Instructions for Authors

1. Submission Requirements & Publication Fees

To sustain the Diamond Open Access model , the International Journal of Odonatology operates a transparent production fee structure in lieu of membership requirement or standard article processing charges, as established by the WDA:

Membership Requirement 

The corresponding author must be an active member in good standing of the WDA. Membership can be arranged via the WDA website prior to submission.

Standard Articles

A standard article — defined as a manuscript occupying 7-12 printed pages, with a maximum of 2 figures and 1 table, and typically around 6,000 words excluding abstract and references — is published free of charge provided that the corresponding author is a WDA member. 

Please note: A standard article is defined as up to 12 pages in the final journal layout. The final page count is determined by the density of figures, tables, and formatting. Authors uncertain whether their manuscript falls within this range are encouraged to contact the editors before submission.

Extended or Complex Articles 

Manuscripts exceeding 12 pages in the final layout, or those containing more than 2 figures/1 table will incur modest additional production costs of £8.00 per additional item (figure, table, or excess page). Authors in this situation may reduce or eliminate these costs through the following options:

• Membership Waiver: Additional fees may be waived in full if at least two contributing authors are active WDA members in good standing.

• Supplementary Online Material: Additional figures, tables, or data may be submitted as Supplementary Online Material at no extra cost for authors.

  
  

Voluntary Article Processing Charge 

Authors with access to institutional or grant funding are warmly invited to contribute a voluntary Article Processing Charge (APC) of £260. This is the equivalent to the journal’s full production cost per article.  

Unlike mandatory APCs in other journals, this contribution is entirely optional — but it makes a direct and meaningful difference. Every voluntary APC relieves the WDA of production costs that would otherwise fall on the association, thus ensuring the long term viability of our Diamond Open Access publishing model. This is particularly significant for researchers in the Global South, for whom paywalls and APCs represent a major barrier to both accessing and publishing scientific literature.

 2. Manuscript Preparations

File Format: 

Manuscripts must be submitted in .doc or .docx format via the journal's submission portal (ScholarOne).

References:

• In-text citations involving multiple works must be listed in alphabetical order by first author surname, not chronologically (e.g. Sánchez, 2022; Smith, 2020).  

• The final reference list must be strictly alphabetical.

• Authors must include active hyperlinks (DOIs) in the reference section, where available.

• An output style in Endnote (IJO.ens) or Zotero style are available for download on the WDA website.

Terminology: 

• Wing venation terminology must follow Riek & Kukalová-Peck (1984). 

• Anatomical terms must follow Tennessen (2019).

3. Figures & Data

• Image resolution: 1200 dpi for line art; 600 dpi for grayscale; 300 dpi for color.

• File submission: Save figures as separate TIFF or EPS files. Do not embed figures in the main text file.

• Data Availability: A Data Availability Statement is mandatory for all submissions. This statement should specify where the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed, or explain why data cannot be shared. 

Style Guidelines Summary