Submissions

Author Guidelines

Page Charges

Page charges for publication are currently $50.00 CDN per page. There are no additional charges to make Alces articles open access, because they are all immediately available, free-of-charge, on the Alces website once published.

Instructions to Authors

November 7, 2025

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO ALCES

Guidelines for authors provided here update and revise guidelines previously published in Alces Volume 34 (Rodgers et al. 1998), as well as revisions to those guidelines subsequently posted on the Alces website. To expedite the publication process, contributors should submit manuscripts in the format and style presented in these guidelines. These guidelines supersede those of Rodgers et al. (1998), and borrow liberally from those of Block et al. (2011) and Cox et al. (2023) for the Journal of Wildlife Management. We also include a template, providing an example of how a publishable manuscript should be presented to the editors as a submission through the Alces website.

EDITORIAL POLICY

            Alces publishes original manuscripts describing studies of the biology and management of moose (Alces alces) throughout their circumpolar distribution. Some articles originate as papers or posters presented at the annual North American Moose Conference and Workshop or the International Moose Symposium, but manuscripts may be submitted directly through the website to the Submissions Editor at any time. Each manuscript is assigned to an Associate/Section Editor, who then assigns it to at least two reviewers knowledgeable about the research subject. Reviewers evaluate submitted manuscripts on data originality, ideas, analyses, interpretation, accuracy, conciseness, clarity, appropriate subject matter, and on their contribution to existing knowledge. As a repository for reliable knowledge about moose and the environments in which they live, standards for high quality scientific writing in Alces are similar to those authors would expect in journals such as the Journal of Wildlife Management, the Canadian Journal of Zoology, or Wildlife Biology. However, because all articles should be related to the biology and/or management of moose, Alces can be an appropriate outlet for work of more limited scope than may be acceptable for these or other journals with a more general audience. Alces publishes manuscripts crafted on a wide variety of subjects, including natural history (e.g., food habits, habitat use and selection), morphology, taxonomy, physiology, parasitology, population dynamics, modelling, evaluations of statistical techniques, research methods, ecosystem dynamics, management, law enforcement, education, economics, administration, philosophy, and other topics. Short communications or research notes are also acceptable.

PREVIOUS PUBLICATION

Submission of a manuscript to Alces implies that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. If any portion of the manuscript has been published or reported elsewhere, explain all similarities between information in the manuscript and the other publication in your cover letter, and furnish a citation of such publications or manuscripts. A paper is considered published and will not be sent out for review under the following conditions:

• It appears in a serial publication abstracted by Biological Abstracts or a similar reference volume
• It appears in a book (including conference proceedings) widely distributed to libraries
• It is part of symposium proceedings. The Society will consider symposium proceedings on a case-by-case basis.

A manuscript is not considered published if it is part of a thesis or dissertation (although these should be cited in the manuscript), is a brief abstract of a talk delivered at a professional meeting or symposium, or is an unpublished report required by sponsors and not distributed as part of a numbered series or in other means that could result in accession by libraries.

Alces will consider articles previously available as preprints on non-commercial servers (e.g., ArXiv, bioRxiv, psyArXiv, SocArXiv, engrXiv) for publication. If the manuscript is accepted by Alces, authors are required to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Authors should not post preprints to non-commercial servers that lack the capacity to provide a link to the published alces version at the appropriate time.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Along with your submission, please provide a concise statement regarding ethics involved in researching, writing, and/or submitting your article (optionally, as part of your submission letter).

• If human subjects were involved, or ethical issues relevant (other than animal welfare, see below), please indicate if ethical approval was obtained and if so by which committee or institutional review board. Alternatively, if no ethical issues were involved, or no approval was required, a simple statement to that effect will suffice.
• If animals were handled as part of the work, provide i) the name of the institutional review board assuring compliance with ethical treatment of animals, or, ii) an alternative attestation of compliance with ethical standards (e.g.,  Sikes, R. S., J. A. Bryan II, D. Byman, B. J. Danielson, J. Eggleston, M. R. Gannon, W. L. Gannon, D. W. Hale, B. R. Jesmer, D. K. Odell, et al. 2016. Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research and education. Journal of Mammalogy 97:663–688).
• If funding was received to support this work, appropriate credit is provided in the Acknowledgments section.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

            Uploading, reviewing, corresponding, editing, and publishing of manuscripts in Alces is entirely a digital process, accomplished via digital files through our website portal (https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/submission/wizard), supplemented as needed via direct email correspondence. Prospective contributors should have access to a computer word processor (typically MS Word), and internet connection with a web browser. Contact the Editors if assistance is needed in this regard. Authors are encouraged to refer to a recent issue of Alces for details of layout, especially for tables and literature cited. Manuscripts that do not conform to the guidelines outlined below may be returned to the author for modification. Alces encourages authors to use active voice (i.e., first person/first person plural) in their writing when possible.

TEMPLATE

            Below the horizontal line, we provide authors with a template for both the style and substance of an acceptable submission to Alces. After that, we provide additional details on style and conventions.

