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CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED FOR 1997 ISSUE OF THE ESSEX NATURALIST
All members should by now have received their new-look Essex Naturalist. This issue
marks the end of the journal as a series of monographs and a return to the original format
of a paper-carrying journal. Together with the Newsletter, the Essex Field Club now has,
therefore, two excellent publications which together cover the whole spectrum of
publishing on the Essex Flora and Fauna. The Newsletter will continue to carry shorter
contributions, anecdotal information, announcements and the like, whilst The Essex
naturalist will carry more "scientific" papers, notes and communications covering all
aspects of Essex flora, fauna, geology, ecology and conservation.
However, members should not be put off by the statement that the journal will be
"scientific", since it is my intention as editor to make it a highly reader-friendly
publication. After all, the puipose of publishing papers is to make the information they
contain available to people who will be able to use it or benefit from it, so there is little
point in producing something that members can't understand. The main difference is that
all contributions will be subjected to peer review before acceptance. This means that what
we publish in the journal should be of the highest standard of quality and accuracy.
I would hope that the journal would contain a balance of contributions, covering each of
the five main headings of botany, invertebrates, vertebrates, geology and conservation in
each issue, as well as annual reports from the Club's Recorders. Something for everyone!
But all this does rather depend on me receiving enough suitable material.
So, how can members help? Very easily, in fact - by writing something and sending it to
me. As well as carrying larger "papers" the journal will also carry shorter notes of interest
to Essex naturalists, reviews of books of relevance to the county and probably other
contributions too. 1 have already received a major contribution on the bats of Essex,
currently with a referee, and other contributions are positively welcomed at my home
address, be they major papers or shorter articles of interest. If a short contribution is not
appropriate for the journal, the chances are we will put it in the Newsletter, so whatever
you want to say will be said!
If you are a keen naturalist/geologist and have something that you think is worth
publishing please feel free to either send me a draft or telephone me first to discuss its
suitability. If you are not sure whether or not what you have to share is worthy, send it
anyway and let me decide. Very often the best and most important contributions are short
notes from people who did not realise the significance of their information. Anyone who
has ever done any bird survey work for the BTO will be fully aware how an individual
contribution, no matter how small, can make an awful lot of sense when put together with
similar small contributions from lots of other people. That is just what a journal is about -
sharing information with others that have similar interests. First time authors are very
welcome indeed to telephone me for help. Authorship is by no means restricted to
established "experts" although we want their contributions too.
One final think - if you have a PC compatible word processor, I would be very happy to
receive your contribution on a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk, though this is not compulsory and in
any case 1 would also like a paper copy as well. However, please only send disks from
stand-alone computers. If your computer is networked or is accessed by people other than
yourself then there is a very serious risk of computer virus infection and you should
telephone me first before sending disks. This is especially the case when disks have
originated in computers at universities or hospitals.
All contributions or books for review should be sent directly to me ...
Colin W. Plant
14 West Road, Bishoips Stortford, Herts, CM23 3QP. Telephone 01279-507697.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 21, May 1997