The New Phytologist Foundation invited abstracts for a joint Special Collection of Plants, People, Planet and New Phytologist on the theme of Anthromes and terrestrial carbon to build upon the success of the recent symposium on this topic.
On this page:
Introducing Anthromes and terrestrial carbon: from the deep past to net-zero
Anthropogenic biomes (anthromes, where interactions with people are explicitly recognized) cover the majority of Earth’s land surface and have done so since at least the beginning of the Holocene. This collection seeks to explore the inter-relationship of people, CO2-fertilisation, and terrestrial carbon source–sink dynamics during the deep past, through major cultural transitions, and in the net-zero motivated near-future.
Aiming to bring together a collection of work that provides a global view of the multifaceted impacts of people on terrestrial carbon through time, we encourage submissions across disciplines (e.g. ecology, environmental and Earth system science, anthropology, political science, economics, and many others). We hope this collection will build on the goals of the associated symposium: 1) To build community; 2) Synthesise how developing understanding of anthromes influences our understanding of CO2-fertilisation of the natural land sink; 3) Discuss the impacts of human cultures through the deep past, industrial period, and into the future on terrestrial ecosystem carbon; 4) To consider net-zero culture as a driver of land carbon change, including the equity outcomes of the race to net-zero. While in this collection we focus on how an ‘anthromes lens’ alters our view of terrestrial carbon dynamics, manuscripts that demonstrate how this lens alters our understanding of other ecosystem functions and biodiversity will also be considered.
On submission of abstracts in response to this call (see submission procedure below), authors may select their preferred journal and indicate whether they would also consent to consideration by the other journal, if judged appropriate by the editors.
Plants, People, Planet publishes plant-focussed research with impact on people, society and the planet, and welcomes cross-disciplinary work. Manuscripts to be submitted to Plants, People, Planet could aim at unveiling compelling patterns, synthesising knowledge or providing perspectives and case studies, as original articles, reviews or other formats considered by the journal. The journal is particularly interested in studies that showcase how important plant-focused research is to society and people’s daily lives, including work with implications for policy and/or practice.
New Phytologist publishes excellent, novel, rigorous and timely research and scholarship in plant science and its applications. Manuscripts to be submitted to New Phytologist should be hypothesis-driven and offer new insights on topics of interest to a broad cross-section of our readers. Purely descriptive studies are not encouraged. While the majority of contributions should be empirical studies, a smaller number of reviews, methods and data papers will provide valuable complements. Contributions should have a global focus (or continental/regional if justified). The journal is particularly interested in findings that significantly extend our knowledge of plant sciences, e.g. a biological, developmental or evolutionary process.
The Guest Editors for this collection are: Anthony Walker, Rose Abramoff, Kathryn Baragwanath, Matthew Craig, and Crystal McMichael. The Guest Editor team will be supported by the Editorial Boards of Plants, People, Planet and New Phytologist.
To promote scientific inclusion, diversity and equity, we particularly welcome submissions from under-represented groups, ethnic minorities, low-income countries, and authors at a diversity of career stages.
Brief Author Guidelines for authors of Special Collection papers
Indicative timeline
Deadline for submitting abstracts: the deadline for abstracts has passed, but if you have a manuscript that you would like to submit for consideration, please contact us
Deadline for submission of full manuscripts: 1 March 2024
Plants, People, Planet
All manuscripts submitted for consideration in Plants, People, Planet should conform to the journal’s Author Guidelines. Submitted manuscripts will be subject to peer review and must meet the aims and scope and quality criteria of the journal. In particular, all manuscripts should consider the wider implications/impact of the work for people, society and the planet, including any implications for policy and/or practice. These aspects will be considered by the editor and reviewers when evaluating manuscripts and should be at the forefront of works, including in the 100-word Societal Impact Statement on the title page of the submission. We especially welcome:
Review articles, these tend be in the region of 4000 words, with up to 6 figures, however, please note that the journal has no strict limits on word length and number of figures/tables.
Research articles, which should report new and interesting insights into the relationships between plants, people and planet. Generally, research articles are in the region of 3500–4000 words, however, as above we have no strict limits.
Methods and Techniques provide a forum for novel inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches for researchers, practitioners and educators at the interface between plants and society. Methods and Techniques are generally in the region of 3500–4000 words.
Brief Reports highlight preliminary findings of research in progress, or a case report of particular interest. Brief Reports are usually in the region of 1500 words, with 20 references and 2 display items.
Articles published in Plants, People, Planet are fully Open Access, meaning they are immediately freely available to read, download and share. Plants, People, Planet charges an article publication charge (APC), however, Wiley has arrangements to cover the publication fee for authors based in certain institutions or regions, and there are some waivers and discounts available for Special Collection authors who lack funds and are not covered by either of these routes. We do not want a lack of funds to be a barrier to contributing to the Special Collection, so if you have a great article idea but lack funds or cover, please get in touch and we can discuss options to support you.
New Phytologist
Manuscripts that are to be considered for New Phytologist Special Collections should conform to the full Author guidelines.
It is important to note that Special Collection submissions are treated in exactly the same way as regular manuscripts submitted to the journal (i.e. they will go through the same peer review system as regular manuscripts and acceptance is not guaranteed). Special Collection manuscripts must therefore focus on timely research that provides new insights into the broad principles of plant science. In addressing such questions, Research manuscripts will focus entirely on the presentation of new data (mixed part review/part data papers are not encouraged). The word limit for research manuscripts is 6500 words.
Synthesis and Modelling/Theory papers will generally fall into the research manuscript category and the headings can be adapted accordingly (e.g. In the case of Modelling/Theory papers, include a heading of Description in place of Materials and Methods, to include description of the model or theoretical framework).
New Phytologist also publishes a number of additional formats under the Forum and Review sections. These are generally commissioned ahead of time, but please do get in touch should you have any suggestions.
Manuscript submission procedure for Plants, People, Planet and New Phytologist
Submission of full manuscripts: 1 March 2024
To ensure inclusion within the Special Collection all manuscripts must be submitted by the submission deadline as outlined above, and any subsequent dates set for the submission of revised manuscripts following peer review. We appreciate that the extent of revisions required for different manuscripts may vary and our publication schedule is set to accommodate this. However, whilst we will do all we can to expedite the process of those manuscripts rejected with resubmission encouraged, out of fairness to all authors and to maintain timeliness, we cannot guarantee inclusion within the Special Collection. We would of course include your article in the next available regular issue once accepted. We therefore advise you to submit your manuscript by the deadline if possible.
For final preparation, please refer to the full Author Guidelines of Plants, People, Planet or New Phytologist, depending on the inviting journal for your submission. Please note, these guidelines contain detailed information on how to compile your manuscript, style and legal requirements for each journal.
Special Collection publication process
Papers accepted for publication will be published in regular issues of Plants, People, Planet or New Phytologist as they become ready, before then being compiled together in a joint virtual collection with an overarching Editorial that discusses the papers and key themes.
Contact
All informal enquiries should be directed to Bennett Young, Coordinator for this Special Collection and Managing Editor, Plants, People, Planet (ppp@lancaster.ac.uk).
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