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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-01
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Article types

Review
Original Article
Review Article
Editorial
Lectio
Letter
Clinical Trial
Protocol
Systematic Review

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 200 words.
  • Use a unstructured abstract.
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  • Should contain an unstructured abstract of 200 words.
  • Double spacing should be used throughout the MS for the title, abstract, text, references and explanations for illustrations.
  • References should be avoided in the Abstract.
  • Your abstract should focus on what your research is about, what methods have been used, and what you found out.
  • At the first mention after the abstract of a species or genus of taxonomic relevance in the MS, the author and date must be given, along with the full reference in the list of References.
  • The instructions for authors for each journal will give specific guidelines on what’s required here, including whether it should be a structured abstract or graphical abstract, and any word limits.

Keywords

  • Include or confirm the keywords required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Successive references in the text should be given in chronological order and be separated by a comma, e.g. (Walter 1972, Jones et al).
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  • Use the ampersand (&) in references with two authors Jones & Smith (1995) or (Jones & Smith 1995).
  • Use the en-dash (–) when giving ranges of, e.g., size, measurements, pages, geological stages, years, figure references, etc. (i.e., 4–7 µm, pp. 50–58, Jurassic–Cretaceous, 1959–1963, Fig. 3A–D, etc.), but use a hyphen (-) in compound words (e.g., north-northeast, self-pollination, S-haplotype).
  • Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described.
  • Do not use a comma between the author and date for general references.
  • References should conform to examples given below; give the full title of the publication with words in their original order, with author and editor names in Small Caps.
  • References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary.
  • More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication.
  • Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
  • Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
  • For example, ‘figures’ is contracted to ‘figs’ but ‘figure’ is abbreviated to ‘fig.’ This should also be observed in reference lists: note the difference between one editor, (ed.), and two or more, (eds).
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.
  • Organization of the paper should follow the following format: introductory comments, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, References, and Figure and Table captions.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
  • Group figures at the end of the manuscript.
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  • Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
  • All figures must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the paper (i.e., Fig. 1, Fig. 2).
  • In multi-part figures, each part should be labelled (i.e., Fig. 1A, Fig. 1B).
  • The components of figures must be designated by 14pt Arabic upper case lettering (A–Z) of a sans-serif type (i.e., fonts without serifs such as Arial).
  • Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour, at the correct size).
  • Tables and figures Show clearly in your article text where the tables and figures should appear, for example, by writing [Table 1 near here].
  • If several radiocarbon ages are used as the basis of the chronological framework, the dates (with standard deviation) and relevant additional information (e.g., depth, dated material, δ13C, lab number, calibrated ages, see, e.g., Stuiver & Polach 1977) should be given in a table.
  • All figures should be submitted in digital format, at no less than 300 dpi; they must be supplied as either EPS files (for illustrations compiled in Illustrator, FreeHand or CorelDraw) or TIFF files (for illustrations compiled in Photoshop).
  • Illustrations should be grouped economically into Figures to fit the exact specifications: A single column width 83 mm, double column width 172 mm, 2/3rd column width 127 mm and max column height 211mm.
  • Descriptive labelling in the figures should be clearly readable, and all lettering should have a minimum published size of 6 pt (2.1 mm) for features on photographs or in line art.
  • The author(s) should use one consistent chronological framework, i.e., mixing of conventional and calibrated ages in the text and figures should be avoided.
  • Registration numbers should accompany the descriptions and/or illustrations.
  • Figures must be submitted individually and separate to the text.
  • Inidividual illustrations should be separated from each other by a uniform gutter.
  • Authors who compile colour figures should ensure that such figures show strong contrast between the colours when printed in B/W for the hard copy version.
  • TABLES Each table should be uploaded as a separate Word file (not as an Excel file).
  • Tables should not include vertical lines, but horizontal lines should be inserted above and below the column headings and at the bottom of the table.
  • Authors should keep in mind the page layout of the journal when designing tables.
  • Detailed explanations of symbols, units, and abbreviations should follow below the table.
  • Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file.
  • Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
  • It’s very important that you have been given permission to use any tables or figures you are reproducing from another source before you submit.
  • All figures must be sent electronically and at adequate resolution, care and attention to the guidelines below are essential as importing unusual graphics packages can be problematic.
  • This may vary for different fossil groups but the head or apical end of most groups, and distal end of leaves, should normally be positioned at the top of the illustration.
  • Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  • Check the instructions for authors to see how you should supply tables and figures, whether at the end of the text or in separate files, and follow any guidance given on the submission system.
  • Please do not embed figures in the manuscript file.
  • Keep all lettering inside the figure boundaries.
  • Do not just listing the figure numbers next to the species heading.

Funding statement

  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

Competing interests

  • Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Data availability statement

  • Include or confirm the data availability statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Ethics statement

  • Include or confirm the ethics statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Cover letter

  • Using Third-Party Material in your Paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
  • Review: The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
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  • If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

Author contributions

  • Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process.

Supplementary files

  • Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.

