North-Western Journal of Zoology

North-Western Journal of Zoology (North-West J Zool) focuses on current research with pronounced inter- and intradisciplinary character, covering topics in zoology and animal ecology, including non- arthropod invertebrates, non-insect arthropods, entomology, ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology, theriology, general zoology and animal ecology, and paleobiology. We also consider faunistic manuscripts (e.g., new records, species range extensions), but they must integrate their findings into the current international scientific context (e.g., biogeography, ecology, biodiversity conservation). Papers that are addressed to a narrow readership will not be accepted. Also, we do not accept papers on veterinary sciences or descriptive morphology/anatomy. If the authors are unsure whether their manuscript topic is appropriate for the journal, they should consult the corresponding subject editor before submitting it (see the list of subject editors).

We accept only original manuscripts not published partially or entirely in any scientific journal and not submitted simultaneously to another journal. This policy refers to data originality, manuscript text, or tables/figures used. Also, the data included in the manuscript must be complete, and units of the same research published in multiple papers are not accepted.

We discourage the use of AI tools in the manuscript’s writing. During the initial evaluation and before acceptance, manuscripts are checked for plagiarism and excessive AI use; failure to comply will result in rejection or retraction. If, at any stage of the manuscript processing (even after initial acceptance), inappropriate AI use (extensive text editing, improper/inexistent citations, etc.) or plagiarism is proven, the manuscript will be rejected/retracted automatically.

All authors must have contributed sufficiently to the final manuscript. Their contributions should be detailed according to the Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT; https://credit.niso.org/) in the manuscript template.

We discourage studies that cause significant stress, physical injuries, or the death of animals. In exceptional cases, in studies that use such methods, the authors must justify why this was necessary and evaluate the trade-off between the scientific results and the suffering caused. In the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript, the authors should provide precise details on maintenance, transport, anesthesia, and animal marking conditions. When available, references should be added to justify the techniques used. If alternative, less invasive techniques exist but are not used, the manuscript will be rejected. When experiments were realized on animals in exceptional cases, the authors must present the official permits issued by the competent authorities (research permit numbers should be included in the Materials and methods and/or Acknowledgement sections). These ethical statements are an integral part of the Cover letter, which must be signed by all authors and submitted with the manuscript.

Publication fee: The extensive volunteer efforts of the North-West J Zool editorial and layout team, along with contributions from the University of Oradea, keep the journal open access and free for authors, benefiting the broader scientific community.

The North-West J Zool publishes high-quality full-length research papers (2,000–10,000 words) and short research papers (1,500–2,000 words), reviews (variable length), notes (about 700-1500 words), and correspondence papers (about 700-1500 words). The word count for manuscripts includes only the main text, excluding the title, abstract, figure and table captions, tables, and references.

Full-length research papers range from 2,000 to 10,000 words and present findings from exhaustive studies relevant to the domain's current scientific context.

Short research papers are research papers that are 1,500–2,000 words long and contain important data for a broad scientific readership, but do not qualify for a full-length paper.

Reviews (with variable length) deal with topics of general interest or contemporary importance, emphasizing synthetic rather than comprehensive approaches. Before submission, authors should consult with the editor or the corresponding subject editor.

Notes (about 700-1500 words) include natural history notes (interesting field observations, especially those that can be a starter for further studies), fauna notes (interesting fauna records, e.g., range expansions, new records), taxonomic notes (interesting records of new species for science), and research methods (applicable and novel methods of collecting data in the field or laboratory). Usually, they include no more than 30 references.

Correspondence papers (usually around 700-1500 words) are manuscripts that do not strictly present research results but include book reviews, in memoriam notices, and opinions. Before submitting correspondence papers, the authors must consult the editor-in-chief.

All submitted manuscripts must use the journal’s Microsoft Word template file (download here). The manuscript must be without footnotes, without section breaks (except those already used in the template file), and without page numbers.

Each manuscript template file contains the following sections: cover page, title page, main text, references, table and figure captions, followed by tables and figures.

The cover page includes information completed by the editors during the review process.

Starting with the title page, the template must be completed by the authors. The title page includes the manuscript title, the names and affiliations for all authors, the corresponding author's name and email address, author contributions, the abstract, keywords, and the running title.

The main text’s structure depends on the type of manuscript, and it must be organized as follows:

The Results must concisely present the study's findings. Avoid repeating the same information in the text and in tables/figures.

The Discussion section must be separate from the Results section and should address the significance of the results and their relationship to the paper's hypotheses. It should also explain how the paper's findings will enhance our understanding of the model organism.

Conclusions are optional, but some authors may choose to include this section. This section should contain the study's main take-home message(s).

Short research papers, notes, and correspondence papers have a main text without headings.

Review papers may use different headings from those for research papers.

Mean values should always be accompanied by some measure of variation. If the goal is to describe variation among individuals contributing to the mean, the standard deviation (SD) must be used. When the aim is to illustrate the precision of the mean, use confidence intervals (CI) rather than standard errors (SE). Avoid using the sign ±; instead, present means as mean 13.15 (1SD: 3.30), 13.15 (1SE: 1.04) or 13. 15 [95%CI: 10.78–15.51]. Proportions must be quoted with a measure of variation according to the respective binomial or multinomial distribution. Sample sizes must always be noted (n=…).

