Editorial policy & procedures

All contributions to the Manual will be peer-reviewed by at least two referees, one of whom may represent a member of the Editorial Panel responsible for the respective discipline. The peer-review process should be seen as a way to ensure highest possible standard of the published Manual. Chapters may be either single authored or co-authored, and collaborative contributions are encouraged.

1. Chapter contributors should initially submit their completed manuscripts to the Editors for a preliminary review. Once the Editors are satisfied that the content of submitted chapters is complete and suitable for inclusion in the Manual, the MS will be forwarded to the relevant Panel member. Low-resolution figures should be submitted with the chapter contributions at this stage.

2. Once the Panel members receive the first draft of chapter contributions they should promptly forward these to two referees for peer review. A standard Manual form for referee's comments will be provided to all Panel members. Should two specialists in the specific group not be available to evaluate contributions, then competent specialists in related groups should be contacted for review, or alternatively, an appropriate Panel member may undertake this task. All correspondence should be undertaken by e-mail and electronic copies made available upon request by the Editors. Editorial Panel members should remember that the peer-review process is confidential, and they should only relate reviewers' comments and opinions directly to the Editors.

3. Once all sets of referees' comments are received by the Panel members, it is their responsibility to liaise with referees, where necessary, and incorporate suggested changes into the MS, before returning the corrected draft and copies of referees' comments to the Editors. The Panel members may also make small editorial changes and assist with the editing as required, especially in respect to the scientific content of the chapter contributions. In an event of widely conflicting referees' opinions the Panel member should contact the Editors, and the matter shall be referred to selected members of the Editorial Panel for a final decision. Corrections and comments should be made in the Track Changes mode or highlighted in red, to be clearly visible to the Editors upon receipt.

4. Once refereed and amended drafts and high-resolution illustrations are received by the Editors, they will undertake the final copy-editing of the MS, check references, headings, layout, and format the MS. They will also re-number figures and send finalised illustrations and drafts of chapters to corresponding authors for their approval before passing the materials to typesetters. For multi-authored chapters it is corresponding authors' responsibility to ensure that chapter contributions are approved by all contributing authors at this stage.

5. The Editors will liaise with typesetters, proof-readers and printers for all matters related to the final production of the Manual. Once the chapters are typeset, and the Editors are satisfied with the layout, etc., a low-resolution PDF file of the galley proofs will be forwarded to relevant corresponding authors for the final approval and minor changes. No major alterations to the text are allowed at this stage.

6. Upon final publication, the corresponding authors will receive a print-quality PDF of their respective chapter(s), and a copy of the entire volume in which their chapters appear. It is the responsibility of the corresponding authors to distribute PDF reprints to their co-authors, if necessary.

7. Contributing authors are encouraged to publish descriptions of new taxa, which are discovered during the preparation of their chapters, in African Invertebrates or in other appropriate journals, and make them freely available on this Web site.