JOURNAL OF VETERINARY BEHAVIOR: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
Official Journal of: Australian Veterinary Behaviour Interest Group: a special interest group of the Australian Veterinary Association International Working Dog Breeding Association
Guide for Authors
Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research is an international journal that
focuses on all aspects of veterinary behavioral medicine, with a particular emphasis on clinical applications and research. Articles
on basic research involving normal signaling or social behaviors, welfare and, or housing issues, molecular or quantitative genetics,
and applied behavioral issues (e.g., working dogs) that may have implications for clinical interest or assessment are encouraged. Focus
is not restricted by species of interest.
Peer review
All submissions will be reviewed by two to three anonymous reviewers
to evaluate them for originality, clear statement of a hypothesis, experimental design appropriate for the hypothesis, completeness of
methods, and thoughtfulness of the discussion and conclusions that are supported by data. If only two reviews are solicited/received
and there is conflict in their assessment, a third review will be undertaken. Authors may name up to five potential reviewers when they
submit the manuscript and must provide complete contact information, including e-mail addresses; however, the Editor-in-Chief retains
the right to assign different reviewers as deemed appropriate.
Peer review appeal process
If an author wishes to appeal
an outcome, he/she should contact the Editor-in-Chief in writing and detail his/her concern. Appeals will only be successful if reviews
were inadequate or unjust.
Types of contribution
1. Original Research Papers (Regular Papers)
2. Review Articles
3. Case Reports
4. Discussion
In addition, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research will routinely
publish editorial commentary which may be invited, book reviews, and reviews of other relevant media tools. The bulk of the journal comprises
of contributions from the first three groups.
Original Research Papers should report the results of original research.
The material should not have been previously published elsewhere, except in a preliminary form. If the authors are uncertain of whether
prior presentation or publication in abstract form poses a potential conflict, they should contact the editor prior to submission. Original
research papers will be given considerable topical leeway. If the authors are uncertain if their topic is suitable for Journal of
Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research they should contact the editor.
Review Articles should cover
subjects falling within the scope of the journal, which are of active current, interest. They may be submitted or invited. Because of
the nature of review papers, scrupulous attention must be paid to relevant attribution and this should be reflected in the literature
cited section.
Case Reports can focus on any species, but by definition, must include core clinical content. Content can
focus on a report of new condition, treatment and follow-up of complex presentations, working with variants of normal versus abnormal
behaviors, a report of a familial condition with a proposed mode of inheritance, et cetera, as long as the nature of a case report is
respected. The format for case reports, generally, is as follows: Presentation, history and presenting signs, physical and laboratory
evaluation and any other diagnostic assessments deemed relevant, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, summary and discussion, acknowledgements,
and references. Laboratory and other data can be appended in tabular form after the references.
Discussions can include
synopses of, or reports from 'think tanks' or discussion groups, topical issues that have stirred debate, or invited discussion and commentary
suggested by members of the Board of Editorial Advisors. Discussion contributions are not peer-reviewed, must be published with attribution,
must be more formal than those in list serves, should include citations, where relevant, and may be edited prior to publication.
Authors' Rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) may do the following:
make copies (print or electronic)
of the article for your own personal use, including for your own classroom teaching use
make copies and distribute such copies
(including through e-mail) of the article to research colleagues, for the personal use by such colleagues (but not commercially or systematically;
e.g., via an e-mail list or list server)
post a pre-print version of the article on Internet websites including electronic pre-print
servers, and to retain indefinitely such version on such servers or sites
post a revised personal version of the final text
of the article (to reflect changes made in the peer review and editing process) on your personal or institutional website or server,
with a link to the journal homepage (on elsevier.com)
present the article at a meeting or conference and to distribute copies
of the article to the delegates attending such a meeting
for your employer, if the article is a 'work for hire', made within
the scope of your employment, your employer may use all or part of the information in the article for other intra-company use (e.g.,
training)
use all or part of the information in the article for other intra-company use (e.g., training), if the article is
a "work for hire," made within the scope of your employment
retain patent and trademark rights and rights to any processes or
procedure described in the article
include the article in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation (provided that this is
not to be published commercially)
use the article or any part thereof in a printed compilation of your works, such as collected
writings or lecture notes (subsequent to publication of your article in the journal)
prepare other derivative works, to extend
the article into book-length form, or to otherwise re-use portions or excerpts in other works, with full acknowledgement of its original
publication in the journal
NIH "Public Access" Policy
In keeping with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)
voluntary posting (" Public Access") policy, Elsevier facilitates author response to the NIH voluntary posting request (referred to as
the NIH "Public Access Policy"; see http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/index.htm ) by posting the peer-reviewed author's
manuscript directly to PubMed Central on request from the author, 12 months after formal publication. Upon notification from Elsevier
of acceptance, we will ask you to confirm via e-mail (by e-mailing us at NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com) that your work
has received NIH funding and that you intend to respond to the NIH policy request, along with your NIH award number to facilitate processing.
