INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

(Rev. May 2010)

SCOPE
The Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (LAJAM) publishes articles concerning research, management
and conservation biology of aquatic mammals in Latin America. Articles on theory or techniques broadly
applicable to the study of aquatic mammals will also be considered, even when the research has taken place
outside Latin America.
LANGUAGE
Manuscripts must be written in either American or British English; however, authors should be consistent
throughout the text. By using English as its official language, LAJAM will be more readily available, and of
greater relevance, to the global aquatic mammal community. Papers should normally be in the passive voice
unless an opinion needs to be clearly attributed to the authors. It is recognized that English may not be the
first language for most authors. Therefore, the Editorial Board will work with the authors to ensure that the
paper is written in acceptable English.
TYPES

OF MANUSCRIPT

LAJAM publishes five types of manuscript: Articles, Notes, Reviews, Comments and Short Communications.
Articles report results of original research. They should be organized in a logical sequence with sections
corresponding to Title page, Abstract page, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results,
Discussion, Acknowledgments and References. Articles should normally not exceed 30 pages of doublespaced text not including references, figures and tables.
Notes are brief reports of original research. They should normally not exceed 14 pages of double-spaced text
not including references, figures and tables. Notes do not have formal sections or headings like Articles do
(except for Acknowledgments and References) and they do not have an Abstract or Keywords.
Reviews address topics of general interest or current importance to the Latin American aquatic mammal
community. They should be concise (i.e. summarize the topic), rather than present large amounts of detailed
information. Reviews will be considered for publication only after invitation by, or agreement with, the Editors.
Comments are short critiques of papers previously published in LAJAM. Authors of the original paper being
discussed will be invited to reply to these critiques. Comments on papers published elsewhere but of relevance
to aquatic mammal research in Latin America will also be considered.
Short Communications are brief reports consisting of one or two paragraphs documenting unusual sightings,
strandings, incidental captures or other issues of current interest. Proof of species identification (such as
photographs or detailed sketches of prominent or conspicuous features) must be provided where applicable.
FORMAT
Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word and files should be saved in the .doc format (Word 19972004) rather than in the more recent. docx format. Rich text format (.rtf) is an acceptable alternative in cases
where Microsoft Word is not available. Manuscripts should be typed in A4 paper, with double line spacing
and all margins set to 2.5cm (1in). Continuous line numbering should be used in the text to facilitate the
peer-review process. (From Microsoft Words File pull-down menu select: Page Setup: Layout: Line numbers:
Add line numbering: Numbering: continuous). Page numbering should start at the Title page, with the
page numbers appearing centered at the bottom of each page. All text should be typed using Times New
Roman font size 12. Headings should be in bold (e.g. Introduction). If additional sub-headings are required,
these should appear in italics (e.g. Data analysis). Latin abbreviations such as et al. should be italicized; e.g.
and i.e. should also be italicized but should not be followed by a comma. Authors should refrain from using
any other formats or styles in a manuscript or its tables, for instance to make it resemble the published version
of an article. Author names in the References section need not be capitalized. LAJAM employs the professional
services of a typesetter who gives all manuscripts a uniform look.
TITLE PAGE: Should contain a concise and informative title, and a list of authors names. Author affiliations and
addresses should be numbered, with the respective number appearing next to the authors name. The
corresponding author should be identified with an asterisk (*) and a valid e-mail address should be provided
in this authors affiliation line. Up to six Keywords (in English) should also be provided.
ABSTRACT PAGE: Should contain an abstract in English, as well as its translation in either Portuguese, Spanish
or French. Abstracts should not exceed 350 words.

