Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution is dedicated to bringing Darwin's dream within grasp - to "have fairly true genealogical
trees of each great kingdom of Nature." The journal provides a forum for molecular studies that advance our understanding of phylogeny
and evolution by publishing the results of molecular studies that identify the actual clades to which different species and higher taxa
belong. Such knowledge furthers the development of phylogenetically more accurate taxonomic classifications and ultimately a unified
classification for all the ramifying lines of life. Molecular studies have already provided evidence - missing in Darwin's time - that
a single primordial species in our ancient past was probably the source of the ramifying lines of evolution from which all present-day
species have descended. With each present-day genome containing a range of DNA sequences from rapidly to extremely slowly evolving, it
becomes possible to discover the phylogenetic relationships that exist among living species at all levels of the taxonomic hierarchy,
from the most recently separated to the most anciently separated.
Papers that result from or encourage the collaboration of molecular
biologists and computer scientists with the community of systematic and evolutionary biologists are of special interest. In addition,
presentations of new findings on or insights into evolutionary processes and mechanisms as expressed at the molecular level are welcome,
as are those that deal with the methodology of reconstructing evolutionary history from molecular data (such as descriptions of new or
more powerful computer algorithms for constructing phylogenetic trees from homologous nucleotide sequences or from homologous amino acid
sequences). A deeper understanding of the mechanisms and processes of molecular evolution should lead to more accurate models of molecular
evolution, which in turn should facilitate the development of better algorithms for reconstructing evolutionary history from sequence
data.
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Types of articles Review papers are accepted. These papers do not contain much new data; rather, they are a status
report of a specific field within molecular phylogenetics. Authors should relate molecular phylogeny to a broader audience by linking
taxonomic group/names to common names so papers will have more general appeal.
Short communications of approximately 3000
words are also accepted. These papers should contain no more than two figures, two tables, and thirty references. A short abstract of
fewer than 100 words is acceptable.
Letters to the editor should consist of about 1000 words and contain no tables, no
figures, and no new data. Manuscripts should be prepared according to the following style rules. Deviation from these rules causes publication
delays.
Form of manuscripts
Number all pages consecutively, including references, footnotes, tables, and figure legends.
Title page. Provide the following data on the title page (in the order given).
Author names and affiliations.
Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please indicate this clearly. Include the authors' affiliation addresses
(where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lowercase superscript letter immediately after the
author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name,
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Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who is willing to handle correspondence
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code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address.
An abstract (about 150 words)
that is a brief but informative summary of the contents and the conclusions of the paper should appear on page 2 of the manuscript. The
abstract should be intelligible to a nonspecialist in the field and should avoid specialized terms and abbreviations or symbols that
require definition. Keywords should be listed immediately after the abstract.
Subdivision of the article. Divide the article
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Subsections should be used as much as possible when cross-referencing text: refer to the subsection by heading as opposed to simply "the
text." A suggested organization of an article is abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments,
and references.
In the methods section, experimental procedures should be described in sufficient detail to enable the work to be
repeated. References to other papers describing the techniques may be given. Correct chemical names should be given and scientific names
of organisms should be specified. The names and addresses of suppliers of uncommon reagents or instruments should be mentioned. Authors
should draw attention to any particular chemical or biological hazards that may be involved in carrying out the experiments described.
Any relevant safety precautions should be described; if an accepted code of practice has been followed, a reference to the relevant standards
should be given.
Nomenclature and units. Use SI units and follow the guidelines for abbreviations and symbols of the IUPAC-IUBMB
Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature.
Footnotes. Number footnotes in a single sequence cited by superscript Arabic
numerals and typed on a separate sheet.
DNA sequences and GenBank Accession numbers. Note that in the final version of
the electronic copy, any accession numbers in text will be linked to the appropriate source in the NCBI databases, enabling readers
to go directly to that source from the article. Authors are encouraged to check accession numbers used very carefully. An error in
a letter or number can result in a dead link.
References
Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also
present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Citation of a reference as "in press" implies that the item has been accepted for publication. Include only published or in-press articles; cite personal
communications or unpublished articles as such within the text. Arrange the list in alphabetical order according to the first author's
surname and type double-spaced on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.
References should be referred to in the text by the
authors' surnames and the date of publication, e.g., Doe and Jones (2002), Jones et al. (1999), or (Doe, 2000; Jones, 2001). Abbreviate
the names of journals according to the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index. Note the reference styles in the following examples:
Polziehn, R.O., Strobeck, C.,
2002. A phylogenetic comparison of red deer and wapiti using mitochondrial DNA. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 22, 342-356.
Williams, P.L.,
Fitch, W.M., 1989. Finding the minimal change in a given tree. In: Feraholm, B., Bremmer, K., Jornvall, H. (Eds.), The Hierarchy of Life.
Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 453-470.
Tables
Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text.
Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing
in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.
Figures
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