tolerated. Freshwater Science defines plagiarism as the unauthorized use of written, spoken, or graphical material belonging to someone other than the author(s) of a manuscript. Material that is quoted directly from another source should be placed in quotation marks and the page on which the quotation can be found should be listed in the citation. Paraphrased material also must be accompanied by a citation and page reference or a notation of personal communication. In general, extensive use of quotations and paraphrasing is strongly discouraged. Material and data already published by an author in another paper or publicly available report, whether printed or electronic, also may not be quoted, summarized, repeated, or paraphrased without proper attribution.

In the event that plagiarism, whether intentional or inadvertent, is discovered, the incident should be reported immediately to the Editor who will verify the facts of the incident and contact the author for an explanation. The author will be given an opportunity to explain the situation and to correct the problem in a manuscript or to retract a published paper. Should an author decline to correct the problem in a manuscript, the manuscript will be rejected for plagiarism without possibility of resubmission. Further action, such as contacting a supervisor, advisor, or institutional review board, also might be taken. Should an author decline to retract a published paper, the Editor will publish a retraction and will contact the author’s supervisor, advisor, or institutional review board.

Dual publication

Dual publication is defined as publishing an article or parts of an article in more than one journal or venue. Authors are required to verify that manuscripts or parts of manuscripts, including methods sections and data, submitted to Freshwater Science have not been submitted or published elsewhere. Freshwater Science regards material published in a format that is publicly available (e.g., online government reports, rejected manuscripts that remain available in discussion format on other journal web sites) as published elsewhere. Doctoral dissertations and Master’s theses generally are exceptions to this rule. Graduate students are encouraged to consult their graduate institutional policy regarding publishing their theses and dissertations. Authors who are unsure whether they might be in violation of this policy are encouraged to contact the Editor or Associate Editor for clarification.

Associate Editors and referees who suspect that an author might be in violation of this policy are encouraged to request copies of previously published materials or to contact the Editor for guidance. In the event of discovery that a paper published in Freshwater Science was previously or subsequently published elsewhere, the Editor will publish a retraction of the paper and will contact the author’s supervisor, advisor, of institutional review board.

Voucher specimens

Voucher specimens are preserved organisms (or parts thereof) that serve as a future reference for a name used in a scientific publication. Voucher specimens ensure the credibility and endurance of research results because they document the identity of study organisms. Therefore, although not required for publication in Freshwater Science, the preservation of voucher specimens is recognized by the Editorial Board as one of the most important responsibilities when publishing research. Accordingly, the Board has adopted the following policy statement: “Authors are encouraged to designate, properly prepare, label, and deposit high-quality voucher specimens and cultures documenting their research in an established permanent collection and to cite the repository in publication.”

Criteria for authorship

All persons listed as authors of a manuscript must have made a substantial intellectual and scientific contribution to the manuscript by: 1) conceiving, designing, or implementing the study, 2) analyzing or interpreting the data, or 3) writing the manuscript. Potential authors who have not contributed in one of these ways to the paper should not be included, although their contribution can and should be recognized in the Acknowledgements section. All authors of a multi-author paper must read and approve of the manuscript and revisions. Changes to the list of authors or the order of authors during the peer-review and publication process must be approved in writing by all parties involved. This approval should be sent to the Editor prior to publication of an article.

Use of human or animal subjects or studies involving endangered species

All uses of human or animal subjects in research published in Freshwater Science must conform to all institutional, regional, or national ethical and legal standards that apply. The Editor reserves the right to consider animal welfare as part of the decision to publish a study.

Acknowledgements

Freshwater Science expects all authors to acknowledge the individuals or institutions that provided intellectual, financial, and logistic support for their work. Authors should provide grant numbers and contract numbers as appropriate. In addition, any individuals who contributed substantially to the work or manuscript but who are ineligible as authors (e.g., field or laboratory technicians, developers of software used in the research, landowners who provided access to research sites, laboratory discussion groups) also should be recognized. Referees contribute substantial time and effort to reviewing, and their constructive constructive criticism of manuscripts and any other contributions should be acknowledged when appropriate. Permit numbers or statements regarding conformity with ethical standards should be included when appropriate. Last, any required disclaimers, contribution numbers, or explanations of order of authorship should be included in Acknowledgements.

Financial disclosure

Authors are required to disclose any substantive financial interests in the publication of a paper at the time the manuscript is submitted.

Page charges

A significant percentage of the cost of publishing a paper in Freshwater Science is covered by page charges. Freshwater Science requires that authors verify their ability to pay page charges at the time a manuscript is submitted. In the event that page charges present a significant financial hardship, authors are encouraged to contact the Editor at the time of manuscript submission.

Conflicts of interest

The integrity of the peer-review process requires that the Editor, Associate Editors, and referees disclose any conflicts of interest before agreeing to handle or review a manuscript. All manuscripts, reviews, and decisions are privileged and should be kept confidential.

Errors

All manuscripts will be carefully edited to ensure that they are well-written, technically correct, and that all facts presented in the text are supported by data presented in tables, figures, and appendices. However, ultimately, authors are responsible for the content of their papers and should be diligent during the preparation and editing stages. Content published in online-only appendices and files usually is not edited by Freshwater Science personnel, so authors should be particularly diligent about checking these files for accuracy and completeness. In the event that an error is discovered after an article has been published, authors are urged to contact the Editor and to publish an erratum. Errata are not subject to page charges unless they exceed 1 page in length. Errata are permanently associated with the original article when published in the electronic version of the journal.

Copyrights and self-archiving

A manuscript submitted for publication in Freshwater Science will not have been previously published and will not be simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere. By submitting a manuscript, an author agrees that the copyright to that article will be transferred to the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS), if and when the article is accepted for publication. Assignment of copyright is not required from an author who is employed by a government organization that does not permit such agreements. The copyright covers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the article in all forms, including, but not limited to, translations, photographic reproductions, microfilm, electronic form, or other reproductions of similar nature.

An author may make an article published by SFS available on a personal web page without requesting permission. SFS grants permission to an author to post their final published manuscript to a digital institutional repository. The source of the article must be cited, and SFS must be identified as the copyright owner. In addition, an author may photocopy an article for limited public distribution. The photocopied article must include the original copyright notice as it appeared in the journal. Written permission must be obtained from the Editor for all other uses.