Upon such confirmation, Elsevier will submit to PubMed Central on your behalf a version of your manuscript that will include peer-review
comments, for posting 12 months after formal publication. This will ensure that you will have responded fully to the NIH request policy.
There will be no need for you to post your manuscript directly with PubMed Central, and any such posting is prohibited.
Submission
of manuscripts Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research uses a Web-based system for the electronic
handling of research papers during the submission and peer review process. All manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal
of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research online submission and review Web site (http://ees.elsevier.com/jveb/
). Authors are requested to submit the text, tables, and artwork in electronic form (not as a PDF) to this address. In an accompanying
letter, authors should state that the manuscript, or parts of it, have not been, and will not be, submitted elsewhere for publication.
Authors are highly encouraged to include a list of three or more potential reviewers for their manuscript, with complete contact information,
in their cover letter.
Submission items include a cover letter explaining why the author's work is relevant for this journal (save
as a separate file for upload), the manuscript (including title page, abstract, main text, references, and table/figure legends), tables,
and figures. During the submission process, you will be asked to provide the names and e-mail addresses of reviewers who might be qualified
to review your submission. Revised manuscripts should also be accompanied by a unique file (separate from the cover letter) with responses
to reviewers' comments. The preferred order of files is as follows: cover letter, response to reviews (revised manuscripts only), manuscript
file(s), table(s), figure(s). Files should be labeled with appropriate and descriptive file names (e.g., SmithText.doc, Fig1.eps, Table3.doc).
Upload text, tables and graphics (figures) as separate files. (You can compress multiple figure files into a Zip file and upload that
in one step; the system will then unpack the files and prompt you to name each figure.) Do not import figures or tables into the text
document, and do not upload your text as a PDF. Complete instructions for electronic artwork submission can be found on the Author Gateway,
accessible through the journal home page. Your figures will be tested by an artwork quality check tool; you will be asked to view the
results before you can complete your submission. Your figures can move into review if not up to production standards, but you should
be prepared to provide better quality figures should we express interest in your manuscript.
Authors who are unable to provide
an electronic version or have other circumstances that prevent online submission must contact the Editorial Office prior to submission
to discuss alternate options. The Publisher and Editors regret that they are not able to consider submissions that do not follow these
procedures.
Circumstances relating to animal experimentation must meet the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research
Involving Animals as issued by the Council for the International Organizations of Medical Sciences. These are obtainable from: Executive
Secretary C.I.O.M.S., c/o WHO, Via Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland or at the following URL: http://www.cioms.ch/frame_1985_texts_of_guidelines.htm
Unnecessary cruelty in animal experimentation is not acceptable to the Editors of Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications
and Research.
Copyright
Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and is not being
considered for publication elsewhere. Submission also implies that all authors have approved the paper for release and are in agreement
with its content, and that any person cited as a source of personal communications has approved such citation. It is understood that
materials accepted for publication reflect the opinion(s) of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent the opinion of the
Editor, the Editorial Board or the Publisher.
Upon acceptance of the article by the journal, the author(s) will be required to transfer
the copyright of the article to the Publisher. This transfer will enable the widest possible dissemination of information. Additionally,
all authors and those substantively acknowledged will be required to sign a statement indicating that their relevant contributions are
accurately reflected. 'Courtesy' authorships are prohibited.
Preparation of manuscripts
Authors should have their manuscripts
reviewed before submission by persons who have advanced command of English spelling, grammar, syntax and semantics and who are familiar
with scientific style.
