Instructions to Contributors
Adaptive Behavior is hosted on Manuscript Central™, a web based online submission and peer review system - SAGETRACK. Please read the Manuscript Submission guidelines below, and then simply visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ad-behav to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is possible that you will have had an account created.
To be published in Adaptive Behavior, an article should report substantive new results that significantly advance understanding of adaptive behavior in animals (including humans) or artificial systems. Critical reviews of existing work will also be considered. Contributions can originate from a range of disciplines, including psychology, biology, behavioral ecology, ethology, cognitive science, robotics, artificial intelligence, and others.
The ideal article will suggest implications for both natural and artificial systems. Authors should aim to make their methods, findings, and the significance of their results clear and understandable to the journal's multidisciplinary audience. Very general, speculative, or narrowly specialized papers, papers with substantially incomplete development, or papers irrelevant to the subject of adaptive behavior may be returned to authors without formal review.
Submitted Manuscripts
- Manuscripts must be in English, with American spelling preferred. Briefly define terms that may not be familiar to readers outside your specialty. Avoid jargon and nonstandard abbreviations. Use established technical terms before making up new ones.
- Authors should adhere to the following guidelines or papers may be returned for reformatting prior to review. Unless otherwise specified here, authors should adhere to the style described in the Fourth Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This Manual is widely available in bookstores and libraries. It can also be ordered from the American Psychological Association: APA Order Department, PO Box 2710, Hyattsville, MD 20784, USA.
- Manuscripts may be submitted in single-spaced one-column form (though accepted manuscripts must be double-spaced-see below.) Manuscripts for normal articles should not normally exceed the equivalent of 20 printed journal pages (about 10,000 words. More space is allowed for review articles, but the situation should be discussed with the editor before submission. Manuscripts for short communications should not normally exceed 4, 000 words. It is highly recommended to contact the editor before submitting a manuscript that significantly exceeds the allowed length as there is a risk that the manuscript may not be sent to review and the authors may be asked to shorten it.
The title page (page 1) should include:
- The paper's title (typically 12 words or less)
- A short running title (not more than 50 characters, including punctuation)
- The names and affiliations of the authors (e.g., William D. Hamilton, University of Oxford, Department of Zoology)
- The phone, fax, email, and mailing address of the author with whom the editor, publisher and readers should correspond
- The second page should contain an abstract of about 150 words or less, summarizing the main questions and results presented in the paper. This should be followed by a list of up to six key words.
- Begin the text of the article on page 3. Divide the text into short logical sections and subsections to aid the reader, and number them consecutively, e.g. 1, 1.1, 1.2, 2. Endnotes may be used sparingly. Follow the text with any endnotes and acknowledgements listed on separate pages.
- Begin the reference list on a new page following the acknowledgements page. References (not numbered) and citations, e.g. (Hamilton, 1963), must conform to the style in the Fourth Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Carefully check all citations and references for correctness, completeness, and consistency. The names (last names and initials) of all authors must be given in the reference list. The last names of all authors must be mentioned in the first text citation; after that, the first author and "et al." may be used if there are three or more authors.
- Figures and tables can appear placed appropriately in the text in the submitted paper (but not in accepted manuscripts-see below). Number each table and figure using Arabic numerals. Include a brief title above each table. See the APA manual for specific details about typing tables. Each figure must have a caption. Figures should provide essential information, not merely illustrate the text. High-contrast black and white graphics and high-quality black and white photographs are both acceptable. Graphics and lettering should be clear and sharp enough to accommodate probable reduction for publication. Figures should be designed to be either 8 cm or 16 cm wide and no more than 22 cm tall.
- Color graphics can only be used on payment of a page fee for each printed page of color graphics. Computer graphics should be saved in TIFF (LZW compression enabled) or EPS format. Contact the publisher before submitting other formats. All graphics must have a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (118 dots per cm). Quality and the ability to reproduce the figures are the main considerations.
Accepted Manuscripts
The following items for each author must accompany the manuscript: a black and white head and shoulders photograph, a short introductory biography of 100 words or less, and the author's email and mailing addresses.
Book Review Section
Anyone interested in reviewing a book or in suggesting a book for review should contact the Editor at editor@adaptive-behaviour.org. Publishers are also invited to submit copies of relevant books.
SAGE Open. If you wish your article to be freely available online immediately upon publication (as some funding bodies now require), you can opt for it to be included in SAGE Open subject to payment of a publication fee. Manuscript submission and refereeing procedure is unchanged. On acceptance of your article, you will be asked to let SAGE know directly if you are choosing SAGE Open. For further information, please visit http://www.uk.sagepub.com/sageopen.sp
English Language Editing Services: Please click here for information on professional English language editing services recommended by SAGE.
