Submissions

Author Guidelines

Instructions for Authors

Manuscripts must be original contributions and must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere. Any overlap in content with already published related articles should be minimal and only justified by the topic addressed.

The manuscript will be returned to the authors without entering the editorial process if the Editorial Committee considers that:

1. The subject matter is not relevant or scientifically interesting for the journal.

2. A research article lacks novel and significant conclusions for the discipline it pertains to.

3. The manuscript does not comply with the editorial guidelines.

Manuscripts submitted in English must be reviewed in advance by a native speaker or a professional who ensures that the English meets grammatical and syntactical standards.

Type specimens must be deposited in national or international public museums or collections. In the case of fossils, repository numbers for all specimens analyzed in the study must be provided. Authors are also advised to request registration numbers for the deposited material prior to the manuscript's acceptance to avoid unnecessary delays in publication.

A PDF file must be uploaded including the full text followed by all figures, tables, and plates. Authors must also upload as Online Supplementary Files during Step 4 of the online submission process: the manuscript text in Word format and all figures as separate files. A Cover Letter must also be submitted, indicating any comments for the Editorial Committee, a statement that the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere, and the names of three potential reviewers.

Manuscript Organization

The manuscript must be prepared using a word processor (e.g., Word), on A4-sized paper, double-spaced, with continuous page and line numbering.

Title. The first page must include the title, authors’ names, and full postal addresses. A short running head should also be included.

Abstract. The second page must contain an Abstract in English and a Resumen in Spanish (maximum 250 words each). Each must be preceded by the translation of the title (to English if the manuscript is in Spanish, and to Spanish if it is in English). The Abstract and Resumen must be concise but sufficiently informative regarding the objectives, methodology, and significance of the results.

Key Words. A separate paragraph must include up to six keywords in both English and Spanish, separated by commas.

Main Text.
The text must follow this general structure: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgments, and References.

Scientific names and words in a language different from the main text should be in italics.
Main section titles should be centered and in uppercase (e.g., RESULTS).
Secondary section titles should be left-aligned in bold, with only the first letter capitalized (e.g., Aquatic environments).
Third- and fourth-level headings should be in bold and italics, respectively, placed at the beginning of the paragraph, followed by a period and the text on the same line.
New genera and species must be indicated as nov. gen., gen. nov., sp. nov., or n. sp., as appropriate.

Figures

Color figures published exclusively in the online version will not incur additional costs for the authors.

Figures must be consecutively numbered in Arabic numerals and all must be cited in the text.
All illustrations, including maps, plates, and photographs, are considered figures.

Images within the same figure must have similar tone and contrast. Rectangular photographs should have borders parallel to the layout margins and be evenly spaced to maximize the use of space.
Each image within a figure must be labeled with an uppercase letter (Arial, size 10).
Photographs must be of high contrast.
Images should be in TIFF format, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, saved with LZW compression and without layers.
Figures may be sized for one (70 mm) or two columns (144 mm), with a maximum height of 210 mm.
Print figures at final size before submission to ensure legibility and appropriate halftone quality.
All figures must include graphic scales with their values noted in the figure captions.
Drawings based on scanned images will not be accepted.

Drawings

Detailed drawing design guidelines are available [here].

Drawings should be sized for full-page width (14.4 cm) or single-column width (7 cm).
Avoid “hairline” or “very thin” lines; use only lines of 0.15 mm or thicker.
Maps must include at least two parallel and meridian values inside the frame, with tick marks on both edges (left/right for parallels; top/bottom for meridians).
Always include a graphical scale with zero at one end and units (meters or kilometers) at the other.

All numbers and/or letters within figures must be in Arial font, between 6 and 14 pt.
Arrows, scale bars, and any figure labels must be of consistent size and style.
Captions for all figures must be provided on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.
The desired figure placement should be indicated in the manuscript margins.

If figures are modified from previously published work, the original source must be credited in the caption.

Tables

Tables must be placed on separate pages at the end of the manuscript and numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals.

Use the table creation tool in your word processor to ensure that columns and rows stay aligned when resizing.
Do not use tab keys or spaces to create tables.

References

In-text citations should include only the author and year (e.g., Pérez & Smith, 1992), unless citing a specific page or figure.
Use et al. when there are more than two authors. Note that “&” is used between two author names.

The final reference list must exactly match the in-text citations. Pay special attention to formatting, order, and punctuation, as shown in the examples below.

Book and journal titles must be in italics and written out in full.

Examples:

• Olson, S. 1992. Neogaeornis wetzeli Lambrecht, a Cretaceous loon from Chile (Aves: Gaviidae). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 12(1): 122–124.

• Moure, J.S. & P.D. Hurd. 1987. An Annotated Catalog of the Halictid Bees of the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, 405 pp.

• Angelelli, V. & J.C. Fernández Lima. 1972. Ciclos metalogenéticos de la Argentina. In: A.F. Leanza (ed.), Geología Regional Argentina, pp. 797–813, Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Córdoba.

• Makovicky, P.J., S. Apesteguía & F.L. Agnolin. 2005. The earliest dromaeosaurid theropod from South America. Nature 437: 1007–1011.

Proofs

Authors will receive page proofs for correction. Only minor typographical or layout errors may be corrected at this stage.