Manuscripts should be written in clear, concise and grammatically correct English and formatted according
to the instructions listed below. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts checked
by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission. Manuscripts that do not conform to standard English style, usage and grammar, and/or
which are not adequately prepared, will be returned to the authors for modification prior to scientific review. Authors please note:
Upon request, the Editorial Office will provide authors with a list of people who can check and improve the English of their paper (before
submission).
Manuscripts should contain numbered lines and with wide margins and double-spacing throughout, i.e. also for abstracts,
footnotes and references. Every page of the manuscript, including the title page, references, tables, etc. should be numbered. However,
in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, one may refer to sections. Avoid excessive usage of italics to
emphasize part of the text.
Manuscripts are required to be organized in the following order (arrangement of the sections should
be modified as appropriate for review articles, case reports, and discussion submissions after consultation with the Editor):
Title Page (to include):
bull; Title, which should be clear, descriptive and not too long • Running title, not more
than 48 characters • Names and professional affiliations of all author(s) • Current and complete postal and e-mail
addresses of all authors and affiliate institutions • Clearly indicated Corresponding author with complete correspondence information
including mailing address, full telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address to which proofs should be sent
Abstract: on
a separate sheet not more than 250 words. The abstract should include the objective and main findings of the paper.
Five keywords
(indexing terms)
Introduction: should acquaint the reader with the subject and justify the objective(s) of the research.
There should be three parts to the introduction: first, a clear description of the nature and extent of the problem to be studied; second,
a presentation of the pertinent research by others in the field of the study; and third, a statement of how the authors' study challenges,
expands or improves the known material. The hypothesis or objective(s) addressed in the study must be clearly stated in the final paragraph.
Materials and Methods: must contain enough information to allow another scientist to duplicate the study. Materials should
be named specifically, including the manufacturer, city and state or country where the equipment or supplies were obtained. Descriptions
of animals should include species, breed, sex, and age as well as husbandry methods, climate, photoperiod and geographic location of
the study. A logical description of the experimental methods should follow and should include an explanation of the experimental design.
Here, it may be useful to prepare a table or schematic diagram to explain procedures, such as how the animals were divided into groups,
or how samples were obtained, or how behaviors were recorded or assessed over time. The method of statistical evaluation must be stated,
the treatment and response variables identified, and assignment of experimental units into groups specified.
Results: must
contain sufficient information to fully describe the outcome of the research. The use of tables and figures is encouraged, but authors
should use text to emphasize important points, to connect results with one another, and to restate the trend of the idea (the objective
already mentioned in the INTRODUCTION). Tables and figures must contain enough information within them and in their respective titles
or legends to be understandable without referring to the text.
Discussion: contains an explanation of the meaning of the
results. The principles, relationships, and general truths shown by the results should be presented without retelling the results if
at all possible. Exceptions or lack of correlation should be pointed out and unsettled points defined. Agreement or disagreement with
previous work should be shown. The theoretical or practical implications of the work should be discussed. Finally, the major conclusions
and implications should be stated in a brief paragraph.
Acknowledgements: should contain reasonable attributions and any
additional information concerning source of research grants, etc. Anyone who, in discussion with the author(s) or as part of a review,
has contributed substantive ideas to any part of the paper should be acknowledged.
References: There are no a priori
limits on the number of references cited, however those cited should be germane to the focus of the paper.
Tables: should
be used to summarize date into a more easily interpreted form, and to help demonstrate patterns in the data.
Figures: should
be used to reveal or summarize patterns in data that might not otherwise be so clear.
In typing the manuscript, titles
and subtitles should not be run within the text. They should be typed on a separate line, without indentation. Use lower-case letter
type.
SI units should be used.
If a special instruction to the copy editor or typesetter is written on the copy it
should be encircled. The typesetter will then know that the enclosed matter is not to be set in type. When a typewritten character may
have more than one meaning (e.g., the lower case letter l may be confused with the numeral 1), a note should be inserted in a circle
in the margin to make the meaning clear to the typesetter. If Greek letters or uncommon symbols are used in the manuscript, they should
be written very clearly, and if necessary a note such as "Greek lower-case chi" should be put in the margin and encircled.