The last paragraph of the Materials and Methods section should briefly state the significance level used (e.g., alpha=0.05). Specify (cite) the software used, including version. Real p-values must be quoted both at significance and non-significance. The sign < is acceptable only at low p-values (e.g., p < 0.0001).

All tables, figures, and their captions must be numbered consecutively (e.g., Fig. 1, Fig. 2; Table 1, Table 2) and inserted at the end of the manuscript after the references list. Each included table and figure must be referenced at least once, in the order presented, in the main text.

Landscape tables must be sent in a separate MS Word file.

All illustrations, including charts, photos, images, and maps, must be labeled as figures. Figures should also be sent as separate files in JPG or TIFF format at a minimum of 300 dpi. In the online version, all color figures will be published in color; in the print version, the editor reserves the right to decide whether to print them in color or black and white.

Citations are ordered first chronologically and then alphabetically, following this style (Huey & Pianka 1981, Pianka 1984, 1989, Haydon et al. 1997).

All authors of a paper should be included in the references, except if more than 20, when “et al.” should be included. References “in press” should only be cited when they have been accepted for publication. Avoid citing unpublished reports or theses. Persons who provided unpublished information should be cited as follows: (Full name, Country, pers. comm. to Author’s Initials, Year).

List references alphabetically by author and then date of publication in the case of the same author(s).

Because the North-West J Zool promotes research of current interest, references must include titles published in the last two years (including the year of submission) in journals indexed in Web of Science.

The following format should be used for the references section:

Journal:

Haydon, D.T., Crother, B.I., Pianka, E.R. (1994): New directions in biogeography? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 9: 403-406.

Book:

Sokal, R.R., Rohlf, F.J. (1995): Biometry. The principles and practice of statistics in biological research. 3 rd Edition. W.H. Freeman & Co., New York.

Book chapter:

Huey, R.B., Pianka, E.R. (1983): Temporal separation of activity and interspecific dietary overlap (with an Appendix by S.L. Pimm). pp. 281-296. In: Huey, R.B., Pianka, E.R., Schoener, T.W. (eds.), Lizard ecology: studies of a model organism. Harvard University Press.

Online resource:

Smielowski, J. (2003): Monitoring of Polish market of pet animals covered by CITES convention. Biblioteka Ecologiczna. Poznan. <www.wwf.pl, accessed on 20.02.2005>.

For any other details regarding the references list, please consult one of the recently published papers in the North-West J Zool.

Manuscripts may be rejected without peer review if they are beyond the aim and scope of the journal, do not fully comply with all the Author's Guidelines, or do not include all the required files (Cover letter, Manuscript arranged in the template file, landscape tables and figures (if applicable)).

Before submitting a manuscript, please consult the authors' checklist in the Cover letter (download here) and ensure your manuscript meets all submission requirements.

All manuscripts must be accompanied by a Cover letter (download here), completed and signed by all authors.

Submissions are digital only. All files (manuscript, figures, tables, etc.) must be in popular digital formats (e.g., DOCX, JPEG, TIFF).

Manuscripts must be submitted to the appropriate subject editor (check the list of subject editors), using the provided e-mail address. Please send the manuscript to one subject editor, appropriate to the topic of the manuscript. If there is no appropriate subject editor for your manuscript`s topic, please use the General Zoology section.

The editors will send a registration e-mail as soon as possible. All registered manuscripts will get an MS number from the subject editor. The authors must use their MS number when referring to their manuscript in all correspondence with the (subject) editor.

A paper may be rejected without external review if the editor considers it unacceptable for publication. Otherwise, manuscripts will be assessed by 2–3 independent reviewers. If the first 2 reviewers' suggestions are inconsistent, a third reviewer will be asked to review the manuscript. The subject editor will decide whether to accept or reject a manuscript based on these reviews.

Formally accepted manuscripts will be sent by the editorial office to English-language editors for spelling verification.

After spelling editing, the manuscript galley proof is prepared. At this stage, the editorial office could request additional files (e.g., high-resolution figures) if needed.

The proof (PDF file) will be sent to the corresponding author only once, and it should be returned as soon as possible (any delay in returning the proof will result in a delay in publication). Corrections should be limited to minor mistakes or typographical errors. The suggestions for proof corrections are inserted as comments in the PDF file (we do not accept corrections by sending a MS Word file).

Adding new authors or supporting grants is not permitted during any proofing stage; such practice may result in the paper's rejection.

The corrected proofs will then be uploaded to the journal's website, first in the “Online first” section as an early view, until they are included in a volume in June or December. As North-West J Zool is a scientific journal with an open-access policy, all published manuscripts are available for free on the journal`s website.

Please send your manuscript to only one editor; otherwise, it will be rejected automatically.

WE ACCEPT SUBMISSION ONLY ON THE FOLLOWING DOMAINS!