Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
African Journal of Herpetology
For a Special Issue on
Community Science in African Herpetology
Manuscript deadline
Special Issue Editor(s)
Bryan Maritz,
Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
[email protected]
Jody Barends,
South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa
[email protected]
Community Science in African Herpetology
Background
Community science initiatives have revolutionized biodiversity research by dramatically expanding the spatial and temporal scope of data collection. This special issue seeks to highlight research that leverages these valuable community-generated datasets to address significant questions in African herpetology.
Scope and Requirements
We invite submissions for research articles that meet the following criteria:
- Research Focus: Studies must focus on African reptiles and/or amphibians and fall within the established aims and scope of the African Journal of Herpetology.
- Community Science Data: Community/citizen science data must form a substantial component of the research dataset. We broadly define community science to include data from citizen science platforms (e.g., iNaturalist; iSpot; ADU virtual museums; etc.), community monitoring programs, and other forms of participatory biodiversity data collection (e.g., social media groups).
Submission Instructions
What We Seek
We welcome diverse approaches and will not restrict submissions to specific methodologies, datasets, or taxonomic groups. Submissions will be evaluated primarily on:
- Robust experimental design
- Potential impact of the research
Important Dates
- Final Manuscript Submission: September 1, 2026
- Target Publication: April 2027 (African Journal of Herpetology, Issue 1, 2027)
Submissions
- All submissions should be made via Scholar One - select the special issue drop down and choose "Community Science in African Herpetology"
- All submissions will undergo full peer review in line with the policies of African Journal of Herpetology