Richard B. Harris

University of Moose

Moosoula, MT 59812, USA

rharris@montana.com

RH: Harris et al. · Alces author guidelines [Harris et al. if > 2 authors; RH < 45 characters]

11 November, 2024

RH: GUIDELINES FOR ACLES AUTHORS · Harris et al.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO ALCES

Richard B. Harris¹, Arthur R. Rodgers², and Roy V. Rea³

¹University of Moose, Moosoula, MT 59812, USA;²Arthur R. Rodgers, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1, Canada; ³Roy V. Rea, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, V2N 4Z9, Canada.

Corresponding author: Richard B. Harris, rharris@montana.com

ABSTRACT: After leaving a single blank line, type ABSTRACT, left-justified, in upper-case regular font, followed by a colon and a single space. Begin typing the abstract after the single space on the same line. The abstract should be as concise as possible, in a single paragraph, and include no abbreviations or literature citations. Indicate the problem studied or hypothesis tested, the most important results, and any major conclusions or interpretations drawn from the work. Descriptions of methods should be brief unless new or much-improved methods are reported.

ALCES VOL. xx:xxx-xxx

Key Words:  Alces, author guidelines, conventions, format, journal, manuscript, style

——————————————————————————————————————

The introduction, without a heading, and using an indentation follows the solid line and the blank line below the key words. The introduction should be limited to the scope, purpose and rationale of the work. It should define the problem(s), and the reason or perspective of the study. A concise literature review related to the paper’s main topic may be included, but should be limited to that necessary to orient the reader, and place the work in context.

STUDY AREA

If the work involves field studies, a description of the STUDY AREA (separate line, all CAPS, bold) should follow the introduction, separate from the METHODS section. Typically, this descriptions includes the geographic location of the study (including  topographic and habitat characteristics, etc., but should avoid disclosing precise locations of rare, threatened, or endangered species or other sensitive information). Where appropriate, a land acknowledgement is welcomed but not required. Use past tense for aspects of the study area that could change between the study period and when readers see the paper (e.g., type of management, aspects of climate, primary vegetation, fire history), and present tense for aspects reasonably considered constant (e.g., elevation). For papers concerning specific geographic locations, include a map locating the study area within a region, country, or continent (sometimes as insets to the map). The map should contain a legend, scale, and north arrow.

METHODS

Briefly describe relevant procedures, equipment, and techniques. Include study dates, sampling periods, research or experimental design, and methods of data analysis. Where possible, refer to the literature for methods previously published, indicating any deviations or adjustments made for the study. Identify and explain any new techniques in sufficient details to make them understandable and repeatable. Provide brand names of commercially available equipment or chemical products (with the company name and location of the head office, separated by a comma, in parentheses) when appropriate. Use past tense in the METHODS section. If live animals were handled as part of the work being documented, include IACUC permit information, or alternatively, a statement regarding how safe and humane handling of animals was assured.

RESULTS

Highlight findings presented in figures or tables. Address only questions raised in the purpose of the work. Organize findings in the same logical sequence as in the METHODS section. Use past tense in the RESULTS section. Describe the magnitude of the biological effect in addition to the results of statistical analyses. This requirement is often met with figures showing relationships or examples in the text. Avoid excessive overlap in presentation of specific results in the text and tables. Reserve comments on interpretation of results for the discussion. If applicable, use P for P-values (while avoiding ‘naked P values’) and use n for sample sizes to avoid confusion with N for population size.

DISCUSSION

            Indicate the main contributions of the study, interpretations of the findings, and comparisons with other published work. Do not repeat results, and focus on the most important findings (use discretion in deciding whether to address minor or subsidiary aspects of the RESULTS). Reasonable speculation is acceptable, but should be identified as such. End the DISCUSSION section by rearticulating the scope, significance, general conclusions, and direction for further research, if applicable. Depending on the type of research, a small section on management implications is also welcome but not mandatory.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Credit those who contributed substantially to the work, provided financial support, or helped improve the quality of the manuscript. Identify persons using the first initial of their given name and their full last name. Do not include their affiliation or address. Do not omit important contributors, but aim for concise and brief writing in this section.

LITERATURE CITED

Cite permanently archived material. Cite other material using in-text citations (e.g., W. Severud, South Dakota State University, unpublished data [or personal communication, when doing so be sure to check with those you are citing]). Take care to ensure the accuracy of all information in the LITERATURE CITED section, as it is difficult and time-consuming for editors to confirm all details. This is the responsibility of the author team. Carefully check the citation against the original article, ensuring that author names are spelled correctly and that volume and page numbers are correct. Readers are done a disservice if they later wish to consult literature cited in the paper and find that the citation is incorrect or unclear. Styles for citing literature in Alces are given below.

[Due to limitations of this website, author names in examples do not appear using the Small Caps font. We ask Alces authors to use Small Caps font when developing their Literature Cited section].

Block, W. M., F. R. Thompson, D. Hanseder, A. S. Cox, and A. C. S. Knipps. 2011. Journal of Wildlife Management Guidelines. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Online: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/societyimages/jwm/JWMGuidelines2011Final.pdf. https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/44991. Accessed November 11, 2024.

 Cox, A. S., A. C. S. Knipps, J. M. Levengood, P. R. Krausman, B. A. Collier and S. Côté. 2023. Journal of Wildlife Management, Wildlife Society Bulletin, and Wildlife Monographs author guidelines. https://wildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/TWS_Journal_Submission-Guidelines_Oct2023.pdf.

