The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition is to be used in regards to
questions of punctuation, abbreviation, and style. List all references in
alphabetical order on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.
References must be complete and in ABT style. Please review a past
issue for examples. Use first person and a friendly tone whenever
appropriate. Use concise words to emphasize your point rather than
capitalization, underlining, italics, or boldface. Use the SI (metric)
system for all weights and measures.
NOTE: All authors must be current members of NABT or a charge of
$100 per page must be paid before publication.
Several times a year the ABT has issues that focus on a specific area of
biology education. Future focus issues will be published in the ABT and
online at www.NABT.org. The editors highly encourage potential authors
to consider writing their manuscripts to align with the future focus topics.
Thank you for your interest in The American Biology Teacher.
We look forward to seeing your manuscripts soon.
William McComas, Editor-in-Chief, ABTEditor@nabt.org
Valerie Haff, Managing Editor, managingeditor@nabt.org
General Requirements
• When your article is accepted, we will require that figures be submitted
as individual figure files in higher resolution format. See below for file
format and resolution requirements.
• NOTE: Authors should be aware that color is rarely used within the
journal so all artwork, figures, tables, etc. must be legible in black
and white. If color is important to understanding your figures,
please consider alternative ways of conveying the information.
Halftone (photographic) figures
Digital files must meet the following guidelines:
• Minimum resolution of 300 DPI, though 600 DPI is preferred.
• Acceptable file formats are TIFF and JPEG.
• Set to one-column (3.5” wide) or two-column size (7” wide).
• If figure originates from a website, please include the URL in the
figure caption. Please note that screen captures of figures from a
website are normally too low in resolution for use.
Line art figures
• Minimum resolution of 600 DPI, though 1200 DPI is preferred.
• Acceptable file formats are TIFF, BMP, and EPS.
• Set to one-column (3.5” wide) or two-column size (7” wide).
If you have any questions, contact Valerie H ff at managingeditor@nabt.org.
Submissions of cover photographs from NABT
members are strongly encouraged. Covers are
selected based on the quality of the image,
originality, composition, and overall interest to life
science educators. ABT has high standards for cover
image requirements and it is important for potential
photographers to understand that the required size
of the cover image generally precludes images taken
with cell phones, point-and-shoot cameras, and even
some older model digital SLR cameras.
Please follow the requirements listed below.
1. Email possible cover images for review to
Assistant Editor, Kathleen Westrich at
kmwestrich@yahoo.com.
2. Choose images with a vertical subject
orientation and a good story to tell.
3. Avoid cropping the subject too tightly. It is best
to provide an area of background around
the subject.
4. Include a brief description of the image, details
of the shot ( i.e., circumstances, time of day, location, type of camera, camera settings, etc.), and
biographical information in your email message.
5. Include your name, home and email addresses,
and phone numbers where you can be reached.
6. Please ensure that the image meets the minimum standards for publication listed below and
has not been edited or enhanced in any way. The
digital file must meet the minimum resolution of
300 pixels per inch (PPI)—preferred is 400 PPI—
and a size of 8.5 x 11.25”. We accept TIFF or JPEG
images only.
7. For exceptional images, the editors will also
accept sharp, clear, color 35 mm slides. Submit
only the original; duplicates will not be accepted.
Be sure to clearly label slides with your name
and contact information in ink. Contact Assistant
Editor Kathy Westrich beforehand to discuss the
possibility of submitting a 35mm slide or other
non-digital format for consideration as an
ABT cover. a