BODY OF THE MANUSCRIPT: Should contain the Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion,
Acknowledgments, and References. Please be brief and concise in the Acknowledgments. Any tables and
then any figures should follow the References.
CITATIONS: Reference to works containing more than two authors should appear in the text as, for example, Di
Beneditto et al. (2001). When more than one reference is cited at a time, references should appear in chronological
order (e.g. DeMaster et al., 1992; Palacios and Mate, 1996; Dalla Rosa et al., 1999; Di Beneditto et al., 2001; Gerpe et al.,
2002; Van Bressem et al., 2006; 2007). References from the same year should be cited as Vaz-Ferreira (1975a, b).
REFERENCES: The reference style for the most common types of documents is provided in the following examples.
Note that country of publication should be spelled out except for widely accepted abbreviations (e.g. UK, USA),
and that journal names are cited in full in LAJAM. For users of bibliographic software, an EndNote template
can be downloaded from <solamac.org/LAJAM/lajam1.htm> or requested directly from the editors.
DeMaster, D.P., Edwards, E.F., Wade, P. and Sisson, J.E. (1992) Status of dolphin stocks in the eastern tropical
Pacific. Pages 1038-1050 in McCullough, D.R. and Barrett, R.H. (Eds) Wildlife 2001: Populations. Elsevier Science
Publishers Ltd., London, UK.
Di Beneditto, A.P., Ramos, R. and Lima, N.R. (2001) Os golfinhos: Origem, Classificao, Captura Acidental, Hbito
Alimentar. 1.ed. Editora Cinco Continentes, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Fernndez, S.P. (1992) Composicin de edad y sexo y parmetros del ciclo de vida de toninas (Tursiops truncatus)
varadas en el noroeste del Golfo de Mexico. M.Sc. Thesis. Instituto Tecnolgico y de Estudios Superiores de
Monterrey, Campus Guaymas. Guaymas, Mexico. 109 pp.
Gerpe, M., Rodrguez, D., Moreno, V.J., Bastida, R.O. and de Moreno, J.E. (2002) Accumulation of heavy
metals in the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) from Provincia Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Latin American
Journal of Aquatic Mammals 1 (special issue 1): 95-106.
Leatherwood, S. and Reeves, R.R., Eds (1990) The Bottlenose Dolphin. Academic Press, San Diego, USA.
Palacios, D.M. and Mate, B.R. (1996) Attack by false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) on sperm whales
(Physeter macrocephalus) in the Galpagos Islands. Marine Mammal Science 12(3): 582-587.
Silva, K.G. (2004) Os pinpedes no Brasil: ocorrncias, estimativas populacionais e conservao. Ph.D. Thesis. Fundao
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. Rio Grande, Brazil. 242 pp.
Citation of conference abstracts is allowed but they should be placed in separate footnotes and not in the
references. Only month and year are compulsory for conference dates in the reference. Full date (including
days) is preferable if available. The format should be as follows:
Dalla Rosa, L., Secchi, E.R., Kinas, P.G., Santos, M.C.O., Zerbini, A.N. and Bassoi, M. (1999) Photo-identification
and density estimation of humpback whales in Antarctic waters. Page 43 in Abstracts, XIII Biennial Conference
on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 28 November 3 December 1999, Maui, HI, USA.
Flix, F. and Haase, B. (2004) Distribucin de ballenas jorobadas (Megaptera novaeangliae) en la parte central de
Ecuador y su relacin con la profundidad y distancia a la costa. Page 26 in Abstracts, 11a Reunin de Trabajo de
Especialistas en Mamferos Acuticos de Amrica del Sur, 11-17 September 2004, Quito, Ecuador.
Citations of reports that are not peer-reviewed (i.e. gray literature) but that can be obtained from a widely
known international or national institution (e.g. UNEP, IUCN, IWC, CMS, NOAA) should be included in
the list of References. Publications that are not available in the public domain (e.g. working documents,
contract reports) should be presented as footnotes. All names of institutions must be spelled out in full
once but should be referred to by their official acronym (e.g. IWC, CITES, CMS, UNEP, IUCN, NOAA) if
mentioned a second (or more) time within the same citation. Concise indication of availability should be
given in square brackets.
Citation of such reports should be according to the following format:
Nelson, M., Garron, M., Merrick, R.L., Pace, R.M. III and Cole, T.V.N. (2007) Mortality and serious injury
determinations for baleen whale stocks along the United States eastern seaboard and adjacent Canadian
Maritimes, 2001-2005. U.S. Department of Commerce, Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document
07-05: 18 pp. [Available from NMFS, Woods Hole, MA, USA, <http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/
publications/>].
Van Waerebeek, K., Baker, A.N., Flix, F., Gedamke, J. Iiquez, M., Sanino, G.P., Secchi, E., Sutaria, D., van
Helden, A. and Wang, Y. (2006) Vessel collisions with small cetaceans worldwide and with large whales in
the Southern Hemisphere: building a standardized database. Paper SC/58/BC6 presented to the Scientific
Committee, International Whaling Commission, St Kitts, May-June 2006. [Available from the Office of the
International Whaling Commission, The Red House, 135 Station Road, Impington, Cambridge,
Cambridgeshire CB4 9NP, UK, <http://iwcoffice.org/>].

