Author Instructions
All manuscripts should be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
- Publishing Policies
- Peer review
- Authorship
- Journal policy
- Editorial procedures for Comments
- General presentation guidelines
- Use of inclusive language
- Summary Text for the Table of Contents
- Data Availability Statement
- Conflicts of Interest
- Declaration of Funding
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Tables
- Figures
- Units
- Preparation of manuscript for submission
- Submission procedure
- Licence to publish
- Open access
- Upon acceptance of manuscript
- Proofs and reprints
- General enquiries
Publishing Policies
Functional Plant Biology insists on high standards of ethical behaviour throughout the publication process. Our journal editors work within the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Further information on our policies can be found at http://www.publish.csiro.au/fp/PublishingPolicies.
Peer review
Functional Plant Biology is a peer-reviewed journal that uses a single-blind peer-review. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible to maintain high-quality peer-review of papers submitted to the journal and work together with the Associate Editors and Editorial Advisory Board to ensure a thorough and fair peer-review and the highest scientific publishing standards. All submissions undergo preliminary assessment by the Editor-in-Chief, who may reject a paper before peer review when it is outside the journal’s scope or is of insufficient quality. Associate Editors select reviewers and after at least two review reports are received, they make the decision whether to accept/reject or send a manuscript for revision. The final decision is made by the Associate Editor.
Under our single-blind policy, reviewers’ names are not disclosed to the authors. To increase transparency, reviewers may choose to sign their reports. We ask reviewers and authors not to directly contact each other while the manuscript is under consideration, rather keep all communication through ScholarOne with the Editor’s involvement.
Authorship
The conditions around authorship for Functional Plant Biology should follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), for more information see http://www.publish.csiro.au/fp/PublishingPolicies.
Journal policy
Functional Plant Biology publishes original research papers, critical review articles, and perspectives; it does not publish technical and research notes, or short communications. Review articles should indicate fruitful areas of further research. Evans Reviews are invited on the basis of merit and the extraordinary importance of the topic covered. Perspectives provide a means for authors to explore contemporary issues with more freedom than in the conventional review paper. If you are interested in preparing a Review article or Perspective, please discuss the subject matter with the Editor-in-Chief or the appropriate Associate Editor.
All papers are peer-reviewed. Submission of a paper is taken to mean that the results reported have not been published and are not being considered for publication elsewhere. The journal assumes that all authors of a multi-authored paper agree to its submission. The journal will use its best endeavours to ensure that work published is that of the named authors except where acknowledged. The journal takes no responsibility for fraud or inaccuracy on the part of its contributors.
There are no page charges or charges for colour illustrations published online.
Editorial procedures for Comments
Comments on recently published papers will be published in a special section of the Journal as soon as practicable after receiving the comments. Comments must be concise, impersonal and contribute to knowledge in order to be acceptable. Each comment should have a short abstract which may contain a few dot points. The total length of the Comment should not exceed 3000 words. In this way we can encourage informed debate on topics raised in articles published in Functional Plant Biology. The procedures for handling them will be as follows:
- On receipt of a Comment, the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor will arrange for two referees, who will be provided with a PDF file of the published paper on which the Comment is based. All reviewers´ reports and correspondence will be confidential.
- The Editor will consider the referees´ assessments and decide whether the Comment should be accepted, modified or rejected.
- If the Comment is negative, or is critical of the methods used or interpretation of data published, it will also be sent to the corresponding author of the original paper inviting a short response. This should be less than one published page (about 300-500 words). If the corresponding author of the original paper declines to respond, one or more of the senior authors will be approached. If there is still no response then the Comment will be published on its own. Authors will have about 4 weeks in which to respond.
- If the authors provide a response, then the Editor will arrange for it to be reviewed by at least one referee. Again, the Editor will decide whether the response should be accepted, modified or rejected.
- If the response is accepted, then both the Comment and the Response will be published in the next available issue of the Journal under a special section labelled ´Comment and Response´.
Both the original Comment and the Response should be supported by appropriate references and both will contribute to our Impact Factor.
General presentation guidelines
Manuscripts should be concise and use simple language. Research articles should be about 6000-8000 words, with 6-8 display items (Figures or Tables) and a modest citation list (~25 references). Review papers may be longer (~8000-10,000 words with ~50 references) but will have fewer display items. Associate Editors can provide advice about reducing excessive length while the manuscript is being revised. Extra material may be submitted as supplementary files, which will appear automatically to readers of the article online via a link on the page. These may take the form of large tables, figures, confocal stacks, and videos.
