The Journal of Paleontological Sciences is dedicated to helping record the important scientific contributions of the entire paleontological community. This includes contributions from academic, commercial and avocational paleontologists and enthusiasts. Our goals are to provide a free and open forum for the publication of original paleontological research, descriptions of previously undocumented specimens, large data sets and other articles of interest to the paleo-community. Publication in this journal is open to any and all researchers from both the public and private sector interested in helping attain these goals. The Journal is published electronically over the internet and updated on a quarterly basis. At the end of each year, selected submissions as determined by the Journal Publications Committee (JPC) will be published in an annual print edition available to the public for a fee. Manuscripts can be submitted from both AAPS members and non-members. Publication is free, however authors are encouraged to become members of the AAPS and additional donations to the not-for-profit, 501C-3 AAPS are welcomed. Donations or membership however does not increase or decrease your chances of publication. At this time, we are only able to accept submissions written in English.

1. Submission Guidelines:

Topics for consideration include, but are not limited to, all aspects of vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, and paleo-related sedimentary geology. The Journal currently has at least six sections including 1) "Contributions"- formal, peer-reviewed professional papers based upon original research in the field of paleontology 2) "Data Sets"- which will include large bodies of paleontological data, (faunal lists, tables, charts, appendices)etc., that are traditionally too large for most scientific journals 3) Press Releases- News from the field of paleontology, 4) "Trade Articles"- which will contain informal articles on fossil preparation, fieldwork, education, opinion, etc., 5) Photo Archives- which will include the publication of royalty free photographs, CAT-scans, X-ray data, maps, etc., and 6) A fossil registry- where authors can submit and store a specimen's contextual data, GPS and locality data, histories, etc. without writing a full article.

A. COPYRIGHT:

Upon acceptance into The Journal a copyright waiver must be signed by all authors of the manuscript allowing the AAPS to release the manuscript to this public forum for electronic or print versions, or future compendiums or guidebooks, at the sole discretion of the AAPS journal committee (see FORMS to download all appropriate legal documents). This in no way, however, restricts their publication of the data or the article in any other journal, magazine, website or forum in the future. Manuscripts may have already been published elsewhere, as long as the author(s) still retain the copyright. The author MUST however, acquire and submit to the JPS permission to reproduce any illustration or text if taken from another publication. The authors are solely responsible for verifying their ownership of the copyright.

B. CRITERION FOR ACCEPTANCE FOR ALL SECTIONS:

Manuscripts are accepted on the basis of several key things: 1) they must pertain to a relevant topic within the sub-disciplines stated above. 2) Manuscripts may base their data on specimens held in the public trust or specimens held in private title (*see special guidelines for those held with private title). 3) They must be written with clarity of expression, clarity of purpose and clarity of significance. 4) They must have consistency of methodology and follow the basic principles of logic. 5) They must represent data that is testable and verifiable. 6) They must rely on the scientific principle of operationalism- containing no untestable leaps of faith involving a supernatural, metaphysical or theological necessity. 7) They must contain no exaggeration, hyperbole or untestable claims. 8) They must not have as their "core purpose" an attempt of monetary reward or sale. (i.e., no for sale advertisements). 9) They must adhere to the publication format and guidelines for manuscript publication. 10) All specimens from which the manuscripts are based must have been collected or obtained in accordance with the AAPS code of ethics. 11) All taxonomic descriptions must follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). Due to ICZN rules and regulations we are unable to publish manuscripts arguing for new taxonomic names for privately held specimens. Specimens thought to represent new species or genera may be described, but they can not be named.

*RULES FOR PRIVATELY HELD SPECIMENS:

We strongly encourage the publication of manuscripts based upon specimens held in private title. Much of the data generated from these specimens has not had a sufficient forum for public debate, historical record or scientific inquiry. In order to address issues of independent verification and repeatability, however, these manuscripts must adhere to the following additional guidelines:

A privately held specimen may be considered to represent "verifiable and repeatable data" if the specimen's titleholder agrees to the following:

Forms for many of these criteria can be printed in PDF format from the "FORMS" section of The Journal website. If one intends to submit a manuscript based on privately held specimens, signed forms proving that those specimens have met at least three of the above 10 criteria will need to be e-mailed to the Chairman of the JPC along with the manuscript and copies of the original signed form sent to the Chairman via postal service. For previously published works, these may not be necessary as determined by the JPC Chairman.