Finally, recognizing the increasing role of the Internet as a primary source of original electronic documents
and data sets, LAJAM permits the citation of web sites. It is up to the Editors discretion, however, to determine
whether a more traditional source would be more appropriate for a specific citation. Internet citations should
be presented as footnotes and should include the full URL as well as the date the site was visited, according
to the following examples:
IUCN (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. Available online at <www.iucnredlist.org>.
Consulted on 6 March 2010.
Robertson, D.R. and Allen, G.R. (2008) Shorefishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific online information system.
Version 1.0. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panam. Available online at
<www.neotropicalfishes.org/sftep, www.stri.org/sftep>. Consulted on 6 March 2010.
VLIZ (2009). Longhurst Biogeographical Provinces. Available online at <www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/vlimar/
downloads.php>. Consulted on 6 March 2010.
PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND UNPUBLISHED DATA: Citation of personal communications,
either oral or written (in litt.), is permitted and should be presented in footnotes. Reference to personal
observations or unpublished data of the authors should be cited in the text in parentheses as follows: (E. Secchi,
pers. comm., 15 August 2008), (R. Ramos, pers.obs.), or (M.C.O. Santos, unpub. data).
TABLES: For initial submission tables should be included as part of the main manuscript. Each table should be
presented in a separate page at the end of the text, with the table caption placed at the top of the page. Tables
should be cited in the text as Table 1, Table 2, etc. Authors should make every effort to ensure that as many
tables as possible do not exceed 8.5cm in width, when printed in Times New Roman 8pt. The maximum
permitted width of any table is 17.5cm. For final submission (after acceptance) authors are required to provide
the tables as separate Word files.
FIGURES: For initial submission figures should be included as part of the main manuscript, with each figure
placed in a separate page, after any tables, and with the figure caption placed directly below it. All axes
should be labeled and should include appropriate measurement units. Figures should be cited in the text as
Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. For final submission (after acceptance) authors are required to provide the figures as
separate, high-quality graphic files in a format suitable for publication (i.e. .tif for raster images and .eps for
vector graphics).
Maps should be prepared using appropriate mapping software (or using the non-proprietary tools available
online at <www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/>, at <www.aquarius.ifm-geomar.de> or at
<www.planiglobe.com>) and should have a coordinate system with readable labels along the longitude and
latitude axes. Maps generated with Google Maps, Google Earth, MapQuest, etc. are not acceptable for
publication in LAJAM.
PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK: The inclusion of photographs or other artwork in a paper is very expensive.
Therefore, LAJAM only publishes photographs that are an essential part of the paper (e.g. photographs that
would serve to authenticate the identification of a species, support the diagnosis of a lesion or trauma, etc.).
High quality black and white photographs are recommended. Please submit photographs and/or artwork in
digital format (e.g. .jpg, .tif).
Authors are requested to ensure that all digital files corresponding to figures, photographs and artwork meet
publication-quality standards in terms of size and resolution. Where possible, images should be sized to
single-column width (width 8.5cm) and saved at 300dpi or higher. The maximum allowable width is 17.5cm.
Lettering should be in Arial, Helvetica or a similar sans serif font with a minimum size of 10pt. If submitting
multi-part or multi-panel figures or photographs, please combine them and label them (e.g. a, b, c, d) in a
graphics design or photo editing software. All figures, tables, and their captions should be self-explanatory
(i.e. abbreviations and acronyms should be defined again in the caption). For table footnotes use superscripted
lower case letters; asterisks can be used to indicate statistical significance.
EQUATIONS: Authors are asked to prepare equations in either Microsoft Equation Editor (the default supplied
with several word-processing packages, including Microsoft Word and WordPerfect) or its upgrade called
MathType.
COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES: The full scientific name must be given (in parentheses, after the common name)
the first time a species is mentioned (e.g. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) inhabits all major ocean
basins). Afterwards it should be left up to the authors and at the Editors discretion. (For instance, papers on
taxonomy and nomenclature may need to quote scientific names several times). The genus should be
abbreviated in subsequent references to the scientific name (e.g. Three sightings of B. musculus were made).
The only exception is when a sentence begins with the scientific name, in which case the genus should be
spelled out (e.g. Balaenoptera musculus sightings occurred far offshore).

