AKF Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in submitting a paper for publication Animal Keepers’ Forum. Please adhere to the following guidelines for manuscript submission. If a paper is submitted and does not follow these guidelines, it will be rejected for publication. Be sure to include your contact information for the editor, including e-mail address and daytime phone number if available.

Submission Methods

Send manuscript/photos on CD to:

Shane Good, AKF Editor
P. O. Box 535
Valley City, OH 44280

Or submit electronically to shane.good@aazk.org.

Format

  • 1. Submit manuscripts electronically in Microsoft Word only to shane.good@aazk.org. You may also submit an article on a disk or CD in Microsoft Word only. Mailing address is listed above.
  • 2. Use a clear, clean typeface. Suggested type fonts are 10-point Times New Roman.
  • 3. Body of manuscript should be single-spaced.
  • 4. Do not indent paragraphs.
  • 5. Double space between paragraphs.
  • 6. Do not use computer-generated page numbering (headers/footers).
  • 7. Use a 1-inch margin setting on top, bottom and sides of your manuscript.
  • 8. Bold-face or underline sub-headings within the text (i.e. Introduction, Materials, Methods, Conclusions, etc.) Do not use all caps for these headings.

Length

The entire paper, including graphs, charts and illustrations should be no more than ten (10) pages long.

Title

Should be brief and descriptive. Center your title on the first page of your paper directly before you begin the introduction and text. Type size for title should be no larger than 14 point. Author information should be in 10 point type and in italics. Follow the title with your name, position, facility, city and state as shown below:

By
Joe Smith, Keeper II
Best Zoological Park
Anywhere, Allstates

Tables/Graphs

Submit all tables and graphs as separate files in their native program (i.e. Word, Excel, etc.) Do not embed the tables and graphs within the manuscript. Include the explanation of the graph, chart, etc. on the page/file with the illustration. (Examples: Figure 1 Shows the average temperature of incubation….Graph 4 Illustrates the variation in duration of…..) Be certain that all such graphs, tables or charts included with your manuscript are properly referenced within the manuscript text. Graphs and charts should be no larger than 8” tall by 5” wide.

Illustrations/Photos

Submit photos as separate jpg or tif files, sent to the editor’s email address. Be sure to properly reference illustrations/photos within the manuscript. You may submit as many photos as you wish, but it will be up to the editor to determine how many can be used. A good average is 3-5. Photos should be high resolution (300 dpi). Photos must be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels in size (4×6 inches). Be sure to give proper photo credit for each photo submitted. You are also encouraged to submit suggested captions. Do not embed photos within the manuscript.

Cover Photos

To be considered for a cover, photos need to be at least 2625 x 3375 pixels in size, 300 dpi, and portrait-style (not landscape).

Metric System

Use the twenty-four-hour clock (i.e., 0900 – 1425 hrs.) for identifying time and the continental dating system (day, month, year) when describing dates. Use the metric system for weights and measurements (standard equivalent may be noted in parenthesis).

Scientific Names

Should be included with their common names, when first mentioned, and only the common name thereafter. When both the common and scientific name are given as a paragraph heading, put the common name first. Only currently recognized nomenclatures should be utilized. Authorship of scientific names should be included only when nomenclature problems exist.

Special Notes

  • Identify Registered or Trademark products by © or ™ symbols respectively.
  • If you have a products mentioned in the Text section, please include full name and address of the manufacturer of the product, including website or email address if available.
  • Avoid footnotes.

References

  • Should be listed alphabetically at the end of the manuscript according to author’s surname. (Example: Ricter, J.W. 1984. How To be A Good Keeper. Animal Keepers’ Forum. Vol. 11, No. 6: 12-22. AAZK, Inc., Topeka, Kansas, U.S.A.)
  • Within the text, references should be cited as Ricter (1984) or (Ricter, 1984).

If you have any further questions or are uncertain of instructions, please contact the AKF Editor at the email address above. Or you may call 1-330-483-1104.