Authors instructions
General Information
Papers are considered on the understanding that they have not been submitted or published elsewhere and that all authors of a multi-authored paper agree to its submission. Manuscripts are accepted in English or Russian. Title, author(s)’s names, address, abstract, figures and tablescaptions, and descriptions of new taxa are published in both Russian and English. For foreign authors, Russiantranslations can be provided by the Editors (if necessary).
All papers will be peer-reviewed. Upon acceptance, copyright becomes the property of the Journal.
Please carefully follow the format outlined below. A current issue of Ruthenica, Russian Malacological Journal can be used as a guide, but please note that there are format changes from time to time.
Manuscript Submission
Submission of your manuscript must be electronic. The main text should be a MS Word document or RTF file and the figures as a PDF file or located at the end of the file. Hard copy will not be accepted. When the manuscript will be finally accepted theillustrations should be provided in TIFF of JPEG formats.
Send manuscripts by email to the Publishing Editors, Dr Yu. Kantor: or Dr. A. Fedosov:)
General format
Right margins should not be justified.
All textshould be in Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Every paragraph starts with indent. There should not be empty lines between paragraphs.
Line spacing of text should be 1.5 line.
All pages of the manuscript must be numbered consecutively, including those carrying references, tables and figure captions, all of which are to be placed at the end of the manuscript.
Illustrations, both line drawings and photographs, are to be numberedas figuresin a common sequence, and each must be referred to in the text (e.g., as Fig. 1, Рис. 1 or Figs 1–4, Рис 1–4).
Illustrations and tables should be numbered in accordance with the order they are referred to in the text.
Do not submit high resolution artworkuntil the final acceptance of the manuscript.
Thefirst pageof the manuscript should have thetitle,authors’ namesandworkingaddresses in Russian and English (main language of the manuscript first), email,arunning head(in main language) and up to 10keywordsthat are not included in the title(in English).
Thetitleshould be concise and include higher classification details where appropriate. Therunning headshould not be longer than 50 characters (including spaces).
The remainder of the manuscript should normally be arranged with the following components:Abstract(in English and Russian, main language of the manuscript first), Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References,andtable and figure captions(in English and Russian)(see sections below for more details). Figures, tables and supplementary material can be appended to the manuscript or submitted as one or more separate files.
· TheAbstractshould state concisely the scope of the work and give the principal findings. It should be complete enough for direct use by abstracting services.
· TheIntroductionshould explain why the work was undertaken and include essential background information and references.
·Materials and methodsshould provide enough detail to allow the experiments or measurements to be repeated. This section can also includeAbbreviations.
·Headingsfor Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments and References should be in normal (non-bold) print in lower case and centered on their own line.
Taxonomic contributions
For taxonomic papers, the same components (primary headings) as standard papers should be used (see above).
The introduction to a taxonomic paper should ‘set the scene’ and provide a brief overview of what is known about other related taxa (e.g., in the same genus).
For genus-group taxa the following subheadings can be used in the order given: Name; Type species; Diagnosis; Remarks (including discussion on how the taxon differs from similar taxa and, if appropriate, comments regarding included species); Etymology.
Each description of a new species-group taxon should contain the following subheadings in the order given: Name; Reference to figures [in the format (Figs 1 A-B{note the space after 1, when there is reference to several parts of the combined image}; 2C{note the absence of space after 1, when there is the reference ot single part of combined image}; 3 C-D)]; Synonymy (if appropriate); Material examined (Type material and Other material); Type locality; Diagnosis (optional); Description (of at least the holotype and, if more material is available, additional specimens); Remarks; Etymology.
Headings for all taxonomic categories in taxonomic papers should be centered.
The abbreviations ‘gen. nov.’, ‘sp. nov.’, or ‘subsp. nov.’ should be used for indicating a new genus, species, or subspecies. The names of new taxa should be in bold italicthroughout the text, including figure captions. Example: Tusgen nov.; Aus bus sp. nov.; Zus wus gus subsp. nov.
Author and date (in the format Smith, 1902 or Smith et Brown, 1902) should be cited following the first introduction of a genus or species name in the text (other than the abstract). These are not references and should not be included in the reference list (unless they are also cited specifically as references or in a synonymy). Authors’ names and dates should also be used for genus-group and species-group names used in headings.
If asynonymyis provided, itmust immediately follow the appropriate centered taxon heading. It must include the reference to the original description. References given (whether to the valid name or synonyms) should include the author, date, page number and any figure numbers, but should exclude the name of the publication, because these details must be given in the list of references at the end of the paper.
Examples of format for species synonymy:
Xus yusSmith, Brown 1902: 304, pl. 3, fig. 4A; Jones, Smith, 1934: 456; Dick, 1956: 23, pl. 2, figs 6,7. [Example of an available name.]
Wus yus.— Gail, 1978: 56, pl. 4, fig. 5. [Example where genus name has been changed.]
Xus mus.— Hope, 1987: 21, pl. 3, figs 8-10; Freeman, Brown, 2000: 400 (not of Black, 1934). [Example of misidentification.]