Elsevier
reserves the privilege of returning to the author for revision accepted manuscripts and illustrations that are not in the proper form
given in this guide.
Tables
All tables should be referred to in the text by consecutive Arabic numerals
(Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
Authors should take notice of the limitations set by the size and layout of the journal. Large tables
should be avoided. Reversing columns and rows will often reduce the dimensions of a table.
If many data are to be presented,
an attempt should be made to divide them over two or more tables.
Drawn tables, from which prints need to be made, should not
be folded.
Tables should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. The text should include references to all tables.
Each table should be typewritten on a separate page of the manuscript. Tables should never be included in the text. Tables should
be placed at the end of the manuscript after the references.
Each table should have a brief and self-explanatory title.
Column headings should be brief, but sufficiently explanatory. Standard abbreviations of units of measurement should be added between
parentheses.
Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Leave some extra space between the columns instead.
Any explanation essential to the understanding of the table should be given as a footnote at the bottom of the table.
Footnotes to tables can be indicated by symbols (#, *, et cetera) and typed at the bottom of each
Table information must not
be duplicated in figures.
Illustrations
All illustrations should be referred to in the text by consecutive
Arabic numerals (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc).
Units should be indicated in the figures.
Each illustration should be identified
by its number and the name of the first author. An indication of the top of the illustrations is required in photographs of profiles,
thin sections, and other cases where doubt can arise.
Illustrations should be designed with the format of the page of the journal
in mind. Illustrations should be of such a size as to allow a reduction of 50%.
Make sure that the size of the lettering is
big enough to allow a reduction of 50% without becoming illegible. The lettering should be in English. Use the same kind of lettering
throughout and follow the style of the journal.
If a scale should be given, use bar scales on all illustrations instead of
numerical scales that must be changed with reduction.
Each illustration should have a caption. The captions to all illustrations
should be typed on a separate sheet of the manuscript.
Explanations should be given in the typewritten legend. Drawn text in
the illustrations should be kept to a minimum.
Photographs are only acceptable if they have good contrast and intensity. Reproductions
of photographs already printed cannot be accepted.
If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures,
Elsevier will ensure that these figures appear free-of-charge in color in the electronic version of your paper, regardless of whether
or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. Color illustrations can only be included in print if the additional
cost of reproduction is contributed by the author: you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your
accepted article. Please note that because of technical complications that may arise by converting color figures to 'grey scale' (for
the printed version, should you not opt for color in print), you should submit in addition usable black and white prints corresponding
to all the color illustrations.
Preparation of supplementary data
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. Detailed instructions are available online on Elsevier's Author Gateway at the following URL: http://authors.elsevier.com/ArtworkInstructions.html?dc=AI43
.
References
All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of
the manuscript. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of authors' names and dates are exactly the same
in the text as in the reference list.
In the text refer to the author's name (without initial) and year of publication, followed,
if necessary, by a short reference to relevant pages. Examples: "Since Peterson (1988) has shown that..."; "This is in agreement with
results obtained later (Kramer, 1989, pp. 12-16)".
If reference is made in the text to a publication written by more than two
authors, the name of the first author should be used followed by "et al.". This indication, however, should never be used in the list
of references. In this list, names of first author and all co-authors should be mentioned.
References cited together in the
text of the manuscript should be arranged chronologically, starting with the earliest reference and ending with the most recent.
The list of references should be arranged alphabetically on authors' names. When the same author has more than one citation, references
should be in chronological order starting with the earliest reference and ending with the most recent. If an author's name in the list
is also mentioned with co-authors, the following order should be used: publications of the single author, arranged according to publication
dates - publications of the same author with one co-author - publications of the author with more than one co-author. Publications by
the same author(s) in the same year should be listed as 1974a, 1974b, etc.
Use the following system for arranging your references:
For periodicals
Mastrota, F. M., Mench, J. A., 1994. Avoidance of dyed food by the northern bobwhite. Appl. Anim.
Behav. Sci. 42, 109-119.
For edited symposia, special issues, etc. published in a periodical
Thompson, K.V., 1991.
Flehmen and social dominance in captive female sable antelope, Hippotragus niger. In: Mungal, E.C. (Ed.), Ungulate Behavior and Management.
