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Author Instructions

All manuscripts should be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

Publishing Policies
Soil Research 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/sr/PublishingPolicies.

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Peer review
Soil Research is a peer-reviewed journal that uses a single-blind peer-review. The Editors-in-Chief are responsible to maintain high-quality peer-review of papers submitted to the journal and work together with the Associate Editors to ensure a thorough and fair peer-review and the highest scientific publishing standards. All submissions undergo preliminary assessment by an 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.

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Authorship
The conditions around authorship for Soil Research should follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), for more information see http://www.publish.csiro.au/sr/PublishingPolicies.

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Licence to publish
For details regarding copyright, please see Copyright/Licence to Publish.

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Open access
Authors may choose to publish their paper Open Access on payment of a publication fee. See Open Access for more details.

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Journal editorial policy
The journal aims to rapidly publish high-quality, novel research about fundamental and applied aspects of soil science. As well as welcoming submissions in traditional aspects of soil biology, soil physics and soil chemistry across terrestrial ecosystems, the journal will consider manuscripts dealing with wider interactions of soils with the environment.

Submission of a paper is taken to mean that the results have not been published and are not being considered for publication elsewhere. Abstracts or posters from conferences, where the full data set is not presented and interpretation of results is not extensively developed, would not normally be regarded as publications but should be acknowledged in the submitted manuscript. Please contact the Editor-in-Chief if you are unsure.

CSIRO Publishing requires that all authors of a multi-authored paper agree to its submission. This journal will use its best endeavours to ensure that work published is that of the named authors except where acknowledged and, through its reviewing procedures, that any published results and conclusions are consistent with the primary data. It takes no responsibility for fraud or inaccuracy on the part of the contributors. Authors of multi-authored papers may wish to assign relative values to their contributions, or to indicate that two or more authors contributed equally to a paper. This can be done in a note at the end of the address field on the paper.

PDFs of published papers are now provided free of charge to corresponding authors. Reprints are still available for purchase; an order form for reprints will be supplied with the page proofs. There are no page charges. Original illustrations will be returned after publication if this is requested at the time of submission.

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Types of publication

  1. Research Papers
  2. Review Papers
  3. Short Communications
  4. Comments (or Letter to the Editor) and Responses
  5.  Viewpoints.

All paper must be within the broad scope of the Journal.

Research Papers are complete reports of original research results that have not previously been published. Papers must show novelty (what is new to our understanding of soils), make a significant contribution to knowledge and be of international interest. There are no word/page limitations for Research Papers – Soil Research encourages the reporting of full and complete studies in its Research Papers.

The paper should be divided into sections: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. A short structured Abstract (maximum 250 words) should be provided at the start of the manuscript. This should summarise the context, aims (hypothesis(es) if appropriate), methods, results, and conclusions. The Introduction should provide a general context for the work, explaining its significance and indicating why it could be of interest to soil scientists. The final paragraph should succinctly describe the aim of the current study - how does it add to what we already know? It should clearly state the hypothesis(es) being tested or research question(s) being asked. Where the nature of the study does not allow this, a clear indication of the aim and purpose of the work should be given. The Materials and methods section should be detailed and complete allowing other scientists to repeat the work. Allowance will be given for commonly used techniques or analysis in soils, where the citation of the appropriate method is preferred, along with any deviation from the standard published technique. The Results should be presented and described in a concise, logical, clear and balanced manner, using clear graphics and tabulation to show the data in the best way to address the aim of the paper. Wherever possible robust statistical analysis should be employed to show where significant difference exists between treatments. The Discussion should address the hypothesis(es) being tested or research question(s) being asked, with due reference to other relevant studies. This section should draw out the novelty and significance of the findings in the work in the context of current knowledge. In some few (often shorter) manuscripts the nature of the study may support an integrated Results and Discussion section, where this is the most effective way to present and explain the findings. Should you choose to write a combined Results and Discussion, please explain why separate sections would undermine the overall presentation of the science in the cover letter to the editors at submission. The Conclusions should briefly restate the main findings of the study, describe how the work has advanced the field, and provide a comment on future research directions. Authors may also wish to include an (optional) Acknowledgements section at the end of their papers that recognise technical and other colleagues who may have offered assistance in the development of their work and manuscript. There is an option for submitting supplementary information that may be in form of text, tables and figures.