Rodgers, A. R., M. W. Lankester, and H. R. Timmermann. 1998. Manuscript guidelines for contributors to Alces. Alces 34: 1-14.

DETAILS ON FORMAT AND WRITING CONVENTIONS

Authorship

 The list of authors should accurately reflect those contributing to the work. All authors should have made substantial contributions to ≥1 of the following: conception, design, data collection, writing, and data analysis. All authors should have some responsibility with manuscript preparation and should give final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content and be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Contributions from anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed, with permission from the contributor, in the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS section (e.g., to recognize contributions from those who provided funding, technical help, collation of data, writing assistance, or a department chairperson who provided general support). Prior to submitting the article, all authors should agree on the order in which their names will be listed in the manuscript. The corresponding author will be required to certify that no text generated by ChatGPT (or any other AI tools) was used in generating the ideas or writing the paper, and that no figures, images, or graphics are the products of such tools. An AI program cannot be an author.

General Presentation

Orientation and margins. Use portrait orientation for all text, reserving landscape orientation only when needed for tables with multiple columns. Maintain 2.5-cm (1 inch) margins on all pages, including tables and figures.

Line spacing. Except for the date and corresponding author information (see below), all parts of the manuscript (including tables and figure captions) must be double-spaced. Do not add spaces automatically between paragraphs.

Justification. All text must be left-justified, except for page numbers, the Alces volume information (see below), and table columns that are primarily numeric (see below), which are right-justified.

Hyphenation. Do not break and hyphenate words at the right margin. A hyphen may appear at the right margin only if it is part of a hyphenated word or phrase (e.g., 2-year-old bulls).

Font and font size. Use Times Roman 12 pt throughout the manuscript, including all text, tables, and captions. Exceptions are as follows: 1) use Arial font for text within graphics, and 2) use Calibri font for the names of specific statistical packages cited in text (e.g., “R package glmmTMB”).

Type style. Do not underline words intended to be italicized in the published version. Instead, use the text formatting feature available in word processing software to type the text in italics where required. Italics should be used for scientific names, Latin words and abbreviations (e.g., a priori,  but not e.g., i.e., or et al. ), and statistical symbols (e.g., n, P, r, F, etc. ). If an abbreviation for the arithmetic mean is intended, use  (typically using the accent feature within MS Word’s equation builder. Use Greek letters in cases where they are standard statistical format (e.g., χ² in preference to chi-squared). Do not use italics for names of publications given in the LITERATURE CITED section (see below) unless a Latin binomial is part of the publication name. Upper-case letters and bold-faced type should be used only as indicated in these guidelines.

Indents. Indent the first line of each paragraph 5 spaces using a 5-space tab (not by hitting the space bar 5 times). Tertiary headings are also indented 5 spaces as part of a paragraph (see below). The second, and subsequent lines of table titles, sub-headings within tables, footnotes, and literature cited should not be indented (see below). Indents for these types of text will be added during final production for publication.

            Page numbers and line numbers. Number each page consecutively, including tables and figure captions. Beginning on the second page, type the running head (see below) in the upper left corner. Use continuous line numbers for the entire manuscript (i.e., line numbers should not start with 1 with each new page). Line numbering facilitates the reviewing process.

            Footnotes. Do not use footnotes in text, with the following exception. Use footnotes to indicate the current address of an author when it differs from the address of that author at the time the study was conducted. This footnote should appear on page 1, immediately below a left-justified solid line of 10 characters, and begins with the numerical subscript corresponding with the author’s name, followed by “Present address”. The footnote then continues with the address information. If an address requires more than a single line, do not indent the second or any subsequent lines. If there are > 2 authors with address changes, type each new address on a new line, preceded by the superscript corresponding to the appropriate author. Include postal or zip codes.

Organization

            Date and corresponding author. Begin the manuscript on page 1 with the date (being mindful to revise it as appropriate with each revision), corresponding author’s name and physical address, and email address, single-spaced in the upper left-corner. This is the only place in the submission that uses single-spacing (all other text is double-spaced).

            Running head. The running head (RH) is left-justified and appears on a single line following the corresponding author information. Begin the line with RH followed by a colon and a single space. Limit the remainder of the line to 45 sentence-case characters (including spaces). The RH is a brief description of the paper, followed by a centered dot (·), and the last name(s) of 1 or 2 authors. If 2 authors, separate last names with “and”. If > 2 authors, use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (e.g., Alces manuscript guidelines · Harris et al.).

            Title.  Left-justify the title on the next line following the RH, using UPPER-CASE, BOLD font. Avoid abbreviations in the title. The title should be < 10 words and representative of the article’s content (longer titles may be acceptable if shorter titles force awkward construction or fail to communicate content).

            Author name(s) and address(es).  The next line provides the name(s) and address(es) of the author(s), left-justified but with hanging 5 space indents where necessary, in UPPER and lower-case font. If there are 2 authors, separate their names with “and”. If there are ³ 3 authors, precede the last author’s name with “and”. If there are ³ 2 authors with different addresses, these are indicated by superscripts at the end of each author’s last name. Use a single superscript directly following an author’s last name to indicate an address change given in a footnote (see above). Addresses should be those of the authors at the time of the study, using regular font, capitalizing only the first letter of each word. Indicate present address(es) in a footnote (see above), if different from that at the time of the study. Include postal or zip codes. If not the first author, indicate the corresponding author in a footnote on the first page.

