How to propose an Issue

Call for Ideas for Issues in Ecology

We invite submission of ideas for Issues in Ecology. Please send a title, a half page idea synopsis that emphasizes audience and potential impact, and a sentence or two describing yourself and your team’s interest and qualifications to Serita Frey, Editor-in-Chief (Serita.Frey@nullunh.edu). There is no set deadline for submission of ideas. Topics are discussed by the Issues in Ecology Scientific Advisory Board; decisions and requests for full proposals will be announced shortly thereafter. Issues in Ecology is an Ecological Society of America publication that uses commonly-understood language to report the consensus of a panel of scientific experts on issues related to the environment. The audience for Issues in Ecology includes decision-makers at all levels for whom an objective presentation of the underlying science will increase the occurrence of ecologically-informed decisions. Issues in Ecology aims to build public understanding of the links between ecosystem services and society.

Why consider developing an Issue in Ecology?

The ESA 2004 Visions Report stated that “Environmental issues will define the 21st Century, as will a world with a large human population and ecosystems that are increasingly shaped by human intervention.” The Ecological Society of America can and does play an important role in integrating advances in ecological knowledge into policy and management decisions that affect ecological sustainability. Issues in Ecology are widely used by educators, policy makers, and resource managers as an unbiased source for information that can communicate complex issues affecting global, national, and local environments and societies. By engaging in the development of an Issues in Ecology you will be helping to increase and promote the understanding of ecological science among the public. A typical Issue in Ecology will be 16-20 printed pages with ample photographs and illustrations and will be made available in both an electronic format and in print. 

Topics represent important ecological information in a balanced, unbiased way. Text for Issues is synthesized from a published body of knowledge, produces an overview of the state of the science, and is typically a product of a team that includes scientist authors and a professional science writer that represent the breadth of interpretation for the given topic. An Issue in Ecology can, but need not be, a synopsis of a more detailed synthesis that has been published in a scholarly journal such as Ecological Applications. We suggest looking over recent Issues in Ecology available on this website. The text for every Issues in Ecology is reviewed for technical content by external expert reviewers. While each Issue will stand alone, ESA will also consider publishing up to four Issues under one theme to address different aspects of broad ecological issues, such as the carbon cycle, ecology and agriculture, or causes or effects of climate change.