Instructions for the authors Meiofauna Marina continues the journal Microfauna Marina. It invites papers on all aspects of permanent and temporary marine meiofauna, especialls those dealing with their taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, morphology and ultrastructure. Manuscripts on the evolution of marine meiofauna are also welcome. Publication of larger reviews or special volumes are possible, but need to be requested for. Meiofauna Marina will be published once a year. All contributions undergo a thorough process of peer-review. Manuscript format Manuscripts must be in English with metric units throughout. All parts of the manuscript must be typed, double-spaced, with margins at least 2.5 cm. Number all pages. Submit original plus 2 copies to facilitate reviewing and editing. Online-submission of manuscripts via the Meiofauna Marina homepage (under construction!) is also possible and appreciated. Page 1: Cover page including title of the paper; name(s) and address(es) of author(s); number of figures and tables. Suggest up to 5 keywords not in the title, and a short running title of no more than 50 characters. Indicate to which author correspondence and proofs should be sent; include e-mail, phone and fax numbers for this person. Page 2: Concise abstract summarizing the main findings, conclusions, and their significance. Page 3: and following pages: The Introduction, usually a brief account of background and goals, must be titled. Subsequent sections also bear titles, usually Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements and References, but these may vary to suit the content. Subsections may be subtitled (don´t number subtitles). Figure legends, tables, and footnotes (in that order) should follow on extra pages following the References. Citations and references Complete data for all published works and theses cited, and only those cited, must be listed in References in alphabetical order; include papers accepted for publication (Cramer, in press), but not those merely submitted or in preparation. In the text, cite works in chronological order: (Smith & Ruppert 1988; Cook et al. 1992; Ax 1998a, b). Cite unpublished data and manuscripts from one of the autors (Smith, unpublished) or other individuals (EE Ruppert, pers. comm.) with no entry in References. Consult BIOSIS for journal-title abbreviations. Examples of Reference style: Pesch GG, Müller C & Pesch CE (1988) Chromosomes of the marine worm Nephtys incisa (Annelida: Polychaeta). Ophelia 28: 157-167. Fish AB & Cook CD (1992) Mussels and other edible Bivalves. Roe Publ., New York. Smith XY (1993) Hydroid development. In: Development of Marine Invertebrates, vol. 2, Jones MN (ed), pp. 123-199. Doe Press, New York. Illustrations and data Whenever practical, present data in graphs rather than in tables. In designing tables, figures, and multiple-figure plates, keep in mind the final page size and proportions: 140 mm wide and maximally 195 mm high. Figures may occupy one column (65 mm) or two columns (140 mm). Details of all figures (graphs, line drawings, halftones) must be large enough to remain clear after reduction; type should be 1.5 mm high after reduction. Please submit original line drawings; they will be reduced to final size by the publisher. Figures for review must be fully labelled. Copies (submitted as hard copies or online) must be sufficiently good for reviewers to judge their quality. Include a scale bar and its value in each figure (value may be stated in the legend); do not use magnification. Authors are encouraged to submit extra, unlabelled photographs or drawings (black and white or colour) to be considered for the back cover of the journal. For final publication, photographic prints must be mounted, leaving no space between multiple prints on a plate. Protect each figure with a tissue cover sheet, and keep all materials within the size of the manuscript sheets, for safe and easy mailing. Scientific names For all species studied, the complete scientific name with taxonomic author and date (e.g., Hesionides arenaria Friedrich, 1937) should be given either at the first mention in the text of the paper or in the Material and Methods, but not in the title or abstract. Thereafter, use the full binomial (Hesionides arenaria) at the first mention in each section of the paper, and then abbreviate (H. arenaria, not Hesionides unless referring to the genus). Names for higher taxa should refer to monophyletic units, not to paraphyla (use, e.g., Macrostomida or Dinophilidae but not designations such as Turbellaria or Archiannelida). International nomenclature conventions must be observed, especially the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (IRZN). The Latin name of any taxon is treated as a singular noun, not a plural or an adjective. Strictly, a taxon should not be confused with its members (the taxon Cnidaria does not bear nematocysts, but cnidarians do). Avoid terms of Linnean classification above the genus level. Submitting a diskette To facilitate speed and accuracy of publication, authors should supply a diskette after acceptance of the manuscript. Authors should retain a computer file that corresponds exactly to the hard-copy manuscript. Use a single standard font, a single space between sentences, and a single tab to indent each paragraph; avoid justifying, hyphenating, etc. Specialized word-processing commands (except boldface, italics, superscript, subscript) will have to be stripped from the final file. Use italics for species and genus names only. Complete instructions for diskettes will be sent with notification of acceptance. Proofs, reprints, charges 20 reprints are free of charge. Color plates must be paid by the authors; the prize is up to 400,- Euro depending on request. Additional reprints can be ordered by the authors. Address manuscripts and editorial correspondence to one of the editors: Prof. Dr. Thomas Bartolomaeus or Dr. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa Zoomorphology and Systematics University of Bielefeld POB 100131 D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany email: email: a.schmidt-rhaesa@biologie.uni-bielefeld.de Fax: ++ 49-521-106-6426 Tel: ++ 49-521-106-2721 or ++ 49-521-106-2720