Microsoft Word - Letter from the Editors[3].doc ETHNOBIOLOGY LETTERS                                                                                                          Introductory Letter      1 Letter from the Editors Introducing Ethnobiology Letters  Steve Wolverton 1 , Cynthia Fowler 2 , David Cozzo 3    Author Addresses:  1 University of North Texas, Department of Geography, Denton, TX 76203,   2 Wofford College, Department of  Sociology, Spartanburg, South Carolina 29303,  3 North Carolina State University, RTCAR, Cherokee, NC 28710  EthnobiologyLetters@gmail.com    Received: July 12 th  2010                     Volume 1:1‐2  Published:                  © 2010 Society of Ethnobiology    Ethnobiology Letters (EBL) is a peer-reviewed journal for short papers on topics related to ‘the study of human and plant and animal interactions.’ The journal was created to address a few needs that were explicated during the Society of Ethnobiology annual board meeting in 2010 in Victoria, BC. First, there is no outlet dedicated to publishing short papers for ethnobiologists. Second, the Journal of Ethnobiology, from time to time, receives papers that present important data but that do not fit the mission of the journal to publish full-length, problem-oriented articles. Finally, the Journal of Ethnobiology is published twice per year; an open-access journal will publish a stream of papers between the two issues. To address these concerns, we decided to create a new complementary journal for the purpose of partnering with the Journal of Ethnobiology and our new, online monograph series Contributions in Ethnobiology. We immediately envisioned an open-access fully online journal to fill this niche, and EBL was born. We are interested in publishing a variety of types of papers, which we discuss in the rest of this letter. Research Communications Research Communications are short case studies that include description of methods, results, and brief discussion of the implications of results. These papers will be tight, short papers that deftly handle small problem-oriented case studies. By no means are these studies to be exhaustive and compre- hensive; rather, their appeal should be their brevity and clarity. We envision topical studies with small scopes in ethnoscience, ethnoinguistics, archaeology, and other branches of ethnobiology. These could also include targeted ethnographic accounts, ethno- historical background, and indigenous perspectives that clarify or contextualize specific topics relevant to ethnobiology. Perspectives Perspectives present essays about informed opinions, scholarly memoirs, and instructive stories relevant to ethnobiology. These essays may be purely theoretical, important anecdotes, critiques, or short empirical studies that back a theoretical position or an opinion. Papers that ‘set the tone’ on an issue, that engage in vigorous debate, or that defend scholarly positions are especially welcome as Perspectives. We also welcome responses to preceding Perspectives. We anticipate these kinds of papers to challenge members of the discipline through presentation of new and/or provocative ideas. Data, Methods & Taxonomies Data, Methods & Taxonomies portray innovative approaches and/or communicate ethnobiological data, such as plant taxa and linguistic notes. One impetus for publishing EBL is to provide a forum for short contributions that are not very problem- oriented and that may be entirely descriptive. For example, many a zooarchaeologist or paleoethno- botanist boasts notebooks full of precise morph- ological criteria that might be used to separate closely related plant or animal taxa, the remains of which are recovered from archaeological sites. In particular, studies that assess and validate or invalidate particular methods are welcome. In addition to data and methods papers, often important taxonomic lists of plants and animals from field studies should be published so that they are available for wider scholarly use. These lists should be ethnographically contextualized to broaden the impact of their publication. We anticipate publishing such lists with short assessments as to their importance in EBL. Book Reviews In the past, book reviews have been published in the Journal of Ethnobiology. However, since the Society only ETHNOBIOLOGY LETTERS                                                                                                          Introductory Letter      2 publishes two issue of the Journal per year, it is important to preserve space in the Journal for longer pieces. An advantage of publishing book reviews through EBL is that these important essays are made available rapidly through a very accessible forum. We anticipate publishing a greater number of book reviews, and we encourage our readers to submit reviews of intriguing books as often as possible. Book reviews are not peer-reviewed but are read and edited by EBL editors. Letter from the Editors Periodically we will write short opinion pieces that touch on issues relevant to the ethnobiologists or that solicit perspectives related to particular prob- lems and issues. We look forward to publishing a variety of brief papers. Paper Format Authors may send submissions as attachment in an email to EthnobiologyLetters@gmail.com. Texts are limited to 5000 words, 30 cited references, two figures, and one data table. Ethnobiology Letters follows the style guidelines of the Journal of Ethnobiology. Ethnobiology Letters appears in one volume per year and the number of papers varies annually. Papers are grouped by type and paginated in their order of appearance in each volume. Welcome to EBL.