An International Journal of Landscape Ecology, Planning and Design


This guide for authors provides you with all information necessary for submitting a paper to Landscape and Urban Planning. Please read all information carefully and follow the instructions in detail when preparing your manuscript. Manuscripts, which are not prepared according to our guidelines (both in terms of manuscript and ethical requirements), will be sent back to authors.

Section I of this document describes the type of contributions that are published in Landscape and Urban Planning. Section II, provides a detailed explanation of requirements for manuscript submissions and Section III specifies requirements on supplementary data. Section IV highlights different steps of the review process and Section V outlines the final steps towards publication.

We hope this guide will assist you in preparing your manuscript.

Jon Rodiek, Editor in chief

Aims and scope
Landscape and Urban Planning is concerned with conceptual, scientific, and design approaches to land use. It emphasizes ecological understanding and a multi-disciplinary approach to analysis, planning and design. The journal attempts to draw attention to the interrelated nature of problems posed by nature and human use of land.

Papers dealing with ecological processes interacting within urban areas, and between these areas and the surrounding natural systems which support them, will be considered. Manuscripts in which specific problems such as social and cultural approaches to landscape issues are examined are welcome.

Topics might include but are not limited to landscape ecology, landscape planning and landscape design.

Landscape ecology examines how heterogeneous combinations of ecosystems are structured, how they function and how they change. Landscape planning examines the various ways humans structure their land use changes. Landscape design involves the physical strategies and forms by which land use change is actually directed. The journal is based on the premise that research linked to practice will ultimately improve the human made landscape.



1.1 Research papers (Manuscripts)
Landscape and Urban Planning will publish papers reporting the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere and must meet all ethic requirements of authors (see below "Cover Letter"). Only original contributions meeting all requirements will be considered for publication.

1.2 Review articles
Article reviews published in the journal are thoughtful pieces of writing that cover a part of the subject of active current interest. Usually, these articles are between 1000-1500 words (or 4-6 double-spaced pages) that take issues raised by one or two books and consider one or more important issues in depth. Reviews may be submitted or invited by the Editor-in-Chief or members of the Editorial Board.

1.3 Book Reviews
Landscape and Urban Planning will publish professional reviews of recently released books. Book reviews of 1000-2000 words will be included in the journal on a range of relevant books which are not more than 2 years old. They will summarize the book's contents, illuminate its strengths and weaknesses, and situate its contribution to the field.

1.4 Editorials
The Editor-in-Chief and members of the Editorial Board of the journal will provide in depth commentaries of particular significant events in the field, aspects of the journal and its members through editorials.

1.5 Special Issues
Special issues in Landscape and Urban Planning are published once or twice a year. These are groups of 10 to 15 papers that cover special, specific aimed and future-oriented topics of interest contributed by authors. They may be submitted by a "guest editor" (previous approval of the Editor-in-Chief required) or by invitation from the Editor-in-Chief or members of the Editorial Board. Preference will be given to proposals for particular timely, coherent, and noteworthy research useful to the readers of the journal.

This guide provides authors with further information on submission requirements and review process of Research Papers (Manuscripts). For more detailed information on other type of contributions to the Journal, please contact the Editor-in-Chief JRodiek@archmail.tamu.edu



Landscape and Urban Planning will facilitate a double-blind peer review process and ensure good quality reviews. Authors should submit their manuscripts via the online submission page of this journal at http://ees.elsevier.com/land. Authors will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. The system automatically converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further processing after acceptance. All correspondence, including notification of the editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail and via the author's home page. A printed copy of the manuscript is not required at any stage of the process.

Please prepare the following documentation required to submit your manuscript:
1. Cover Letter
2. List of Potential Reviewers
3. Complete Title Page
4. Simple Title Page
5. Detailed Response to Reviewers (only available after one round of review)
6. Manuscript
7. Images and Tables
8. Acknowledgements (optional)
9. Short Author Biographies (optional)

2.1 Cover letter
Submission of a manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter addressing each one of the following seven (7) statements of ethical requirements for authors:

2.1.1 Reporting Standards - Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

2.1.2 Originality and Plagiarism - Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from 'passing off' another's paper as the author's own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another's paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

2.1.3 Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication - An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable. An author should not submit for consideration in another journal a previously published paper.

2.1.4 Acknowledgement of Sources - Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services.

2.1.5 Authorship of the Paper - Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

2.1.6 Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects - If the work involves hazards the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript. If the work involves the use of animal or human subjects, the author should ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them.

2.1.7 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest - All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest stage possible.