            Volume identification. Type “ALCES VOL. 00 pp. 000-000” on the following line, right-justified, in regular font.

            Key Words. After leaving a single blank line, type Key Words followed by a colon and a single space, left-justified in upper and lower-case bold font. Following the single space, use regular font to provide 6-12 words in alphabetical order that best describe the major topics presented in the paper, each followed by a comma. Below the key words, type a solid black line (1 pt in width) across the page between the margins. Leave a blank line below this solid line and begin typing the first paragraph of text, indented 5 spaces from the left margin (i.e., do not insert a section heading or page break to start a new page).

            Headings and major sections.  Similar to this paper, 3 levels of headings are commonly used in Alces manuscripts: (1) primary section headings are centered, in upper-case bold font; (2) secondary headings are left-justified, in bold font, with only the first letter of each word in upper-case, and text beginning on next line; and (3) tertiary headings (if needed) are indented 5 spaces as part of a paragraph, in bold font, with only the first letter of the first word in upper-case (except where proper names are used), and are followed by a period and space.. Except for the introduction, all major sections should be identified by primary headings.

            Because of the variety of topics covered in manuscripts submitted to Alces, authors are provided flexibility in the organization and labelling of the manuscript section. In most cases, manuscripts will be organized in the traditional format that includes an (unlabeled introduction, STUDY AREA (if relevant), METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, and LITERATURE CITED. Regardless of organization and labelling, do not insert page breaks to begin a new section at the top of a new page. Use separate pages following the LITERATURE CITED section for tables, figures captions, and figures or illustrations (see below).

            Tables.  Do not repeat data in a table that is also presented in a figure. Refer to tables in the text using “Table” followed by the table number. Do not generate tables for very small data sets, those containing many blank or zero entries, repetitions of the same number, or those with few or no substantive data. Place such data, or a summary of them, in text. Consult a recent issue of Alces or The Journal of Wildlife Management for guidelines on setting up tables.

            Present each table on a separate page, following the LITERATURE CITED section. Continue using the running head, consecutive page numbers, and line numbering. Number each table, and present them in the order in which they are cited in text. Use the same font and font size as in the text. Use double-spacing throughout (even if it forces the table onto a second page, in which case, indicate this clearly (e.g., “Table 1 continued” at the top of a 2^nd page). Final formatting of the tables will be done by the publication team after acceptance. Do not alter the standard margins for tables; instead, use landscape” page orientation for tables too wide to fit comfortably in the standard “portrait” page orientation.

            Begin the table title with the word “Table”, left-justified in regular font, followed by the table number and a period. End the title with a period. Do not indent second or any subsequent lines of the table title. Be concise and clear in titling tables, such that readers can understand the table’s intent without referring to the text. Do not use abbreviations in table titles. If needed, use footnotes in table titles to reduce complexity or provide further details (see below).

            On the line below the table title, draw a single horizontal line across the page from the left to the right margin. Draw another single horizontal line across the page from left to right margins below the last row of the table. Otherwise, do not use horizontal or vertical lines within the body of the table.

            Generate table columns with tab settings, a table editor or exported from a spreadsheet; do not use spaces (i.e., the space bar) to produce columns. Use upper-case font for the first word of column headings; do not end headings with a period. Left-justify row headings but center column headings. Left-justify text in the body of the table (within columns) where only text appears; right-justify text consisting of integers. Other numerical entries should be vertically aligned using the decimal point or another alphanumeric character (e.g., ³, ≤,,±), using the same number of significant digits throughout the column. Ensure that the number of significant digits (e.g., 25.1, 0.01) reflects the precision obtained during the study (and when in doubt, opt for fewer significant digits, do not exaggerate precision). Indicate missing values with dashes. Do not use zeros unless a value of 0 was measured.

            Designate probability levels in the table body using superscripted asterisks (e.g., ^*, ^**, ***), with keys in footnotes (e.g., ^*P<0.05, ^**P<0.01, ^***P<0.001). Other footnotes, where needed, start with superscripted “¹” or “^a”, and follow consecutively through the title and body of the table, left-to-right, then down. Ensure that superscripts in the title and table body match the corresponding footnote below the table. Left-justify footnotes, starting immediately below the horizontal line below the table body. If a footnote is longer than a single line, do not indent the second or any subsequent lines. Begin each new footnote on a new line. Descriptive material relevant to the entire table may be placed under the horizontal line as a general note to reduce length and complexity of the title or table body, in which case begin with “Note” followed by a colon and a single space (in lieu of a footnote superscript), left-justified in bold, upper- and lower case font.

            Figures.  Refer to figures in the text using “Fig.” followed by the figure number. Figures are either line-drawn or photographs. Use high-resolution digital files. Do not repeat information in figures that is more clearly presented in tables (or vice versa).

            Use a separate page for each figure, including an identification (e.g., “Fig. 1”) close to the top (which will later be removed during the publication process, replaced by the figure caption, see below). Consider providing figures that can be reduced to a single column while still being clear when formatted for publication. Figures requiring more space to be clear can be published across both columns, but only in exceptional circumstances should they require an entire published page.