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 29, 121-133.
For books
Alcock, J., 1975. Animal Behavior. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA,
pp. 173-204.
For multi-author books
Challis, J., Olson, D., 1988. Parturition. In: Knobil, E., J. (Ed), The Physiology
of Reproduction, Vol. 2. Rven Press, New York, pp. 2177-2216.
Abbreviate the titles of periodicals mentioned in the list
of references in accordance with BIOSIS Serial Sources, published annually by BIOSIS.
In the case of publications in any language
other than English, the original title is to be retained. However, the titles of publications in non-Latin alphabets should be transliterated,
and a notation such as "(in Russian)" or "(in Greek, with English abstract)" should be added.
Work accepted for publication
but not yet published should be referred to as "in press".
References concerning unpublished data and "personal communications"
should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text.
Web references may be given. As a minimum, the
full URL is necessary. Any further information, such as Author names, dates, reference to a source publication and so on, should also
be given.
Articles available online but without volume and page numbers may be referred to by means of their Digital Object
identifier (DOI) code.
Footnotes
Footnotes should only be used if absolutely essential. In most cases
it should be possible to incorporate the information into the normal text.
If used, they should be numbered in the text, indicated
by superscript numbers, and kept as short as possible.
Nomenclature
Authors and editors are, by general agreement,
obliged to accept the rules governing biological nomenclature, as laid down in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the
International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
All biotica (crops,
plants, insects, birds, mammals, etc.) should be identified by their scientific names when the English term is first used, with the exception
of common domestic animals.
All biocides and other organic compounds must be identified by their Geneva names when first used
in the text. Active ingredients of all formulations should be likewise identified.
For chemical nomenclature, the conventions
of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the official recommendations of the IUPAC-IUB Combined Commission on Biochemical
Nomenclature should be followed.
As the field of veterinary behavioral medicine moves towards a unified terminology, the most
recent update of such terminology will be expected to be used in all manuscripts. Until then, authors are encouraged to provide definitions
or requirements for any diagnostic terms used.
Nucleotide sequences
Submission of a manuscript containing nucleotide
sequence information implies that the primary nucleotide sequence data will be deposited in an internationally available depository.
Statistical conventions
Means and standard errors / deviations and, or medians, interquartile ranges, and confidence
limits, should be written: 0 ∋ 10.20 ∀ 1.01 g, N=15. For significance tests, the name of the test should be noted followed
by a colon, the test statistic and its value, the degrees of freedom or sample size (depending on the convention of the test), and the
P value. These parts should all be separated by commas. Decimals should not be cited as naked points. In other words, use 0.01, not
.01.
Permissions
Authors, when quoting from someone else's work or when considering reproducing an illustration or
table from a book or journal article, should make sure that they are not infringing a copyright.
Although in general authors
may quote from other published works, they should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright if they wish to make substantial
extracts or to reproduce tables, plates, or other illustrations. If the copyright-holder is not the author of the quoted or reproduced
material, it is recommended that the permission of the author should also be sought.
Material in unpublished letters and manuscripts
is also protected and must not be published unless permission has been obtained.
A suitable acknowledgement of any borrowed
material must always be made.
Additional information
For issues of style and format not addressed here,
please consult Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, Sixth Edition.
For spelling,
word formation and divisions, plurals, possessives, meanings and usage, consult the CBE Manual or a current English language collegiate-level
dictionary.
For conflicts between instructions in this Guide and any of the references, the Guide takes precedence. Do not
hesitate to contact the Editorial Office in you have any questions about the preparation of your manuscript.
Proofs
One set of proofs will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author as given on the title page of the manuscript. Only typesetter's
errors may be corrected; no changes in, or additions to, the edited manuscript will be allowed.
Elsevier will do everything possible
to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. Therefore, 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.
Offprints
Offprints in multiples of 50 (up to a maximum of 400) can be ordered on an offprint
order form, which is included with the proofs.
UNESCO coupons are acceptable in payment of offprints.
Author
Services
Enquiries concerning manuscripts and proofs: questions arising after acceptance of the manuscript, especially those
relating to proofs, should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief.
Authors can also keep a track of 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" feature of Elsevier's Author
Gateway, http://authors.elsevier.com.
