Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute

Published: September 2, 2009, 6:25 pm

Topics:

Ecology (main)

Introduction Ecology is a dynamic, rapidly advancing scientific field of fundamental importance to human society’s intimate interaction with the natural world. Understanding the scientific foundations of ecology is accordingly critical to an informed citizenry at all levels, beginning with early childhood education. The Encyclopedia of Earth invites you to contribute to a new, dynamic collection of online resources introducing the foundations of ecological science to a general, global audience. You can do so by editing and expanding current entries, or by writing new ones. When approved, your contribution will immediately become part of the online collection (Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute) that is published in the Encyclopedia of Earth. You receive full attribution as a contributor to the collection.

Topics needed

This collection is intended to provide scientifically accurate and current content in the fundamental concepts of ecology, including those that all students and citizens should understand. Ultimately, we would like this collection to contain a sufficient quantity and range of content that a high-school level or undergraduate course could be taught based largely or entirely on the high quality, open access articles written by experts in the field and included in the EoE. For this reason, we are focusing primarily on fundamental concepts and topics in ecology.

Click here to see the current working Table of Contents (Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute). This list is a work in progress and we welcome suggestions.

Potential authors are encouraged to contact the editors (mark.mcginley@ttu.edu Mark McGinley and jeduffy@vims.edu Emmett Duffy) with additional suggestions or questions.

Types of Contributions

1. New entries. Entries should be succinct but reasonably comprehensive introductions to fundamental topics in ecology. They should be 250 - 5,000 words in length, written for a general audience, and contain a minimum of mathematics, technical jargon, and buzzwords known only to specialists. Topics already identified as needed in the collection are listed in the [[Table of Contents (Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute)]2].
2. Revision or extension of existing entries. You can edit or expand existing entries after consultation with the current author.

How to Contribute

If you already are an EoE author, you can:

1. Edit or add to an existing article by clicking on any of the entries in the [[Table of Contents (Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute)]3]. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on EoE Authors can click here to access this article within the editor wiki. This takes you to the authors' site where you can edit your selection.
2. Create a new entry. See the topic areas above for suggestions, or contact the editors (mark.mcginley@ttu.edu Mark McGinley and jeduffy@vims.edu Emmett Duffy) if you would like to suggest a new topic. Once you have decided on a topic, Go here to create your article.

If you are not yet an EoE Author but would like to contribute, click here (EoE Contributor Signup Form) and complete the contributor application form

Guidelines

In addition to falling within the scope of the Ecology collection as described above, all contributions must meet the editorial and stylistic guidelines for the EoE:

1. Audience Level
   • The Ecology collection is intended as an authoritative source of fundamental concepts in the science of ecology and is targeted at high school students, their teachers, and the educated lay public. Entries thus should fall somewhere between the level found in a good newspaper (e.g. NY Times, London Times) and that found in a good general encyclopedia (e.g. Encyclopedia Britannica).
   • Avoid jargon that only specialists will understand.
2. Article Format
   • Article length is 250 to 5,000 words.
   • The first sentence of an article should give a succinct definition of the article's topic.
   • Use headings and subheadings to organize your article.
   • Do not use in-text references.
   • Include a "Further Reading" section at the end of your entry. Wherever possible, include links to the resource itself.
   • The International System of Units (SI) is recommended.
   • The technical and mathematical details should be limited to that necessary for making your most fundamental points. Remember, the EoE is intended to reach a broad audience.
3. Neutrality Policy
   • In the interests of encouraging the broadest participation, of assisting people in making up their own minds about controversial issues, and of increasing the likelihood of articulating the whole truth about all subjects, the EoE has explicit policies regarding neutrality and fairness. These policies require that articles shall, when touching upon any issue of controversy, be fair and insofar as possible neutral. Articles shall recognize uncertainties in data, interpretation, and understanding, as well as other reasons for different perspectives on a subject, such as assumptions made.

Review and selection process

All entries are reviewed by a Topic Editor for the EoE. Approved articles become part of the general collection of the EoE. In addition, the editors of the Ecology collection will review those entries and, where appropriate, approve them for inclusion in this collection published as part of the EoE.

Attribution

You are listed as the author for any entry approved by a Topic Editor for inclusion in the EoE. An example of the recommended citation for an EoE entry is:

McGinley, Mark (Lead Author); J. Emmett Duffy (Topic Editor). 2007. "Species diversity." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). February 8, 2007; Retrieved October 8, 2007. [[1]]

Contact information

For any procedural or administrative questions, contact the Managing Editor of the EoE: aconti@ncseonline.org Arielle Conti. For content questions or comments contact the Ecology editors: mark.mcginley@ttu.edu Mark McGinley and jeduffy@vims.edu Emmett Duffy.

Citation

Duffy, J. (2009). Ecology (collection)- How to Contribute. Retrieved from http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Ecology_(collection)-_How_to_Contribute