            Labelling necessary to understand the figure can be provided in a legend, placed where it will minimally detract from the figure itself, and enclosed by a box only when necessary to achieve clarity. Otherwise, provide information needed to interpret the figure in the caption (see below). Lines, shading, text, (including subscripts and superscripts) and other visual representations must be clear and distinct when reduced in size. Avoid overly complex figures; resist the temptation to clutter figures with too much information. Use Arial font for text within all figures themselves (not for captions, see below).

            Figure captions.  In the manuscript, use a separate page for figure captions following the pages containing the figures (or LITERATURE CITED if there are no figures). Linking each caption with the appropriate figure occurs later in the layout stage after acceptance. Be sure to number each figure caption appropriately, and present them in the correct order. Continue page and line numbering from above, using Times Roman 12 point font. Begin figure captions with “Fig.”, left-justified in regular font, followed by the figure number and a period. If the caption is longer than a single line, do not indent the second or subsequent lines. Begin each figure caption on a new line. Captions must be concise and clear, allowing readers to understand the figure without referring to the text (i.e., should stand alone). Avoid footnotes and abbreviations in figure captions. Incorporate symbols or keys, where needed, in a concise legend within the figure itself.

General Style and Usage

            Text. Avoid ambiguous use of nouns (i.e., stacking nouns) as modifiers (e.g., wolf researchers). Use prepositions to avoid using nouns as adverbs (e.g., displacement by wolves, rather than wolf displacement; hunting with dogs, rather than dog hunting) and to avoid noun strings exceeding 3 words (e.g., radiotelemetry locations of calves in fall, rather than fall calf radiotelemetry locations).

            Number and units.  Use digits for numbers (e.g., “3”, “27”) unless the number is the first word of a sentence, or is used as a pronoun (e.g., “at least one consideration”, “we tested two hypotheses”), in which case the number is spelled out. Spell out ordinal numbers (e.g., “first”, “second”) in text and Literature Cited, but use digits for cases such as 3-fold and 2-way. Convert fractions (e.g., 1/3, one-half) to decimals or percentages except where they misrepresent precision.  Hyphenate number-unit phrases used as adjectives (e.g., “2-year-old bulls”) but not those used as predicate adjectives (e.g., “plots were 5 m²”). Insert commas in

numbers ≥1,000 (except for pages in books, clock time, or year dates). Do not insert a comma or

hyphen between consecutive, separate numbers in a phrase (25 3-m² plots). Do not use naked

decimals (i.e., use “0.01”, not .01). Use symbols or abbreviations (e.g., %, ha) for measurement units that follow a number, unless the number is indefinite (e.g., “thousands of hectares”), is a “0” (zero) standing alone, or is the first word of a sentence. In such cases, spell out the number and unit name.

            Time and dates.  Use the 24-hour system: 0001 hours through 2400 hours (midnight). Date sequence is day month year, without punctuation (e.g., 4 November 2024). Do not use an apostrophe for plural dates (e.g., “1990s” rather than “1990’s”). Spell out months, except in parentheses, table bodies, and figures in which 3-letter abbreviations are used with no period (e.g., 31 Mar 2024).

            Mathematics and Statistics. Use italic font for Roman letters used as symbols for quantities (e.g., n, F, t, Z, P, and x). Do not italicize numbers, names of trigonometric and transcendental functions, or abbreviations of statistical terms (e.g., ln, e, exp, lim, min., max., SD, SE, CV, df). Insert symbols from the symbol directory in your word processing program as opposed to creating the symbol with keyboard functions (e.g., chi-square should appear as χ2 [found in the symbol directory], as opposed to X2). Greek letters should be used when appropriate using the font available in most word processors (e.g., α, λ, μ, Δ, π). Use the minus sign from the symbols menu (−) to indicate minus and negative values instead of using the keyboard hyphen. Use times (×) to indicate multiplication or dimensions instead of using an asterisk (*) or a lowercase x. These mathematical symbols may also be copied and pasted from this document.

Insert a space on both sides of symbols used as conjunctions (e.g., P > 0.05), but close the space when symbols are used as adjectives (e.g., >10 moose). Where possible, report exact probabilities (P = 0.057, not P > 0.05, except use P ≤ 0.001 for very small values ). A subscript precedes a superscript (X_i³) unless the subscript includes >2 characters (e.g., X²_cow).

Avoid redundant use of the word “significantly” (e.g., write “the means differed [P = 0.016]” instead of “the means differed significantly [P = 0.016]”). Report results of statistical tests by giving the calculated value of the test statistic, the associated degree of freedom (df), and the probability of obtaining the calculated value  (e.g., t = 2.47, 1 df,  P = 0.013; F_3,12 = 33.10, P =  0.01). Include a measure of dispersion and the sample size when reporting measures of central tendency (e.g.,  = 5.3, SE = 2.13, n = 35).

