Devon Birds aims to publish material on all aspects of ornithology and birdwatching in Devon, and especially encourages contributions that include an element of research or original observation. Short notes, reports of field meetings or notable birdwatching experiences are welcome, as well as longer research papers. The Editors will try to help with, and advise on, potential contributions. Authors of longer articles are strongly encouraged to provide a brief synopsis and some sample text before submitting complete texts. The following notes offer guidance on the main points to consider.

Electronic texts
This is the preferred means of preparing and submitting texts. Contributions should be sent by email as an attached Word file, though diskettes and CDs are also welcome. Please include a note stating the name and version of the software you used. Please do not format your text as it is much easier for the Editors to deal with unformatted text.

Typed or hand-written manuscripts
Although these are more time-consuming for the Editors to work with, typed or neatly hand-written scripts are acceptable. Pages should be numbered and typed/written on one side only, double spaced and with wide margins (at least 25 mm) all round.

Species names
Species names should be capitalised: e.g. Reed Bunting, but with generic names in lower case, e.g. buntings. Latin names of birds, other animals and plants should be given, in italics, the first time the species is mentioned.

References
If your contribution includes any references, please provide these in accordance with the following examples:

Sitters, H.P. 1988. Tetrad Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Devon. DBWPS, Yelverton.
Waldon, J. 2006. How will climate change impact on the birds of Devon? Devon Birds 59(2): 7–12.

Supporting material
Supporting tables, graphs, diagrams, maps and other artwork should be sent as separate files or on separate pages and clearly numbered. The printed area of Devon Birds is 215 x 144 mm (8 1/2 × 5 5/8 inches). Please bear this in mind when preparing tables, diagrams, drawings, and photographs; a graphic which contains a lot of detail may appear cluttered or be impossible to read when reduced to fit the page. Photographs should be submitted as high-resolution JPEG (uncompressed) or preferably TIFF or RAW files, or as transparencies. Captions should be provided to include species, age and sex (if applicable), date and place. Digital photographs should be submitted on CD or DVD, with captions. Otherwise, please suggest any photos that you would like to accompany your article and we will do our best to find something from the archive.

Author’s details
Please include your name as you would like it to appear in Devon Birds, and postal and/or email addresses that you are willing to have published at the end of your article (to assist any readers who may like to contact you). A phone number will be of great help to the Editors, especially if you are not on email, but this will not be published. We now like to include a short biography of each author (see examples in the current issue), so please also add some relevant details of your involvement with the subject of your article, membership of DBWPS etc.

Submission and acceptance
Submit one copy of your paper to each Editor and retain a copy for yourself. Receipt of your paper will be acknowledged as soon as possible. Your paper will be read by the Editors and also sometimes by an independent referee. The Editors’ decision on accepting papers for publication is final, but recommendations will always be made in the case of any item considered unsuitable. If a paper needs revision, a marked-up copy will be returned to you for the necessary changes. Electronic submissions will be returned by email, with comments using the ‘Track Changes’ function of Microsoft Word.

Once an article has been accepted for publication, the Editors will schedule it for inclusion in a future issue, which may not necessarily be the next one to appear. A copy of the article in its final edited form will be sent to you for approval. This should be checked, any corrections marked, and returned to the Editors as soon as possible within the stated deadline. Please do NOT take this opportunity to rewrite your paper!

Good-quality digital photographs of birds in Devon are always needed for use in Devon Birds (including the Devon Bird Report). Please submit to Mike Langman, following the guidelines above, although single pictures can be emailed.