Instructions to Authors The Auk Page 1 of 7 Instructions to Authors Submitting Manuscripts to The Auk Manuscripts up to 40 pages, including tables and figures, will be considered for publication. All submissions to The Auk must be made online using the American Ornithologists’ Union Author portal in Rapid Review (http://www.rapidreview.com). Authors will be asked to register the first time they enter the site. After receiving a password and login ID, authors can proceed to upload their manuscripts through an easy, step-by-step process. When submitting your manuscript, do not attach or upload your Cover Letter and Rebuttal. The Cover Letter and Rebuttal are to be inserted in the boxes provided on the Submission Form. For more information on using Rapid Review, new authors should consult Instructions for New Authors for Using Rapid Review. Suitable electronic text file formats include MS Word, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF, and Postscript or PDF from TeX or LaTeX. Suitable graphic formats include TIFF, EPS, PostScript, PDF, and PowerPoint. Mixed text and graphics are acceptable in PostScript, PDF, and MS Word or WordPerfect with embedded graphics formats. Please be advised that manuscripts that do not conform to the following guidelines either will be rejected or will experience protracted delays in handling. I. General Instructions Format your manuscripts for 8.5 × 11 inch paper. Double-space throughout, including tables, figure legends, and literature cited. Text pages should include line numbering. In general, manuscripts should be formatted similar to papers in a recent issue of The Auk. Leave at least a 1-inch (25-mm) margin on all sides. Do not hyphenate words at ends of lines. Use italic type instead of underlining words to be italicized. Only the following Latin terms should be italicized: in vivo, in vitro, in utero, in situ, ad libitum, a priori, a posteriori. All other Latin terms (except scientific names) should be left unitalicized. Cite each figure and table in the text. Tables and figures must be sequenced in the order cited. Use "Figure" only outside of parentheses. Otherwise, use "Fig." if singular, "Figs." if plural (e.g. Fig. 2; Figs. 2 and 3; Figs. 3-6). To cite figures or tables from another work, write figure or table in lowercase (e.g. figure 2 in Smith 1980; table 5 in Jones 1987). All measurements are to be given in SI units. Use continental dating (e.g. 29 September 1992), the 24-hour clock (e.g. 0800 and 2300 hours), and standard time (not daylight savings time). Specify that it is Standard Time (e.g. EST for Eastern Standard Time) at first reference to time of day. English proper names of bird species that occur in North and Middle America should follow theInstructions to Authors The Auk Page 2 of 7 7th edition of the AOU Check-list of North American Birds and its supplements. English proper names of birds should be capitalized. Names for other species should follow an appropriate standard. English names of other organisms should not be capitalized. Use the following abbreviations: s (second), min (minute), h (hour); designate temperature as 36°C. Do not abbreviate day, week, month, or year. For user-defined abbreviations, write out words in full the first time a term is used in the text. Abbreviate thereafter: "Second-year (SY) birds . . . We found SY birds in large numbers." Use the following statistical abbreviations: ANOVA, SD, SE, df, CV, NS, n, P, r, F, G, χ2, t-test, U-test. Other statistical abbreviations, in general, should conform to sixth edition of Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (1994, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom). Numbers: Write out one to nine unless a measurement, but use numerals for larger numbers (e.g. three birds, 6 mm, 12 days, 2 min). If number is in a series with at least one number being 10 or more, then use all numerals (e.g. 6 males and 13 females). Use 1,000 not 1000, 0.01 not .01, and 50% instead of 50 percent. All gene or amino acid sequences must be deposited in GenBank or an equivalent repository, and the accession number(s) reported in the Methods. Five to seven key words, which summarize the major findings of the study, should be placed after the English abstract. Each reference cited in the text must be listed in the Literature Cited section and vice versa. Please make a final check when the revised manuscript is complete. Literature citations in text are to be as follows: 1. One author: Able (1989) or (Able 1989). 2. Two authors: Able and Baker (1989) or (Able and Baker 1989). 3. Three or more authors: Able et al. (1989) or (Able et al. 1989). In Literature Cited section, give names of all authors. 4. Manuscripts that are accepted for publication but not yet published: Able (1996) if date known. 5. Unpublished materials: (K. P. Able unpubl. data); (K. P. Able pers. obs.); or (K. P. Able pers. comm.). 6. Within parentheses: (Charley 1980; Able 1983, 1990; Able and Baker 1984); (Baker 1989, Able 1992, Charley 1996); (Able 1988a, b, c). Assemble manuscript in following order: (1) Title Page; (2) Abstract; (3) Key Words; (4) Text; (5) Acknowledgments; (6) Literature Cited; (7) Tables; (8) Figure Legends; (9) Figures.Instructions to Authors The Auk Page 3 of 7 When submitting your manuscript, do not attach or upload your Cover Letter and Rebuttal. The Cover Letter and Rebuttal are to be inserted in the boxes provided on the Submission Form. II. Title Page Number Title Page as page 1, and present items in following order: Running head (36 characters or less). Use italics and capitalize significant words. Running head not needed for Commentaries. Title in capital letters. Author names. Author addresses at time research was carried out. Current addresses, if different, should be indicated as footnotes at bottom of title page. Footnotes are not used except to indicate current addresses of authors, author's current e-mail address, or death of an author. Name, current address, and e-mail address of corresponding author. III. Text (page 2, etc.) Follow the instructions in section I. Do not repeat information given on title page. The following are typical main headings: ABSTRACT, Key Words, METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, and LITERATURE CITED (no heading for Introduction). Keep headings to a minimum. Most manuscripts will use two levels of