Writing Rules

Instructions for Authors

Scope and eligible manuscripts
Manuscripts submitted to SRLS must fall within the scientific areas described in the journal’s Aims and Scope (see “Aims and Scope” on the journal website). Original research papers are generally expected to be no longer than 6,000 words, and may be extended up to 8,000 words when justified; the word count does not include the reference list. Studies that introduce or revise taxa must follow widely accepted taxonomic practice, such as that outlined in Winston’s manual on species description (Winston, 1999), and remain consistent with international zoological nomenclature rules as recommended by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN; see summary in Tsang et al., 2016).

Ethics for research involving humans
Any study that includes human participants must respect internationally accepted ethical standards for medical and biological research, such as those articulated in the Declaration of Helsinki by the World Medical Association (WMA). For details, see the Declaration of Helsinki: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/. Authors must confirm that appropriate institutional ethics approval was obtained and that informed consent procedures complied with these principles.

Article types

Research Articles

  • Present substantial and original findings with relevance to a broad scientific audience.

  • Should include, at minimum: an abstract, introduction, methods, results, a section for interpretation of findings (which may be labeled Discussion or Conclusions), and a reference list.

  • Additional descriptions of materials and methods may be provided as a separate supplementary file when needed.

Review Articles

  • Consider the following prior communication with the Editor-in-Chief (contact details available on the journal’s Editorial Board page).

  • Should deal with timely and important topics in the life sciences.

  • Expected length is up to approximately 7,000 words and should contain an abstract, an introductory section, logically organized subsections, and a forward-looking section outlining knowledge gaps and future research priorities.

  • Reviews may include up to about 100 references and typically 4–6 figures or tables.

  • Supplementary material is usually not required; reviews should critically synthesize recent work and highlight open questions rather than simply listing studies.

Short Communications

  • Brief reports that rapidly present novel data, observations, or records of particular interest to the community.

  • The main text should not exceed about 2,000 words, and the number of references is limited to 20.

  • A maximum of three display items (figures and/or tables) is allowed.

  • Abstracts must be very concise (no more than 75 words), and the presentation of outcomes and their interpretation is typically combined into a single Results and Discussion section.

Manuscript structure

Standard order of sections
Manuscripts are usually organized in the following sequence:

  • Title

  • Authors and affiliations (including full institutional addresses and email contact information)

  • Abstract

  • Keywords

  • Introduction

  • Materials and Methods

  • Results

  • Discussion

  • Acknowledgments

  • References

Figures and tables should appear near the relevant text in the manuscript file. The journal may adjust placement during production to ensure a clear layout.

Format and layout

General formatting

  • Use A4 page size with conventional margins.

  • Text should be double-spaced, set in 12-point Times New Roman, and include continuous line numbering to facilitate peer review.

  • Authors are advised to prepare their submission using the journal’s Word template to ensure consistent formatting.

Title and author information

  • The title should be informative and succinct, accurately reflecting the content and avoiding unnecessary abbreviations or mathematical expressions when possible.

  • Author names must be spelled correctly and listed in the desired order. Affiliations are placed directly beneath the author list and differentiated using lowercase superscript letters.

  • Provide full postal addresses and email addresses for all authors so that correspondence and indexing can be correctly handled.

Corresponding author

  • One author must be designated as the corresponding author.

  • This person is responsible for communication with the journal throughout peer review and after publication, including responding to queries and coordinating corrections if needed.

  • Contact details for the corresponding author must be kept up to date.

Abstract and keywords

  • The abstract should concisely present the main aim, methods, key results, and principal conclusions in no more than about 300 words.

  • Specialist terminology should be minimized, and all abbreviations must be written out in full at first mention.

  • Authors should propose at least three keywords or short phrases that capture the main topics of the paper and that are not simply repetitions of terms in the title.

Section-specific guidance

Introduction

  • Provide a brief overview of the research problem, relevant background, and rationale for the study.

  • Clearly state the objectives or hypotheses, and place the work in the context of the current literature (for general guidance on scientific writing structure, you may consult resources such as the ICMJE manuscript preparation recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html).

  • In most cases, this section should remain concise and not exceed roughly one page of text.

Materials and Methods

  • Describe the study area, organisms, datasets, and experimental or analytical procedures in enough detail to allow replication.

  • When methods have been published previously, cite the original work and explain any modifications.

  • Include information about statistical analyses, software, and version numbers where relevant.

Results

  • Present findings objectively, using text, tables, and figures as appropriate.

  • Avoid repeating the same information in multiple formats; numerical detail presented in a table need not be fully restated in the text.

  • In some cases, the journal may allow Results and Discussion to be combined into a single section, subject to editorial approval.