Review Papers should give insights to new findings from a substantial review of the existing body of knowledge or provide a novel synthesis of existing data (including meta-analyses). The Review Paper should identify knowledge gaps in the selected topic for future research. If new experimental data are included in the review, sufficient detail about methods should be included.

Short Communications present results from a brief but well-designed study or deal with important observations not needing lengthy treatment. This can include preliminary results that are deemed important to the scientific community and require rapid publication. Short Communications do not require section headings and should not exceed 2000 words (including up to three graphics or tables.)

Letter to the Editor (Comment and Response): In order to be considered for publication, Letters to the Editor must be concise and impersonal, must contribute to knowledge and must advance the discussion beyond opinion. Their ultimate aim should be to encourage informed debate on topics raised in papers published in Soil Research. The co-Editors-in-Chief will consider Comments on papers published in the journal within the past 12 months. If the Comment is negative or critical, the authors of the published paper will be offered the right to reply in a Response. Both the Comments and Responses will be peer reviewed, and if accepted, will be published in the same issue. If the corresponding or contributing authors of the previously published paper decline their right to reply or fail to do so in a reasonable timeframe, the Comment will be published without a Response. Authors who wish to submit Comments on papers published more than 12 months previously should first seek advice from the Editorial Office. Comments should have a short abstract (<100 words) and should not exceed 3000 words. The number of figures, tables and references should be limited. Responses should have no abstract and should not exceed 1000 words (including figures, tables and references).

A Viewpoint paper presents a novel view on a topical issue of current international concern. The author is welcome to take a controversial standpoint but, overall, the article should provide a clear and balanced discussion to inform non-specialist readers about the issue and its new developments. Viewpoints should not be used as a refuge from the trouble of precise thought. The length is usually 1000–1500 words.

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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.

A covering letter must accompany the submission and should include the name, address, fax and telephone numbers, and email address of the corresponding author. The letter should also contain a statement justifying why the work should be considered for publication in the journal, and that the manuscript has not been published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.

If you encounter any difficulties, or you have any queries, please contact:
Soil Research
CSIRO Publishing
Private Bag 10
Clayton South, Vic. 3169
Australia
Telephone +[61 3] 9545 8790
Email publishing.sr@csiro.au

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Checklist for preparation of manuscripts

  1. Manuscripts should be double-spaced and lines numbered throughout, including references, figure captions, and tables.
  2. Main headings (Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, Conflicts of Interest, References) are set in bold roman (not italic) type. Minor headings are set in light italic type.
  3. Check that all references mentioned in the text are in the References, and vice versa.
  4. List references in the text in chronological order, separated by semi-colons. List references in the References list in alphabetical order. In the text, do not use a comma between the author´s name and the date.
  5. Give full journal and book titles in the References list.
  6. Use arabic numerals in the text, but in table headings, spell out numbers less than ten. Type a space between a numeral and its unit.
  7. Prepare figures with symbols and letters appropriate for the reduction intended. Use Helvetica or another sans-serif font in figures.
  8. Check that stippling and/or symbols in figures are legible at the size likely to be used in the published article.
  9. Tables should be self-explanatory. Use headings, headnotes and footnotes.
  10. Place tables and figures at the end of the manuscript, each on a separate page, and place the figure captions on a separate page.
  11. Indicate approximate positions of figures and tables on the manuscript.
  12. Check that figures and tables are numbered in the order in which they are discussed in the text.
  13. Suggest a running head for the paper of not more than 50 characters (including spaces).
  14. Include addresses for all authors and an email address for the corresponding author.

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Guidelines for the preparation of manuscripts

General presentation
The work should be presented in concise and clear English. The Introduction should not exceed what is necessary to indicate the reason for the work and its essential background. Sufficient experimental detail should be given to enable the work to be repeated. The Discussion should explain the significance of the results in the context of existing knowledge on the topic. An internal institutional review of content and English prior to submission is strongly recommended.

Supplementary material of a detailed nature that may be useful to other workers but is not essential to the printed paper may be lodged with the Production Editor, provided that it is submitted with the manuscript for inspection by the referees. Such material will be made available on request and a note to this effect should be included in the paper.

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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.

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Manuscripts
Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout and printed on one side of good quality paper. Make the left-hand margin at least 3 cm wide, with lines numbered in the left-hand margin. Place tables, figures, and captions to figures after the text, and number all pages of the manuscript consecutively. Refer to each figure and table in the text.

