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Tree Planters' Notes - Guidelines for Authors

Editorial Policy

Tree Planters' Notes (TPN) is a journal dedicated to technology transfer and publication of information relating to nursery production and outplanting of trees and shrubs for reforestation, restoration, and conservation. TPN welcomes manuscripts on any subject within the scope of the journal. Examples of past issues can be viewed at the Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetics Resources website: http://rngr.net/publications/tpn

Submitting Articles

Send electronic files by e-mail or traditional mail to: 

Diane Haase
Western Nursery Specialist
Editor, Tree Planters' Notes
USDA Forest Service
PO Box 3623
Portland, OR  97208

phone: 503.808.2349
fax:      503.808.2339
email:   DLHaase@fs.fed.us

Include a cover letter indicating the type of manuscript being submitted (technical or research) and the mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the corresponding author. Please label all CDs carefully with name(s) of author(s) and file(s).The editor will notify you of receipt of the manuscript and the result of reviews. Revisions should be returned to the editor at the above address in a timely manner. Page proofs sent after acceptance and layout must be proofread carefully and returned promptly to the address that accompanies the proofs.

Types of Articles

Technical articles have applicable information but may lack a strict research design and analyses. Articles could include new techniques, useful equipment, description of planting trends, innovative methodology for enhancing seedling quality, a new approach for site preparation or planting, or any other aspect of nursery and planting operations.

Refereed Research articles must have sound application of the scientific method and appropriate statistical analyses. Standard research headings should be used: introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions, and references. Accepted papers will be published with a "Refereed Research Article" designation. Appropriate topics include plant physiology and pathology, seed technology, outplanting performance, habitat restoration, and tree improvement. Research manuscripts will be sent to at least two experts for review.

Format

Text: Manuscripts must be in Word, Word Perfect, or Rich Text format and must be IBM-PC compatible. All text except tables and figure captions should be double-spaced. Refrain from special formatting. Please do not embed illustrations (such as photos, maps, charts, graphs, or figures) into the text of the manuscript. Include the complete name(s), title(s), affiliation(s), and address (es) of the author(s). Include a brief abstract (150 words or less) followed by the text, references, figure captions, and tables. Total length of the paper should not exceed 5000 words.

Tables: Include tables at the end of the manuscript. Tables should be logical and understandable without reading the text.

Illustrations: Figures, charts, maps, graphs, and photos must be submitted separately; do not embed in the text. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, with a minimum output of 5x7. Submit each illustration as a separate file using a standard format such as JPEG, TIFF, or EPS. Clearly label all photos and illustrations (figure 1, 2, 3, etc.). At the end of the manuscript, include clear, thorough figure and photo captions labeled in the same way as the corresponding material (figure 1, 2, 3 etc.). Captions should make photos and illustrations understandable without reading the text. For photos, indicate the name and affiliation of the photographer and the year the photo was taken.

Style

TPN uses the spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and other styles recommended in the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual, as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Authors should use the U.S. system of weight and measure, with equivalent values in the metric system. Try to keep titles concise and descriptive; subheadings and bulleted material are useful and help readability. As a general rule of clear writing, use the active voice (e.g., write “Nursery managers know…” and not, “It is known…”). Note: modern, proportionate fonts no longer require double spacing after each sentence.

    • Use numerals when referring to money, time, and measurement and for all numbers above 10.
    • Abbreviate all units, except those with no numerical value (for example, “results are provided in parts per million” in contrast to “only 0.05 ppm was effective”).
    • Provide both metric and English units for all values.
    • Nomenclature — Use common names of organisms, if available, in the title, abstract, and text. At first mention in the abstract and in the text, provide the scientific name with authority in parentheses, e.g. white pine (Pinus strobus L.) The taxonomic standard for USDA publications is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System online database (http://www.itis.gov).

References

    • List citations in the text by date, oldest first, then alphabetically by author (for example, Roberts 1982; Jones 1984, 1989; Smith and Jones 1990; Roberts 1991; Smith 1991; Smith and others 1999).
    • In the references section, list references alphabetically by author, then by date, with oldest first. When there are multiple articles by the same author, list first those articles with one author only, oldest first; then list articles with two authors, and so on, alphabetically by second author, oldest first.
    • For journal articles, use the full journal name, rather than the abbreviated version.
    • For meeting proceedings, follow the date and location of the meeting with the city of publication and publishing body. If the proceedings are a part of a Government publication series, put that information after the publishing body.

Examples:

    • Journal article: Smith, A.B.; Jones, C.D. 1999.  Seedling production at Georgia nurseries. Tree Planters' Notes. 10(1): 11-21.
    • Entire book: Brown, E.F. 1988. Trees of the Eastern United States. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1,200 p.
    • Chapter in book: Jones, C.D. 1988. Hemlock. In: Brown EF, editor. Trees of the Eastern United States. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press: 1,123-1,134. Chapter 13.
    • Article in proceedings: Smith, A.B.; Brown, E.F.; and Jones, C.D. 1999. Tree planting in Oregon. In: Roberts, G.H.; Jones, C.D., eds. 22nd Annual Meeting of the Northern Tree Planters Association; 1998 August 11; Seattle, WA. General Technical Report PNW-444. Portland, OR: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 120-122.
    • Thesis or dissertation: Roberts, G.H. 1977. Root form of planted trees. Berkeley, CA: University of California. 111 p. M.S. thesis.

Release Authorization

Non-Federal Government authors must sign a release to allow their work to be in the public domain and on the World Wide Web. In addition, all photos and illustrations require a written release by the photographer or illustrator. The author, photo, and illustration release forms are available from the Editor. Authors are furnished five copies of the issue in which their article appears. We do not provide reprints, but this publication may be reproduced without permission. When reproducing, please include the name of the author(s) and the volume and issue of Tree Planters' Notes.

 

View these guidelines as a PDF

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