Discussion

  • Explain how the findings address the original aims or hypotheses, and relate them to previous studies.

  • Emphasize the scientific implications, limitations, and potential applications of the work.

  • Avoid extensive duplication of numerical results and focus on interpretation, mechanisms, and future directions.

Acknowledgments

References

Citation style

  • SRLS uses the 7th edition of the APA style for both in-text citations and reference lists.

  • Authors are encouraged to use reference management tools (e.g., Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com, Zotero: https://www.zotero.org, or similar software) to minimize formatting errors and maintain consistency.

Examples of in-text citations

  • Single author: (Smith, 2009) or “Smith (2009) reported that …”

  • Two authors: (Smith & Khan, 2009) or “Smith and Khan (2009) showed that …”

  • Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2009)

  • Multiple works by the same author in the same year: (Smith, 2009a) and (Smith, 2009b)

Reference list formatting

  • Arrange entries alphabetically by the surname of the first author.

  • Use a hanging indent style: the first line of each reference begins at the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented.

  • Include digital object identifiers (DOIs). Guidance on APA 7th edition can be found at the official APA Style site: https://apastyle.apa.org.

Illustrations, figures, and tables

Preparation and labeling

  • Number figures and tables in the order they appear in the text (Figure 1, Figure 2; Table 1, Table 2, etc.).

  • Provide concise, informative titles or captions that clearly describe the content without relying solely on the main text.

  • All figures and tables must be cited in the text at least once.

Technical requirements and permissions

  • Images should be of sufficient quality for print and online publication, typically at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi for photographs and complex graphics.

  • Where material has been previously published or includes third-party content, written permission from the rights holder must be obtained before submission (consult your institution or publisher’s rights and permissions guidance if needed).

  • Scale bars, color choices, and other visual elements should be chosen to ensure accurate interpretation and accessibility (e.g., for color-blind readers).

  • Figure legends are generally formatted in 11-point Times New Roman and centered below the figure.

Submission and peer review

Submission files

  • Manuscripts should be prepared in common text-processing formats such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.

  • High-resolution versions of all figures, along with any supplementary information, should be provided at submission.

  • Authors are usually asked to upload a compiled PDF that includes the main text, figures, tables, supplementary files, cover letter, and any permission documentation, if required, via the journal’s online submission system (see “Make a Submission” link on the journal website).

Review process

  • All submissions undergo an initial screening by the editorial team to assess fit with the journal and basic quality.

  • Manuscripts deemed suitable are sent for external peer review by qualified experts, who provide evaluations and recommendations.

  • The process aims to deliver constructive and timely feedback that helps improve the scientific and editorial quality of the work.

  • Authors may propose potential reviewers during submission, although the final choice of reviewers rests with the editorial office.

Publication model and access

Fees and open access

  • SRLS does not charge authors for submission, peer review, or publication; there are no article processing charges (APCs).

  • The journal follows an open access model, making all published content freely available to readers worldwide via the journal website.

  • Articles are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, permitting redistribution, adaptation, and reuse, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal. For details, see the Creative Commons description of CC BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Ethics and authorship

Authorship criteria

  • Every listed author should have made a substantial contribution to at least one of the following: study conception and design, data collection, data analysis, or interpretation of results.

  • All authors must be involved in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it, approving the final version, and accepting responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

  • Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have read and consented to the submitted version and agree to the journal’s policies (see “Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement” section on the journal website).

Ethical compliance

  • For research involving human participants, authors must confirm that protocols were reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee and that informed consent (and assent, where applicable) was obtained in accordance with recognized international standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/).

  • Studies involving animals must comply with institutional and national guidelines for animal care and use; the relevant ethical approval should be clearly stated in the manuscript, with reference to the approving body’s guidelines or website where appropriate.

  • Any potential conflicts of interest or funding sources that could be seen as influencing the study must be transparently disclosed, following good publication practice (e.g., COPE recommendations: https://publicationethics.org).

Licensing and copyright

  • Authors retain copyright over their work.

  • By publishing in SRLS, authors grant the journal the right to disseminate the article under the terms of the CC BY license, enabling others to share and adapt the material as long as proper attribution is given and any changes are indicated (see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Additional referencing tips

  • Always check that all in-text citations appear in the reference list and that all entries in the reference list are cited in the text.

  • Verify the accuracy of author names, publication years, journal titles, volume and issue numbers, page ranges, and DOIs (cross-check via https://www.crossref.org or similar services).

  • Ensure consistent application of APA 7 style throughout, including capitalization, punctuation, and the formatting of electronic resources (see https://apastyle.apa.org for examples and guidance).