Manuscript types

The following types of manuscripts are considered for peer-reviewed publication in Web Ecology (WE):

  • Standard articles are the main section of the journal and represent original studies that offer interesting and new insights into ecological patterns and processes. The abstract should not exceed 250 words.
  • Review articles should not represent an exhaustive literature survey but are expected to initiate a discussion on general ecological topics which are of interest to a broad audience. We offer the possibility of discussing topics for such articles in advance.
  • Short communications are timely, peer-reviewed papers with 2–4 journal pages. They report new developments, significant advances, and novel aspects of experimental and theoretical methods and techniques which are relevant for scientific investigations; short communications have a maximum of two figures and/or tables, maximum of 20 references, and an abstract length not exceeding 100 words.
  • Comments and replies are peer-reviewed, 1 page each (for a total of 2 pages), and include discussion and comments that address non-trivial points of general interest about significant aspects of a paper already published in the journal within the last year, without (a) becoming essentially new papers, (b) delving into too much detail, or (c) becoming personal. Comments and replies have no abstract. The manuscript title should start with "Comment on" or "Reply to".
  • AGORA: Ideas and Concepts is a lighter channel of communication between readers and contributors; it aims to stimulate discussion and debate, particularly by presenting new ideas and by suggesting alternative interpretations to the more formal research papers published in Web Ecology and elsewhere. A lighter prose is encouraged and no summary is required. Formal research papers, however short, will not be considered.