Author Guidelines

This document is intended as a summary of policies and style requirements for authors. In all cases, BRIT Press policies govern and supersede the guidance provided here.

Journal Scope & Aims

Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (ISSN 1934-5259) (formerly Sida, Contributions to Botany) is an international journal of systematic botany containing primary research papers including anatomy, biogeography, chemotaxonomy, cladistics, ecology, floristics, genetics & evolution, morphology, numerical taxonomy, paleobotany, palynology, and botanical history. Geographic coverage is global.

Key Submission Requirements

  • Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. As of 2025, digital issues are published quarterly. Print compilation issues are produced twice annually. 
  • Authors must submit manuscripts using the JBRIT manuscript template, available here.
  • All manuscripts should be submitted through our online portal.
  • Embed tables, figures and captions, and appendices in the submission file following the references, in the order: 1) tables, 2) figures and captions, and 3) appendices. The submission portal will also accept standalone files.

Language

Manuscripts are accepted in English or Spanish. All papers must include both an English and Spanish abstract; translation assistance may be provided upon request. Authors are encouraged to include additional abstracts in languages relevant to their research to support broader accessibility and knowledge repatriation.

Peer Review

Submissions are first evaluated by editors to determine whether the paper adheres to the Journal Scope and Aims and can move on to peer review.

JBRIT uses single-blind peer review, usually with two reviewers. Authors may suggest potential reviewers or request the exclusion of specific individuals, with appropriate justification.

In limited cases, works that have undergone independent peer review prior to submission may be considered. Authors must disclose the nature of this review, including reviewer expertise and any potential conflicts of interest. Authors must provide the reviewer’s comments or annotated manuscript where available. Reviews conducted by individuals with a direct stake in the work may not be considered independent.

All submissions remain subject to BRIT Press editorial evaluation and may undergo additional peer review at the discretion of the Editor.

Author Costs

All articles published in JBRIT are published as open access. A mandatory open access fee of $100 USD is assessed for each accepted manuscript.

Page charges are currently $40 per page. Corresponding authors who are current JBRIT subscribers are eligible for a 15% discount on total page charges. Corresponding authors in an early stage of their career or based in a Research4Life listed country are eligible for additional page cost support.

Figures

For review, figures (including maps) may be embedded within the manuscript. All figures should be presented as a single, unified sequence and numbered consecutively.

A scale bar must be included within the image where appropriate. Photographs should be sharp, high-contrast, and of sufficient quality to ensure accurate reproduction.

Images are accepted in most standard formats (e.g., TIFF, JPEG, high-resolution PDF). If submitting your own scans, use the following guidelines:

  • Black-and-white line drawings: 600 dpi or higher
  • Halftones and color images: 300 dpi at final reproduction size (maximum width: 5.5 inches)

The full-page image area is 5½ × 8 inches (32.5 × 48 picas; 138 × 202 mm).

Color figures may be accepted; however, additional charges may apply.

Tables and Appendices

Tables and appendices should be presented as a unified, single sequence of tables and appendices. Placement order of these sections immediately following references: 1) tables, 2) figures, 3) appendices.

Families

Authors are encouraged to use the APG IV families, which can be accessed through the Missouri Botanical Garden research site (Angiosperm Phylogeny Website).

Specimen Citations

Label information should be presented in the original language; translation is not required. Units of measurement should follow those used on the original label (e.g., metric or standard/English).

Citations should include the collector’s last name (or full name) and collection number (or s.n.), both in italics.

Months should be abbreviated using the first three letters without a period (e.g., Jan, Feb, Mar).

Geographic hierarchy (country, state/region/subdivision) should be separated by periods, with a colon following the final element to separate locality names from the locality text.

U.S.A. Texas. Jeff Davis Co.: 1 mi W of Fort Davis, 3 Jan 1972, Smith 118 (BRIT).

BRAZIL. Bahia: Serra da Agua de Rega, 23 km N of Seabra, road to Agua de Rega, ca. 1000 m, 24 Feb 1971 (fr), Irwin et al. 30894 (HB, MBM, MO, NY).

Type Citations

Ageratina thyrsiflora (E. Greene) R. King & H. Robinson, Phytologia 19:227. 1970. Kyrstenia thyrsiflora E. Greene, Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1:9. 1903. Eupatorium thyrsiflorum (E. Greene) B.L. Robinson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 43:36. 1907. Type: MEXICO. Chihuahua: Southwestern Chihuahua, Aug 1885, E. Palmer 275 (lectotype, designated here: US, internet image!).

Eupatorium arborescens M.E. Jones, Contr. West. Bot. 12:43. 1908. Type: MEXICO. Chihuahua: Sierra Madre Mts., Guayanopa Canon, 3600 ft alt., in the Tropical Life Zone, 24 Sep 1903, M.E. Jones s.n. (lectotype, designated here: RSA-POM 41799, photocopy!; isolectotype: RSA-POM 41800, photocopy!).

