About Freshwater Science

Freshwater Science (FWS) publishes articles that advance understanding and environmental stewardship of all types of inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, subterranean, and estuaries) and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains). Papers on aspects of estuarine and marine science that complement or add perspective to the understanding of freshwater ecosystems are appropriate. The editors welcome a wide range of topics, including: physical, chemical, and biological properties of lentic and lotic habitats; ecosystem processes; structure and dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems; ecology, systematics, and genetics of freshwater organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates; linkages between freshwater and other ecosystems and between freshwater ecology and other aquatic sciences; bioassessment, conservation, and restoration; environmental management; and new or novel methods for basic or applied research.

Submissions can range from full-length treatments to short papers. Short papers should tell a complete story and be supported by data. Reviews, meta-analyses, perspectives, and book reviews are welcome. Theoretical discussions and critical appraisals of rapidly developing research fields will be considered, as will articles that critically evaluate communication of scientific information to policy makers, resource managers, and the general public. Articles of interest to a broad audience that address environmental policy and applications of science to policy and management also are welcome, but the journal publishes scholarly communications that are grounded in science rather than advocacy.

Special series in FWS

FWS currently publishes regular articles, book reviews, special series of papers on particular themes, and articles in 4 special series:

The Rosemary Mackay Fund (RMF) has been discontinued. Speculative, forward-thinking, or philosophical manuscripts should be submitted for consideration as Perspectives articles.

Perspectives articles should express ideas, points of view, or comments on topics of interest to freshwater scientists. New and original papers or comments on items already published in J-NABS or FWS are welcome, as is speculation likely to stimulate worthwhile discussion. Alternative viewpoints should be instructive rather than merely contradictory or argumentative. Format and style may be less formal than for research papers; large data sets are not appropriate. Contact the Editor for further information.

BRIDGES is a forum for contrasting or complementary perspectives on new and emerging ideas in aquatic science. Clusters of short articles offering different perspectives within a topic area are welcome. Topics that build across disciplines are preferred, e.g., integrating public policy and science, improving communication among scientists and other communities, or linking scientific disciplines. Authors or guest editors with ideas for topics should contact Bridges Editors, Ashley Moerke (amoerke@lssu.edu) or Allison Roy (roy@kutztown.edu).

Comments provide the opportunity to offer substantive comments, criticisms, or corrections related to articles published in J-NABS or FWS within the past year. Comments should be brief (≤3 pp.); tables and figures should be avoided. Contact the Editor for information.

FastTracked
Short papers with the potential for immediate impact (scientific, applied, management, or policy issues and Comments) can be FastTracked to ensure the most rapid turn around time possible. Papers should be ≤8 pp. and must be accompanied by a cover letter that justifies the need for such handling. Contact the Editor for information.

History of the journal

The history of the Journal of the North American Benthological Society (J-NABS) was described in detail in 2005 by the journal’s first Editor, Rosemary J. Mackay, in her book Beneath the Surface: A history of the North American Benthological Society 1953 to 2003 (Mackay 2005). J-NABS was preceded by volumes 1–4 of Freshwater Invertebrate Biology, founded in 1981 by Jerry Kaster, who offered his journal to the North American Benthological Society in 1983. In 1986, the first issue of J-NABS (5/1), edited by Rosemary Mackay, was published. In 1997, the editorship passed to David Rosenberg, who brought the journal online in 2000. In 2005, Pamela Silver became the Editor of J-NABS. The role of J-NABS in advancing benthic science was detailed in a special 25th Anniversary Issue, published in 2010 (29/1; Silver and Steinman 2010 and papers therein). On 25 May 2011, the members of the North American Benthological Society (NABS) voted to change the name of their society to Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) and to change the title of the society’s journal from Journal of the North American Benthological Society (J-NABS) to Freshwater Science (FWS). On 2 December 2011, one day after the print publication of the 104th issue of J-NABS (30/4), the title of the journal changed officially to Freshwater Science (FWS).

Editorial board

The quality of a journal rests with its Editorial Board. FWS Associate Editors oversee all aspects of the peer-review process. The Editorial Board is an international group of 25 to 35 subject-area experts. Associate Editors are chosen on the basis of their expertise, reviewing history, and demonstrated commitment to excellence and to the journal. Associate Editors are appointed for three-year terms, and many serve for more than one term. The current list of Associate Editors and contact information is available here.

Referees

FWS sincerely thanks the many referees who provided reviews of manuscripts during 2011. The following referees have provided excellent reviews recently.

Copyrights and permissions

Copyright permissions may be obtained by sending an email to the Editor, Pamela Silver (psb3@psu.edu). Please see the detailed policies regarding copyrights and permissions.

Indexing

Freshwater Science and the Journal of the North American Benthological Society are abstracted and indexed in Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts, Biological Abstracts, BioOne, BIOSIS, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Current Contents/Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences, JSTOR, and Science Citation Index.