Title page and author information

  • All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript.
  • One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

  • Consecutive numbers and letters: these should be given as 1, 2 and A, B not 1–2, and A–B.
  • In the text it should also be clearly stated whether the ages are expressed as conventional (conventional 14 C years BP) or calibrated radiocarbon years (cal).
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  • The New Zealand Protected Objects Amendment Act 2006 stipulates that permits for the export of Protected Objects are required.
  • Erdtman (1952, p. 17) should be applied with polar axes oriented vertically.
  • Margins Margins should be at least 2.5cm (1 inch).
  • STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE Stratigraphic nomenclature must be in accordance with the International Stratigraphic Guide [Salvador, 1994; Murphy & Salvador, 1999; see also the website of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS)], or other formally recognized national stratigraphic guide.
  • It should be a maximum width of 525 pixels.
  • Review: These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
  • Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
  • Manuscripts must follow Alcheringa format throughout.
  • As this sample shows, any submissions must include: a.
  • Letter: Contractions are words shortened by the deletion of letters excluding the last letter of the word and should not terminate in a full stop.
  • Letter: The letter h should be preceded by the indefinite article ‘an’ except when the h is not pronounced; e.g., an hour but a history.
  • Letter: Multiplication sign: this is typeset as × and should be used in preference to the letter x if possible.
  • Concise acknowledgments should be located at the end of the text.
  • Zoological nomenclature must be in accordance with the latest edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), which can be accessed online.
  • When it does not lead to confusion, generic names should be abbreviated when they have already been cited in a running paragraph.
  • Please provide separate diagnoses for a new genus and species even if the genus is currently monotypic.
  • This thus becomes a form of taxonomic inflation – any new form somewhat like the previous one must be described as a new genus itself.
  • Use informal phrases such as ‘latest Devonian’ (for time) and ‘uppermost Toarcian’ (for rock).
  • In all other instances, lower case initial letters should be used, e.g., ‘late Eocene’.
  • New Australian stratigraphic names should be registered with the Geoscience Australia (GA) Australian Stratigraphic Names Database.
  • Moreover, calibrated radiocarbon ages should be given in cal. years BP rather than in years BC.
  • CURATION OF MATERIALS All studied fossils should be registered in a permanent public repository so that the materials are available for later study.
  • Where fossils are illustrated in outcrop, sufficient geographical details should be provided to enable the material to be located and re-studied.
  • An export permit is required for removal of fossils from most countries.
  • Authors should ensure that their material is collected according to international best practices and any appropriate export permits have been obtained.
  • Fossils should be illustrated in standard orientations.
  • For fossil wood, longitudinal cells should be orientated vertically.
  • No diagram should extend over more than one page.
  • Use a comma between the author and date only when this is a taxon authority.
  • Do not include part numbers except where the journal paginates each part individually from page one.
  • Queries Should you have any queries, please visit our Author Services website or contact us here.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Before you submit your article, make sure you’ve checked the instructions for authors for your chosen journal, so you are aware of everything required.
  • Most journals create image descriptions during the production process, but a minority may require authors to provide image descriptions.
  • Review: Running heads and received dates These aren’t required when submitting a manuscript for review.
  • Do not use page breaks.
  • Use ca (for circa; not c. or ca. or ~).
  • BIOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE Botanical nomenclature must be in accordance with the latest edition of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)or International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants ( ICN ), which can be accessed online.
  • Moreover, calibrated dates should be reported using the latest available international calibration curve (explicitly state which INTCAL version was used) and the calibration software (and its version number) must be stated when reporting calibrated ages.
  • Where the geographic source of materials is in a sensitive area or subject to potential illegal or excessive exploitation, then geographic source details should be filed with an appropriate responsible institution.
  • Export permits should be obtained before removal of any fossil material from New Zealand and the studied material ought to be ultimately lodged for permanent keeping with a New Zealand institution.
  • Authority names of plant taxa (genera and species) should follow The International Plant Names Index, IPNI ( http://www.ipni.org/ ).
  • Where a person is the author of single authored, two-authored, and multi-authored papers, all single author papers should appear first chronologically, then two-authored papers alphabetically then chronologically, followed by multi-authored papers purely chronologically.
  • Please use SI units (non-italicized).
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: European accents (Greek, Hebrew, or Cyrillic letters, or phonetic symbols): choose Times New Roman font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: Asian languages (such as Sanskrit, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese): choose Arial Unicode font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Please do not embed it in the manuscript file but save it as a separate file, labelled GraphicalAbstract1.
  • Do not italicize modifiers (cf., aff., s.s., s.l.,?) when used with a genus or species name.
  • If you are at the early stage of your research, you may also need to read how to start writing a journal manuscript.
  • Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.
  • If a combined diagnosis is offered for the genus and the ONLY species, there is essentially no way to refer another species to the genus – at least not without emending the genus.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Preprints and prior publication

  • If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Authorship and originality

  • All authors must provide e-mail addresses for contact purposes.

Language and text style

  • Papers are to be written in concise, simple English and, in most cases, should be illustrated.
  • Letter: Abbreviations are words that are shortened by deletion of letters including the last letter and should end in a full stop.
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  • Do not use abbreviations; provide journal titles in full.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fourth-level headings should be in bold italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fifth-level headings should be in italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • The fossil names forming part of a biostratigraphic unit (biozone) name should be in italics and written in full, e.g., the Callialasporites dampieri Biozone or the C. dampieri Biozone.
  • Letter: Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Second-level headings should be in bold italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Letter: Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Third-level headings should be in italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Article type and manuscript length

  • The abstract, main text and references should be in 10 pt font.
  • In the main text, capitalise the first word of the introductory paragraph ( do not use the heading ‘Introduction’); begin other sections with not more than four grades of headings typed as follows: Heading level 1 Arial 11 pt bold.
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  • Captions for illustrations should be listed at the end of the main text file, not as separate electronic files.

Manuscript structure

  • The first paragraph after any main heading is not indented but all subsequent paragraphs in the section should be indented by 5 mm.
  • They should be numbered 1, 2, 3, etcaccording to their sequence in the text, and have a short self-explanatory heading.
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  • The Discussion should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them.
  • The Results should be clear and concise.
  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
  • Letter: Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: First-level headings (e.g. Introduction, Conclusion) should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Do not number each section.

Study reporting guidelines

  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).
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What your package checks

Abstract: 200 words
References: Harvard
Declarations: Artificial intelligence
Format: Times New Roman

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source