Koanophyllon palmeri (A. Gray) R. King & H. Robinson, Phytologia 22:150. 1971. Eupatorium palmeri A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 21: 383. 1886. Gray did not cite a specific collection but noted “type locality, ‘shady places high up in mountains above Batopilas.’” Type: MEXICO. [Chihuahua]: Southwestern Chihuahua, Aug–Nov 1885, Palmer 144 (lectotype, designated here: GH!; isolectotype: US, internet image!).

Eupatorium thyrsiflorum var. holoclerum B.L. Robinson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 43:36. 1907. Type: MEXICO. Durango: City of Durango and vicinity, Apr–Nov 1896, E. Palmer 755 (holotype: GH; isotypes: MO!, US, internet image!).

Eupatorium solidaginifolium A. Gray, Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5) [Pl. Wright. 1]:87. 1852. Type: U.S.A.: “Collected in Expedition from Western Texas to El Paso, New Mexico, May–Oct, 1849, by Charles Wright” [as on label], Wright 256 (holotype: GH, photocopy!; isotype: GH, photocopy!).

Chromolaena bigelovii (A. Gray) R. King & H. Robinson, Phytologia 20:208. 1970. Eupatorium bigelovii A. Gray in Torrey, Rep. U.S. & Mex. Bound. Survey, Bot. 75. 1859. Type: U.S.A.: [locality uncertain but probably along the Texas-Coahuila boundary, 1848–1855], J.M. Bigelow 12 (probable holotype: GH, photocopy!).

Bellis ciliata Raf. var. triflora Raf., New Fl. N. Amer. 2:25. 1837. Astranthium integrifolium (Michx.) Nutt. var. triflorum (Raf.) Shinners, Sida 2:348. 1966. Type: U.S.A. Texas. Fannin Co.: 4 mi N of Bonham, sandy ditch bank, 10 Jun 1945, L.H. Shinners 7842 (Neotype, designated here: SMU!).

Erigeron peregrinus (Banks ex Pursh) Greene var. thompsonii (Blake ex J.W. Thompson) Cronquist, Brittonia 6:144. 1947. Erigeron thompsonii Blake ex J.W. Thompson, Rhodora 34:238. 1932. Type: U.S.A. Washington, Grays Harbor Co.: open bog near Lake Quinault, 10 Jul 1931, J.W. Thompson 7336 (holotype: US!; isotypes: GH!, K, MO!, UC).

For more examples click here.

Authority Citations

Use the author abbreviations as given in the Author Abbreviations compiled at the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1992).

Use et or the ampersand (&) between two authors; for more than two authors, restrict to the first one followed by et al. Do not italicize or underline in the manuscript the terms et, et al., ex, or in.

Plant names in the text should include authorship or clearly state the botanical nomenclature being followed.

Latin Descriptions or Diagnoses; English Descriptions

In July 2011, the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature was revised and became the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Melbourne Code) (Regnum Vegetabile 154. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag KG. ISBN 978-3-87429-425-6). Under the new guidelines, descriptions for new taxa are no longer required to be in Latin (Chapter V, Section 2, Article 39.2).

Authors should provide a full description and diagnosis for each new taxon in either Latin or English. A Spanish version may follow the Latin/English diagnosis if submitting a Spanish-language manuscript. Write plant descriptions as incomplete sentences with phrases separated by semicolons.

A Poa diaboli Soreng & D.J. Keil plantis dioeciis? (versus sequente gynomonoeciis), surculo sterili tantum extravaginali...

Plants perennial; dioecious (?); short rhizomatous and stoloniferous, loosely tufted, tillers extravaginal.

Acknowledgments

Authors are encouraged to acknowledge the herbaria consulted in the preparation of their manuscript. Such acknowledgment supports institutional recognition and may assist herbaria in demonstrating their value to host institutions and funding agencies.

Authors are also encouraged to recognize and thank reviewers for their time and expertise. Even in cases of anonymous review, authors may include a general acknowledgment (e.g., “We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments”), recognizing the essential role reviewers play in strengthening the clarity, rigor, and impact of the work.

References

This section must include all of the literature cited in the text and may include other article citations the author deems desirable.

In-text references should be cited as follows:

  • When a reference is used as authority for a statement, use "Ricketson and Pipoly (1997) stated..." or "the latest revision (Ricketson & Pipoly 1997)..." Note the use of the word "and" outside of parentheses and "&" within parentheses.
  • When there are three or more authors, use only the name of the first author followed by et al.: "Barrie et al. (1992a)"
  • In a list of parenthetical citations, arrange citations chronologically, then alphabetically, and separate the citations with a semicolon: "...by previous researchers (Williams 1970; Davis 2004; Marshall 2004)." If websites are referenced, then include the name of the website, URL, and the date accessed.
  • Do not italicize "et al." in the text. Do include the period after "al" as it is an abbreviation for "et alii/aliae."