Note that the stop and dash is used between the Latin name and author for all combinations other than the original one.
Examples of format for genus synonymy:
XusSmith, 1902: 303.
Type species (by subsequent designation of Jones, Smith 1934: 456):Xus yusSmith, 1902; Recent, Bolivia.
WusGail, Brown, 1978: 56.
Type species (original designation):Xus yusSmith, 1902; Miocene, Chile.
Multiple synonyms should be arranged in order of date of the first application of the name in question and, under each name, the separate references (if more than one is given) should be in chronological order.
The type species, with author and date, should be cited with the synonymy for each genus treated. The mode of designation should also be given.
Type datashould be given for each valid species treated, the museum in which the primary type (holotype, syntypes, lectotype or neotype) is preserved should be given or, if the whereabouts of the type are unknown, what steps were taken to ascertain its whereabouts. Designation of a lectotype must be accompanied by an express statement of the taxonomic purpose of the designation.
Material examined
Concise lists of specimens examined should be presented for each species.
Where type material has been examined then details should be listed under a headingType materialat the beginning ofMaterial examined.
Example of format for type data(see also above)
Type material. Holotype (dissected): ZMMU Lc 17676,SimushirIsland, 47°03.4'N, 152°14.8'E, 102-105 m, R/V Gidrobiolog, trawl 68, 1982. Paratype (dissected): MIMB27916, Lovushka rocks, 48°26.0'N, 153°51.8'E, 490 m, rubbles, 09.07.1993.[Example for new species.]
Type material.HolotypeofSipho (Sipho) esychus shikotanicus. ZIN 27608/1, Shikotan Island, South Kurile Islands,44°02.2'N, 147°29.2'E, 181-188 m.[Example when primary type of already described species is referred to.]
Information fornon-type materialshould be presented after the heading ‘Other material’ in the following format (items in [ ] are optional):
Other material. Locality, latitude, longitude, depth (if a marine species), [collector, date, habitat information], repository (i.e., museum), registered number (if available) (number of specimens – in parentheses).
Example of format for 'Other material'
Other material. Chukchi Sea, 69°00.27'N,168°51.6'W, 54 m,R/VProfessor Khromov, sta. 20, 14.08.2004, ZIN 60847 (3 spm). Chukchi Sea, 72°18.95'N,175°29.54'W, 65 m, R/VProfessor Khromov, sta. 85 B, 21.08.2004, ZIN 60849 (1 spm).
Collection date should be given in the form 02.08.2001.
For large material examined sections, authors should minimize the information to locality, repository, registered number and number of specimens only, and should summarise the information from label data in distribution maps or in the main text.
Records should normally be arranged geographically from north to south and east to west where practical.
Latitude and longitude data should be given in the format 12°27.45´S, 130°49.33´E.
Diagnoses and descriptions
Diagnoses and descriptions arepublished both in English and Russian. For non-Russian speaking authors, the translations in Russian can be done by the editors. We encourage authors to use English as a primary language for new taxa descriptions, the section Remarks are published in primary language only. The ‘telegraphic’ style is preferable for diagnosis and description.
Diagnoses should contain only the distinguishing characters or combination of characters for that taxon.
Comparative comments are to be placed under ‘Remarks’. They should include a comprehensive statement distinguishing the new taxon from related taxa.
Statements about the significance (e.g., biogeographic, evolutionary, conservation) of the new taxa or taxon should preferably be given in theDiscussion.
General instructions
Statistical testsshould be described briefly and, if necessary, supported by references. Numbers of individuals, mean values, ranges and measures of variability should be stated. It should be made clear whether the standard deviation or the standard error of the mean has been given.
TheInternational Code of Zoological Nomenclature(fourth edition, effective from 1 January 2000) and decisions by the ICZN must be adhered to.
Tablesshould be placed at the end of the manuscript in a simple MS Word table format without borders to columns and rows within the body of the table, apart from horizontal lines under the column headings. Tabs or spaces should not be used to create a table.
The width of tables (using 10 pt font) must not exceed the maximum width of the page (16 cm). Each table must be accompanied by a title in English and Russian.
Footnotesin the text should be avoided until absolutely essential. When needed, please use the footnote function in MS Word.
Latin names of genera and species and Latin words or abbreviations of Latin words (et al.,sensu lato) should be in italics. The abbreviations e.g., and i.e., are in Roman font with full punctuation.
The first mention in the text of the scientific name of a species or genus, unless they are used in the abstract, should be accompanied by the authority author and date, but subsequent use of these names should omit the author and date. The genus name must be presented in full when first used, but can be abbreviated in a stand way in the subsequent text. In case, if there are multiple genera starting with the same latter are considered in the text they should not be abbreviated.
Numbers in the text should (unless given as actual units of measurement) be spelt out as words if less than 10 and as numerals if 10 or more.
When citing distances and measurements insert a single space between the number and the dimension (e.g., 5 mm, not 5mm). Always add space after ':' and ';' eg ': 10', not ':10'.
