Submit manuscripts electronically as a single Word file (.doc or .docx) and email it directly to the Editor-in-Chief at animalbehaviorandcognition@gmail.com.
Each article is assigned to an Associate Editor who handles the review process. Accordingly, authors should suggest one or two Associate Editors to handle their submission and note any conflicts of interest, if applicable. However, the Editor-in-Chief makes the ultimate decision as to which Associate Editor will handle each submission.
Authors should also suggest at least three names (with an email address) of potential reviewers; however, the handling Associate Editor reserves the right to choose reviewers other than those suggested.
The type of submission (see below) should be clearly stated in the submission email and on the submitted document.
We welcome submissions in the following formats:
1. Original Research Reports: Manuscripts that report original research that has not been published elsewhere. Research could be observational or experimental, and could be conducted in laboratory, zoo, sanctuary, farm, or natural settings.
2. Replication Reports: Manuscripts that report attempts (successful or unsuccessful) to replicate findings that have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. We strongly encourage authors of replication attempts to contact the Editor-in-Chief (animalbehaviorandcognition@gmail.com) about their replication attempt before submitting the paper to AB&C, so that the Editor-in-Chief can give guidance (and, when necessary, solicit advice from the Associate Editors and editorial board) about the value of the replication attempt. In all cases, the submitted manuscript will undergo peer-review, including an effort to solicit a review from one or more of the authors of the paper that was the focus of the replication. For Replication Reports, it is expected that authors may limit the length of the background and introductory material given that the key focus is about replication. However, extensive details about the methods of the replication will be expected.
3. Target Review Articles: Manuscripts that offer a novel perspective on a specific aspect of animal behavior and cognition by integrating and reviewing the literature. These review articles can be focused on empirical aspects of animal behavior and cognition or can be offered as theoretical perspectives or perspectives on practical and ethical issues regarding animal behavior and cognition. These submissions will undergo peer-review. At the discretion of the editorial team, and in consultation with the author(s) of the target review, commentaries may be solicited from the readership of AB&C. These commentaries (and a response to commentaries from the authors) will take a form similar to that of Behavioral and Brain Sciences articles. Potential authors are strongly encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief (animalbehaviorandcognition@gmail.com) about their proposed topic before submission of a Target Review and authors are encouraged to suggest the names of potential commentators. Commentary solicitation after acceptance of a Target Review is 4 weeks, and review time for those commentaries is 4 weeks. The original authors then are given up to 8 weeks to provide their response to the commentaries. Target Review articles and all associated commentaries are published in the same issue.
4. Opposing Viewpoints: Jointly submitted manuscripts that allow two authors (or two sets of authors) to debate a focal aspect of animal behavior and cognition or broader issue related to this field of study. This format is for pre-arranged debates by individuals (or teams) with expertise in the topic area under debate. Unlike traditional opinion articles that are submitted and might then lead to a response (e.g., from the authors of the target article that was discussed). Potential authors are strongly encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief (animalbehaviorandcognition@gmail.com) about their proposed topic before submission. Opposing Viewpoints are published as separate articles in the same issue but are conceived and written concurrently rather than sequentially. Ideally, the authors of each article would be in communication with each other about the focus of their viewpoints to generate a reading experience like that of some of the major media news outlets that use this kind of format in their op ed sections. These commentaries each should be less than 2,000 words of text (not counting references) and up to 2 figures or tables. Each contribution will undergo peer-review and cross-review by the two authors or teams of authors.
5. Brief Reports: Manuscripts of fewer than 5,000 words including tables, figures, and references, that report intriguing methods or findings. This format allows for abbreviated introductory material and is suited for empirical reports for which minimal background information is required, whereas a focus on methods and results is emphasized.
All manuscripts must include:
Prepare manuscripts as Word documents (.doc or .docx) according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition (https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition). Papers will need to be submitted in Word format at that time for processing for publication.
The title page, abstract, references, and appendices should each be on separate pages. Each table or figure should be embedded within the text where they are first referenced, each with an associated caption with a short title above the table or figure and a longer note below. If the manuscript is accepted, original files used to create the figures and that can be edited must be submitted.
Double-space all text. All margins should be at least 1 inch (2.54 cm).
Figures should be made with a consideration for readability and accessibility. Fonts within the figure body should be sans serif and sufficiently large. Colors used within figures should be selected with ample contrast to accommodate individuals with color-vision deficiencies, as well as reproduction in grayscale. We recommend following the APA's guidelines on Accessible Use of Color in Figures (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/colors) and using TPGi's Color Contrast Analyser (https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/) when selecting colors for figures.
References must be cited both in text and in the reference list. Journal titles should be spelled out completely. Citations and references should be given in APA style (7th edition). Include all DOIs or none.
When reporting statistics, authors should report estimates of effect size and confidence intervals where appropriate. Please use Word's Insert Table function when you create tables.
Authors must be aware of, and adhere to, all laws, treaties and regulations currently applying to their work, experimental work must comply with the standards and procedures laid down by relevant national and international legislation. Research on animals should conform to relevant guidelines (e.g., the Guidelines for the Treatment of Animals in Behavioural Research and Teaching published by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour; see asab.nottingham.ac.uk/downloads/guidelines2006.pdf) and a statement of review and approval by the relevant ethical body must be described in the article. For clarity of reporting, we recommend that authors follow the ARRIVE guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org/arrive-guidelines). Any experimentation in which animals are subjected to painful or harmful conditions must be justified; authors must demonstrate in their papers that the knowledge gained was of sufficient value to warrant such treatment. Questionable manuscripts where the Editors believe the animals were subjected to significant pain, distress, or harm will not be published in the journal. Articles reporting research on human subjects also should include a statement that all guidelines were followed in conduct of the research and that the research was approved by an Institutional Review Board or equivalent ethical oversight committee.
All co-authors of a paper should have made significant scientific contributions to the work reported, and should share responsibility and accountability for the results. Authors may provide an "Author Contribution" statement at the end of the manuscript, just before the references. We recommend the use of the CRediT system, details of which can be found here: https://casrai.org/credit/. In their cover letter, the submitting author must confirm that all living co-authors agree to be named as co-authors on the article.
Authors must declare details of any potential conflict of interest. A conflict of interest exists when professional judgement concerning a primary interest (such as animal welfare or the validity of research) may be influenced by secondary interests (personal matters such as financial gain, personal relationships, or professional rivalry). Unless explicitly stated in the cover letter with submission, it is assumed the authors have declared that no conflicts of interest exist.
All submissions are subject to peer review. If a revision is requested, the corresponding author should submit the revised manuscript within six months unless there are special reasons for a delay, agreed in advance with the Editor. Papers not received within six months may be treated as new submissions and sent for further evaluation by new referees. Each revision should be accompanied by a detailed response to reviewers indicating how the reviewers' comments have been addressed directly within the manuscript, or an explanation as to why the comment could not be addressed. Revised manuscripts should use track changes to highlight the modified text.
The corresponding author will receive an email when proofs are ready. The corresponding author must provide a reliable email address and inform the Managing Editor of any extended period when the email address is not effective. Instructions for returning the proofs will be sent with the proof. The Editors reserve the right to correct the proof themselves, using the accepted version of the typescript, if the author's corrections are overdue and the journal would otherwise be delayed.
All published papers are freely available on the Animal Behavior and Cognition website. Corresponding authors will receive a PDF offprint of their article that is identical to that presented on the site, and they can use that offprint for distribution to students, colleagues, and anyone else provided that offprint is not used for re-sale or financial gain by the authors or those who access the offprint.