The New Zealand Journal of Ecology publishes papers on any aspect of pure and applied ecology. Emphasis is on the New Zealand region but information of general interest from anywhere else in the world will be considered for publication. Work published or offered for publication elsewhere cannot be accepted. All papers become the copyright of the New Zealand Ecological Society.

Each manuscript considered by the Editor to be appropriate for the Journal is allocated to a member of the Editorial Board who will oversee the review process. Referees and Board members are busy people who do the task voluntarily; please do them the courtesy of submitting manuscripts that have been thoroughly appraised by your colleagues. Manuscripts that are in poor accordance with journal format, are badly presented or written, or that are too long will be returned to the authors without review. Manuscripts requiring revision after the review process must be returned within 4 months of the date of the request for revision; revised manuscripts received more than 4 months after the date will be treated as new submissions.

Page charges are NZ$26.50 per page, waived in exceptional circumstances on application to the Editor. Society members are levied a concessionary rate of $16.50 per page for the first ten pages per year.

Four types of manuscripts are considered:

• Review Articles. These are critical overviews of topics likely to be of general interest to the readership of the Journal. Prospective authors considering writing such an article should contact the Scientific Editor in advance with a brief proposed outline. Maximum length is 20 printed pages.
• Research Articles. These are conventional research papers. Maximum length is 15 printed pages unless prior approval from the Scientific Editor is obtained.
• Short Communications. These are shorter research papers and have a maximum length of 5 printed pages.
• Forum Articles. These include discussion articles about topical issues, opinion pieces, and rejoinders to previous papers published in the Journal and elsewhere. Maximum length is 12 printed pages.

Submit a copy of the manuscript, in English, double spaced with ample margins, each page numbered and lines numbered, as an email attachment to the Scientific Editor (editor@nzes.org.nz). Electronic manuscripts should include all figures and tables in a single document. PDF format is preferred or, if not available, as an MS-Word document. Only in exceptional circumstances should a single paper copy be submitted (single-sided manuscript, format as for electronic submission) to The Scientific Editor, c/o New Zealand Ecological Society, PO Box 25178, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Researchers must have proper regard for conservation and animal welfare requirements. New Zealand Journal of Ecology endorses the ANZCCART (NZ) policy for the responsible use of animals in science (www.rsnz.org/advisory/anzccart). Researchers must acknowledge approval of Animal Ethics Committees and demonstrate approval from relevant government agencies (e.g. New Zealand Department of Conservation), iwi or landowners.

Authors should consult the latest issue of the Journal for style of formatting manuscripts and references. SI units (metre, kilogram, etc.) must be used throughout. Authors should use UK English following the Concise Oxford Dictionary for spelling, but when giving Māori names macrons should be added where known. Manuscripts should be prepared as follows:

• Title. Fifteen words maximum.
• Names of authors. All authors listed should have made a significant contribution to the paper. ‘Gift’ authorship is not encouraged.
• Addresses of all authors. Identify the corresponding author and their postal and email addresses.
• Running head (for top of page). Up to five words.
• Abstract. Up to 400 words for Review Articles, 300 words for Research and Forum Articles, and 150 words for Short Communications.
• Key words. Up to ten (five for Short Communications).
• Main text. For Research Articles and Short Communications this will usually consist of Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.
• Acknowledgements.
• References. Style follows The Royal Society of New Zealand journals from Vol. 31.
• Tables. Each table must be on a separate sheet and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Keep column headings brief. Vertical lines should not be used for separating columns.
• Figure legends. Keep these together on the same page. Do not include legends on the figures themselves.
• Figures. Includes all line drawings, maps and photographs. Figures must be numbered consecutively and each figure must be on a separate page. Figures should be prepared so that the lettering and details are clear when reduced to their final size. Lettering in a non-serif font should be done by a skilled draughtsperson or computer but not typed. Poorly presented figures will be returned to authors for redrawing. Colour photographs will be considered for publication but at the author’s expense.
• Appendices. These are not encouraged but will be considered for inclusion at the end of a paper. Lengthy appendices containing raw data or extensive species frequency data will not be published.

When a manuscript is entirely acceptable, the Technical Editor will request an electronic version of the manuscript with figures formatted as JPEG or TIFF files. Page proofs will subsequently be sent by email to the author for checking.

It is the author’s responsibility a) to keep the Technical Editor informed of changes in address, and b) to make arrangements for colleagues to correct proofs if the author is likely to be absent when the proofs are to be dispatched. When proofs are not received back from an author within an adequate time frame the manuscript will be published without the author’s corrections.