                Equations. Equations require precise internal spacing and formatting and are correctly constructed using Equation Editor (not saved as an embedded picture). This can be accomplished in most versions of Word by choosing insert-object and then selecting Microsoft Equation from the menu. Simple mathematical expressions, such as symbols with simple subscripts or superscripts and Greek letters can be typed as text, using the symbol directory. However, care must be taken to be sure that the font and font size are the same wherever the symbol is used; inconsistencies can arise when text symbols are mixed with symbols generated with an Equation Editor. For example, some Greek letters can be represented in slightly differing ways by different sub-programs, potentially causing confusion if both appear in the manuscript but are intended to imply the same symbol. Mathematical symbols for estimators are typically given “hats” (carets, e.g.,  ) and require the use of Equation Editor, as does proper construction of the symbol for an estimated mean ().

            Measurement units. Use International System of Units (SI) units and symbols (with British units [e.g., feet, miles] in parentheses if needed to identify units only used in the original data, e.g., US section line boundaries). Place a space between numbers and units or symbols (e.g., 10 m, 80° C). Do not use hyphens between numbers and units unless you are using a number-unit phrase to modify a noun (e.g., correct usage: 12-mm mesh, 3-yr study, 12 mm in diam, and 2 mm wide). However, these non-SI units are permitted:

area: hectare (ha) instead of 10⁴ m²;

energy: calorie (cal) instead of Joule (J);

temperature: Celsius (C) in lieu of Kelvin (K);

time: minute (min), hour (hr), day, etc. instead of seconds (sec);

volume: liter (L) instead of dm³.

Abbreviations, symbols, and acronyms. Use of abbreviations and acronyms should be done judiciously. Some abbreviations and acronyms are well established and may be used in the text without definition: metric units, DNA, USPS abbreviations, and certain measurement units (see above). Do not start sentences with abbreviations, symbols, or acronyms; avoid those with > 1 meaning. Define all other abbreviations or acronyms the first time you use them in the abstract and text in parentheses (e.g., Geographic Information System [GIS], analysis of variance [ANOVA], Akaike’s Information Criterion [AIC]). Reestablish acronyms in the text that were first established in the abstract.

Punctuation. Sentence periods are followed by a single space, not two. Do not use a comma to separate a compound sentence before the conjunction unless the sentence will be confusing otherwise (e.g., “Use an infrared scope at night and use a regular scope during the day,” not “Use an infrared scope at night, and use a regular scope during the day.”). Reserve double quotation marks (“) for direct quotations, and close them after periods or commas. Avoid single quotation marks (‘), because they are typically interpreted as “this is a term sometimes used but we urge caution in interpreting it in this way” (i.e., ‘scare quotes’).

Brackets must appear in pairs, but the sequence varies. Use ([]) in ordinary sentences, use {[()]} in mathematical sentences, and use (()) only in special cases such as chemical names. Brackets are used to enclose something not in the original work being quoted (e.g., insertion into a quotation or a translated title). Do not use a slash (/) to indicate “and” or “or” or to express a range; use only to indicate “divided by” or “per.” Use trademarks (i.e.,™, ®) at the first mention of a product name, where appropriate, and not thereafter (if introduced in the abstract, re-establish the information in the text). Do not use an apostrophe for plural dates (e.g., use 1970s instead of 1970's) or with acronyms (e.g., use ANOVAs instead of ANOVA's).

Hyphens and dashes. These are among the most confusing and frequently mis-used punctuations; what follows will help authors. A phrase containing a participle or an adjective is hyphenated as a compound when it precedes the word modified, and it is written without a hyphen when it follows the word modified (e.g., “a small-mammal study” and “a study of small mammals” are both correct and leave less room for ambiguity than “a small mammal study”. A modifier containing a number is usually hyphenated (e.g., a 6-yr-old cow). A 2-word modifier containing an adverb ending in -ly is not hyphenated (e.g., a carefully preserved specimen).

Use en-dashes (ctrl + the minus sign in MS Word) for number ranges (e.g., 20–25) rather than the hyphen (typically located on the top row of the keyboard, after 0). Limit use of em-dashes (i.e., ctrl + alt + keyboard dash key in MS Word) to parenthetical portions of sentences that are best articulated by drawing attention to them rather than using commas (e.g., “Authors who have questions about these guidelines — assuming they have read them first — are advised to contact the editor”).

Enumerating series of items. Use a colon to precede a series of numbered items unless the list is preceded by a verb or preposition. For presentation of a simple series, use Arabic numbers followed by a closing parenthesis only, and separate phrases with commas or semicolons. Precede the last of the series with “and”. When enumerating lengthy or complexly punctuated series, place the numbers at the left margin, with periods but no parentheses, and indent run-on lines.

Common and scientific names. Do not capitalize common names of species except words that are proper names (e.g., Canada goose [Branta canadensis], but white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus]). Scientific names, italicized and in parentheses, follow the first mention of a common name, except in the title. If a scientific name is established in the abstract, re-establish it in the text. Abbreviate genus names with the first letter when they are repeated within a few paragraphs, provided the meaning is clear and cannot be confused with another genus mentioned in the manuscript with the same first letter; e.g., “…dominant tree species included red pine (Pinus resinosa) and jack pine (P. banksiana).”

Do not use subspecies names unless essential, and omit taxonomic author names. Use “sp.” (singular; not italicized) or “spp.” (plural) to indicate that the identity of species within a genus was unknown or too detailed to enumerate in context. For example, “The field was bordered by willow (Salix sp.)”, and “Moose ate a variety of willows (Salix spp.)”. Use the most widely accepted nomenclature for all species mentioned in your manuscript. Omit scientific names of domesticated animals (e.g., Canis familiaris) or cultivated plants (e.g., Zea mays) unless a plant is endemic or widely escaped from cultivation, or is a variety that is not described adequately by its common name.

