Instructions to Authors

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) EBooks are peer-reviewed and usually published online, sharing information pertaining to biodiversity. Acceptance of manuscripts outside of the stated topic will be at the discretion of the Editor. The electronic books will be uploaded to the website (available here) as soon as they are ready for publication. For pre-submission inquiries, e.g., to check the suitability of manuscripts, please write to the Editor, Mr Tan Siong Kiat, at nhmebooks@nus.edu.sg.

It would be preferable, where possible, that representative material or voucher specimens mentioned in articles published under LKCNHM EBooks are deposited in the following:

1. Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens (SING)
2. Herbarium, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore (SINU)
3. Zoological Reference Collection, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore (ZRC)

To expedite publication, authors are advised to adhere to the guidelines stated here. Manuscripts submitted to LKCNHM EBooks must be original and must not be submitted elsewhere unless they have been withdrawn or rejected.

All manuscripts will be sent to one or two reviewers. The Editor decides on provisional acceptance or rejection based on comments submitted by the reviewer(s). The author will receive notification of the decision, together with the returned manuscript and comments of the reviewer(s).

Manuscripts must be in English. Authors whose native language is not English should have their work reviewed by a person well versed in the English language before submitting the manuscript. It is not the responsibility of the Editor(s) or reviewer(s) to provide language assistance, and manuscripts may be rejected if poorly written. Manuscripts must be in Microsoft® Word (.doc or .docx) word processing software format.

All submissions must be in compliance with the LKCNHM EBooks formatting style. For the convenience of authors, a Template for Authors with the house formatting style is provided for the preparation of a manuscript for submission. For more information on the house style, please download the Style Guide (For Editors) [link].

All new submissions should be submitted as soft copies via email to the Editor, Dr Ng Ting Hui, at nhmebooks@nus.edu.sg.

Once the manuscript is provisionally accepted, it is returned to the author with the recommendations of the referee(s) and Editor. The author(s) must respond to each of the comments and incorporate necessary changes into the manuscript. The author(s) should also provide justification for any disagreement with the recommendations.

The corrected document should be sent back to the Editor via email. The format of LKCNHM EBooks should be complied with strictly. Deviation from the format will cause delays in publication as it will be returned for corrections.

Manuscripts will only be accepted once the author has addressed all of the recommendations or comments of the referee(s), and ensured that the format of the manuscript and illustrations comply with the house style. If the format of the corrected manuscript is not found to be satisfying, the Editor may request the author(s) to re-format the manuscript (also applicable to figures, illustrations, and tables).

Final proofs in portable document format (PDF) are emailed to authors for correction together with the Agreement for the Transfer of Copyright Form. The completed form must be returned (as a digitally signed or scanned copy of the signed document) via email with the corrected proofs. Should the proofs be delayed by a late reply or excessive corrections, the manuscript will be delayed for publication.

The hyperlink to the electronic book will be sent to the lead or corresponding author immediately upon publication via email for reference.