Rules Regarding Specimens Originating From Countries that Now Ban the Export/Private Ownership of Fossils:

The study of fossil specimens and the detailed Earth history that they provide is a global not national undertaking. Paleontology can not be bound by arbitrary and often changing lines drawn on a map. While we wish to respect the laws of other countries we must also recognize that countries, governments and laws may and often do change, but fossils do not. Their histories are universal and eternal.

With that said, however, the trade or sale of fossil specimens from countries (see list below) which have officially banned the export and trade of those fossils is not condoned by the AAPS or the JPS from the moment those said countries have enacted legitimate and clear legislation prohibiting such export/private ownership. The JPS will not publish on or register privately held specimens that have been illegally exported from those countries unless the export can be proven to have occurred prior to the respective laws of those countries.

If you are interested in registering a specimen for the AAPS specimen registry or publishing a manuscript based upon data gathered from one of those specimens the registrant must provide copies of valid export documentation from the country of origin AND import documentation from the country of immediate destination to be considered. Laws which retroactively penalize private title holders for possessing fossil specimens prior to the enactment of such laws are not recognized by the AAPS or the JPS as a matter of principle… retroactive laws are unjust and unethical. As with all privately held specimens, detailed locality data is required. Should the specimen in question be repatriated to its country of origin and now resides in a public institution that provides for free and open access to all interested researchers, manuscripts and registrations may be allowed in some circumstances on a case-by-case basis. The following countries are known to have a ban on the export of fossils (Should one discover an inaccuracy, please submit any corrections on this matter ASAP to the chairman's e-mail address in the "contact us" section of the journal):

1. China - Chinese fossil export laws have a long, complex and confusing history. So much so, that most people are rightly unsure of the legal status of fossils originating from this country. The 1982 Cultural Relics Protection Law (CRPL) is often cited as the first "official" law which prohibits the export of vertebrate remains from China. Its language is however very subjective, ambiguous, and did not ban exports for most fossil specimens since fossil remains are barely mentioned. As with the Antiquities Act of 1906 in America, The CRPL was primarily intended to address artifacts of cultural significance (artwork, sculptures, histories, documents, etc. ie. human cultural artifacts/relics), not fossils. This law was amended in 1991. The earliest known case where people were successfully prosecuted for fossil export under this law was apparently on December 28th, 1993. Apparently, the provisions for enforcing the 1982/1991 CRPL were modified and amended through the 1997 "Criminal Law". The 2002 law appears to have cleaned up the language of the first two laws, made fossil export, trade, and private ownership officially illegal and brought administration of fossils under a single central entity.
   
   Therefore… Specimens proven to have been exported prior to December 28th, 1993, may be published provided detailed locality data and provenance can be established. Manuscripts that base their data on specimens exported between December 28th and November 1st, 2002 will be considered on a case by case basis as long as detailed provenance and overwhelming evidence supporting legality can be established. Manuscripts which base their conclusions on specimens exported after November 1st, 2002 will not be considered.



2. Mongolia - All Mongolian Fossils have been since their "official discovery" in the early 20th century, the property of Mongolia, China or the USSR (depending on who controlled the country). Anything that is of Mongolian provenance should be immediately suspect and is probably illegally exported. Only specimens that have legitimate documentation proving they were exported under a temporary scientific loan and are currently housed at a private/public museum or privately held specimens which can prove provenance and/or export prior to 1930, will be considered.



3. Peru - Peru enacted legislation preventing the export of fossils in 1991. Therefore any privately held specimens which have export documentation prior to December 31st, 1991 may be considered.



4. Argentina - Most literature simply states that all Argentinean fossils belonged to the state without citing any official statute. Some have claimed that the official law didn't go into effect until 2003. Another stated that the export of fossils had been banned since 1911 through national law no. 9.080. Therefore due to the ambiguity, any privately held specimens exported between 1911 and 2003 are immediately suspect and shall be included on a case by case basis with overwhelming proof of legality. Specimens exported after 2003 are denied.