Use of inclusive language
These guidelines should be used to assist in identifying appropriate language, but are by no means exhaustive or definitive. Inclusive language comprises carefully chosen words and phrases that are respectful and promote the acceptance and value of all people. It is language which is free from words, phrases or tones that demean, insult, exclude, stereotype, or trivialise people on the basis of their membership of a certain group or because of a particular attribute. As such, inclusive language should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader, and contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on any grounds including but not limited to: age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition. We encourage the use of plural nouns (e.g., 'they' as default wherever possible instead of 'he/she'), and recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes, unless there is scientific or clinical relevance. For further guidance on inclusive language see Inclusive language | Style Manual. If there are questions about language use and/or publishing with regards to First Nations people, please contact the Journal.
Summary Text for the Table of Contents
This is a three-sentence paragraph of 50 to 80 words written for interested non-experts, such as journalists, teachers, government workers, etc. The text should be free from scientific jargon, and written at the level of an article in a science magazine. Your first sentence should engage the reader, convincing them that this is an important area. The second sentence should introduce the problem addressed in the paper, and state your main discovery. The final sentence should describe how the results fit into the bigger picture (i.e. implications or impact of the discovery).
The Abstract should be fewer than 200 words. The Introduction should present the reason for the work and its essential background. The Methods should contain sufficient experimental detail to enable the work to be repeated. The Results section should be separate from the Discussion. The Results section should present and elaborate on the results. Quantitative information should be given as data not as photographs only. The Discussion should set the results in the context of the international literature, and explain the significance of the results.
Place tables and figures after the text and references, and number all pages of the manuscript consecutively. Start each table and figure on a new page. It is helpful to reviewers to place each figure caption on the same page as the figure.
Please refer to a recent issue of the journal, to note details of layout.
Data Availability Statement
CSIRO Publishing encourages authors to share the research data underlying their papers to support transparency and reproducibility of research. A Data Availability Statement must be included at the end of the manuscript indicating whether the data used to generate the results in the paper are available and, if so, where to access them. For more information on CSIRO Publishing’s data sharing policy and for examples of what to include in the data availability statement please see https://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/publishingpolicies#6.
Authors can get credit for their work by citing their research data in the reference list of their article. Citations should include at a minimum: all authors, year of publication, title of dataset, record ID, publisher. DOI or URL if available. Examples of how to cite research data:
Wang L, Edwards D, Bailey A, Carr L, Boreham C, Grosjean E, Anderson J, Jarrett A, MacFarlane S, Southby C, Carson C, Khider K, Palu T, Henson P (2021). Well log data analysis and interpretation on the pre-Carboniferous succession in Waukarlycarly 1, Canning Basin, Western Australia. Record 2021/003 [Dataset]. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available at http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144547
Fiddes S, Pepler A, Saunders K, Hope P (2020) Southern Australia’s climate regions (Version 1.0.0) [Dataset] Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.4265471
Digital Earth Australia (2021). Wetlands Insight Tool Queensland Wetlands Polygons. Version 1.0.0 [Dataset]. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available at http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144795
Conflicts of Interest
A ´Conflicts of Interest´ section should be included at the end of the manuscript. It should identify any financial or non-financial (political, personal, professional) interests/relationships that may be interpreted to have influenced the manuscript. If there is no conflict of interest, please include the statement "The authors declare no conflicts of interest".
Declaration of Funding
Under a subheading 'Declaration of Funding' at the end of the text authors are required to declare all sources of funding for the research and/or preparation of the article, and the inclusion of grant numbers is recommended. Authors should declare sponsor names along with explanations of the role of those sources if any in the preparation of the data or manuscript or the decision to submit for publication; or a statement declaring that the supporting source had no such involvement. If no funding has been provided for the research, please include the following sentence: "This research did not receive any specific funding".
Acknowledgements
The contribution of colleagues who do not meet all criteria for authorship should be acknowledged. Anyone included in the Acknowledgements section should have granted permission to be listed. Sources of financial support should be acknowledged in a separate ‘Declaration of Funding’ rather than here.
References
At the end of the paper, list references in alphabetical order. Do not add the DOI; this is added by the Production Editor after acceptance. Do not include papers that have not been accepted for publication; cite them either as ´unpublished data´ or ´pers. comm.´ if they must be included at all. Authors must provide written proof of acceptance for any papers cited as ´in press´.
In the Reference list, use italic type for the journal name and use bold type for the journal volume number. Give full journal and book titles, and provide first and last page numbers for all entries.
In the text, use ´and´ to link the names of two co-authors in the text, and use ´et al.´ where there are more than two. Do not use a comma between the author´s name and the date. Italicise a, b, c etc. where several references are the same year. Where giving two or more references together, list them in chronological order separated by semi-colons.
Tables
Editable tables should be prepared in Word using the 'Table' tool (not tabs), without any hard returns within cells, or can be set up in Excel. Number each table and refer to it in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) in order of appearance. There is no need to add instructions on the placement of tables as long as each table is referred to in the text. Do not provide tables as images.