References
References should be cited in the text with the year of publication in square brackets '[]', for example, Shepherd and Cannon [1988] or [Shepherd, Cannon, 1988; Smith, 1992, 1995]. When more than two authors co-author the publication, it should be cited as Shepherdet al. [1972] or [Shepherdet al., 1972]. Authorities of taxa should NOT be included in the references unless otherwise cited as an actual reference in the text or in a synonymy.
References must be listed alphabetically by authors, and then chronologically, at the end of the paper, in the following forms. Papers not cited must not be listed in the references.
Journal article
Collinge W.E. 1902. On the anatomy of the genus Myotesta,Cllge. Journal of Malacology, 9(1): 11-16.
Note: only use Roman numeralsif they are used in the title of the original article. Only proper nouns are capitalizedin the article title. Titles of periodicals are italicized and must not be abbreviated. Online-only publications must include a DOI; we encourage authors to provide a DOI for other references if available.
Book
Habe T. 1964. Shells of western Pacific in color. Vol. 2. HoikushaPublishing Co, Osaka, 233 p.
Note: the book title is in italics and only proper nouns are capitalized in the book title. Add the country after the locality of the publisher only if the town or city is a minor one.
Book chapter
Habe T. 1952. Atyidae in Japan. In: Kuroda T (Ed.) IllustratedCatalogue of Japanese shells, 20: 137-152.
Kohn A.J., Amalsi K.N. 1993. Comparative ecology of a biogeographically heterogeneousConusassemblage. In: Wells F.E., Walker D.I.,Kirkman H, Lethbridge R. (Eds). The marine flora and fauna of Rottnest Island, Western Australia. WesternAustralianMuseum, Perth, Australia: 523–538.
Note: Use (Ed.) for a single editor.
Monograph series
Sirenko B.I. 2009. Chapter VII. The prosobranch gastropods(Mollusca, Gastropoda, Prosobranchia) of theChukchiSea and Bering Strait, their species compositionand distribution. In: Sirenko B.I. (ed.) Ecosystemsand biological resources of the Chukchi seaand adjacent areas. Explorations of the fauna ofthe seas, 64(72): 104-153.
Sowerby G.B. 1842. Monograph of the genusPecten.Thesaurus conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells.1. Sowerby, London: 45–78.
Online reference
Huelsenbeck, J.P. & Ronquist, F. (2001) MrBayes 2.01: Bayesian inference of phylogeny. Available online at [Accessed on 1 July 2003.]
Figures
Final figures for publication should be submittedonly at the time of final submissionfollowing acceptance of the paper.
Electronic copies of figures are required. All illustrations (line drawings, photographs, graphs, maps, etc.) should benumbered in the order that they appear in the text. Composite figures should have items labeled on each figure using capital letters in bold Times New Roman font with a minimal publication size of 3.0–3.5 mm (12-14 pts).
Figure captions
Format as follows:
FIG. 1. Shells of species ofHydrobia.A,B.Hydrobiaxusn. sp., holotype, TMH E3456.C–F.Hydrobia yus(Smith, 1924); C, Vigo, Spain, NHM, 789123;D–F,Crete, NHM, 667788. Scale bars = 1 mm.
or
FIG. 2. Habitats of Aus bus. A. Sampling site near the Murmashi town. B. Mouth of the rivulet flowing in the Tuloma river, 01.07.2008.
Please note the conventions with bolding in the caption.
Print size
Figures should be able to fit into half a page (76 mm in width) or take the whole page width (160 mm).The maximum printed size of a full-page figure is 160 x 245 mm.Please consider the space for figure captions, so that they fit on the same page as figure.
Line drawings
Should be scanned at high resolution, at least 600 dpi at final (printed) size, and saved in black and white bitmap format as TIFF files. Fine line drawings with a lot of variable grey shading should be saved in greyscale format as TIFF files at a minimum of 300 dpi.
Black and white photographsintendedfor reproduction as half-tone plates
Must be provided electronically at a resolution of at least 300 dpi at final size and saved in greyscale format as TIFF files.
Colour photographs
Will be used in PDFs only and must be submitted electronically in RGB formatat a resolution of at least 300 dpi at final size. In printed version they will be reproduced as black and white photographs. It is author responsibility to be sure that they haveadequate contrast and brightness in black and white. Authors are encouraged to provide both colour and greyscale versions of the photos.
Computer-generated figures
Computer-generated figures (e.g., vector images such as maps, cladograms, statistical plots) must be provided at 600 dpi saved as tiff files.Be sure that the lines are of adequate thickness (at least 3 points).
Lettering (labels) on figures
Should be in Times New Roman font with only the first letter of any proper names capitalised. The height after reduction (i.e., printing size) should be no more than 3 mm(10 pts) and there should be good contrast with the background. Important features to which attention has been drawn in the text should be indicated. Leader lines should be a minimum width of 0.5 pt at final size.
Copyright
It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright of their articles, including abstracts, to Ruthenica, Russian Malacological Journal. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article and the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Ruthenica, Russian Malacological Journal licenses back to the Author(s) the right to use the substance of the Article (including illustrations) in his/her future works, provided that its prior publication in this journal is acknowledged.