Submissions

Project summaries are not peer reviewed, unlike most other content in EMR. However, they are screened by the editorial team on the basis of relevance and closely edited for length and quality.

The editorial team is made up of the Project Summaries Editor, Tein McDonald, and Assistant Editors Sue Gould, Emma Gorrod and Hilary Pearl. Drafts for publication or early consideration are to be emailed to the Project Summaries Editor at teinm@ozemail.com.au.

Contributions in any of the following themes are encouraged, although any theme relevant to sustainable management of ecosystems is open to consideration.

  • Rainforest
  • Grassland/grassy understorey
  • Wetland
  • Sclerophyll communities
  • Other communities
  • Riparian & freshwater ecosystems
  • Coastal & marine
  • Fauna & habitat
  • Pollution issues & solutions
  • Fire ecology & management
  • Planning, monitoring & assessment
  • Policy & legislation
  • Landscape pattern & design
  • Integrating ecosystems & industries
  • Cultural & socio-economic issues & solutions
  • Restoration & management theory
  • Techniques & methodology
  • Threatened species
  • Genetic issues
  • Indigenous land management
  • Weed issues & solutions
  • Pest animal issues & solutions
  • Arts and restoration
  • Education & communication
  • Community involvement
  • Organizations
  • Urban ecosystems

Authorship and copyright

Project summaries include a contact person/s for further information and can list author names. They are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the Contribution is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Under this license copyright remains with the person or organization submitting the summary. However, the ESA requires the copyright holder to provide a signed license granting permission to publish the Contribution on the EMR Project Summaries website. Click here to download the copyright agreement form.

Signing this form does not prevent the copyright holder from using different forms and versions of the same content in their own promotions and newsletters but it does prevent publication of the same summary in other publications without acknowledgement of the EMR Project Summaries Website. Detailed information on copyright is available from the Project Summaries editor on request and will be automatically provided to any submitting person or organisation.

Style of manuscripts

Summaries fall into two styles – summaries of on-ground projects (sometimes called ‘case studies’) and summaries of research projects that are highly relevant to practice. All manuscripts should be written in a style readily accessible to a general audience which includes land managers, practitioners and interested researchers. Please use narrative writing style rather than dot points – but use active, short sentences and a minimum of jargon, balanced with strong scientific reliability.

Project summaries are to be as short as possible and include the following sections as outlined below:

DETAILED GUIDELINES FOR SUMMARIES OF ON-GROUND PROJECTS (case studies)

World length can be 800-1100 words – and summaries can include up to 6 figures (no graphs or references).

  1. Heading (<10 words): Descriptive project title including organization and locality.
  2. Key words (<5 words): These are for the purposes of identifying ‘categories’ and are not printed in the summary. Use ‘words’ not already in the title that another person might be using to search for this item. (NB: grouped ‘terms’ are counted as one key word, e.g. fire regimes, floodplain wetlands.
  3. Introduction:  This should refer to the:
    • Ecosystem under threat
    • Type/level of damage and its causes
    • Broad aim and any specific objectives.
  4. Works undertaken: Identify type (e.g. hydrological, pest management, vegetation management, fire regimes, faunal reintroductions) with some details including extent of works.
  5. Results to date: Real figures on numbers of real ‘outcomes’, such as increases in numbers and cover of native plant species, % survival, increased breeding, decline of pest species, reduced erosion, fire frequency decreases, flooding increases, numbers of covenants, increasing support. If no figures, general descriptions of improvement could be included but these need to be substantiated in some way (e.g. photos).
  6. Lessons learned and future directions (< 50 words): What was critical to success? What important mistakes were made that others could avoid? What new ideas has it given you?
  7. Stakeholders and funding bodies (<20 words): Acknowledge any major funding bodies and major stakeholders.
  8. Contact information (<20 words): Individual’s contact name, position, organisation, postal address, phone (incl. country code) and email address.

DETAILED GUIDELINES FOR SUMMARIES OF RESEARCH PROJECTS

Instructions for heading, key words, interventions, results, lessons, stakeholders, contact information and figures are identical to those in the instructions for case studies. Other elements to be included in research summaries however, are as follows.

  • Problem being addressed and rationale of the project (<50 words): Note that the topic must have very strong management implications that need to be conveyed at the start of the summary.
  • Design (approx. 70 words).

GENERAL STYLE INSTRUCTIONS

No references are to be included unless deemed necessary by the editor, but links can be provided to websites, as long as the authors check that these are functional and contact the editor if these change.

Spelling should conform to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of current English Usage. All measurements should be in SI units and per m2, per cent, etc. should be used, except in tables or formulae. Specify any special characters used to represent non-keyboard characters.

Spell out numbers less than 10 where not followed by a unit. Give scientific names for all species in parentheses, after the most widely used common name (with first letter capitals), thence only use common names. Use only one space after punctuation marks.

Figures and captions: Can include up to six figures including maps, descriptive photos (preferably ‘before and afters’), diagrams, etc.  Please ensure any photos are very sharp focus and good contrast.  Graphs undesirable.

Getting Help With Your Submission

Any questions about the suitability or format of your ideas for project summaries can be e-mailed to teinm@ozemail.com.au or phone the editorial office on 0458 565 654.