Spelling. Ensure consistency and accuracy in spelling Latin words (particularly scientific names) and specialized terms. Alces accepts either British or American spelling, but authors should be consistent in their use. Use the spell-checking feature available in word processing programs before submitting.

Citing literature in text.  Ensure that literature cited in text has a corresponding citation in the LITERATURE CITED section. In most cases reference citations parenthetically at the end of a sentence; e.g., “Understanding habitat selection allows managers to focus their efforts on conserving habitat at appropriate scales and to choose appropriate methods for managing populations and habitats (Thompson and Stewart 2007).” Cite published literature by author and year; e.g., “Baigas (2008), Baigas et al. (2010).” Use “et al.” (in regular font, not italics) for publications with ≥3 authors; e.g., (Dussault et al. 2005).

Do not separate the author and date by a comma, but use a comma to separate a series of citations. Use chronological order for citations in a series; e.g., (Jones et al. 2019, Ellingwood et al. 2020, DeBow et al. 2021). If citations in a series have >1 reference for the same author(s) in the same year, designate the years alphabetically (in italics) and separate citations with semicolons; e.g., (Thompson et al. 2019; Græsli et al. 2020 a, b). If citations have >1 reference for the same author in different years, designate the years chronologically after the author’s name (e.g., Murray et al. 2006; Lenarz et al. 2009, 2010). For citations in a series with the same year, use alphabetical order within chronological order (e.g., Addison et al., 2016, Yoder et al., 2016). Avoid >5 citations in the text to reference a specific issue or scientific finding. For a direct quotation or paraphrase, cite author, year, followed by a colon, and page number(s). Cite documents that are cataloged in major libraries, including theses and dissertations, as published literature. Abbreviations may be used if the author is an organization (e.g., “OMNR (1988).” Use the appropriate text from the Word Processor for authors whose names include nonstandard English letter (e.g., Côté, S. D.; Théorêt-Gosselin, R; A. Wünschmann).

When citing statistical programs in text use Calibri 12 point font for software package names (e.g., “the R package raster (Hijmans 2021)” or “R package glmmTMB (Brooks et al. 2017)” to differentiate them from other text.

Published literature includes symposia proceedings and government reports that have been widely distributed. Cite all other documents as unpublished data in the text only. Cite unpublished information or personal communication only when clearly necessary; when used, provide the name and affiliation of the citation (e.g., “H.R. Timmermann, Ont. Min. Nat. Res., pers. comm.) or “(M. W. Lankester, Lakehead Univ., unpubl. data) and do not repeat this information in the LITERATURE CITED section. Cite articles that are in preparation, submitted, or in review but not yet accepted in text only, and referred to as unpublished information. Cite manuscripts that have been accepted for publication as published material, using the anticipated publication year (or, if unknown, with “in press”).

Appendices. Include appendices, if required, in the text file after all figure captions and tables. Use first-level headings for Appendix titles.

Supplementary information. Supporting information, if needed, is information that adds depth to the manuscript but is not essential to readers’ understanding of the manuscript (e.g., spreadsheets of raw data, code, in-depth tables and figures that are not essential to the objectives of the study). Typical examples include model selection results for a large list of unsupported models, results of preliminary analysis, or details of subsidiary analyses. Include all methods and results pertaining to the objectives of the study in the main text (i.e., do not use the supporting information document simply to shorten the text).

Reference the supporting information parenthetically in your manuscript (e.g., “We used logistic regression to estimate and predict P_fix (see Supplementary Material, Tables S2, S3, Fig. S1).” After the location has been established, simply refer to the table without the additional text.

 Because supplementary information is published separately from the manuscript, it needs to stand alone. List all references cited in the supplementary information in a separate LITERTURE CITED section at the end of the file. Literature referenced only in the supporting information should not be listed in the LITERATURE CITED section of the manuscript. All supporting information will be reviewed by the editors and content edited by journal staff. The publisher does not copyedit, typeset, or format supporting information; thus, the material must be ready for publication when the manuscript is submitted for review. The file that you upload will be the exact file that readers will be able to download so use a clear file name and a file type that will be accessible to readers. If raw data or code is appropriately shared, indicate the data repository where it has been stored (e.g., Dryad, ScienceBase, GIT).

Literature Cited

Ensure that all published literature cited in the text has a corresponding citation with the same year of publication in the Literature Cited section, and that all references listed have been cited in the text. Order the lliterature cited alphabetically regardless of the number of multiple authors (i.e., use the surname of the first author, then the surname of the second author, then the surname of the third author, and so on). For multiple citations with the same authors, the sequence is chronological. Type out all author names unless the number of authors is > 12, in which case use first author followed by “et al.”

