For Authors

1. Manuscripts (3 copies) and correspondence should be sent to The Editor, Contributions in Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, 750 Channelview Drive, Port Aransas, Texas 78373. Communication speed will be improved if an e-mail address and a fax number for the first or corresponding author are included.

2. Manuscripts are invited which review or monograph any aspect of marine science. Authors should consult with the editor before submitting a manuscript. Preference is given to papers relating to the Gulf of Mexico and including the results of original research. Reviews will normally be considered from workers active in the field reviewed.

3. All contributions are sent to outside reviewers for evaluation of scientific merit and reader interest. Manuscripts are then returned to the author for consideration of comments. Revised manuscripts should be submitted on diskette, in addition to a printed copy. Most common word processing programs are acceptable, but if there is any doubt, also include a file saved as plain text (ASCII, "text," or .TXT). Additional details on electronic submission are available on request for all authors, and is required for final copy.

4. The submission of a manuscript will be taken to imply that it has not already been published nor is being considered for publication and if accepted by Contributions in Marine Science that it will not be published elsewhere.

5. Manuscripts must be typewritten in English with double spacing throughout (text, literature cited, table and figure headings).

6. Page one of the manuscript should give the title in capitals, the author's name and the address(es) where the work was carried out. Footnotes may be used on the title page to indicate the present address of authors, but should be avoided in the text. Also indicated on page one should be a short title of not more than 60 letters and spaces for use as a page heading.

7. Page two should contain an abstract. This should be concise and intelligible without the need to refer to the text.

8. The introduction should start on page three. The major headings should be capitalized and centered on the page. For sub-headings, capitalize the initial letter of significant words. The first sub-heading should be centered, the second shouldered and the third run-on with the text.

9. Use metric units of, or in addition to, other units. Authors should consult Style Manual for Biological Journals, The American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, D.C. for questions of general style and a list of acceptable abbreviations.

10. The literature cited should include all literature cited within the text and should be arranged alphabetically, first by author(s) and then chronologically, i.e., Smith, A. and Adams, J. (1992), comes before Smith, A. and Jefferson, T. (1985). Abbreviations for serial names should follow Serial Sources for the Biosis Data Base. Each citation must be complete, according to the following examples:

Article: McClelland, J.W. and I. Valiela. 1998. Linking nitrogen in estuarine producers to land-derived sources. Limnol. Oceanogr. 43:577-585.

Book: Bohlke, J.E. and C.G.G. Chaplin. 1993. Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters, 2nd ed. Univ. Texas Press. 771 pp.

Chapter: Fogel, M.A., and L.A. Cifuentes. 1993. Isotopic fractionation during primary production, p. 73-98. In M.H. Engel and S.A. Macko [eds.], Organic Geochemistry. Plenum, New York.