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).

We advise authors to read recent issues of the journal to note details of headings, tables, illustrations, style, and layout. Observance of these and the following details will shorten the time between submission and publication. Poorly prepared and unnecessarily lengthy manuscripts have less chance of being accepted.

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Title
This should be concise and appropriately informative and should contain keywords necessary to facilitate retrieval by modern searching techniques. An abridged title suitable for use as a running head at the top of the printed page and not exceeding 50 letter spaces should also be supplied.

If the paper is one of a numbered series, a reference to the previous part should be given as a footnote on the first page. If a part not yet published needs to be consulted for a proper understanding of the paper, a copy of that manuscript should be supplied to assist the referees.

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Abstract
Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Abstracts of Research articles should be formatted to include the following labelled sections: Context; Aims; Methods; Key results; Conclusions; Implications. Using these headings, the Abstract should state concisely why the study was done, what hypothesis was tested, and how the study was undertaken; should give the principal findings and conclusions; and should highlight the implications for future research. Abstracts of Short Communications, Reviews, Viewpoints and Comment/Response papers do not need to be formatted with sections but should still provide a concise overview of the full manuscript. As a general rule, avoid including references and abbreviations in Abstracts.

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Keywords
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.

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Footnotes
Footnotes within the text should be used only when essential. They should be placed within horizontal rules immediately under the lines to which they refer.

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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

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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".

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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".

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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.

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References
No editorial responsibility can be taken for the accuracy of the references; authors are requested to check these with special care. References are cited chronologically in the text by author and date and are not numbered. All references in the text must be listed at the end of the paper, arranged alphabetically; all entries in this list must correspond to references in the text. In the text the names of two coauthors are linked by ´and´; for three or more the first author´s name is followed by ´et al.´.

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Reference titles must be included for all references, and titles of books and journals given in full. Papers that have not been accepted for publication may not be included in the list of references and must be cited either as ´unpublished data´ or as ´personal communication´; the use of such citations is discouraged.

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Citation of references (examples)

  • Journal article
    Woelkerling WJ, Irvine LM, Harvey AS (1993) Growth-forms in non-geniculate coralline red algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta). Australian Systematic Botany 6, 277-293.
  • Chapter in a book
    Andrew CS (1978) Mineral characterisation of tropical forage legumes. In ´Mineral nutrition of legumes in tropical and subtropical soils´. (Eds CS Andrew, EJ Kamprath) pp. 93-111. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)
  • Whole book
    Simmonds DH (1989) ´Wheat and wheat quality in Australia.´ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)
  • Report/Bulletin
    Chippendale GM, Wolf L (1981) The natural distribution of Eucalyptus in Australia. Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Special Publication No. 6, Canberra.
  • Web pages
    Referencing from web pages is acceptable and should give the author´s names, year of publication and title as for a report, followed by the URL, and access date.

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Use of referencing software
If using ´EndNote´ software, you can obtain the style file for this journal at http://www.endnote.com/support/enstyles.asp.

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Units
Authors are requested to use the International System of Units (Système International d´Unités) for exact measurements of physical quantities and where appropriate elsewhere. For SI units please use L, mL, μL, year, day, month, h (hour), Bq (not Ci), s (second), min. Centrifuge speeds should be in g not r.p.m. Use either the negative index system (g m-2, kg ha-1, mol m-2 s-1) or solidus (g/m2, kg/ha) consistently in your paper. If using the solidus ensure ambiguity of expression is avoided (i.e. either J kg–1 K–1 or J/(kg K) is acceptable, but not J/kg/K).

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Concentration of ionic species
For ionic charge concentration, units of moles of charge per m3 (molc/m3 or mmolc/m3) or moles of charge per L (molc/L or mmolc/L) should be used. There is no need to use (+) or (-) to indicate the ion charge.

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Exchangeable ions and ion exchange capacity
Cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cations can be expressed as cmolc/kg (non-SI) or mmolc/kg (SI-unit). Other units, such as cmol+ kg–1 or meq/100 g, are discontinued or outdated.

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Electrical conductivity
The recommended unit is dS/m, but mS/cm is acceptable.

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Enzyme nomenclature
The names of enzymes should conform to the Recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee of the IUB on the Nomenclature and Classification of Enzymes as published in `Enzyme nomenclature 1984´ (Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1984). If there is good reason to use a name other than the recommended name, at the first mention of the alternative name in the text it should be identified by the recommended name and EC number. The Editor-in-Chief should be advised of the reasons for using the alternative name.

