Mission:
Fieldiana is a peer-reviewed monographic series published by the Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana focuses on mid-length monographs and scientific papers pertaining to collections and research at Field Museum. The two series pertain to subject matter in the fields of Anthropology, and Life and Earth Sciences (Botany, Geology, and Zoology).
Editorial Board:
The Fieldiana Editorial Board oversees Fieldiana's operation and publication process. The Editorial Board consists of a Managing Scientific Editor, three Associate Editors, and head of the library. Details regarding the responsibilities of the editorial board may be found on the page "EDITORIAL STAFF”.
Manuscript Length:
As a monographic series, Fieldiana publishes mid-length works. We do not publish short, journal-article-length works. In general, manuscripts of less than 40 pages of text will not be accepted for review. Fieldiana is also unable to publish long works (greater than 400 manuscript pages) without significant external support. The submission of long works and edited volumes should be arranged well in advance with the Managing Scientific Editor.
Eligibility:
Field Museum curators, research associates and full-time scientific professional staff may submit papers for consideration with minimal financial charges for normal printing. Normal printing does not necessarily cover the costs of special elements such as complex plates, color images, or large appendices and tables. Authors normally have to fund these sorts of special elements. In addition, all author-generated changes required in final galley must be paid for by the author.
Edited volumes pertaining to Field Museum collections may also be submitted for consideration under a 50% subsidy arrangement. The submission and peer review of these chaptered volumes should be arranged well in advance with the Managing Scientific Editor and the appropriate Associate Editor. Prospective volume editors should consult the Author Information page of the web site, notably Style Guidelines and Submisison Procedures, which detail how to prepare, and submit edited works.
Peer Review:
All submissions to Fieldiana are subject to peer review. All manuscripts submitted to Fieldiana are sent first to the Managing Scientific Editor, who then sends them (in most cases) to the appropriate Associate Editor. The Associate Editor is normally in charge of identifying potential reviewers and sending out papers for review to determine their suitability for publication. After receiving two or more reviews the Associate Editor may recommend acceptance or rejection to the Managing Scientific Editor. However, in most cases the Associate Editor will give the author the reviews and suggest how careful revision will improve the manuscript. When the author provides the Associate Editor with a revised manuscript and written reasoned responses to the reviewer’s comments, and the Associate Editor considers the manuscript to be acceptable, in both content and format, the Associate Editor may recommend acceptance to the Managing Scientific Editor. The Managing Scientific Editor makes the final decision for acceptance or rejection, and notifies the author in writing.
Author Revision Period:
Manuscripts returned to authors for revisions should normally be revised and returned to the appropriate Associate Editor within three (3) months. Revisions of manuscripts of more than 100 pages or edited volumes must be completed and returned to the Associate Editor within six (6) months of receiving the reviewer’s comments.
Copyright:
The Field Museum claims copyright to Fieldiana. All authors are expected to sign copyright transfer forms available on this website before the manuscript can be sent to the Printer. We will not seek to prohibit your ability to publish the material in other forms with proper attribution to Fieldiana, but with our publications posted to BioOne, we must remain aware of their Terms of Use, available at http://www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use.
Page Charges:
The cost of producing each page of Fieldiana currently ranges between $100 and $150 per page. This figure varies depending on the length of the publication, the print run, and several other factors. If requested, after final acceptance the Managing Scientific Editor can provide a page charge estimate. The actual charge for a particular manuscript will be provided after printing is complete and an invoice is received from the printer. All authors are expected to provide some funding to support the production of their works.
Page Proofs (Galley):
Changes on page proofs are expensive. Author-generated changes on page proofs can only be made if the author agrees in advance, to pay for them. Normally, authors will only see one set of proofs.
Author’s Copies:
Authors receive a complimentary PDF of their published paper.
Authors also receive a total of 15 free hard copies at the time of publication. Prior to printing, authors may purchase an unlimited number of additional copies at a deeply discounted price (usually between $5 and $10 per copy). Authors must submit their complete order to the Managing Scientific Editor well in advance of printing so that the size of the print run may be adjusted accordingly. Author's copies must be paid for before they are delivered to the author.
Data Sharing:
Authors are expected to make available the data underlying published articles. Any impediments to data sharing should be brought to the attention of the editors by the author(s) at the time of submission.
Animal Care and Use in Research:
Field Museum Staff and Associates are expected to follow institutional policies regarding animal care and use in research. The policy entitled The Use of Live Animals at The Field Museum (approved October 20, 1997) and animal protocol approval application forms are available from the Field Museum’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). When appropriate, compliance with IACUC policies and with any taxon-specific guidelines, such as those issued by the American Society of Mammalogists, or the Association of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, should be mentioned in the Materials and Methods section of manuscripts intended for Fieldiana.