2.2 Potential Reviewer List Instructions
As part of the submission process, Landscape and Urban Planning requires that the author provides the names of at least four (4) scientific/technical reviewers using this format . The journal is not obliged to use the suggested reviewers; however, we feel that this policy will lead to an improved reviewer's process. Final selection of reviewers will be determined by the Editor-in-Chief, editorial staff and, where appropriate, members of the Editorial Board.

PLEASE NOTE: the Journal has created a format to submit the list of potential reviewers where you need include specific contact information and research expertise. Incomplete forms will delay the review process of your manuscript.

2.2.1 Selection Criteria - Authors should select reviewers out-of-region or out-of-state (for U.S. authors), and try to list reviewers from diverse geographical locations. All selected reviewers must have a PhD (with 4 or more publications) or have ample experience in the field (10 or more years). They should be a mix of technical and scientific reviewers.

2.2.2 Conflict of Interest - Authors need to take into account conflict of interest when submitting the list of potential reviewers.

Conflict of interest may include (but not limited to):
a) Current employment at your institution
b) Co-authors
c) Direct collaborators
d) Industry sponsors
e) Business of professional partnerships
f) Past or present association as thesis advisor or student
g) Collaboration on a project, book or paper within the last 2-3 years

Reviewers are instructed that "if they can identify the author or if they have an affiliation or financial connection with the person submitting this paper that might be constructed as creating a conflict of interest and they should declare it and disqualify themselves from the review process". Any conflict of interest will delay the review process of your manuscript and may be grounds for the immediate rejection of your paper.

2.3 Complete Title Page
We require that authors submit a title page that will not be shared with the reviewers. In this document, the authors need to provide in a one page document (only in English) the following information:

2.3.1 Title of manuscript - State the title of the manuscript. The title should be concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

2.3.2 Author(s) names and affiliation(s) - State the authors' first and family names (put family name in capitals) and affiliations. Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please indicate this clearly. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and also in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name, and e-mail address of each author.

2.3.3 Corresponding author - Clearly indicate who is the corresponding author willing to handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure the corresponding author's telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address. Keep this information at hand, because you will be required to upload it online during the submission process.

2.3.4 Present address - If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

2.4 Simple Title Page
We require that authors submit a title page that will be shared with the reviewers. Authors should be careful and avoid including any information that might reveal their identity to the reviewers. Particularly avoid the use of self references and logos or headers. This file should be a one page document (only in English) with the following information:

2.4.1 Title - State again the title of the manuscript.

2.4.2 Abstract - Provide a concise and factual abstract (maximum length of 250 words). The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the methods, the principal results, major points of discussion, and conclusions. An abstract is often presented separate from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. References should therefore be avoided, but if essential, they must be cited in full, without reference to the reference list. Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

2.4.3 Keywords - Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6 keywords, avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Avoid the use of entire phrases as keywords and do not repeat words that were already used in the title. Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.

2.5 Detailed Response to Reviewers
This file must be included every time you re-submit a manuscript after it has undergone a round of review. The information in this file might be shared with the reviewers, therefore it should not include any self-referencing, logos, headers or any other type of information or formatting that might reveal your identity or affiliation with the paper. Authors need to incorporate a short narrative explaining how they have addressed the reviewer comments overall, and specific sections addressing each reviewer separately describing how the authors have incorporated/addressed each one of the reviewer's comments and concern. If you wish to sign this document, you may do so as "The Authors", do not include your names. If you need to highlight specific concerns to the editor about the reviewer or the review process, you may do so by using the space available online titled "Enter Comments" or directly by email.

2.6 Manuscript
The file uploaded in your submission as "Manuscript" will be shared with the reviewers, therefore it must not include any self-referencing, logos, headers or any other type of information or formatting that might reveal your identity or affiliation with the paper. Also, this file should comply with the following requirements.

2.6.1 General Format Information - Set up your document using double spacing and wide (2.5 cm or 1 inch) margins. Use line numbering throughout the document. Avoid full justification, i.e., do not use a constant right-hand margin. Ensure that each new paragraph is clearly indicated. Number every page of the manuscript (including references, images and tables). Present tables and figure legends on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. Consult a recent issue of the journal to become familiar with layout and conventions. Number all pages consecutively. Italics are not to be used for expressions of Latin origin, for example, in vivo, et al., per se. Use decimal points (not commas); use a space for thousands (10000 and above). Use 11-12 point font, preferably Times New Roman.