End of article references should be cited as follows:

  • Arrange references alphabetically and chronologically, making use of a, b, etc. if an author had more than one publication in a given year.
  • Use capital and lowercase for author names, and initialize all given names. Do not use spaces between multiple initials of a single author (Smith, A.B., not Smith, A. B.).
  • Only the first letter of the initial word, proper nouns, and proper adjectives of both article titles and book titles should be capitalized.
  • Journal names should be capitalized and abbreviated as designated by Botanico-Periodicum-Huntianum.
  • There is no space after the colon when listing journal number and page numbers (Sida 4:1--21, not Sida 4: 1--21).
  • Italicize all genus and species names.
  • Do not italicize journal titles or book titles.
  • You do not have to indent each citation. We will format the entire list at once with hanging indent after submission.
  • Include the Digital Identifier or DOI or stable URL of the article, if one is available.
  • For all other formatting questions, see examples below.

Typical journal article citations
Barrie, F.R., C.E. Jarvis, & J.L. Reveal. 1992a. The need to change Article 8.3 of the Code. Taxon 41:508--512. doi:10.2307/1222822

Calviño, C.I., S.G. Martínez, & S.R. Downie. 2008b. The evolutionary history of Eryngium (Apiaceae, Saniculoideae): Rapid radiations, long-distance dispersals, and hybridizations. Molec. Phylogen. Evol. 46:1129--1150. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.10.021

Ishihara, M.I. 2013. Role of axis reversal from the short-shoot to long-shoot habit for crown maintenance in slow-growing Betula maximowicziana trees. Amer. J. Bot. 100:346--356. doi:10.3732/ajb.1200443

Ricketson, J. & J. Pipoly. 1997. A synopsis of the genus Gentlea (Myrsinaceae) and a key to the genera of Myrsinaceae in Mesoamerica. Sida 17:697--707. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9303703

Citation with many authors
Liu, J. (& 15 others). 2007. Complexity of coupled human and natural systems. Science 317:1513--1516. doi:10.1126/science.1144004

(This type of author notation is recommended only for articles that have more than 10 authors. If the article has 10 authors or less, please list the name of each author in the reference section.)

Citations within larger works (larger work a book)
Crawford, D.J. 1983. Phylogenetic and systematic inferences from electrophoretic studies. In: S.D. Tanksley & T.J. Orton, eds. Isozymes in plant genetics and breeding, Part A. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Pp. 257--287.

Citations within larger works (larger work a series)
Thieret, J.W. & R.K. Rabeler. 2005. Vaccaria. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Oxford University Press, New York, U.S.A., and Oxford, U.K. 5:156.

Citation of websites
TexasInvasives.org. 2007. Available at texasinvasives.org. Accessed March 2008.

Citation of editors
Sivinski, R.C. & K. Lightfoot, eds. 1995. Inventory of rare and endangered plants of New Mexico. Misc. Pub. No. 4. New Mexico Forestry and Resources Conservation Division: Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Abbreviations

When the following abbreviations are used the period is omitted. A single space is inserted between a number and its units (e.g., 5 cm; 50 mm).

  • Distance: mm, dm, cm, m, km, ft, mi
  • Directions (in caps): S, N, E, W
  • Months: first 3 letters only, Jan, Feb, etc.

Example: Potter Co.: 2 km W of Dot, 5 Jun 1971, Smith 118 (SMU).

Ranges

When communicating a range of any kind (date range, measurement range, page number range), please use either double-dashes (--) or an EN-DASH (–) to separate the endpoints of the range. Single-dashes, triple-dashes, or EM-DASHES are incorrect.

Coordinates

When communicating geospatial coordinates please use the following as formatting examples. Note where commas are used, where spaces are used, and where spaces are lacking (e.g., between degrees and subunits).

  • Decimal Degrees: 32.7420°N, 97.3625°W or 32.7420°, -97.3625°
  • Degrees, Decimal Minutes: 32°44.522'N, 97°21.751'W or 32°44.522', -97°21.751'
  • Degrees, Minutes, Decimal Seconds: 32°44'31.3"N, 97°21'45.1"W or 32°44'31.3", -97°21'45.1"
  • UTM: 14 653418E, 3623876N (Zone Easting, Northing)
  • TRS: NW1/4 of NE1/4 of S14 T7N R69W or T7N R69W S14

Plant Chromosome Numbers

Refer to Sida 21(3):1663. 2005.

Floristic Papers

Floristic manuscripts must provide analysis and context beyond a simple species list. Submissions should emphasize the distinctiveness of the study area, including:

  • Physical characteristics
  • Cultural and historical information
  • Land use history
  • Climate
  • Major vegetational habitats
  • Rare/endangered/special concern taxa
  • New county records
  • State records
  • Disjuncts
  • Invasives

Annotated checklists are strongly encouraged. Authors should provide ecological and distributional notes where possible, including information on rare, endangered, or otherwise noteworthy taxa. Indicate state and federal conservation status, and highlight endemics, disjunct populations, invasive species, new county or state records, and other significant distributional findings.

Discussion of conservation issues is encouraged and adds substantial value to floristic studies.

Authors should also report the number of state-listed species (e.g., as designated by a Heritage Program, where applicable) and summarize taxonomic representation across county occurrence classes, where relevant, to support broader conservation interpretation.

Range Extensions

Range extension papers will only be considered for publication when the taxon being reported represents a new state record, significant disjunct, documented exotic/invasive, rare and/or endangered, or is a rare endemic.

Have a question?

Email editor Craig Meyer cmeyer@fwbg.org.