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Mathematical formulae
Mathematical formulae should be carefully typed with symbols in correct alignment and adequately spaced. Judicious use should be made of the solidus to avoid 2-line mathematical expressions wherever possible and especially in the running text. Each long formula should be displayed on a separate line with at least 2 lines of space above and below. Equations must be in editable electronic format, i.e. not inserted as ´pictures´.

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Chemical nomenclature
The nomenclature of compounds such as amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, steroids, vitamins, etc. should follow the recommendations of the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature. Other biologically active compounds, such as metabolic inhibitors, plant growth regulators, buffers, etc., should be referred to once by their correct chemical name (which is in accordance with IUPAC rules of Chemical Nomenclature) and then by their most widely accepted common name. For pesticides, the latest issue of ´Pesticides - synonyms and chemical names´ (Australian Government Publishing Service) should be followed. Where there is no common name, trade names or letter abbreviations of the chemical may be used.

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Microbiological nomenclature
The names of bacteria should conform to those used in ´Approved list of bacterial names´ (American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1980). Fungal nomenclature should conform to the International Code for Botanical Nomenclature. The names used for viruses should be those approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and published in the fourth report of the ICTV ´Classification and nomenclature of viruses´, Intervirology, 1982, 17 (1-3), 1-199. Synonyms may be added in parentheses when the name is first mentioned. Approved generic (or group) and family names should also be used.

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Crop variety pedigrees
The Purdy system (Crop Science, 1968, 8, 405-406) should be followed.

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Soil classification nomenclature
Owing to the international scope, as well as local classification, authors should also use internationally recognised nomenclature such as Soil Taxonomy, FAO Unesco, or the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). For local soil classification the Australian Soil Classification (ASC) (Isbell and NCST 2016) or the New Zealand Soil Classification (Hewitt 1993) would normally be used. The relevant hierarchical level to be used in any of the above schemes will depend on the nature of the scientific study being reported. It would also be appropriate for Australian and New Zealand authors to base their soil morphological descriptions on either The National Committee on Soil and Terrain (2009) (Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook) or Milne et al. 1995 (Soil description handbook).

References:

  • Hewitt AE (1993) ´New Zealand soil classification.´ Landcare Research Science Series No. 1. 131 pp. (Manaaki-Whenua Press: Lincoln, NZ)
  • Isbell RF and National Committee on Soil and Terrain (2016) ´The Australian soil classification.´ 2nd edn (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne) http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/7428.htm
  • The National Committee on Soil and Terrain (2009) ‘Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook’. 3rd edn (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne) http://www.publish.csiro.au/book/5230/
  • Milne JDG, Clayden B, Singleton PL, Wilson AD (1995) ´Soil description handbook.´ Revised edn (Manaaki-Whenua Press: Lincoln, NZ)

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Statistical evaluation of results
The design and conduct of experiments must be sufficiently explained that readers can judge for themselves the validity of the results. Details of treatments such as genotype, soil properties, and levels of factors must be matched by adequate description of the field and controlled environment conditions, including the number of sites and years over which the validity of the conclusions is established. Authors should describe how measurements were made and indicate how treatments were assigned to units or blocks, and the number of replicates. When common experimental designs such as randomised block or split-plot designs are used a reference is not necessary, but it is appropriate to cite a reference for little-used methods or designs, in which case the use of these methods should be justified.

The experimental design dictates the proper method of statistical analysis and the basis of assessing the precision of treatment means. The precision achieved should be reported by a standard error of the treatment mean or a coefficient of variation. Wherever possible the assumptions implicit in the analysis should be checked. Treatment comparisons such as the least significant difference (l.s.d.) may be made when the variance ratio (F value) is significant, but authors must be aware of the limitations to the use of multiple comparisons. Where treatments have logical structure, as in factorial designs, orthogonal contrasts among treatments should be made. Brief analysis of variance (ANOVA) tables with mean squares and degrees of freedom may be published where, in designs with logical treatment structure, as in factorial designs for instance, they are an efficient way to summarise the relative importance of the various effects. Ultimately, the statistical analyses should highlight the scientific principles embodied in the results.

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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.

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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.

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Committee on Publication Ethics