5. Canada - Canadian laws on fossil collecting vary from province to province, but as a general rule all significant fossils from Canada belong to the state. It is illegal to own, trade, or export any significant vertebrate remains and has been so for a long time. Entry in the journal will be considered on a case-by-case basis, based upon overwhelming proof of legality.



6. South Africa - The National Heritage Resources Act 1999 states that it is unlawful for anyone other than a public museum/institution to even possess fossils in private collections. Landowners may not even excavate or remove fossils from private land. This law went into effect on April 1st 2000. Therefore, specimens that can prove export prior to April 1st, 2000 may be published upon providing they also have detailed provenance data.



7. Brazil - In 1942 Brazil made it illegal to trade and export fossils. Unless a private title holder has documentation proving that it was collected and exported prior to 1942 we are unable to register or accept manuscripts.

C. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND DATA SETS SECTIONS:

All submitted manuscripts for inclusion into the "Contributions" or "Data Sets" sections must be approved by the JPC (by majority vote) and be peer reviewed by at least two, anonymous, independent scientists who are familiar with the topic or topics included in the manuscript. The JPC will select the peer reviewers from the Peer Review Board (PRB), a group of 20-30 academics, well known for their expertise in the field of paleontology. Though membership on the board may be made public, the identity of the individual reviewers for each manuscript will remain anonymous.

PRB members asked to review a manuscript will have a select set of criteria that they will use to judge manuscripts. Reviews are based on a "not recommended" or "recommended" status based upon that criteria alone. Additional proofreading, notes, suggestions and critiques are encouraged but not required by the PRB member. PRB members are encouraged to remain unbiased regardless of whether they agree with the results or conclusions of the manuscript's author(s). The PRB members are encouraged to have the review completed within two weeks time. The following is a list of criteria that all manuscripts must adhere to. Failure of a manuscript to comply with these criteria may result in a "not recommended" review from the PRB member.

Following the peer review, the manuscript is returned to the author with the reviewer's recommendations and suggestions. If significant changes are required, the manuscript must be modified by the authors and be resubmitted to the JPC. If the reviewer does not require significant changes, a second vote from the JPC is not necessary and the manuscript is officially accepted. Upon final acceptance, the manuscript will be sent to the "Copy Editor" who will professionally proofread the manuscript for grammatical or format errors. Once the editing is finished, the paper is sent to the authors for a final round of changes and then to the JPC chairman for inclusion in The Journal.

All manuscripts for consideration therefore follow the following or a similar path:

Authors ---- JPC----PRB----Authors----JPC----Copy Editor----Authors----JPC chair----Journal

If all goes well, from start to finish the process should take approximately 8-12 weeks.

D. GUIDELINES FOR TRADE ARTICLES:

The trade articles section is further subdivided into "The Preparators Corner"- for manuscripts pertaining to fossil preparation tools, tips, advice, etc.; "The Field Scientist" for manuscripts pertaining to exploration, excavation, documentation, tools, tips, and advice, etc.; "In the Classroom", for manuscripts pertaining to paleontology and its uses in the classroom and in education; "Miscellaneous", for articles that are difficult to classify; and "Editorial" sections, for manuscripts pertaining to politics and opinion. Manuscripts submitted to these sections do not require a review from a PRB member, but will require approval from the JPC. The JPC must review each manuscript to ensure that the paper follows the guidelines set forth in section B of this document. If the paper fails to comply with the guidelines set forth in section B, it is returned to the author for changes. If those changes are not made or the manuscript fails approval by the JPC on more than three occasions, it may NOT be resubmitted. All manuscripts for this section therefore follow the following or similar path:

Authors--- JPC---Copy Editor---Authors---JPC--- Journal

If all goes well, the process should take less than 8 weeks.

E. GUIDELINES FOR PRESS RELEASE SECTION:

People wishing to include press releases may do so by e-mailing the press release, in word format to the current chairman of the JPC (stein151@earthlink.net ). These are approved or denied by the JPC based on the concepts set forth in section B of this document. Only original press releases may be published in full text. Links to other news sources may be added or recommended, but the full text of those articles will not be published.