2.6.2 Language - Please assure your manuscript is written in excellent English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors who first language is not English are encouraged to seek language editing services prior to submit their manuscript online. We are now offering a language editing service prior peer-reviewing articles; however, this service is limited a just a few manuscripts per month and we cannot warrantee this service to all authors who need it. Information on author-paid and pre-accept language editing services available to authors can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/howtosubmitpaper

2.6.3 Length - We do not have a fixed limit of paper length, however, your manuscript should fall between 4000 - 8000 words or 15-25 pages (not to exceed 35 pages) in a double spaced, one-inch margins, and 11-12 point font format. To give you an idea, following these guidelines the average length of accepted papers is 21 pages (stdev = 7).

2.6.4 Structure of the Manuscript - Authors should consider the following:
a) Introduction: State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background to the international context in which the research is carried out.
b) Materials and methods: Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described.
c) Results: Provide your main results in a concise manner. Avoid overlap between figures, tables, and text.
d) Discussions and Conclusions: Indicate significant contributions of your findings, their limitations, advantages and possible applications. Discuss your own results in the light of other international research.

2.6.5 Appendices - If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: (Eq. A.1), (Eq. A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, (Eq. B.1) and so forth.

2.6.6 References - Assertions made in the paper that are not supported by your research must be justified by appropriate references. Follow the journal format for references precisely. Ensure all references cited in the text are in the reference list (and vice versa). Journal names should be abbreviated according to list of serial title word abbreviations. See http://images.isiknowledge.com/WOK46/help/WOS/A_abrvjt.html for more information. See section III below for more detailed information.

2.6.7 Footnotes - Footnotes should not be used.

2.6.8 Nomenclature and Units - Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI.

2.7 Captions, tables, and figures
Present these, in this order, at the end of the article. High-resolution graphics files must always be provided separate from the main text file. Remember that submitting your artwork in an electronic format helps us to produce your work to the best possible standards, ensuring accuracy, clarity and a high level of detail. Consider the following costs for colour prints when preparing illustrations:

2.7.1 Colour illustrations in print - Colour illustrations in print will be charged to the author at the flat rate of ?270 per colour figure.

2.7.2 Colour illustrations on the web (ScienceDirect) - Colour illustrations in the web (ScienceDirect) are free of charge.

If you want a colour illustration on the web and the same illustration in black and white in the print version of the journal, please note that you will then have to submit two different illustration files, one colour and one black and white version.

We urge you to visit the Elsevier Electronic Artwork Guide at: http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.

2.8 Acknowledgements
Please do not include this section into your manuscript file. Online, you will find a separate file option to upload this information. Place acknowledgements, including information on grants received and all appropriate ethics and other approvals obtained for the research; place in a separate document and not as a footnote on the title page.

2.9 Short Author Biographies
This is optional information that you may add to your submission. The material in this document introduces readers to the authors of articles and edited features and helps to establish an author's credibility to readers. Personal data, including your familiar name (i.e., Robert [Bob] I. Smith), present position, major previous positions, universities attended and degrees, professional activities, areas of professional interests, and any other items that you deem important or interesting for a biographical sketch. Provide the same for each junior author.



3.1 General Referencing
Permission needs to be obtained to use copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web). Additional information on referencing is provided below.

Citations in the text - Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished results and personal communications should not be in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. Conference proceedings abstracts and grey literature (research reports and limited circulation documents) are not acceptable citations. Citation of a reference as 'in press' means that the item has been accepted for publication.

Citing and listing of web references - As a minimum, the full URL and last access date should be given. Any further information, if known (author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.

Citing in the text - Citations in the text should be:
a) Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication;
b) Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication;
c) Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication. Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed first alphabetically, then chronologically.

Examples:
" as demonstrated (Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1995). Kramer et al. (2000) have recently shown ...."

3.2 List of references
References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication. You may use the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and the full journal reference to cite articles in press. Examples below:

Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2000. The art of writing a scientific article. J. Sci. Commun. 163, 51-59.

Reference to a book:
Strunk Jr., W., White, E.B., 1979. The Elements of Style, third ed. Macmillan, New York.

Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 1999. How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in: Jones, B.S., Smith , R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281-304.

3.3 Electronic Material
Elsevier now accepts electronic supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more detailed instructions please visit: http://ees.elsevier.com/land

3.4 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
In addition to regular bibliographic information, the digital object identifier (DOI) may be used to cite and link to electronic documents. The DOI consists of a unique alpha-numeric character string which is assigned to a document by the publisher upon the initial electronic publication. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore, it is an ideal medium for citing a document, particularly 'Articles in press' because they have not yet received their full bibliographic information. The correct format for citing a DOI is shown as follows (example taken from a document in the journal Physics Letters B): doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071

NB: Please give as much bibliographic information as possible with the DOI. Please give the name(s) of the author(s), title of the paper, journal name and if possible year of publication.