For cetaceans, please use the approved IWC (International Whaling Commission) common names available at
<iwcoffice.org/conservation/cetacea.htm>. In recognition of the cultural aspects of nomenclature, regional names
may be used if the internationally recognized common name is referred to at least once. For the names of other
aquatic mammals (sirenians, pinnipeds, mustelids) and for general taxonomic treatments authors are encouraged
to consult the Society for Marine Mammalogys list of marine mammal species and subspecies (http://
www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=420&Itemid=280), the
World Register of Marine Species (www.marinespecies.org), the International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature (www.iczn.org) or Wilson and Reeders Mammal Species of the World, third edition
(www.bucknell.edu/msw3), for the latest nomenclatures.
CAPITALS: Capitals are used when referring to recognized geographic names (e.g. Area I, Franciscana Management
Area, Sector, Division, Antarctic, South Atlantic Ocean, Northern Hemisphere), and to names of specific institutions
and persons (e.g. IWC Scientific Committee, Chairman, Vice-Chairman) or where named after a person (e.g.
Blainvilles beaked whale, Commersons dolphin). Also, use capitals for specific items: Table 1, Figure 1, No. 1,
etc. Capitals should not be used for generic names like western South Atlantic, sub-committee, sub-Antarctic,
humpback whale, common bottlenose dolphin, etc.
NUMBERS, DATES AND MAP REFERENCES: In the text numbers under 10 should be spelled out where used individually
(e.g. three humpback whales but 3% of humpback whales; 1 fin whale, 4 Brydes whales and 9 southern right
whales were observed). Figures should be used for a sequence of quantities and in reference to percentages
(where % rather than percent is used). Numbers with four or more figures should have no spaces: e.g. 1328;
9369234; 1540.5. Decimal points should be indicated by full stops, not commas. Zeros should be included: e.g.
0.86. There should be no space between numbers and abbreviated units: e.g. 114cm, 16kg
Dates should be in the form: 12 March 1996 not April 14, 1977 Time should be cited in the international standard
notation (hh:mm:ss or hh:mm, e.g. 09:00h or 17:27:33h).
Geographic coordinates should be in the form: 3205S, 5208W or 320503"S, 520855"W
HYPHENS: Should be used in compound adjectives preceding a noun (e.g. age-specific survival rates, length-specific
model), but not where part of the compound adjective consists of a numeral (e.g. 8cm long testis).
ABBREVIATIONS: Where the last letter of an abbreviation is the same as the last letter of the full word then no full
stop is necessary (e.g. Ed. should be the abbreviation for editor, but Eds for editors).
Capital abbreviations do not require full stops (e.g. IWC, FMA, MSYR, 25S, CV, SD, SE, etc.).
Metric units are required. However, two widespread nautical units (i.e. knots and nautical miles) are allowed.
Commonly used abbreviations for quantities have no full stop (e.g. 10cm, 15m, 3nmi, 15kt, etc.).
Scientific names (e.g. Pontoporia blainvillei) must be originally written in full but should subsequently be abbreviated
(e.g. P. blainvillei).
ITALICS: Should be used for: references to titles of books and periodicals (e.g. Moby Dick, Marine Ecology Progress
Series); names of vessels (e.g. Ary Rongel, Atlntico Sul); scientific names of plants and animals (e.g. Coprosma
foetidissima); foreign words or abbreviations not part of everyday English (e.g. et al., i.e., e.g.); and trade names
(e.g. Serramalte).
QUOTATIONS: Use single quotation marks. Double quotation marks are only to be used for a quote within a quote.
Within a quotation, follow the style and punctuation of the original. If omitting a section, indicate by three full
stops . If interpolating a word or phrase use square brackets (e.g. [Editors italics]). Spelling or other obvious
errors in the quoted text may be followed by [sic] as to indicate the error is authentic.
EQUATIONS AND MATHEMATICAL REFERENCES: Ensure that superscripts and subscripts are easily discernible. Clearly
distinguish between: the letter l and the number 1 (e.g. by underlining the letter); and the letter O and the number
0. Use italics for letters indicating parameters, e.g. y = a + bx
Results of statistical tests should be given as follows: ANOVA, p<0.01; t-test, p<0.05.
POLICIES
Manuscripts submitted for publication in LAJAM must: (1) not have been submitted simultaneously to any other
publication outlet; (2) be original; (3) have been approved by all authors and institutions involved; (4) meet
animal treatment ethics guidelines; and (5) have obtained permits for research and sample collection as required
by institutional, national, or international regulations.
Papers describing experiments on animals are required to certify that no animals were harmed in conducting the
research. In addition, scientists in institutions that provide guidelines for conducting experiments on animals, or
in countries that have such policies, should also indicate that these guidelines were followed. These statements
should be included at the beginning of the Acknowledgments section. Similarly, papers reporting on studies

conducted in countries where a permit is required to carry out scientific research should include the corresponding
permit numbers (including any CITES permits for sample export) in the Acknowledgments.
SUBMISSION