Table titles should be concise and clear and should fully explain the table. Use sentence case throughout the table. Supporting information relating to the whole table should be placed in the headnote. Any symbols, abbreviations or acronyms used in the table should also be defined in the headnote. Additional information relating to specific cells should be placed as table footnotes using superscript capital letters as identifiers. Symbols for units of measurement should be placed in parentheses beneath the column heading.
Tables should appear at the end of the main document, not within the text. Keep tables as simple as possible, without excessive subdivision of column headings.
DNA sequences and primers should be specified in the following manner, using the ´(prime) sign in preference to a ´ (single quotation mark):
5´-GGGATGACGCACAATCCC-3´.
Figures
Figures should be supplied as separate files but the captions should be included in the main document (at the end). Refer to each figure in the text (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.), and number each figure according to the order in which it appears in the text. There is no need to add instructions on placement of figures as long as each figure is referred to in the text. If your figure has multiple parts label with (a), (b), (c), etc. and place the labels in the top left of each image where possible. Figure parts can be supplied as separate images if needed. Please make sure all images are supplied are at highest possible resolution.
Format
Where possible, line diagrams (graphs, charts, etc.) should be provided as editable files and prepared using either a graphics or chart/graph program such as MacDraw, Illustrator, CorelDraw, Excel, Sigmaplot, Harvard Graphics or Cricket Graph and files should be saved in one of the following formats: encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Illustrator or Excel (provided the Excel files have been saved with the chart encapsulated in it). The submission of scanned images or illustrations prepared in a paint program, e.g. Photoshop (and PICT and JPEG files) is discouraged, because of the difficulty in making editorial corrections to these files. If illustrations must be created in a paint program, save the file as a TIFF or EPS (these files should be 600 dpi for line drawings and 300 dpi for halftone figures). Photographs can be supplied in the highest resolution possible.
Fonts
Please prepare figures using a standard sans serif font. Arial preferred. Font sizes for main axis labels, part labels should not be more than 8pt. Legends and data points should be 7pt font size where possible. Font should never be smaller than 5pt to ensure readability.
Style
- Use sentence case for text within figures
- Use Australian English spelling (ise, not ize, etc.) throughout
- Use 'and' not '&'
- For ranges in numbers (5–10) or minus signs (–20) please use an en rule rather than a hyphen as this is clearer for the reader.
Graphs
Should be prepared with one main x and y axis line. Grid lines are not required. Line weight of x- and y-axes should be ~1.0 (not below 0.7). State on the axes of a graph what is being measured and give the appropriate units in parentheses. Ensure any symbols/colours used are explained in a legend on the figure, or in the caption. Ensure numbers on axes have the same number of decimal places.
Maps
Ensure north is identified and a scale is provided. Ensure any symbols used are fully explained in a legend within the figure, or the caption. If maps are taken from Google Earth (or similar) please ensure attribution information is retained either on the figure, or provided in the caption.
Photographs
Ensure that permission has been gained by the copyright holder of the photograph and include a photographer credit in your caption. If your photograph contains people, please ensure that they have provided permission for their image to be published.
Captions
Captions should be concise and clear and should fully explain the figure. Explain any symbols or abbreviations used in the caption of the figure, or in a legend. If your figure has multiple parts, ensure each part is explained in the caption. If your figure is a photograph, ensure the photographer is credited in the caption.
Colour figures in print
Colour is free of charge in the online versions of your paper. Colour charges are incurred only if you want colour in the print version of the journal, see Publishing Charges for details.
If your figure files are too large for upload to ScholarOne please ensure you let CSIRO Publishing know as soon as your paper is accepted and an alternative transfer will be arranged. Note: Figures used in the final paper will be based on what is provided – if the quality is low in the original, it will remain low in the final publication.
Authors are responsible for obtaining prior permission from the copyright holder for the use of figures/images from other publications. Authors may be charged a fee by the copyright holder for such reuse.
Units
Use the SI system where appropriate, especially for exact measurement of physical quantities. However, non-SI units such as day and year are acceptable. Use L for litre (hence mL, µL, etc.); abbreviate hour(s) as h, minute(s) as min, second(s) as s, e.g. 4 h, 5 min, 3 s.
Use the negative index system, e.g. g m-2, kg ha-1, mol m-2 s-1.
Spell out numbers lower than 10 unless accompanied by a unit, e.g. 2 mm, 15 mm, two plants, 15 plants, but 2 out of 15 plants. Do not leave a space between a numeral and %, ‰ or oC.
When using non-standard abbreviations, define the abbreviation where it first occurs in the text.
