BB welcomes original contributions from amateur and professional ornithologists alike. Material for publication should have something new to say about birds recorded in the Western Palearctic or species of significant interest to birdwatchers in the region. Articles might range from one or two short paragraphs describing a newly recorded bird behaviour, to more detailed submissions on (for example) the identification of a difficult species, the results of a local study which might have wider implications, or the findings of a major research project. As summarised on the Home Page, key topics of interest for the journal include behaviour, conservation, distribution, ecology, identification, movements, populations and taxonomy. Take a look at a recent issue of BB or at some of the articles published on the website to see the type of material we publish.
British Birds publishes material dealing with original observations on the birds of the Western Palearctic. Except for records of rarities, papers and notes are normally accepted for publication only on condition that the material is not being offered in whole or in part to any other journal or magazine. Photographs and drawings are welcomed. Referees are used where appropriate, and all submissions are reviewed by the BB Editorial Board or Notes Panel.
Papers should be concise and factual, taking full account of previous literature and avoiding repetition as much as possible. Opinions should be based on adequate evidence. Authors are encouraged to submit their work to other ornithologists for critical assessment and comment prior to submission. Such help received should be acknowledged in a separate section. For main papers, an abstract summarising the key results and conclusions should be included, but should not exceed 5% of the total length. Authors should carefully consult this issue for style of presentation, especially of references and tables.
English and scientific names and sequence of birds should follow The ‘British Birds’ List of Birds of the Western Palearctic (1997), with amendments as detailed in Brit. Birds 97: 2-5 and listed on the BB website at: http://www.britishbirds.co.uk/bblist.htm or, for non-West Palearctic species, Dickinson (2003), The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Names of plants should follow Stace (1999), Field Flora of the British Isles. Names of mammals should follow Corbet & Harris (1991), The Handbook of British Mammals, 3rd edition. Topographical (plumage and structure) and ageing terminology should follow editorial recommendations (Brit. Birds 74: 239-242; 78: 419-427; 80: 502).
Contributions should be submitted on disk or (preferably) by e-mail, to editor@britishbirds.co.uk Most word-processing applications are suitable, but, if you are not using an up-to-date, standard program, it is best to submit two versions, one in the original word-processed format and one in a basic text format such as RTF (Rich Text Format). For contributors without access to a computer, text should be submitted in duplicate, typewritten, with double spacing and wide margins, and on one side of the paper only. Hand-drawn figures should be in black ink on good-quality tracing paper or white drawing paper; lettering should be inserted lightly in pencil, while captions should be typed separately. Please discuss computer-generated maps and figures with the Editor before submitting them.
For use in main papers, notes and letters, photographs can be submitted as 35mm transparencies, high-quality prints or digital images. Digital images should be submitted as TIFF files in either PC or Mac format with a resolution of 300 dpi and the image sized at 15 cm wide. TIFF files can be uploaded to the dedicated area of this site. Digital images with a comparable resolution in other formats (e.g. JPEGs), must be saved as high/maximum quality files. Lower resolution images or video-grabs will be used more sparingly, and usually only when there is no alternative (for example, in ‘Recent reports’). All digital images must be submitted in their original state with no manipulation (e.g adjustment of colours, curves, etc.). We welcome video for the website as well so long as its of a high quality.
Only images of the very highest quality, will be considered for a front-cover illustration. These would normally be 35 mm transparencies or digital images. British Birds also accept artwork for cover illustrations from time to time. Guidelines for artists can be obtained here.
Images published in BB may also be reproduced here, on the BB website.
Authors of main papers (but not notes or letters) will receive five free copies of the journal (plus three each to subsidiary authors of multi-authored papers). Further copies may be available on request in advance, but will be charged for.
A schedule of payment rates for contributors (including authors, artists and photographers) is available from the Editor.
Cover-artwork guidelines for artists
Size British Birds is 170mm wide and 250mm deep. All cover artwork should be at least 20% up, ie 1/5 bigger. That is 212.5mm x 312.5mm, or in those exact proportions thereafter. To allow for a little leeway and cropping margins at the printers (known as bleed) an additional 10mm needs to be provided on all sides, giving a total minimum image area of 232.5mm x 332.5mm. Your painting should cover the whole image area but nothing important to the painting should be in the bleed area, since it will be trimmed off to a greater or lesser degree.
The BB logo, title and volume details remain in the same format on every issue, are in the same position on the cover. It is very important to consider this when planning your design. The top 20% (or the top 70mm at 232.5mm x 332.5mm dimensions) must be diffuse with no strong contrast that would interfere with the clear reading of journal’s title. Do not allow important features (such as your bird or its support) to run through it.
Contents The headings to the main articles each month are printed on the cover, either set in a column towards the bottom left- or right-hand side of the cover, or running along the bottom. As the artist you will not know what they will be, nor how much room they will take up. You do however control where they go, so you should allow an average amount of space for them, as judged by looking at the previous few copies of British Birds. The painting here should also be diffuse and of a mid tone to ensure clarity. Look back over previous issues to compare the readability against the varying backgrounds.
Your painting may be of any bird (or birds) on the British Birds West Palearctic list, preferably not a species used on a recent cover as an artwork or a photograph. They must not infringe copyright (ie, they must not be copied from another image).
You should place your bird in a suitable background taking great care that the scale of the surroundings is correct (no giant birds on 10 inch fence posts or birds perched on walls made of two inch long bricks please). Subjects of a very macabre (Great Black -backed Gull skinning a live Puffin) or controversial nature (Ruddy Duck being shot) may not enhance the chances of your design being chosen.
A reproduction fee of £50 will be paid to the artist at the time of publication, and the painting will be returned to the artist after use. All paintings used remain the copyright and property of the artist. If the painting is for sale, please advise the price at the time of submission.
If you have a painting to be considered as a BB front cover, please e-mail a low resolution scan (or send a colour print) to the BB editor, Roger Riddington at
Spindrift
Eastshore
Virkie
Shetland ZE3 9JS
e-mail editor@britishbirds.co.uk
Regards
Alan Harris
Art Consultant, British Birds