OF MANUSCRIPTS

An e-mail cover letter should accompany all manuscript submissions. The cover letter should specify the type of
manuscript being submitted (i.e. Article. Note, Review, Comment or Short Communication), along with its title
and full author list. The corresponding author should certify that all co-authors have seen the manuscript and
agree with it in its current form. Also provided in the letter should be the name, affiliation and current e-mail
address of at least three potential referees who are experts on the topic and who would not have a conflict of
interest with any of the authors of the manuscript. These persons may or may not be contacted to serve as referees,
at the Editors discretion. Submissions should be sent via e-mail to the Managing Editor <lajam@infolink.com.br>
with a copy to the current Editor-in-Chief <Daniel.Palacios@noaa.gov>. Files larger than 5MB should be
compressed or fragmented into several files. Authors are encouraged to conduct their correspondence with
LAJAMs editorial staff in English throughout the editorial process, if at all possible.
EDITORIAL

PROCESS

The Editorial Board recognizes that English is not the first language for most authors. For this reason, a manuscript
written in poor English is not sufficient reason for rejection, but it does mean that the time required to process the
manuscript will be significantly longer, as additional rounds of comments and revision may be required to assist
the author in improving the English redaction. Therefore, authors are strongly encouraged to have their manuscript
checked by a native English speaker before submitting.
PEER REVIEW: All submitted manuscripts will be reviewed by at least two anonymous referees for scientific content.
Referees are asked to return their reviews within four weeks, and authors are contacted as soon as the reviews
are received. This initial period may take longer when referees are late in returning their reviews or when new
reviewers have to be found for various reasons. Depending on the outcome of the reviews, a manuscript may be
rejected or it may be considered conditionally acceptable after minor or major revision.
REVISION AND THE RESPONSE LETTER: Authors are asked to address all the comments made by the anonymous referees
within 3-6 weeks depending on the length of the reviews. Authors should prepare a response letter in Word
containing a point-by-point description of how each one of the referees comments was addressed (either by
accepting and incorporating the suggestion made by a referee into the revised manuscript, or by justifying why
the author does not agree with a referees comment). This letter should be submitted together with the revised
manuscript within the allotted time. In order to facilitate the assessment of revised manuscripts, any modification
to the original manuscript should be highlighted in yellow.
EDITORIAL DECISION: The Editor will assess the quality of the revised version together with the response letter and
make a final decision on acceptance, which will be communicated to the authors within a few days from resubmission. The Editor may make additional editorial suggestions to the authors to ensure that formatting and
style conform to LAJAMs guidelines. At this point, the Editor will ask the corresponding author to submit the
final version of the manuscript, with separate files for manuscript body, tables and figures (as stand-alone, highquality graphic files, not embedded in a Microsoft Word file). Before final submission, authors should ensure
that their article is free of errors, as this will be their last opportunity to make any changes.
PRODUCTION OF PAGE PROOFS: The Editor will forward the final manuscript files to LAJAMs typesetter for production
of the first set of page proofs, which may take up to six weeks. Once produced (in PDF format), authors are asked
to go over their proofs very carefully and return any corrections to errors that may have been introduced during
the typesetting process within three days. Authors should describe the nature of the corrections in detail in a
separate Word file rather than making the corrections directly into the PDF file. No other alterations to the
content of the manuscript will be allowed at this time. A second set of proofs will be produced if necessary for the
authors final approval.
PUBLICATION: LAJAM is printed twice a year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once an issue is assembled and printed, a
PDF copy of the published article is made available to the authors free of charge. There are no page charges for
articles published in LAJAM.
COPYRIGHT
The authors of a manuscript accepted for publication in LAJAM are automatically agreeing to have the copyright
of the manuscript transferred to the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Especialistas en Mamferos Acuticos
(SOLAMAC). However, SOLAMAC accepts no responsibility for statements or opinions expressed in a paper.