Planning Scientific Articles & Notes

Scientific articles and notes are ToL pages that are attached to ToL branch and leaf pages. ToL Authors can use this format to provide detailed, generously illustrated information about specific topics, while keeping the central branch and leaf pages concise and fast loading. Before you begin work on your contribution, you should take a little time to consider the goals of the ToL project and to learn about the formats your pages are expected to follow: Tips & Guidelines for ToL Page Authors. Note that it's ok to use previously published materials as long as you own the copyright or the copyright owner grants permission for republication (see Copyright Issues).

Articles

Scienfitic articles provide in-depth scientific information that is beyond the scope of the synopses provided on ToL leaf and branch pages. They may include more detailed descriptions of structure, ecology, behavior, life cycles, discussions of phylogenetic relationships, etc. Articles should follow the traditional journal format for review papers (we don't generally publish experimental reports). Start with a paragraph that introduces your topic and states its broader relevance. End with a conclusion summarizing theses you developed throughout your article and providing an outlook on future developments in the field. Each article should feature an information on the internet section (if relevant sites are available) and a list of references. We recommend that you not only include cited works but also other, relevant publications. If your article is relatively long, you should consider providing an abstract for the reader. Also, your editor may recommend that you break up contributions into several linked pages in order to keep downloading times reasonable.

The best way to plan your own contribution is to gather inspiration from other articles on the ToL site. Here are some examples:

• Tyrannosaurid Systematics
• Characteristics of Annelida: Plesiomorphies and Other Features
• Embryology and Development of Aspidogastrea

Notes

There are no set guidelines for the content of scientific notes. They may consist of brief accounts of characteristics, summaries of research projects, commentaries, collections of media files (e.g., image or movie galleries), taxonomic or biogeographical information, descriptions of collection methods, or identification tools for a given group of organisms. ToL editors may advise authors on issues of structure and format on a case by case basis.

Here are some examples of ToL notes:

• Cranchiid Buoyancy
• Movies of Jumping Spider Courtship
• Key to the Subtribes of Rhysodini
• Amoebae: Protists Which Move and Feed Using Pseudopodia
• Temporal Fenestration and the Classification of Amniotes

Once you are registered as a ToL scientific contributor and have gathered the different elements (text, images, other media) for your article or note, you can proceed to Creating Scientific Articles & Notes for instructions on how to upload your materials into the ToL database.