Spell out the names of journals, books, and proceedings in full. Use no abbreviations in the Literature Cited section except for M.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., Inc., Ltd., U.S., U.S.A., D.C., and U.K. Use the examples below as a template to format literature cited. Do not provide the total page numbers of books, theses, or government publications. Use small caps for names of authors, for example, “Karns, P.D., and V. Crichton”), but not for editors of books or compilations. To accomplish this in Microsoft Word, choose Font, then check the box next to Small caps in the Effects section of the dialogue box. Where there are two authors of a paper cited, follow the first author's initials with a comma (see example above). When citing websites in Literature Cited, provide the month and year the website was last accessed by the author(s); e.g., “Accessed June 2007”.

[Due to limitations of this website, author names in examples do not appear using the Small Caps font. We ask Alces authors to use Small Caps font when developing their Literature Cited section].

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Journal article -  general format.

Risenhoover, K. L. 1986. Winter activity patterns of moose in interior Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Management 50:727-734.

Rea, R. V., and M. P. Gillingham. 2001. The impact of the timing of brush management on the nutritional value of woody browse for moose Alces alces. Journal of Applied Ecology 38:710-719.

Multiple citations for the same author(s)

Street, G. M., J. Fieberg, A. R. Rodgers, M. Carstensen, R. Moen, S. A. Moore, S. K. Windels, and J. D. Forester. 2016. Habitat functional response mitigates reduced foraging opportunity: implications for animal fitness and space use. Landscape Ecology 31:1939-1953.

———, A. R. Rodgers, and J. M. Fryxell. 2015a. Mid-day temperature variation influences seasonal habitat selection by moose. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:505-512.

———, L. M. Vander Vennen, T. Avgar, A. Mosser, M. L. Anderson, A. R. Rodgers, and J. M. Fryxell. 2015b. Habitat selection following recent disturbance: model transferability with implications for management and conservation of moose (Alces alces). Canadian Journal of Zoology 93:813-821.

Journal article - In press, volume and/or year unknown. 

Zelenak, J. R., and J. J. Rotella. 1997. Nest success and productivity of ferruginous hawks in northern Montana. Canadian Journal of Zoology 75:in press.

Book: general format

 McCullough, D. R. 1979. The George Reserve deer herd: population ecology of a K-selected species. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. (Note: If the state appears in the publisher or agency name, do not repeat it after the city).

Book - more than 1 edition.

Zar, J. H. 1984. Biostatistical analysis. Second edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Book - more than 1 volume

Hall, E. R. 1981. The mammals of North America Vol. 1. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

Chapter in book - general format.

Renecker, L. A., and Schwartz, C. C. 1998. Food habits and feeding behaviour. Pages 403–439 in A. W. Franzmann and C. C. Schwartz, editors. Ecology and Management of the North American Moose. Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington, D.C. USA.

Symposia and conference proceedings - individual article.

Rodgers, A. R., R. S. Rempel, and K. F. Abraham. 1995. Field trials of a new GPS-based telemetry system. Pages 173-189 in C. Cristalli, C. J. Amlaner, Jr., and M. R. Neuman (eds). Biotelemetry XIII. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Symposium on Biotelemetry. Williamsburg, VA. March 26-31, 1995.

Government publication.

DeCesare, N. J., C. J. Peterson, and R. B. Harris. 2022. Vital rates, limiting factors, and monitoring methods for moose in Montana. Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant W-157-R-7, Annual Report, September 1, 2022. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Helena. Montana.

Government publication - agency author.

NYSDEC: New York Department of Environmental Conservation. 2021. Management plan for white-tailed deer in New York State, 2021-2030. Albany, New York. 84pp.

Government publication - part of a numbered series.

Arno, S. F., D. G. Simmerman, and R. E. Keane. 1986. Characterizing succession within a forest habitat type – an approach designed for resource managers. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station Research Note INT-357. 

Hayes, R. D., A. M. Bayer, and D. G. Larson. 1991. Population dynamics and prey relationships of an exploited and recovering wolf population in the southern Yukon. Yukon Fish and Wildlife Branch, Final Report. TR-91-1. 67 pp.

Bedunah, D. J., M. G. Harrington, and D. M. Ayers. 1999. Antelope bitterbrush and Scouler’s willow response to a forest restoration project. Pages 256-259 in McArthur, D. E., W. K. Ostler, and C. L. Wambolt, compilers. Proceedings: shrubland ecotones; 1998 August 12-14; Ephraim, UT. Proceedings RMRS-P-11. Intermountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Ogden, UT.

Carstensen, M., E. C. Hildebrand, D. C. Pauly, R. G. Wright, and M. H. Dexter. 2014. Determining cause-specific mortality in Minnesota’s northeast moose populations. Pages 133–143 in L. Cornicelli, M. Carstensen, M. Grund, M. Larsen, and J. Lawrence, editors. Summaries of wildlife research findings, 2013. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Populations and Research Unit, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Website.

LANDFIRE. 2020. Existing Vegetation Types (EVT) CONUS. https://www.landfire.gov. Downloaded 4/13/2023.

Graduate Theses or Dissertation.

Langley, M.A. 1993. Habitat selection, mortality and population monitoring of Shiras moose in the North Fork of the Flathead River Valley, Montana. Unpublished M.S. thesis, University of Montana. 162 pp.

Morris, D. 2014. Aquatic habitat use by North American moose (Alces alces) and associated richness and biomass of submersed and floating-leaved aquatic vegetation in north-central Minnesota. Ph.D. Thesis, Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada. 130pp.