JES publishes original research, systematic reviews, methodological studies, and data resources that advance evolutionary science. Submissions should demonstrate rigorous methods, clear sampling and analytical decisions, and meaningful evolutionary relevance.

• Title page with author names, affiliations, and corresponding author details
• Structured abstract with objectives, methods, results, and conclusions
• Introduction that defines the evolutionary context and research gap
• Methods with sampling design, data sources, and model selection
• Results with support values, effect sizes, and confidence intervals
• Discussion linking findings to evolutionary theory or implications
• Conclusion highlighting key contributions and future directions

• Use clear headings and consistent terminology
• Define abbreviations, gene symbols, and taxon names at first use
• Provide units and denominators for rates and metrics
• Include figure legends that describe sample sizes and data sources
• Prepare tables in editable format with clear headings
• Label supplementary files clearly and reference them in the text

• Provide ethics approvals and permit statements
• Follow CONSORT for trials and STROBE for observational studies
• Use PRISMA for systematic reviews and ARRIVE when applicable
• Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources
• Describe limitations and generalizability

Authors should provide data availability statements and, when possible, deposit data in trusted repositories. Code or analysis pipelines should be shared or documented to support reproducibility.

• Include accession numbers or repository links
• Provide alignments, tree files, or matrices when applicable
• Describe preprocessing and quality control steps
• Document software versions and computational environments
• State any access restrictions for sensitive data

• Submit high resolution figures in standard formats
• Label axes and include units for quantitative plots
• Provide color blind friendly palettes when possible
• Ensure tables are editable and include footnotes

• Ensure references are complete and consistent
• Include DOIs where available
• Use standard citation formats
• Confirm all in text citations appear in the reference list

Studies involving specimens, fossils, or field collections should include clear provenance and permitting information. Authors should document where materials are archived and how they can be accessed.

• Provide voucher specimen IDs and repository details
• Describe collection permits or approvals
• Include fossil catalog numbers and stratigraphic context
• Document location data handling and any restrictions

JES uses single blind peer review. Reviewers evaluate study rigor, data quality, and clarity of reporting. Initial decisions are typically issued within two to four weeks depending on reviewer availability.

Accepted manuscripts move to production for copyediting, proof review, and DOI registration. Articles are published under CC BY 4.0 to support open access reuse with attribution.

Authors should review proofs promptly to confirm accuracy of figures, tables, and metadata.

APCs are applied after acceptance and cover peer review management, production, and archiving services. Partial waivers may be available for eligible authors. Contact the editorial office for guidance.

• Scope alignment confirmed
• Data availability statement included
• Taxon sampling and data sources documented
• Cover letter prepared with scope summary
• Ethics and permit statements included

For questions about formatting or submission steps, contact [email protected].

• Report study system, taxa selection, and sampling rationale.
• Provide voucher specimen IDs and repository details when applicable.
• Include GenBank, ENA, or DDBJ accession numbers for sequences.
• Provide alignment files and phylogenetic tree files for reuse.
• State evolutionary models used and model selection criteria.
• Report priors, calibration points, and clock models for divergence dating.
• Describe population sampling and geographic coverage.
• Report effective population size estimates and uncertainty intervals.
• Include details on recombination checks and filtering criteria.
• Describe genome assembly or annotation versions used.
• Provide software versions and parameter settings.
• State criteria for ortholog selection and gene filtering.
• Report phylogenetic support values and thresholds.
• Describe trait data sources and coding decisions.
• Provide morphological character matrices where relevant.
• Include fossil occurrence sources and stratigraphic context.
• Report biogeographic models and range coding approaches.
• Describe comparative methods and phylogenetic correction steps.
• Include replication counts, bootstrap support, or posterior summaries.
• Report data partitioning strategies and justification.
• Provide coalescent model assumptions and settings.
• Describe selection tests and multiple testing corrections.
• Report convergence diagnostics for Bayesian analyses.
• Provide code repositories and workflow documentation.
• Include sensitivity analyses for model assumptions.
• Report handling of missing data, gaps, and ambiguous bases.
• Describe demographic modeling and model fit criteria.
• Provide metrics for gene flow and introgression.
• Include contamination checks and quality control steps.
• Report sequence coverage and read depth thresholds.
• State criteria for species delimitation analyses.
• Describe phenotype measurements and error estimates.
• Provide climate or environmental covariates used.
• Report time calibration uncertainties and alternative scenarios.
• Include data availability statements for matrices and trees.
• Describe ethical permits for field sampling.
• Report museum collection numbers and specimen provenance.
• Include statistical power or sampling adequacy rationale.
• Describe cross validation or model comparison metrics.
• Provide reproducibility resources: scripts, containers, or pipelines.
• Report integration of genomic and phenotypic datasets.
• Clarify use of reference genomes and outgroups.
• Describe lineage diversification metrics and methods.
• Provide convergence across independent analyses.
• Report limitations and interpretive boundaries.
• Report sampling effort and rarefaction analyses when applicable.
• Provide replicate analyses across alternative alignments.
• Include tests for model adequacy and fit.
• Describe handling of paralogs and gene duplications.
• Report date of data acquisition and database versions.
• Provide details on rate heterogeneity models.
• Describe alignment trimming criteria and thresholds.
• Provide details on phenotype measurement protocols.
• Report functional validation assays if included.
• Describe trait evolution models tested.
• Provide details on ancestral state reconstruction methods.
• Report missing data patterns and sensitivity analyses.
• Include network analyses for hybridization or reticulation.
• Describe criteria for outlier removal.
• Document use of Bayesian versus ML frameworks.
• Provide justification for sampling across clades.
• Report root placement criteria and alternative roots.
• Include fossil calibration rationale and bounds.
• Report gene tree and species tree reconciliation methods.
• Describe genomic data filtering thresholds.
• Include details on molecular clock tests and diagnostics.
• Provide metadata for environmental variables used.
• Provide a structured abstract with clear objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Use consistent evolutionary terminology and define abbreviations at first use.
• Include a data availability statement with repository links or accession numbers.
• Report statistical tests, effect sizes, and confidence intervals where applicable.
• Describe study system, taxa, and evolutionary context.
• Provide clear figure legends and indicate sample sizes and data sources.
• Confirm references include DOIs where available and match in text citations.
• Disclose funding sources, grant numbers, and potential conflicts of interest.
• Report ethical approvals, permits, and collection compliance.
• Include a brief limitations statement that addresses generalizability.
• State whether preprints exist and disclose prior dissemination.
• Describe how raw data, alignments, and tree files can be accessed.

JES is committed to rigorous, transparent publishing in evolutionary science. We emphasize reproducible phylogenetic and population genetic analyses, clear reporting of model assumptions, and ethical compliance in field and laboratory research.

The editorial office supports authors, editors, and reviewers with clear guidance and responsive communication. For questions about scope or workflow, contact [email protected].

We encourage open data, code sharing, and careful documentation of specimens and sequences to support replication and long-term reuse across the evolutionary biology community.