When you use the DOI to create URL hyperlinks to documents on the web, they are guaranteed never to change.



Once the authors have ready all the required information for manuscript submission, they should visit the online submission website of the journal at http://ees.elsevier.com/land.

4.1 Register and Log in as an Author
After you register as an Author, you will receive confirmation by email. This communication will include your credentials (username and password) to log in as an Author into the online submission website of the Journal.

4.2 Submit New Manuscript
In the main menu of your account, you will find the link titled "Submit New Manuscript" which will take your to a eight-step process to upload your manuscript into our system. If you have prepared all the information for your submission correctly, this step should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. If you cannot complete your submission at one given time, a link titled "Incomplete Submission" in your main menu will provide you with access to edit your submission.

Please remember to use the appropriate file option to upload each one of the files required for your manuscript submission. If you have inconsistencies, we will return your submission back to you for corrections.

4.3 Confirmation of submission
After the editorial office has received your submission, you will receive a confirmation by email, and information about the editor in charge of handling your manuscript's review. The editor will decide whether a paper falls within the scope of the journal, meets the ethical requirements, and is of sufficient standard to be sent for independent peer-review. Any manuscript not being sent for independent peer-review will be returned to the author(s) as soon as possible. Authors are advised to visit their accounts regularly to check on the status of their manuscript's review. Also, Landscape and Urban Planning would like to encourage authors to email the main office directly for any questions related with their manuscript's review. Technical issues with the system can be forwarded directly to Elsevier Electronic System Technical Team at authorsupport@elsevier.com.

4.4 Updating your personal information and changing your password
You may at any time change your password, contact information, or update your personal details using the online submission system of our Journal. Please check your account on a regular basis to ensure that the information we have about you is accurate and up to date.

To make any amendments in your account, please follow these steps:
a) Go to our website at http://ees.elsevier.com/land/
b) Log in using your credentials as an author
c) On the top menu click on "Change Details"

The system will show you the information we currently have about you. If you wish to change your username, simply erase the characters in that field and type the username you prefer to use. The same process applies to changing your password options and for updating all other contact information.



A successful review process may conclude with the acceptance of your paper for publication in Landscape and Urban Planning. These papers are sent by the Editor-in-Chief to the publisher, Elsevier Editorial Services, in Ireland. After the publisher of the Journal receives your paper, they will contact you and guide you through the last steps towards publication. You will receive proofs of your manuscript and a copyright transfer form directly from them. After you return these documents to the publisher, you will finish this process.

5.1 Proofs
When your manuscript is received by the Publisher it is considered to be in its final form. Proofs are not to be regarded as 'drafts'.

One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will be allowed at this stage. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

A form with queries from the copyeditor may accompany your proofs. Please answer all queries and make any corrections or additions required. The Publisher reserves the right to proceed with publication if corrections are not communicated. Return corrections within 2 days of receipt of the proofs. Should there be no corrections, please confirm this.

Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. In order to do this we need your help. When you receive the (PDF) proof of your article for correction, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete. Note that this does not mean you have any less time to make your corrections, just that only one set of corrections will be accepted.

5.2 Tracking your Article
Authors can keep a track on the progress of their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the "Track a Paper" at http://ees.elsevier.com/land

5.3 Offprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use. Additional paper offprints can be ordered by the authors. An order form with prices will be sent to the corresponding author.

5.4 Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (for more information on this and copyright see www.elsevier.com/copyright). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form.

If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact Elsevier's Rights Department, Oxford, UK: phone (+44) 1865 843830, fax (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail permissions@elsevier.com. Requests may also be completed online via the Elsevier homepage ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions).

5.5 Special Subject Repositories
Certain repositories such as PubMed Central (PMC) are authorized under special arrangement with Elsevier to process and post certain articles such as those funded by the National Institutes of Health under its Public Access policy (see elsevier.com for more detail on our policy). Articles accepted for publication in an Elsevier journal from authors who have indicated that the underlying research reported in their articles was supported by an NIH grant will be sent by Elsevier to PMC for public access posting 12 months after final publication. The version of the article provided by Elsevier will include peer-review comments incorporated by the author into the article. Because the NIH 'Public Access' policy is voluntary, authors may elect not to deposit such articles in PMC. If you wish to 'opt out' and not deposit to PMC, you may indicate this by sending an e-mail to: NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com.



For enquiries relating to the submission of articles (including electronic submission) please visit Elsevier's Author Gateway at http://ees.elsevier.com/land. The Author Gateway also provides the facility to track accepted articles and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed, as well as detailed artwork guidelines, copyright information, frequently asked questions and more.

Contact details for questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration of an article for publication.