F. GUIDELINES FOR FOSSIL SPECIMEN REGISTRY SECTION:

AAPS members and non-members are strongly encouraged to register all fossils of significance they discover or acquire. The determination of what constitutes a significant or insignificant fossil is a difficult and often controversial task as the determination of the National Academy of Sciences below will show:

"It is virtually impossible to determine a priori, the scientific significance of a deposit of fossils. With a few special exceptions, a fossil's scientific value can be assessed only after it has been collected, prepared in the laboratory and studied. Even after study, the scientific importance of a fossil is difficult to codify because so much depends on the changing context of evolving knowledge" National Academy of Sciences.

Given the issues of defining what is "significant" or "insignificant" (yet acknowledging the perils of trying to register every fossil available to the paleo-community), acceptable registration will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the JPC, given latitude to the judgment of the submitter and using the following general criteria:

A significant fossil specimen may include any fossil (vertebrate, invertebrate, micro, trace, plant, ichno, etc.) which appears to represent a unique taxonomic, behavioral, biological, pathological, stratigraphic, geographic or preservational setting that is not represented by more than approximately 100 well documented specimens registered in the database, held in the public trust or generally considered to exist.

The process is done using the online REGISTER A SPECIMEN link that is then verified by the chairman or vice-chairman of the JPC. A separate legal document with a hand-written signature must also accompany the registration (see FORMS) before it may be officially posted. It is strongly recommended that only the actual titleholder of the specimen, register a specimen. Abuses of this system, such as publishing knowingly faulty or fraudulent data may result in expulsion from AAPS membership and removal of the specimen from the registry. It is also required that anyone registering a specimen also SUBMIT AN IMAGE to The Journal Photographic Archives as a way of confirming a specimen's existence. The minimum amount of data that is required during the registration process follows:

Voluntary information may also include a more detailed history of the specimen's provenance, site description, taphonomy, stratigraphy, lithologic descriptions, interpreted paleo environment, detailed stratigraphy, significance, etc.

Should the specimen's title or ownership be transferred to another person, company or institution, it is strongly encouraged that either the new or previous titleholder updates the contact information and history section of the specimen's registration page.

G. GUIDELINES FOR PUBLISHING PHOTOGRAPHS, ILLUSTRATIONS, MAPS, X-RAY, CAT-SCAN OR OTHER THREE DIMENSIONAL DATA IN THE JOURNALS PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVES:

The on-line format of The Journal allows us to encourage both members and non-members to download photographic images of paleontological specimens and data to The Journal photographic archives. If you are registering a specimen in the AAPS Fossil Specimen Registry it is also required that you submit photographic documentation. Due to time constraints and management requirements only significant photographs are accepted and published. These may be downloaded directly to the archives using the on-line SUBMIT AN IMAGE process and are later checked by JPC management. Upon downloading an image, the submitting agent or photographer relinquishes all rights to the image and transfers copyrights to The Journal (please see FORMS). This does not in any way prevent the use of the image by the submitter, but allows The Journal to publish the images in any way they see fit. It also allows other researchers to download the image and use it, royalty free, for research, education and other non-commercial purposes, as long as both The Journal and the photographer are referenced properly. Should a person wish to use the downloaded image for commercial purposes, a small $10.00/photograph fee is charged for maintenance. This fee is funneled back into the journals operating fund. Written permission from the fossils title holder must also be obtained before the image can be use for any commercial purposes. Irregardless of whether or not the intent is research or commercial use, the photographer and the journal must both be referenced correctly (i.e.- Photograph courtesy of Rick Hebdon, Warfield Fossils and the Journal of Paleontological Sciences. Photo Reference Number: JPS.P.061145.).

Each photograph will be given an accession number for tracking and on-line searches. Photographers should receive permission from the original specimen's title holder prior to posting in the archives in order to help prevent publication theft. Visit FORMS for the appropriate form to use in this case. Submissions should be downloaded directly to the site in JPEG, GIF, or TIFF format.

FORMAT GUIDELINES FOR "CONTRIBUTIONS" AND TRADE ARTICLES SECTIONS:

All manuscripts for the Contributions section of the journal must adhere to the following format and guidelines: