Guidelines for Authors (Cave & Karst Science)
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Scope of Articles
Our gold standard is a fully-peer-reviewed scientifc paper. However, we have
introduced further categories that set a progressively lower hurdle than a full peer review. The
categories are listed below.
- Scientific papers: These will be peer-reviewed by two referees and may cover
any aspect of karst or speleological science, including archaeology, biology, chemistry,
conservation, geology, geomorphology, history, hydrology and physics. Papers must be of a high
standard and written in good English. They will usually be up to 6,000 words in length.
- Reports: Shorter contributions, usually 500–3,000 words, on aspects of
karst or speleological science, as listed above, or more descriptive material, such as caving
expedition reports and technical articles. The Editorial Board will review manuscripts unless the
subject matter lies outside their fields of expertise, in which case assessment by an appropriate
expert will be sought.
- Features: Articles that do not fall readily into either the Paper or Report
categories. Such items might include, for example, new translations of historical milestone
publications, appreciations of the work of major contributors to the many cave and karst science
fields, or considerations of past activities and/or future ways forward in the cave and karst
sciences.
- Forum: Personal statements, normally up to 1,000 words, on topical issues;
discussion of published papers, and book reviews. Where appropriate, statements should put forward
an argument and make a case, backed-up by examples used as evidence.
- Abstracts: Authors (or supervisors) of undergraduate or postgraduate
dissertations on cave or karst themes are encouraged to submit abstracts for publication.
Abstracts of papers presented at conferences and symposiums are also welcome.
- Photo Feature: Introduced in 2022, this is intended to encourage cavers to
submit one to three photographs together with a brief explanation of their scientific
significance. More on this below.
In addition, recipients of research grants from BCRA are required to publish a paper or
report in Cave and Karst Science. Authors of online lectures and of talks at BCRA's cave
science symposiums are also encouraged to contribute to the journal . We also encourage cavers who
have an interest in science to send us reports or a brief note for the forum section.
Photo Features – new in 2022
As an experiment, to see if we can encourage more cavers to submit articles to Cave &
Karst Science, we have created – in volume 49(2); August 2022 – a Photo Feature
category of submission, comprising three photographs and a brief explanation of their scientific
significance. We hope that readers will find this of interest and will consider submitting
photographs and appropriate short texts for future Photo Features. It is also hoped that
inclusion of these ideally short and pithy contributions might stimulate equally tightly targeted
correspondence. Subject to receiving suitable material, our ambition is to include at least one
such feature in each future Cave and Karst Science issue.
David Lowe, editor C&KS, writes... The essential idea of the Photo Feature is
to present a brief illustrated comment about a topic that will inform those with interests in any
aspect(s) of the cave and karst sciences, but there is also scope for a wider interpretation of
the idea. For example, as in the Forum of Cave & Karst Science 49(3), a simple point of
obvious cave and karst interest might prompt lateral thinking into other, perhaps only tenuously
related, areas of interest. In other words, I think that potential contributors need to know that
they do not have to produce a mini-thesis restricted just to caves and karst. Let the
imagination spin and see what comes out of the prompting photograph(s)!
Examples of recent Photo Features
GUNN, John. (2022). Bubble Springs Cave, Lathkill Dale, Derbyshire: Britain's youngest
limestone cave. Cave and Karst Science 49(2), p84. Contents of volume
49(2). Download article doi.bcra.org.uk/cks146084.f
SIMMONDS, Vince. (2022). A 15th century inscription at Dead Man's Cave, Giggleswick in
the Yorkshire Dales. Cave and Karst Science 49(3), p136. Contents of
volume 49(3). Download article doi.bcra.org.uk/cks147136.f
SIMMONDS, Vince. (2023). Derived or 'unconformable' corals, exposed in Land of Hope
and Glory, Wookey Hole, Mendip, UK. Cave and Karst Science 50(1), p48.
Contents of volume 50(1). Download article
doi.bcra.org.uk/cks148048.f
Manuscript Style
Text should be presented in a style as close as possible to that used by Cave and Karst
Science. Subheadings within an article should follow our practice. Further detailed information is
available on the inside front cover of each issue – see Guidelines in C&KS 51(2), August 2024
Publication Fees
If your manuscript is accepted for publication, you will have the option of publishing
your article either as Open Access or Subscription Access.
Open Access means that the article can be freely downloaded, and that it will be
marked as meeting the open access requirements of UKRI.org.
Subscription Access means that access requires the reader to obtain a user ID and to log
in. User IDs are issued free to BCRA members. A free monthly login is available to all applicants
and there are other login options, for which the reader needs to pay a subscription fee.
The usual cost for publishing your article as Open Access is £75 per printed
page but if the author is a BCRA Member then this is reduced to £50. In some instances BCRA
funding may be available to support these costs, so please enquire with the editors. The charges
apply to Papers, Reports and Features. There is no fee for publishing your article as
Subscription Access.
IP Access v. Password Access
The online version of Cave & Karst Science usually requires readers to log in with a
User ID and Access Code. There are exceptions to this for Open Access articles, and other
items that are marked as free downloads. Institutions such as libraries and academic bodies can
also make use of IP-based access, where the institution will be logged in automatically if
its Internet IP addresses have been registered with us. This facility also extends to caving clubs
but please note that you must have a fixed (not dynamic) IP address for this to work. For further
info see BCRA Online Publications.
How to Submit Your Manuscript
Further information on...
- Scope of articles
- Manuscript style
- Submission media
- Manuscript format (text, symbols, tables, graphics, photos)
... is available on the inside cover of each issue of Cave & Karst Science.
View the Guidelines in Cave & Karst Science 51(2), August 2024.
Also see...
Summary Info for Authors |
Copyright | Editorial Advisory
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