Preparation of manuscript for submission
Format your manuscript with 1.5-line spacing throughout, using Times New Roman 12 font. Word for Windows is preferred, but most packages (e.g. other versions of Word or WordPerfect) are acceptable. If you have none of these, please submit an RTF (Rich Text Format) file.
Pages must be numbered; line numbering will also assist reviewers.
Present the work concisely and clearly in English. If English is not your native language, we recommend that you ask a native English speaker to read over your manuscript before submitting, or employ a professional science editor.
Make the title informative. If you include a botanical name in the title, omit the authority, but include it in the Abstract and at first mention in the text.
List full first name, initial and surnames for all authors, and a current institutional mailing address for each. The corresponding author should be indicated, and their email address given.
The abstract should be fewer than 200 words. Any references should be listed in full (authors, journal, volume and page numbers). Scientific names of plants should be accompanied by their authority.
A minimum of 8 key words or phrases are required to improve online discoverability of your work. These terms can be repeated from the title if necessary. List the keywords under the abstract, with terms separated by commas. Keyword should list alternative spellings, e.g. defense for defence, aluminum for aluminium etc.
Include all tables and embedded figures at the end of the main document, and submit the whole as a single MSWord, RTF or PDF file. Word and RTF files will be converted to PDF before sending for review. Authors are encouraged to make a PDF file so that any translation problems with symbols or layout can be corrected before submission.
Only upon acceptance of the manuscript will you be asked to provide the original figure files and high resolution photograph.
Submission procedure
To submit your paper, please use our online journal management system ScholarOne Manuscripts, which can be reached directly through this link or from the link on the journal´s homepage. If a first-time user, register via the ´Register here´ link, or use your existing username and password to log in. Then click on the ´Author Centre´ link and proceed. For papers arising from the work of Honours students, the corresponding author should be the supervisor of the student. This may also be appropriate for papers from PhD students.
Authors of papers arising from theses or reports that are publicly available in an electronic format should clearly state this at the time of submission, and should supply the Editor with the relevant URL.
Authors are asked to declare any competing interests at the time of submission. A competing interest exists when professional judgement concerning a primary interest, such as the validity of research, may be influenced by a secondary interest, such as sponsorship or financial gain. Papers will not be rejected simply on the basis of competing interests, but the Journal may make a declaration that the author(s) has competing interests.
Authors should acknowledge in the manuscript all financial support for the work and other financial or personal connections to the work. Articles will be published with statements declaring:
- Authors’ conflicts of interest; and
- Sources of support for the work, including sponsor names along with explanations of the role of those sources if any in study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; the decision to submit the report for publication; or a statement declaring that the supporting source had no such involvement.
If the manuscripts are intended for a Special Issue you should select the appropriate Special Issue category during submission.
Licence to publish
For details regarding copyright, please see Copyright/Licence to Publish.
Open access
Authors may choose to publish their paper Open Access on payment of a publication fee. See Open Access for more details.
Upon acceptance of manuscript
When asked to submit production files, please provide the Production Editor with the original figure files separately from the manuscript, and in highest resolution.
Ensure that figures are in their original file format (i.e. PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Excel, CorelDraw, SigmaPlot, etc.) rather than embedded in a Word document or converted to a derived format. However, if your figures are in a format that we do not accept, high-quality high-resolution PostScript or PDF files are acceptable. Sending files in more than one format is fine; we will use the format that will reproduce the best.
Colour photographs will be accepted if they are essential but the cost of colour reproduction on the printed copy must be borne by the author. The Production Editor will provide an estimate of the cost with the page proofs. Colour figures must be supplied in CMYK, not RGB, format.
Proofs and reprints
Approximately two weeks after the paper is accepted, the corresponding author will receive an edited Word document that has undergone formatting and copyediting. Questions from the production editor should be answered. Minor corrections can be made at this stage. The paper is then typeset, and page proofs sent to the corresponding author for checking prior to publication. At this stage only essential alterations and correction of typesetting errors may be undertaken. Excessive author alterations will be charged back to the author. Reprint order forms and prices are sent with the proofs and should be returned to the Production Editor with the proofs.
Upon publication, corresponding authors will be sent a free PDF of the paper. You may send copies of this PDF to individual colleagues for non-commercial purposes, print out and distribute copies to colleagues, or include the PDF in a course pack, subject to the usual copyright licensing agency arrangements.
We would also like to send your colleagues an alert to its publication + PDF. Our objectives for such action are to acknowledge authors, and stimulate the use and citations of the paper. This offer will be activated if you send a list of email addresses (i.e. up to 20 colleagues) to the Production Editor. This list will not be used for any other purpose other than to promote your research.
General enquiries
Functional Plant Biology
CSIRO Publishing
Locked Bag 10
Clayton South VIC 3169
Australia
Telephone +[61 3] 9545 8400
Email publishing.fpb@csiro.au
